TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century: 7-12

TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century: 7: The Avengers (1965-1969).

"Mrs Peel, we're needed". Those wonderful introduction sequences with music by Laurie Johnson, that Bowler Hat, banter - "Always keep your bowler on in times of stress, and a watchful eye open for diabolical masterminds.".

Despite critics I liked the Tara King series as much as the Emma Peel ones. Wonderful to see in colour in satellite repeats because it was all black and white TV back in the 1960s!

Assassination by laser! Invisible spies! Housecats trained to kill! Politicians hypnotised into becoming children! Escape into time! The Fear Merchants! And of course the Cybernauts.

And who can forget Emma Peel in "A Touch of Brimstone" in her very daring S&M outfit! Or her harem outfit in "Honey for the Prince".

For all its fantastical elements, it is still great fun to watch, that slightly tongue in cheek approach, the eccentrics who pop up all over the place,

As of late 2020, Thorson is the last living main cast member, with both Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg having passed away earlier that year.

TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century: 8: Bewitched.

Probably deemed too twee nowadays, I really enjoyed this. American situation comedy that aired on ABC from 1964 to 1972. Bewitched followed the fortunes of Samantha (played by Elizabeth Montgomery), a suburban housewife who also happens to be a witch. Dick York was her neurotic husband Darrin. Agnes Moorehead played Samantha's mother, Endora.

Samantha casts spells by twitching her nose - a wonderful idea! I bet a lot of young girls tried that after watching the show!

Did you know? The star's biography was "Twitch Upon a Star The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery"

Did you know? The idea was developed (on different lines) from Rene Clair's comic film I Married a Witch (1942), also well worth viewing.

BTW: Forget the movie version, however, which was a travesty.

TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century: 9: The Generation Game.

“Nice to see you, to see you nice”
“Give us a twirl!”
"Good game, good game!"
"Let's meet the eight who are going to generate"
“Cuddly toy, cuddly toy!”

Loved watching this Saturday nights. Ordinary people, and a series of tasks, some physical, some mental, usually followed by some short and amusing playlet. And then the generation who won - father/daughter, mother/ son etc would play off against each other.

The winner would watch prizes pass on a conveyor belt, and wins as many as could be recalled in 45 seconds - and there was always a cuddly toy!

The Generation Game first aired on 2 October 1971, and for my money, the original Bruce Forsythe era was the best.

Did you know? The conveyor belt was actually often moved manually as it kept breaking down.

Life is the name of the game,
And I wanna play the game with you.
Life can be terribly tame,
If you don't play the game with two.

TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century:  10: Don't Ask Me.

Before the Thatcherite TV auction destroyed the industry, ITV had its own popular science shows, and one of my favourites was "Don't Ask Me".

This was made by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and ran from 1974 to 1978. It attempted to answer science-based questions and contributors included Magnus Pyke (natural sciences), Rob Buckman (medicine), David Bellamy (biology), Miriam Stoppard (medicine), and Derek Griffiths.

Experts answered such crucial questions as ‘why do jellies wobble?’, ‘why are fleas good jumpers?’ and ‘do crocodiles really shed tears?’ Although there were other more serious ones like: why do we have two high tides every day? Why is my reflection upside down on one side of a spoon, but the right way up on the other side?’ Why do cats purr?’, ‘Why is yawning catching?’ and ‘Why do wheels on stagecoaches seem to go backwards in films and on television?’

Some experiments went wrong, though. He worked out the speed truck-driver John England should use to ‘fly’ a minibus across the River Avon. It was too slow. The bus sank, trapping John for 40 seconds. 

“By Jove, you are wet,” said Magnus.

Most memorable: the madly waving arms of Magnus Pyke! If ever there was an image of "mad scientist", Magnus fitted the bill admirably!

Did you know? Magnus Pyke was one of the Food Science advisors on nutrition during the Second World War.

TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century: 11: Nationwide:

Although running from 1969 to 1983, it was the years under Michael Barratt (1969–1977) that I watched it frequently.

A magazine programme, it always was interesting. The light entertainment was quite similar in tone to That's Life!, with eccentric stories such as a skateboarding duck and men who claimed that they could walk on egg shells.

There was also a Watchdog consumer section. Meanwhile, news stories from the regions helped create an identity of the UK as one nation but with regional diversity - rather a good thing.

One thing that also also sticks out is the Nationwide Christmas Pantomime, with Denis Healey on the piano. That a sitting and senior politician in the Cabinet should mug it up for fun (using the phrase "silly billy", is something we would never get now - even Boris wouldn't dare. But it captures something of the fun of the era, where politicians could sometimes be less serious and more ordinary, and I think that's something we've lost in our darker more troubled world.

TV Shows I enjoyed in the last century: 12: How!

How! was a British educational television show created by Jack Hargreaves. It was produced from 1966 to 1981 by Southern (when they lost their franchise in Thatcher's money grabbing auction of TV companies). It was on around 5.25 pm.

It provided answers to questions beginning with the word "How". Each episode began with the presenters all raising one hand and saying "How" simultaneously. Topics commonly covered included science, history, mathematics and simple puzzles.

It showed how children's TV could be educational and fun, and was never patronising. I used to watch it a lot in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was brought back

Presenters Jack Hargreaves (creator of show), Fred Dinenage (1966–1981), Jon Miller (1966–1981), Bunty James (1966–1969 and 1970–1976), Dr Tom Gaskell (1969), Jill Graham (1969–1970) and Marian Davies (1977–1981).

In 1990, the series was revived as How 2 by TVS and ran for 16 years. Recently (2020), How 3 has begun. Fred Dinenage is the only presenter to have worked on all 3 series.