Weekend Watch Vol.4
Another curated selection of vintage television to fill your weekend
Yes, it’s that time of the week again where I slide a few slices of curious British television your way to digest and enjoy (or, on at least one occasion this week, recoil in horror at). Anyway, you know the drill, so let’s not waste any more time and dive straight in:
17/11/1986 - BBC1 - The Clothes Show (Leigh Bowery)
Whenever I stumble across footage of Leigh Bowery, I find it almost impossible to tear my gaze away from the screen. As he describes himself in this clip from The Clothes Show, he was “larger than life” but also so much more. A true one-off, Bowery was as flamboyant as he was talented, and his pursuits involved running hipper than hip London nightclub Taboo, performance art and, of course, designing fashion. And it’s his ludicrously stylistic fashion which he’s proudly showing off in this clip.
08/06/1984 - ITV - South of Watford (Fantasy Games)
You don’t get too many regional variations on British television these days, but it used to be packed full of them. Particularly on ITV, where many of the local ITV franchises would opt out of the main network schedule and show something they had put together themselves. And, hands down, South of Watford is my all time favourite regional oddity. Taking a lighthearted look at, mostly, life in London, South of Watford is a wonderful time capsule of the mid-1980s. This particular episode, fronted by Ben Elton, explores the burgeoning ‘fantasy games’ scene, so expect plenty of 100-sided dice, dwarves and a LARP sequence you’ll never forget.
16/03/1991 - BBC1 - Little & Large (Trouble in Toytown)
Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to watch an entire episode of Little & Large, as there are few crimes worthy of that punishment. However, this particular sketch from Syd Little and Eddie Large is bona fide proof that Saturday night television has always been a load of old cobblers. Entitled Trouble in Toytown, it’s a parody of Noddy and, that on its own tells you all you need to know, so expect plenty of hackneyed double entendres and ‘faces’ being pulled. Plus, a set of bootleg Wombles pop up at the end to heighten the cheapness even further. Full disclosure: I probably watched this on its original broadcast and laughed my trousers off. I was 8.
19/06/1987 - Channel 4 -Jonathan Ross and George Michael Have Words
As a palate cleanser from Little and Large, I’m delighted to serve up a helping of 1980s George Michael to make everything better. I’ve watched this several times over the last few years and it remains a fascinating interview. Aged just 23 here, George is teetering on the precipice of mega stardom in this interview with an equally fresh faced Jonathan Ross. Filmed a year after Wham! had split up, but a few months before Faith was released, this was a period of relative calm before the storm, and, considering that George is barely into his 20s, it’s packed full of reflection and articulation. Yet another reminder of how badly missed he is.