Nostalgia As It Used To Be
Jan. 8th, 2013 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeThis weekend was one of pure nostalgia as CITV were running all of their classic shows as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations. CITV launched on 3 January 1983 so Saturday and Sunday was dedicated to all of the old kids shows that I watched as a kid on the CITV channel. The average viewing figures of around 300,000 (with Finders Keepers pulling a massive 411,000) suggests that the old shows were very popular indeed. For comparison, BBC2 and Channel 4 in prime time rarely garner more than two million.
Early Saturday morning, I headed over to Entei-rah's house to spend the weekend regressing back to my childhood. Panthras was there and Baloki and Miles came along later to play old Atari games and create a delightful freeze of the five of us in an olde worlde art program. I looked like someone had planted a tree up my arse while Panthras looked like someone had taken a dump across his eyes but old programs never were true to true artistic talent and the picture turned out rather well for a semi-drunken attempt at the end of a fabulous day.
Earlier, we had watched their entire line-up from 9.25am through to 6pm. Some of the shows I remembered while others were delightful little surprises that I had forgotten in the midsts of time. A few others I had never seen before and while I am wary to pronounce that things were better in "the good old days" I couldn't help feel that the quality of children's programming has taken a turn for the worse since around 2000, particularly with the prevailence of cheap foreign (mainly American) imports dominating our screens.
The highlights of the day were so many that it's impossible to live them all again. Fun House with Pat Sharpe was always a personal favourite of mine and indeed instilled in me one of my earliest fetishes, that of gunge. I could always take or leave the actual fun house bit, as well as the Go-Kart Grand Prix, it was the gunge-filled games that kept me tuning in time and time again. I had always hoped to be on the show but my childhood was stiltified by a lack of confidence and thus I never got to live out my dream. Sharpe's mullet was also another delicious highlight but the episodes broadcast were from the post-mullet era, taken from 1995.
Finders Keepers was another excellent program, starring Neil Buchananananananan, whose Scouse accent had nicely developed in this 1994 recording when compared to the episode of Art Attack that was aired from 1991 earlier in the day (Buchananananananan is from Aintree on Merseyside initially). The idea of raiding rooms of a house for objects described in inane clues was always a novel and fun idea and it was good to see that this show, along with Fun House, hadn't really aged at all. Indeed, along with Jungle Run, a later incarnation which was just as much fun as the aforementioned two shows, these shows could be aired today and no one would really notice aside from the slightly antiquated prizes on offer and the lack of HD filming.
These shows weren't the only highlights though. Supergran, filmed in the fictional town of Chisleton yet clearly displaying the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle, was a charming slice of Eighties nostaliga while programs such as Rainbow, Wizadora, Rosie & Jim, Puddle Lane and The Riddlers (with a puppet that was the spitting image of Gail from Coronation Street) were all shows with which I grew up during the period from 1987 (the year from which I have my earliest memories) to around 1992. The Raggy Dolls is also another excellent show from my childhood and one I always felt a strange empathy towards as it concerns the adventures of a group of dolls considered rejects from a factory production line as they are deemed to be defective. The adventures are usually heartwarming tales and this one, about a Russian doll, was a wonderful exploration into cultural differences and traditions, albeit through a children's TV programme. I always felt I would be at home in the 'reject bin'.
Another furry favourite was of course Knightmare, which looked futuristic for its time but, of course, 20 years on, it's computer graphics look rather dated. Despite this though, the plots were incredibly strong and even now you could appreciate the technology and effort which went into the series. I once met the dungeon master fellow, back in 1991, when he visited our school. I always loved his "oooh nasty" catchphrase yet the two episodes they showed were successful quests and thus I didn't get to hear it. Many of the wall monsters, not to mention Ariadni, scared the living Bejeebus out of me and even now they occupy an element of fear, but ultimately, the feeling I had was one of appreciation, that such a groundbreaking show can still look good despite all of the changes to computer graphics in the last 20 years.
Woof! was one of my favourite shows growing up and it was good to see that this hadn't really dated either. It may be 20 years old now too, but the plots were strong and I believe this could still be shown today as there would be an audience for it. It also has huge furry appeal as it details the story of a young boy who frequently turns into a dog against his will. It's a brilliantly crafted tale (or should that be tail) in which Eric, the canine/human protagonist gets into all sorts of scrapes due to his unusual affliction. Starring Liza Goddard, an actress about whom I created a game when I was about nine years old (which involved bouncing up and down on my mattress screamingher name), the show is exceptionally charming and beautifully filmed. It was great getting reacquainted with it.
There was a strong educational flavour with some of the offerings too. How 2 with the legendary Fred Dineage, Gareth Jones and Carol 'Bioglan' Vorderman was another show which was aired while The Big Bang taught me that it would only take 42 folds for a piece of paper to reach the moon due to the power of exponential mathematics. Again, these were shows from my childhood, ones I remember running home from school to watch, and thus, for one of the first times in my life, I was able to plug into a sense of nostaliga that I have never really been able to before. I am sure hitting my Thirties, this is a purely natural state.
Dangermouse was another classic show and the episode shown was no exception. I personally think this is the greatest thing that David Jason has ever done and the scene of Dangermouse tied to a quickly rotating windmill did stir some very interesting feelings inside of me. Beautifully written with loads of really cringeworthy jokes, Dangermouse is a true tail of spies and heroism dressed up with some exceptionally silly plots. In short, great fun and a brilliant blast from the past. I now really want a Dangermouse fursuit *wags*.
As I mentioned before, there were a few shows which I did not remember until they showed them again. One of them was Spatz, from 1992, a drama set in a fictional burger bar. This was probably one of the few dramas I watched as a kid - I wasn't really too fussed with Pressgang or Children's Ward - and it was great being reintroduced to the character dynamic of this show. It was also great seeing Nicholas Parsons guest star and that Blimpeys (assumedly a pun on Wimpy) was their main rival.
The weekend was largely excellent but that's not to say it was totally perfect. They showed the US version of Fraggle Rock - a show they had never aired on CITV before - rather than the UK version. I assume this had something to do with broadcasting rights and, while the stories on the American version were brilliant, it wasn't quite the same as the version we knew as kids (I loved Sprocket though, I could have taken him home with me). A couple of shows, specifically Zzzzap!, they didn't air for reasons unknown while the focus on drama towards the end of the day gave it something of an anti-climax. The latter perhaps is a harsh point as some of the dramas did launch the careers of some well-known stars (Ant & Dec and Julia Swalaha being the most famous) but this is my personal view.
It was an honour and a privilege sharing the weekend with some excellent friends. We had a wine, cheese and cracker party, and Panthras even cooked us some scrumming spaghetti bolognaise which was delicious. Great fun was had by everyone and it truly was an excellent way to end the Festive period.
Early Saturday morning, I headed over to Entei-rah's house to spend the weekend regressing back to my childhood. Panthras was there and Baloki and Miles came along later to play old Atari games and create a delightful freeze of the five of us in an olde worlde art program. I looked like someone had planted a tree up my arse while Panthras looked like someone had taken a dump across his eyes but old programs never were true to true artistic talent and the picture turned out rather well for a semi-drunken attempt at the end of a fabulous day.
Earlier, we had watched their entire line-up from 9.25am through to 6pm. Some of the shows I remembered while others were delightful little surprises that I had forgotten in the midsts of time. A few others I had never seen before and while I am wary to pronounce that things were better in "the good old days" I couldn't help feel that the quality of children's programming has taken a turn for the worse since around 2000, particularly with the prevailence of cheap foreign (mainly American) imports dominating our screens.
The highlights of the day were so many that it's impossible to live them all again. Fun House with Pat Sharpe was always a personal favourite of mine and indeed instilled in me one of my earliest fetishes, that of gunge. I could always take or leave the actual fun house bit, as well as the Go-Kart Grand Prix, it was the gunge-filled games that kept me tuning in time and time again. I had always hoped to be on the show but my childhood was stiltified by a lack of confidence and thus I never got to live out my dream. Sharpe's mullet was also another delicious highlight but the episodes broadcast were from the post-mullet era, taken from 1995.
Finders Keepers was another excellent program, starring Neil Buchananananananan, whose Scouse accent had nicely developed in this 1994 recording when compared to the episode of Art Attack that was aired from 1991 earlier in the day (Buchananananananan is from Aintree on Merseyside initially). The idea of raiding rooms of a house for objects described in inane clues was always a novel and fun idea and it was good to see that this show, along with Fun House, hadn't really aged at all. Indeed, along with Jungle Run, a later incarnation which was just as much fun as the aforementioned two shows, these shows could be aired today and no one would really notice aside from the slightly antiquated prizes on offer and the lack of HD filming.
These shows weren't the only highlights though. Supergran, filmed in the fictional town of Chisleton yet clearly displaying the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle, was a charming slice of Eighties nostaliga while programs such as Rainbow, Wizadora, Rosie & Jim, Puddle Lane and The Riddlers (with a puppet that was the spitting image of Gail from Coronation Street) were all shows with which I grew up during the period from 1987 (the year from which I have my earliest memories) to around 1992. The Raggy Dolls is also another excellent show from my childhood and one I always felt a strange empathy towards as it concerns the adventures of a group of dolls considered rejects from a factory production line as they are deemed to be defective. The adventures are usually heartwarming tales and this one, about a Russian doll, was a wonderful exploration into cultural differences and traditions, albeit through a children's TV programme. I always felt I would be at home in the 'reject bin'.
Another furry favourite was of course Knightmare, which looked futuristic for its time but, of course, 20 years on, it's computer graphics look rather dated. Despite this though, the plots were incredibly strong and even now you could appreciate the technology and effort which went into the series. I once met the dungeon master fellow, back in 1991, when he visited our school. I always loved his "oooh nasty" catchphrase yet the two episodes they showed were successful quests and thus I didn't get to hear it. Many of the wall monsters, not to mention Ariadni, scared the living Bejeebus out of me and even now they occupy an element of fear, but ultimately, the feeling I had was one of appreciation, that such a groundbreaking show can still look good despite all of the changes to computer graphics in the last 20 years.
Woof! was one of my favourite shows growing up and it was good to see that this hadn't really dated either. It may be 20 years old now too, but the plots were strong and I believe this could still be shown today as there would be an audience for it. It also has huge furry appeal as it details the story of a young boy who frequently turns into a dog against his will. It's a brilliantly crafted tale (or should that be tail) in which Eric, the canine/human protagonist gets into all sorts of scrapes due to his unusual affliction. Starring Liza Goddard, an actress about whom I created a game when I was about nine years old (which involved bouncing up and down on my mattress screamingher name), the show is exceptionally charming and beautifully filmed. It was great getting reacquainted with it.
There was a strong educational flavour with some of the offerings too. How 2 with the legendary Fred Dineage, Gareth Jones and Carol 'Bioglan' Vorderman was another show which was aired while The Big Bang taught me that it would only take 42 folds for a piece of paper to reach the moon due to the power of exponential mathematics. Again, these were shows from my childhood, ones I remember running home from school to watch, and thus, for one of the first times in my life, I was able to plug into a sense of nostaliga that I have never really been able to before. I am sure hitting my Thirties, this is a purely natural state.
Dangermouse was another classic show and the episode shown was no exception. I personally think this is the greatest thing that David Jason has ever done and the scene of Dangermouse tied to a quickly rotating windmill did stir some very interesting feelings inside of me. Beautifully written with loads of really cringeworthy jokes, Dangermouse is a true tail of spies and heroism dressed up with some exceptionally silly plots. In short, great fun and a brilliant blast from the past. I now really want a Dangermouse fursuit *wags*.
As I mentioned before, there were a few shows which I did not remember until they showed them again. One of them was Spatz, from 1992, a drama set in a fictional burger bar. This was probably one of the few dramas I watched as a kid - I wasn't really too fussed with Pressgang or Children's Ward - and it was great being reintroduced to the character dynamic of this show. It was also great seeing Nicholas Parsons guest star and that Blimpeys (assumedly a pun on Wimpy) was their main rival.
The weekend was largely excellent but that's not to say it was totally perfect. They showed the US version of Fraggle Rock - a show they had never aired on CITV before - rather than the UK version. I assume this had something to do with broadcasting rights and, while the stories on the American version were brilliant, it wasn't quite the same as the version we knew as kids (I loved Sprocket though, I could have taken him home with me). A couple of shows, specifically Zzzzap!, they didn't air for reasons unknown while the focus on drama towards the end of the day gave it something of an anti-climax. The latter perhaps is a harsh point as some of the dramas did launch the careers of some well-known stars (Ant & Dec and Julia Swalaha being the most famous) but this is my personal view.
It was an honour and a privilege sharing the weekend with some excellent friends. We had a wine, cheese and cracker party, and Panthras even cooked us some scrumming spaghetti bolognaise which was delicious. Great fun was had by everyone and it truly was an excellent way to end the Festive period.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-01-09 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-09 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-09 07:05 am (UTC)Ant and Dec got famous for Byker grove, but that was a BBC program not an CITV one, they just moved to ITV post that series and terrible (even by their own admission) pop singing career. I think they did do some CITV work but it was for some of CITV's Sat AM TV morning shows at the end of the 90's/early 2000's.
They should have aired Zzzzap! but I guess that like fraggle rock the tapes might have gone. Likewise I know it's really dated but no "Bad Influence"? Sure there was the annoying kids reviews, but it was a much better TV computer games show than C4's Gamesmaster (even if that had Patrick Moore).
no subject
Date: 2013-01-09 08:36 am (UTC)Also speaking of which CITV really got the best picks when it came to US 80's/90's import shows as well, notably stuff from Disney (Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers), and Warner Bro's (Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, freakazoid, and Batman TAS).
Also there was no Dreamstone? Given how good the animation was (given the low low budget) I am disappoint.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-09 11:55 am (UTC)I caught Woof which I'd totally forgotten about but quickly remembered and Knightmare although it was an edition from after I'd stopped watching and went to uni. I liked the 80s ones with the face health meter that would fall apart in a really creepy way!
no subject
Date: 2013-01-09 03:44 pm (UTC)