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http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/blog/ar...hlights-in-1988.html


The first in a new series of features, where we peer back through the mists of TV time to see what we were watching on the goggle box so many years ago. First up, we look back at the night of Friday 8 January, 1988.

Blankety Blank, BBC1, 7pm
The evening’s prime time viewing kicks off with two competing game shows. On BBC1, Les Dawson hosts this classic. You may remember ‘Blankety Blank’ as featuring A-list celebs but tonight Les’s guests include Philip Schofield (without his more famous partner Gordon The Gopher), Frank Carson and star of ‘Filthy Rich And Catflap’ and daughter of June Whitfield, Suzi Aitchison. Also on the show was West End stage singer Liz Robertson (nope, us neither).

The Price Is Right, ITV* 7pm
If those huge names didn’t tickle your fancy, you could turn over and see Leslie Crowther asking viewers to “Come on Down!” It looks dated – right down to the dollybird hostesses like Gilly De Terville and Carol Greenwood. The show was nonetheless groundbreaking if only because of the size of the prizes on offer (particularly compared to the jokey cheque book and pen handed out by Les on ‘Blankety Blank&rsquo. The winnings were so big for the time that an earlier series was taken off air because they exceeded limits set by the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

Me And My Girl, ITV, 8pm
Following on from that excitement, there was a re-run of Richard O’Sullivan single-dad sitcom ‘Me And My Girl’. (Did you know: Joanne Ridley, who played his daughter, changed her name to Iona Simms and now works as a midwife in California?)

20 Years Of The Two Ronnies, BBC1, 8pm
We’re pretty certain the BBC would still show this today, given the chance.

Tales Of The Unexpected, ITV1, 8.30pm
But how about this for major-channel popular quality? A half-hour drama based around a Somerset Maugham short story and featuring legendary actors Pauline Collins and Joss Ackland. Class.

Dispatches, C4, 8pm
A 45-minute studio debate between Arthur Scargill and John Walsh, a challenger for head of the National Union Of Miners. Can you imagine the channel attempting that at primetime nowadays? Incredible.

The Tracey Ullman Show, BBC2, 9pm
We picked this date at random, but there’s actually a significant moment in television history here.  The show won Emmys galore (including one for a certain Paula Abdul’s choreography) but its main claim to fame was that it brought ‘The Simpsons’ to the small screen. This was their first appearance on British television. Talking very sloooowly and being very jerkily animated, there’s little sign that the short cartoons on either side of the bits where the adverts would have been would go on to become TV’s first family.


Floodtide, ITV, 9pm

The second series of a mainly forgotten drama about a doctor who attempts to take down a gang of drug smugglers. Philip Sayer, who died shortly after it aired, played the lead, Dr Ramsay.

Rockliffe’s Babies, BBC1, 9.30pm
After the news (at 9pm, natch) grizzled detective Alan Rockcliffe (Ian Hogg) goes to work with a squad of wet-behind-the-ears PCs (of the actors who played the young coppers Joe McGann is the only one who went on to achieve more notable fame). In tonight’s episode three of the babies get held hostage when a junkie robs a chemist in an attempt to get a fix. Exciting stuff, but the best bit about it was almost certainly the rocking theme tune.



Footloose, BBC1, 10.20pm

Oooh, all that viewing has made us tired. Fancy a late night film? Well, there’s Kevin Bacon strutting his stuff or there’s…

Subway, C4, 11pm

What else for C4 other than a French classic? It’s about the metro system, not the sandwich shop, which hadn’t yet crossed the Atlantic. If that’s too much there’s…

Snooker, ITV, 10pm

Ah, soft colours, low murmuring commentary and the occasional click, sure to send you off. It’s the Mercantile Credit Classic - won by Steve Davis, if you were wondering. If you should doze off you might awake to…

Night Network, ITV, 1am
Featuring a game show with Nicholas Parsons and music from Wet Wet Wet. All the other channels have shut down. Bliss.

* Note: it’s not ‘ITV1’, just ‘ITV’ was enough in those days.

 

What do you reckon? Do you think telly was better in the good old days? Let us know how much you remember below...

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Thanks for sharing.    I do remember most of these.  And yes British tv WAS better then IMO, although there is a lot of stuff imported from the US that is good.  I think the music/charts was betetr then too. This past few years has been dreadful IMO.  And its not my age either LOL, because many people I know a generation younger, agree that the 80s were good and that the noughties hasnt been brilliant,
FM
Last edited by Former Member
Reference:
Subway, C4, 11pm

I remember watching that film when it was shown on television. It was one of Luc Besson's first films. If I remember rightly, it was about a man who lived in the Paris Metro tube system and is a thief. I think it starred Christopher Lambert, best know for his Highlander films.
El Loro
I remember most of them but as a yoooth () i was out and about most evenings!


I reckon BBC1 on a Thursday evening at that time would vave been: TOTP, Tomorrow's world and maybe Eastenders!
Cold Sweat
Ooh Tomorrows world! Wonder how many of their predictions came true. We never even had a tele for 3 years when my son was little. I remember going to a mates house to watch Widows because she insisted I had to see it.
FM
That will explain why I went out on the lash every night then!!

The sad thing is my parents still watch alot of those...  my brother spent christmas with them as was Facebook status updating about the "house that time forgot!"
Dirtyprettygirlthing
I do remember that  back then soaps were on one night a week. .which was quite enough.. I even watched a few back then. .not now tho

I think that was also the Star trek and Babylon 5 era too. .not that I am a sci fi geek or anything

Must admit I was newly divorced and a eck of a lot younger too so was having a rather good time out and about instead of in front of the Box ..
Mount Olympus *Olly*
Footloose even back then made me laugh at the thought of an angst ridden teenage boy dancing his way around an empty factory, don't know why, it just makes me laugh. (I wonder if Master Cinds dances around the house when we're not home to rid himself of his teenage torments)

Of the rest of the list, I used to watch Price is Right, Me & My Girl and Tales of the Unexpected.

The Price is Right reminds me of being at school, sat in the back of a lecture theater messing about and the teacher asking me to come on down to the front, cue me jumping up and running down the steps all excite while singing the Price is right music. By the time I got there, the teacher was laughing so much they had forgotten I was supposed to be in trouble.
Cinds
Reference:
Hubby always goes a bit white when I take a leg of lamb out of the freezer

hahahaha... it always crosses my mind when I am getting one out of the freezer too.

I don't think my hubby is familiar with the episode
Dirtyprettygirlthing
Tales of the Unexpected had that theme tune that went doo doo doo....do do do dooo doo doooooo and had that bird in silhouette dancing in that box didn't it?

1988 was Neighbours, Angry Anderson singing Suddenly, every part of meeeeee. I was skating 7 times a week, living in Wandsworth and at school part-time so never saw much tele but I ALWAYS watched Neighbours.

Ohhh Blankety Blank! Haha if someone got ignored we'd say you got the cheque book and pen mate (in other words they got blanked)
Karma_
I had a 4year old and working full time, so dont remember watching telly much then, but i did watch Blankety Blank, and Tales of the Unexpected, i suppose they would be classed as tame now, but they were a bit scary in their day  (not Blankety Blank ) Was Prisoner Cell Block on then, i loved that, the theme song was so sad
FM
Nooooo!

I have Angry Anderson going round me head now...   last time I had it playing round & round & round (on a very small loop..   I'm a bit iffy on all but about 6 of the words) for a couple of days.

And...     I freaked myself out when I watched Scott & Charlene get married cos I suddenly found myself all lump in throat & teary eyed!

Tis the only wedding I have ever cried at!
Dirtyprettygirlthing
Reference: Croc
But i was pissed for most of the first 7 years of the 80's (when I wasn't at work) so didn't watch a lot of TV...
 Snap for the full ten  

 And I'm working on it now...
FM
Coincidentally...    Blankety Blank (with Les Dawson) was on daytime telly as I gave birth to my son...  followed by Quincy!

I remember this cos my ex sat there on his plastic chair.. under the telly... watching it, eating his cheese & pickle sandwich...    he even "shhhhhed" me at one point....  before turning the telly up

nowt like a bit of support
Dirtyprettygirlthing

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