The Why Don't YouTube? Catchup - May 13th-19th 2024

From the house of @whydontyoutube

May 13th

60 YEARS AGO TODAY: Coronation Street's first big controversy as Martha Longhurst, Rovers Return snug partner of Ena Sharples and Minnie Caldwell, is killed off in what more than one future producer called one of Corrie's greatest mistakes.

50 YEARS AGO TODAY: Skiboy - he's a boy who skis! - was intended as Lew Grade's next big ITC action adventure but viewers froze out the Swiss alpine adventures and it lasted thirteen episodes.

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: after three weeks off Spitting Image features the much recalled Da Doo Ron Ron Reagan song as an opener, a nonsensical pisstake of the Cosgrove Hall Wind In The Willows, Flying Pickets puppets and an Ade Edmondson cameo doing Vyvyan's voice.

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: Jo Brand is the latest to be corralled into a stand-up/sketch mixture by Channel 4 in Through The Cakehole. Decent supporting cast though, including Kevin McNally, Clive Mantle, inevitable Maria McErlane and a whole host of stars in the climactic rampage; the first series of Fantasy Football League reaches its exciting climax in the company of title contenders John Motson and Basil Brush.

May 14th

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: Alan Bleasdale comedy-drama Scully features Andrew Schofield heading a very Scouse cast as the titular troublesome teen with a Liverpool obsession.

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: It's A Girl brings together audience debate and sketches about women's health, fronted by Imelda Staunton with a ridiculous cast involving Stephanie Cole, Robert Llewellyn, Peter Jones, Anita Dobson, Jo Brand and the odd sight of Thora Hird monologuing at Kate Winslet; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Red Right Hand, by order of the Jools Holland.

20 YEARS AGO TODAY: it's very odd and maybe telling that Dara Ó Briain does Have I Got News For You twice in three weeks and then just over a year later has his own topical panel show. Intriguing guest bookings too, Carol Vorderman and Sir Michael Gambon.

May 15th

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: "Floella Benjamin with Stuart Bradley (and) Brian Jameson" is the credit on Play School, correctly as she was indisputably the main character despite Bradley's attempts to rip off Emu. The theme is growth, with Jameson in his allotment and a feathered Humpty; those of you across your Raw Sex canon will know they were the only remaining members of Ken Bishop's Nice Twelve, whose big moment came on The Young Ones before Jools Holland, Chris Difford, Stewart Copeland and co walked.

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: Bob Mills bring his In Bed With MeDinner video collection to football use in World Cup Heroes And Villains; Family, written by Roddy Doyle and directed by Michael Winterbottom, centres each of its four episodes on a different, well, family member. Second drama in two days to feature a bespoke Elvis Costello theme; a new run of Moviedrome begins with Alex Cox, shades on, suit clean, introducing The Andromeda Strain.

20 YEARS AGO TODAY: it felt like a stretch, reported as the BBC ignoring an Ofcom warning about derivative formats. Many professional dancers felt it too gimmicky to take part. Some of the judges had no knowledge of ballroom. And yet... Strictly Come Dancing starts here; this Eurovision was the year of expansion, especially into eastern Europe, which means the start of Wogan's end as he starts going on about voting bias every year. At least people remember winner Ruslana fondly; after three misbegotten years The Premiership ends on ITV with Arsenal's Invincible season and one last Beautiful Day.

May 16th

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: the Look North headlines have plenty on the miner's strike, followed by some prime computer graphics in the pre-broom cupboard days of children's BBC continuity, which amuses Malcolm Eynon ahead of a Play School of largely forgotten names; full-on Peggy Babcock antics from most of Razzmatazz, featuring Tracie Young as guest host, dumper resident Boomtown Rats, Helen Terry and an interview with Jakko Jakszyk, whose solo career was as uneventful as his career for hire since has been varied (he’s currently singer in King Crimson)

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: Leslie Nielsen, plugging Naked Gun 33 1/3, on The Big Breakfast bed.

20 YEARS AGO TODAY: this season's dramatic Dream Team denouement: a death, an arrest and match-fixing affecting an end of season vital game. This is as grounded as it got.

May 17th

20 YEARS AGO TODAY: we don't get many crossovers in British TV, and the one between Bad Girls and Footballer's Wives might go some way to explaining why.

ALSO… Man Alive's John Pitman reports from counterculture happening The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream today in 1967 (well, the event was on April 29th, but you know what we mean)

May 18th

50 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tommy Cannon makes his TV debut on The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club only to find his plaintive song being interrupted. Members of the audience quite rightly register their displeasure.

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: Noel Edmonds' personal nostalgia vehicle The Time Of Your Life was nominally a remembrance of 1963, with a Lance Percival and Gerry Marsden soundtrack, but is built around a series of surprises for main guest George Best.

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: remember when Stephen Spielberg brought back Doctor Who? GMTV follows up newspaper stories by obsessing about who the assistant could theoretically be before the presenters declare it was all shit anyway; Karren Brady's road to nodding next to Sugar began as managing director of Birmingham City, a woman in football being novelty enough to get its own Inside Story documentary, almost more notable for its Barry Fry content; Pete Postlethwaite heads a strong cast in Screen Two film Sin Bin as a psychiatric nurse wrestling with his conscience after a patient is killed. Writer Catherine Johnson went from such bleakness to, naturally, Mamma Mia!

20 YEARS AGO TODAY: Julian Barrett and Noel Fielding transfer their stage comedy hit to BBC Three and redefine cultdom for the Reddit meme generation with The Mighty Boosh.

May 19th

50 YEARS AGO TODAY: The Do-It-Yourself Film Animation Show has Bob Godfrey explain the importance of types of sound as Ron Geesin introduces the world and possibilities of sound effects, with an assisting mouth effect cameo by known eccentric Bruce Lacey.

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saint, Greavsie and Jimmy Tarbuck hold their respective courts for ITV at the FA Cup final, featuring a special song from Kenny Lynch; John Peel discusses the reaction to punk, Rod Stewart and whether his show is part of the Reithian tradition with Nicky Horne on Ear-Say.

30 YEARS AGO TODAY: the Channel Tunnel is officially opened; an overly busy Emmerdale features a marriage, a proposal and the village itself being renamed from Beckindale. Can you just do that?; The Cook Report undermines ITV's own flagship with an investigation into steroid abuse and specifically among Gladiators.

ALSO... proving nothing ages like technology, Esther today in 1997 discusses whether the internet is worthwhile with expert Rick Wakeman and London's town crier.

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