Talking Pictures

[kaprisky]

Some other series are coming up on the channel: The Brack Report (Thames), which looks a bit like Bognor but set in a nuclear power station; Enemy at the Door (LWT), which has Alfred Burke, Simon Cadell and possibly John Nettles and set in Guernsey or Jersey during WWII; and The Mind of Mr JG Reeder (Thames), seemingly about a DPP employee who can solve crimes.

As mentioned about Together, the second series had a theme tune written by Johnny Dankworth and sung by his wife Cleo Laine but the first series has an electric piano-led theme by Denis King (Hannay, arranged the Rooms theme) which in my opinion is superior.

Lastly, Saturday's episode of Runaround featured a musical interlude with Headline, a 2 Tone type group who entered the stage like Madness and had a fella who looked a bit like Bruce Grobbelaar! Apparently their one album was released on Virgin.

[Norton Canes]

And Sunday had the complete promo video for Judas Priest's Breaking The Law.

[A Hat Like That]

Some other series are coming up on the channel: The Brack Report (Thames), which looks a bit like Bognor but set in a nuclear power station; Enemy at the Door (LWT), which has Alfred Burke, Simon Cadell and possibly John Nettles and set in Guernsey or Jersey during WWII; and The Mind of Mr JG Reeder (Thames), seemingly about a DPP employee who can solve crimes.

As mentioned about Together, the second series had a theme tune written by Johnny Dankworth and sung by his wife Cleo Laine but the first series has an electric piano-led theme by Denis King (Hannay, arranged the Rooms theme) which in my opinion is superior.

Lastly, Saturday's episode of Runaround featured a musical interlude with Headline, a 2 Tone type group who entered the stage like Madness and had a fella who looked a bit like Bruce Grobbelaar! Apparently their one album was released on Virgin.

Not entirely sure I can cope with that




Widows, then. Loved the setting, the feel of early 80s London just before the money started rolling in, dirty pubs, grit and grime. The acting was excellent and it took its sweet time getting there. That said, on at least one occasion, a character would rock up and I'd clearly be expected to know exactly which sort-of-biege individual that was and why they were important. There were three, maybe four, identikit coppers in a subplot that ultimately went approximately nowhere. It didn't quite excel but was still a decent 6 hours of telly. Series 2 to record over this week.

Also, the hair!

[A Hat Like That]

WRT The Mind Benders

Do let us know what you think of it, good or bad!

The intro to this contains the first time I have ever seen my old lab (the New Chemistry Laboratory) on film, so its already scored well.

EDIT
15 minutes in and the Oh Its Him count stands at Edward Fox and Roger Delgado.

[Bently Sheds]

I caught a bit of Special Branch the other night, a 70s cop drama starting George Sewell and Patrick Mower. The particular episode I half watched featured a wonderful turn by Peter Bowles as a very effete fashion designer, replete with an earring (what would Audrey Fforbes Hamilton think?). Then Patrick Mower's manly flared nostrils entered the shot and all was lost.

All in all it seemed like it bridged the gap between friendly police dramas like Z-Cars and the grim grittiness of The Sweeny.

[Ambient Sheep]

Lots to say about the above :), and about other upcoming stuff, but a bit pushed for time right now, so I'll just stick with a couple of urgent recommendations:



Tonight at 01:30 (Thu 26th Aug) there's a curious looking thing I've never heard of called Royal Flash (1975).  Directed by Richard Lester, and with an almost all-star cast (Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates, Florinda Bolkan, Oliver Reed, Britt Ekland, Lionel Jeffries, Tom Bell, Alastair Sim, Michael Hordern, Joss Ackland, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Cazenove, and Bob Peck in his debut film role).

Reviews at the time were mixed, Lester himself saying the film was "generally ignored and considered to be a substandard version of The Three Musketeers."  Despite that, he went on to say that it was one of the few films he'd made that he liked watching again.

IMDb's reviewers are more positive: "fun" is a word that seems to come up a lot.  In any case, it sounds intriguing just for the director and the cast.



Starting tomorrow, then every Thursday at 9pm, they're running Public Eye (1969-75) again (I think this is the third showing), for anybody who hasn't caught it yet, or wants to see it again.

As usual this is from the start of the wholly-available series 4 onwards, skipping the five earlier ones that survive: you need to buy a Network DVD for those.

This first series (S4, the "Brighton" series) in particular is superb.

From earlier in the thread:

Following on from my post here, I've just finished the first four episodes of Public Eye's fourth series (the first unwiped one).

I'm absolutely hooked, although it's difficult to say why.  Just brilliant, understated, writing plus the sheer charisma of Alfred Burke in the lead role, I think. 

It's been a long time since a series made such an impression on me.

Best British TV series ever made....?

Yep.... Utterly compelling.

Oh, and I've just noticed that before that, at 18:40 tomorrow, is Foul Play (1978) for all you Goldie Hawn fans.  Not seen it since I was a teenager so wouldn't dare to venture an opinion on it now (besides remembering it was quite fun), but just flagging it up.

[A Hat Like That]

Royal Flash does the rounds. Will wait for further comments before my tuppence.

Danger UXB back on, early mornings this time, from when Widows ends. I think this is an excellent series and one I have a LOT of time for.

[A Hat Like That]

Lastly, Saturday's episode of Runaround featured a musical interlude with Headline, a 2 Tone type group who entered the stage like Madness and had a fella who looked a bit like Bruce Grobbelaar! Apparently their one album was released on Virgin.

He's only gone and opened with a Cyril Smith joke!

[Absorb the anus burn]

Starting tomorrow, then every Thursday at 9pm, they're running Public Eye (1969-75) again (I think this is the third showing), for anybody who hasn't caught it yet, or wants to see it again.

As usual this is from the start of the wholly-available series 4 onwards, skipping the five earlier ones that survive: you need to buy a Network DVD for those.

This first series (S4, the "Brighton" series) in particular is superb.

From earlier in the thread:

Best British TV series ever made....?

Yep.... Utterly compelling.

Yep, unbeatable television... What an amazing performance by Alfred Burke and what a wonderful character!

The earliest 5 episodes are owned by Canal+ who purchased the ABC archive. I guess TP TV do not have permission to show them. They are well worth purchasing on DVD as they show a different Frank (perhaps cheekier and more sparky) working in London and Birmingham before

Spoiler alert

he ends up in prison

[close]

. The Brighton episodes are sublime - almost like a mini-series within the Public Eye universe - with their own particular mood and specific theme tune.

+++++

And Foul Play stands up really well.... They'll likely cut the "motherfucker granny Scrabble game".

[Ambient Sheep]

A late schedule change!

Due to OVERWHELMING DEMAND - More RUNAROUND shows, UNSEEN since their original broadcast, WILL be screened THIS SATURDAY & SUNDAY at 9am on #TPTV https://t.co/ymp3nYnxyA

(https://twitter.com/TalkingPicsTV/status/1301097567170818049?s=19)

That's replacing the heavily-trailed Whizzkids Guide which will presumably now be shifted to a later spot.

[kaprisky]

According to the BFI the first episode of The Brack Report was "referred to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission by the Central Electricity Generating Board". I wonder what the objection was there. Maybe the prominent sign (CEGB) in the background perhaps? Other than Jenny Seagrove and the Black Panther himself Donald Sumpter, the only other one I recognised was Michael J. Jackson, who played the father of the incestuous siblings in Brookside in the mid-90s!

Let's hope that the "Cyril Smith in a hang glider" joke was the one which pushed Runaround into 'overwhelming demand' territory.

[kaprisky]

Graduate were the group on this morning's Runaround. I didn't recognise them at first but the lead singer and bass player were... Roland and Curt from Tears For Fears! Imagine a version of Donnie Darko that used Ever Met A Day instead.

[A Hat Like That]

Watched the first episode of Enemy at the Door - Alfred Burke is the German commandant. He's very good. Stately pace to it but the acting is uniformly solid.

It is now straight on Oooh You Are Awful, the Dick Emery movie. Hellfire this is terrible.

EDIT: von Smallhausen has rocked up. Wonderful.

[Bently Sheds]

Graduate were the group on this morning's Runaround. I didn't recognise them at first but the lead singer and bass player were... Roland and Curt from Tears For Fears! Imagine a version of Donnie Darko that used Ever Met A Day instead.

I checked YouTube to see if this was on there, but only found three performances from a foreign show. Bless their little hearts, they look so young!

[Attila]

We just happened (around 2230) on a police show (The Gentle Touch? Mr Attila was familiar with it, but it's new to me) featuring a super young Derek Thompson who is sporting a terrifying head of curly blond hair.

[JesusAndYourBush]

We just happened (around 2230) on a police show (The Gentle Touch? Mr Attila was familiar with it, but it's new to me) featuring a super young Derek Thompson who is sporting a terrifying head of curly blond hair.

I've been enjoying watching those.  I didn't think I'd seen it at the time but then I remembered one scene in one episode so I must have see at least that one episode before.

I've also been enjoying watching Hannay (it's on a couple of hours before The Gentle Touch) which I definitely hadn't seen before and never knew it existed until it came up on Talking Pictures.

[Attila]

We've been on a rewatch of Life on Mars, and now into series 2 of Ashes to Ashes, so Mr Attila likes to put on these older police dramas and point out, 'Look, it's the real Life on Mars!'

But then again, this is a man who will drop everything and sit through an episode of the Sweeney when he happens upon it.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Well that was a weird bit of synchronicity.  Two days ago the film Smashing Time (1967) popped into my head.  I'd seen it once (sometime circa 1983) and barely remembered it.  Then yesterday evening I'm looking for something to watch and it was on Talking Pictures.
Strange film, but oddly enjoyable.

[A Hat Like That]

Can't remember which channel had Guns at Batasi on but I really enjoyed that. One of Attenborough's best roles, I think.

Also gets a lot of old Who crossover with Earl Cameron, Bernard Horsfall and, as it turned out, Louis Mahoney

[steveh]

Well that was a weird bit of synchronicity.  Two days ago the film Smashing Time (1967) popped into my head.  I'd seen it once (sometime circa 1983) and barely remembered it.  Then yesterday evening I'm looking for something to watch and it was on Talking Pictures.
Strange film, but oddly enjoyable.

I'm surprised it has remained so hidden compared to similar films of the time when it's a fun watch with a good cast, even if it is slightly strange as you say. It's had DVD and Blu Ray releases in the USA but not here and would seem the kind of thing the BFI would put out so maybe there is a rights issue. Interesting too for the shots of 1966/7 Camden.

[kaprisky]

Last Sunday's episode of Runaround featured The Sinceros who sounded a bit like Elvis Costello and the Attractions. This morning's episode had The Distractions who sounded a bit like Graham Parker and the Rumour. The episode also featured Tim being put in a guillotine and sawn in half with an electric bread cutter. Definitely an action of its time!

[shiftwork2]

I'm surprised by how ill-suited Mike Reid was to Runaround.  I remember him being an avuncular and likeable Cockney dickhead but there's little evidence of it now apart from the dickhead.  He did the show and-tell segments with barely disguised impatience and interrupted the guest, and sometimes asked the same question thirty seconds after it'd been answered.  I think Mike just wanted to get this shit out of the way so he could return to his Southampton hotel and get it on with pints of Hofmeister top and that evening's dolly birds.

[kaprisky]

This morning's Runaround episode had The Photos as musical guests, starting with a Fripp-style guitar opening before settling into a kind of Pretenders-meets-The Police pop sound, fronted by a red-headed Debbie Harry-esque singer. Their song Irene reached no. 56 in the UK singles chart according to their Wikipedia page. This show is an archive for some obscure acts.

[Blumf]

Somebody just uploaded it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cjDLeVlQNE

That show is worth it just for the forgotten music acts.

EDIT: That channel's videos looks like an interesting trove of old music appearances.

[Bently Sheds]

EDIT: That channel's videos looks like an interesting trove of old music appearances.

Including Ricky Gervais' really ironic 80s turn as David Bowie's cousin's hairdresser's best mate.

[Ambient Sheep]

After its weekly-on-a-Wednesday second run finished last week, Rumpole of the Bailey immediately starts its third run tonight: this time at 2.55am every morning, seven days a week (unusually).

I've watched the first seven of them now (from the previous run), all good stuff verging on great, even if the sexual politics do make me wince from time to time.


The Wednesday 9pm slot is being taken over this week by the aforementioned The Mind of J.G. Reeder.

[Norton Canes]

This morning's Runaround episode had The Photos as musical guests, starting with a Fripp-style guitar opening before settling into a kind of Pretenders-meets-The Police pop sound, fronted by a red-headed Debbie Harry-esque singer. Their song Irene reached no. 56 in the UK singles chart according to their Wikipedia page

The Wiki also says their scheduled appearance on Top Of The Pops was cancelled due to industrial action. What might have been, eh.

[kalowski]

Also spotted, 0900 Saturday and Sunday next week.

Used to scare me as a child. That and Tomorrow's People.

[A Hat Like That]

Enjoying Enemy At The Door a lot. Tonight's episode was very good, if somewhat bleak.

[kaprisky]

Disappointingly there were no musical obscurities on the last two episodes of Runaround but on Saturday's episode there was an inappropriate kiss that Mike Reid gave that balloon woman. You can get away with one but he went in for another, the greedy sod!

Midnight is a Place (Southern) is on this weekend.

The Rumpole episode to look out for is on late Saturday night - '...and the Genuine Article', which is the first episode of series three (1983) and guests Brenda Blethyn, and has Rumpole defending an artistic genius. Check out the scene when he is in the dock listing his achievements, followed by Rumpole's subsequent thoughts. Really funny.

Classic line from Uncle Tom the other night: "Oh dear, a vicar in trouble? I suppose it's the choirboys again!"


And if Ray Smith had only shared a scene with Alfred Burke in Enemy at the Door, we would have had a Public Eye reunion of sorts.