Old Radio Tmes and TV Times

[PaulR]

I was going through a big box of comics that came out out my Mum's house when she moved. They go back to the 60s, mostly TV21 etc and found these magazines.

The Radio Times is especially interesting as it features the first transmission of Doctor Who with Pat Troughton appearing as the second Doctor. There's an interview with him and a short precis.

Also interesting for me at the time was an episode of The Girl from Uncle, a spin-off from The Man from Uncle. As a one time member of The Man from Uncle fan club (I had a membership card signed by Sam Rolfe), it was essential viewing. I would even buy the Lady Penelope comic (a girls comc from the same camp as TV21) in order to follow further adventures.

The TV times is printed on much better paper than the newspint used by the Radio Times. Printed at the Bemrose Press in Liverpool (where coincidentally TV21 was also printed) colour was also present.

A particular favourite of mine at the time was The Man in Room 17. The conceit here was that the 2 men in room 17 never left the room and solved the problems at a distance with just the information they received. This was further reinforced by Granada having 2 different crews for the Room 17 set and wherever the rest of the story was placed. This separation was maintained util the last ever episode when the men had to leave the room to solve one final problem

The photograph shows Richard Vernon, who achieved later fame as Slartibartfast in The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He appeared in all the episodes buthad 2 different partners. Denholm Elliot is in this one but I forget who his other partner was.

I'll be having a better look at what else is left - the bloody mice have had field day unfortunately.

 

[rolfw]

Love it Paul, particularly the Satuday one with sports and then Jukebox Jury, reminds me of those winter afternoons in front of the coal fire.

 

[spiney]

Crikey .... Juke Box jury with David Jacobs (ding for hit, hooter for miss) ..... followed by Dr Who (dum de dum, dum de dum ......) ..... then Dixon of Dock Green (Evnin' all ..... mind how you go!).

PC Dixon couldn't have the BBC's police box prop, cos Dr Who needed it.

But, what came after Dixon?

(the leftmost R.T. shows Green Acres, which was sort of Beverly Hillbillies, but in reverse!).

It's interesting that the BBC saturday line up, Grandstand, then as above, was the same for years, hence sticks in the mind. Who remembers what ITV used to show after their saturday sport?

 

[Lancelot]

Dixon would have been on about 18:00 ? from memory for about 50mins.
So maybe a big variety thing of some sort.

Remember only a few years later being babysat by cousin Trish and seeing early episodes of tales of the unexpected on ATV on Saturdays at 9pm




L/

 

[Channel Hopper]

But, what came after Dixon?

Usually the Saturday evening film, followed by Comedy Playhouse, and then That was the Week that Was.

 

[spiney]

Crikey, Ch opper, you've a fine memory.

All that stuff was past my bedtime, but I can remember Millicent Martin singing "that was the week, that was" (or, am i just remembering clips shown more recently?).

That famous clip of Bernard Levin getting beaten up - by somebody approx twice his size - must hold the record for most ever showings.

 

[PaulR]

Well I have the means to tell you exactly what was on.

My 1965 copy of TV Times, dated August 7 to 13, tells me that Summer Sport was on until 5:15 followed by Sir Francis Drake, starring Terence Morgan as the knight and Jean Kent as Queen Elizabeth. News followed that and at 5:50 was Lucky Stars (the Thank Your bit having been dropped sometime before).

The Dec 17 - 23 1966 Radio Times shows that after Dixon there was a film, High Adventure, and then at 8:55 The Val doonican Show (special guest stars Roy Castle, Kenneth McKellar and John Williams). This was followed by another News and then Points of View, Match of the Day and The Late Show before the Weather at 11:25. Close down was shortly after!

Interestingly many of he programes were flagged as a BBC Recording. The film obviously wasn't but the Val Doonican Show appears to have gone out live. They don't have the balls to do that any more!

BTW, the term for this sort of stuff is Ephemera, things that would normally get thrown away but happen to survive. Historians love finding this kind of thing as it gives them an idea of what everyday life was like.

 

[spiney]

Wasn't the saturday sport - isn't it still - called Grandstand?

Val Doonican, - Paddy McGinty's Goat! I was always waiting for him to fall off that rocking chair, alas he never did. And the pullovers were extraterrestrial (Dougal's pullovers in Father Ted might be a "nodding back reference"). But, I doubt it went out live.

(I couldn't find a "good" Val Doonican pic, but did find this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3000820.stm ).

A BBC Recording was to show that it was a home grown tv prog, and not a film, or an American import.

Speaking of which, ITV3 are repeating the excellent Ironside series, with Raymond Burr, like Colombo the guest stars are a "who's who" for that period.

 

[PaulR]

Wasn't the saturday sport - isn't it still - called Grandstand?

The BBC programme was but on ITV it was just called Saturday Sport.

A BBC Recording was to show that it was a home grown tv prog, and not a film, or an American import.

Agreed. The point I was making was that the Val Doonican show was not a recording.

Looking again at the RT for Saturday I noticed that Doctor Who was listed as Dr. Who - completely negating references I have seen that it should never be abbreviated. Furthermore the cast list shows the character listed as Dr. Who, later shows always showed the cast list as The Doctor.

Anyone interested if I scan the interview with Patrick Troughton? Never mind, I'll do anyway even if no-one's interested!!!

 

[Channel Hopper]

Well I have the means to tell you exactly what was on.

My 1965 copy of TV Times, ........

Well I was talking about 1958

 

[PaulR]

Well I was talking about 1958

Not for That Was the Week That Was you weren't. !

 

[spiney]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/t/thatwastheweekth_7776280.shtml .

(Just look at the list of writers, at the end!).

Yes, Paul R, please scan Troughton interview, I'd read it (technically, infringes copyright, but doubt BBC will mind this once, "research purposes"!).

 

[PaulR]

Interview coming up...

Damn, had to hide the file inside a zip as I came up against the file size limit for gifs.

 

[spiney]

Ta, PaulR, that was fascinating! (very high quality scan, you must have some good kit).

I like the bit where he said he enjoyed the opportunity for clowning, as that was exactly the character (though he got serious, when danger threatened). Wasn't the outfit supposedly after Charlie Chaplin?

I also see that was where he first met - and picked up - Jamie. Interesting mention of Kit Pedlar, who invented the Cybermen (they 1st appeared in 10th Planet, looking rather crude compared with now, though the stories were infinitely better, you already know what I think about Dr Who now!).

PS, I also had TV21, inc 1st issue, threw them away ....... !

 

[PaulR]

Thanks

very high quality scan, you must have some good kit

Well I do at work. My computer is connected directly to a Canon colour photocopier and I use it as my personal printer sometimes. There's also effectively an A3 scanner on the top...

I also had TV21, inc 1st issue, threw them away ....... !

I certainly didn't/don't have them all now but have less now that the mice have made their nests amongst them!!

 

[PaulR]

Re: the scan.

One thing I did do was to try saving the scan in different formats. It's amazing how many people save evrything as a jpeg. In this case the jpeg was about 5Mb! I have requently found that, in the case of B/W scan,that a BMP can be quite small, especially if saved in RLE format. Unfortunately not everyone can view the RLE format!

A suitable alternative that most people can view is an old-fashioned Tiff. The size can be squeezed even more if saved at 1 bit colour depth, ie straight black or white. If the scan is at high enough a resolution then it can pick up the individual dots of the photographs in the newspaper quality photos (75 lines per inch (lpi), I seem to recollect) that the RT used to use.

Discourse over!

 

[spiney]

Yes, PaulR, the DCT compression mode in jpeg is "best" for some things, but otherwise may not be, especially where there's a huge number of sudden sharp transitions (eg, as in text on a printed newspaper page!), which involves lots of higher order DCT coefficients .......

End of damn annoying know-it-all reply!