What's On the Curious British Telly Watchlist?
A quick look at what I'm currently watching
Ever since Curious British Telly started, way back in 2012, I’ve been amassing an almost insurmountable list of archive programming to watch. Some are recommendations, some are things that I’ve stumbled across whilst researching other programmes. Either way, it’s a lot. But I do my best to plough through them. And, sometimes, I simply watch stuff for fun. So, here’s what’s on my current watchlist:
Lytton’s Diary (1983 - 86)
I’ve just finished Lytton’s Diary and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so, that I tracked down the writer Ray Connolly to find out how he wrote the series. Produced by Thames Television and, after a 1983 pilot in the Storyboard strand, running for two series, Lytton’s Diary follows the fortunes of journalist Neville Lytton and his gossip column in the Daily News.
Combining investigative journalism with a dash of crime fighting and a quest for social justice (along with selling a few newspapers), Lytton’s Diary is an intriguing beast. It’s peppered with good humour and there’s a clear skewering of Fleet Street at play, with the new owner of the Daily News being a thinly-veiled comment on Rupert Murdoch’s impact on the press. Some things never change.
Out (1978)
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t know everything about British television. In fact, there are huge, huge gaps in my knowledge. But I do my best to fill them. And, following my discovery of Tom Bell whilst delving through some old VHS tapes, I became intrigued by his magical screen presence. A few months back, I watched his 1985 series The Detective, a curiously forgotten series steeped in corruption where Bell plays police commander Ken Crocker.
My latest voyage of discovery into Bell’s long career comes in the form of Out, a 1978 Thames Television programme produced by the legendary Euston Films. On the other side of the law, this time, Out finds the versatile Bell playing Frank Ross, a recently released ex-con determined to find out who grassed him and his gang up. I’m only one episode in, but the gritty underbelly of Ross’ world - captured brilliantly by Euston Films - has already got me hooked.
Grange Hill (Series 9 - 1986)
A lot of people who grew up watching Grange Hill always consider their era as the greatest in the show’s history. Now, my ‘era’ was 1989 - 1999 (yes, I started young) and, whilst the 1992 series remains a highlight in my opinion, the greatest era came a little earlier. To be more precise, series 9 which aired in 1986 was the height of Grange Hill’s success. And it should come as no surprise, as the series was script edited by the Oscar winning Anthony Minghella.
It’s the series, of course, which features the depraved Imelda Davis stuffing fibreglass down a pupil’s shirt, Ant Jones running battle with Mr Bronson, Gonch’s comedic toast selling business and, of course, the storyline most ingrained in the cultural consciousness: Zammo’s battle with heroin. I first watched this series in full during lockdown, but have recently gone back for a rewatch as it’s the perfect example of everything a children’s drama should be.
25 Minutes Peace? (1979)
Play School has been off our screens for 35 years now, but for the preceding 24 years it was a mainstay of children’s programming. Countless generations cut their teeth on the educational fun of Humpty, Jemima and a long, long line of presenters. And that’s why I was pleased as punch to be alerted to 25 Minutes Peace? a 15 year anniversary celebration from 1979 hosted by Barry Took.
In an audience packed full of the general public and a number of Play School presenters, Took gets to the very heart of what makes Play School tick. The programmes origins and early days are dissected, there’s a look at rehearsals - featuring Carol Leader and Don Spencer practicing a song - and Brian Cant gets up close with Katoo the Cockatoo as well as reliving his famous Play School audition tale.