September 9th
1975: saxophonist Benny Green is given time by Thames to yell at clouds in London - Not Quite The Place It Was. "Rollerskate hockey has been wiped out"!
1982: Ruff Mix by Wonder Dog started out as an amuse-bouche project by sound engineer, producer and synth building pioneer Harry Thumann. It was picked up for the UK by E&S Music, a shortlived indie formed by a couple of EMI staffers, and so keen were they to promote its novelty hit possibility whilst feeling it needed that little something more that one of the partners in the label commissioned a Wonder Dog costume and made several TV appearances in it. Hereby lies the origin story of Simon Cowell, who took it all the way to Top Of The Pops - and according to the official paperwork it is him in there, not another member of the Zoo possee that surround him and give him a narrative to work with.
1983: Chris Tarrant returns to the TV-am studio from a summer spent visiting the nation's seasides and instantly forms a frosty relationship with Roland Rat, in between a competition that goes big on sweatshirts as prizes. Sharron Davies can only act as third wheel.
September 10th
1981: Kenny Everett returns to Blankety Blank with endless props, one of which is utilised to keep the mike destruction gag going. Derek Nimmo calls the show "positively funereal", to which Kenny takes his shirt off. He may have been seeking attention all along. Sally James takes the front right short straw. As if that weren't enough, the second set of contestants are called Rosita and Melville.
1983: Graham Chapman reviews Britannia Hospital for Channel 4's Video Video. His ending is conclusive.
1983: The Late Late Breakfast Show's second most infamous incident happened because the Whirly Wheel disobeyed its fixings and brought up the wrong challenge - piloting a gyrocopter, for what it’s worth - to the one that was already being set up, meaning the programme had hired Santa Pod raceway and the crash mat cars for a vehicular jump world record attempt that the Give It A Whirl selection wouldn’t be taking part in. Never mind, just invite people along willy-nilly in their own cars to have a go! What could go wrong? Result: one fractured pelvis, several general injuries, John Peel's kids going to bed thinking he'd been killed.
September 11th
1989: Blackadder Goes Forth was two and a half weeks away from starting, which doesn't seem like a lot of advance time to be recording the opening titles. Look East caught up with all concerned at Colchester Cavalry Barracks.
2001: our own roughly chronological playlist of that day’s events as UK TV saw them,
September 12th
1973: Pat Phoenix plays unwilling headers with a camera.
1979: A minute and a half into Think Of A Number Johnny Ball dons glasses in the name of character work. Two minutes later he inhales helium. By the end he's pushing a whole block of filled audience seating around the studio.
1980: BBC regional continuity, still in practice in the South, Midlands and North West regions, was phased out and went central. The very late regional news ended with John Mundy signing off from the Palace of Glittering Delights in BBC Manchester with wonderful, emotional self-indulgence.
1983: the 5000th episode of Play School came a week before a revamp which proved so controversial that most of the changes were soon reversed. Sarah Long and Ben Thomas seems an underwhelming duo for the occasion so Johnny Ball takes storyteller duties.
1987: who is the least likely comedy character to be booked for a prime-time family gameshow? From 18:10 find John Sparkes debuting Frank Hovis to a muted reception on 3-2-1, alongside Frankie Howerd and Michael Ball.
September 13th
1979: Michael Rodd demonstrates the prototype portable phone for Tomorrow's World. Won't catch on. Neatly, the Beeb's upload includes an out-take at the end.
1980: lead story on ITN News - LEAD story - was the rescue of "Hercules the TV bear". If you ask us, this is the best thing Jon Snow has ever done.
1982: Redditch investigative journalist Kevin Turvey, having been given a platform by A Kick Up The Eighties, opened his world out further to us in The Man Behind The Green Door.
September 14th
1981: esteemed playwright Ernie Wise sits down with Pebble Mill At One to discuss his new work. As long as nobody untoward, let's say a comedy partner with a joint autobiography to promote, turns up!
September 15th
1973: It's Lulu is rudely interrupted by a complainant from the audience, one A. Garnett, with his own suggestion of an alternate songbook.
1979: BBC2's Something Else and its phalanx of game amateur hosts visits Manchester, linking the Jam, young mothers, John Cooper Clarke doing vox pops, a debate on controversial chief constable of Greater Manchester James Anderton and a celebrated performance by Joy Division bringing Tony Wilson and, um, Paul Burnett in tow. (Also, Cyril Smith)
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