Yes, it is that show. Angela Rippon left the news desk and danced and there was Nothing Like a Dame as far as a whole host of BBC presenters were concerned. It was one of two shows from 1977 that have stayed in the public consciousness over the next four, nearly five, decades, along with The Good Life. What about the rest? What, indeed! Click the link below and find out.
So, we all know that Christmas TV was way better in the 1970s when across the three days from December 24 to December 26 all we had was classic after classic. Was that really the case? Well, there were of course programmes that have stood the test of time, but as with music, we often remember the best and forget the rest. Come with me as I revisit 1975 on BBC1 and see what it was actually like!
As a kid I always loved getting an annual and in the early 70s I got the usual selection of The Beano, Victor Book for Boys and Blue Peter. Well, it was only Blue Peter that became a yearly staple of my childhood. This was because I loved the range of stories, articles and even Paddington! I was absolutely fascinated by the tale of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and it definitely gave me an early sense of injustice. Anyone who is interested in what a 70s childhood was like, this is a marvellous window into it.
One of my only fond memories of my time at the Maths School, perhaps my only one, was having the original musical version of Scrooge played on a big screen in the school hall. It was full of life, colour and humour and it had a real atmosphere of Dickensian fun. It covers the main beats of the story as well as adding a scene that goes to Hell itself, which is great fun but not necessarily effective. Even when it misses a beat like that, it’s brio carries it through. It’s simply marvellous as my review below suggests.
There have been over 100 versions of A Christmas Carol in the last 120 years, and I have 11 of them on DVD or Blu Ray at the last count (!) so it is very difficult to pick a favourite film or performance. However, there is one performance of the central character that I have grown to admire more than any other. George C Scott portrayed the most realistic Scrooge in the grittiest and most realistic version of the story. Read the article below for my full thoughts and if you see it on the TV at any time over Christmas make sure you watch it or record it.
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 