Weekend Watch Vol.3
Take a look at these slices of vintage British television
The week has flown by once again and, indeed, that was the week that was (tee hee), but I’ve still found time to handpick some interesting tidbits for you to watch over the weekend. Sure, you might think that the weekend is the time for family and disastrous DIY projects, but those with their finger on the pulse of ‘true excitement’ are digesting clips of vintage television to guide them through the modern world. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at the following:
12/12/1986 - BBC2 - Micro Live (Electronic Mail)
I first heard about e-mails in the mid-1990s, and by the late 1990s I had my own email address. I always assumed that this had positioned me as a relatively early adopter of emails, but it turns out I was wrong. Not surprisingly, this revelation came from Micro Live, that bastion of knowledge for what technology was truly capable of during the 1980s. And this particular clip takes us back to late 1986, where the virtues of ‘electronic mail’ are being extolled by the true early adopters.
28/03/1980 - ITV - Afternoon Plus (Kenny Everett and Frankie Howerd)
This episode of Afternoon Plus is amazing for many, many reasons. Not only is there the natural chaos of Kenny Everett being hilariously deployed, but it’s also juxtaposed by the older, more professional approach of Frankie Howerd, who is more than keen to rib Everett throughout (all in the best possible taste). And, of course, as it’s Afternoon Plus, we’re treated to the brilliance of Mavis Nicholson, interviewer par-excellence, who seems to be having an absolute ball here.
13/07/1993 - BBC2 - E for Ecstasy
Originally airing in a Tuesday teatime slot, perhaps to help warn the kids (who were probably watching Neighbours), this BBC2 documentary on the potential harmful impact of ecstasy is a fascinating time capsule of the era. I wasn’t really aware of rave culture at the time, but it was important moment in British youth culture, and it’s intriguing to go back and witness the scene with trips to Shelly’s Laserdome and contemporary commentators passing judgement.
03/09/1980 - BBC1 - Nationwide (Haircuts)
Here’s an interesting clip from Nationwide, another vast archive of amazing footage, which looks at the haircuts emerging out of the recently opened Antenna salon in Kensington. And these haircuts are quite unlike anything London had seen before or, probably, since. The brainchild of Simon Forbes, Antenna clearly helped style the Blitz Kids of the early 1980s and, whilst these styles wouldn’t suit me (even if I was young again) their eye-catching aesthetics are impossible to deny.
Enjoy your weekend!