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How's Channel 5 doing these days?

Started by Bazooka, April 10, 2019, 02:42:59 AM

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St_Eddie


Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quite possibly so, but a brief look at Wikipedia didn't reveal any connection between Janny Stree-Pawuh and Channel 5, so I guess I remembered that wrongly.

Quote from: Rev+ on April 10, 2019, 11:44:18 PMThey bunged [Twin Peaks] on right when they started, but I think they only ran the first series.
They must have repeated it a few years later, because it was accompanied by sponsorship adverts for Silent Hill 2 when I watched it.

Chriddof

Quote from: Alberon on April 10, 2019, 10:45:34 PM
By the time it finally launched though Sky and cable were up and running and the whole thing looked about ten years too late.

Which it was.

Absolutely. At the time, even as a budding archive British TV enthusiast who was getting excited at the thought of there being another TV channel that wasn't on Sky, I still had to admit that overall it wasn't as interesting as something like Channel 4's launch roughly 15 years prior. I'd already seen a number of satellite and cable channels pop up by then, as had everyone else, and even the shittest of those ones were mostly more interesting than Channel 5. Apart from the aforementioned exploitation / softporn movie showings and the attempts at comedy shows, there seemed to be no point to it by '97. The comedy shows did come in handy a bit later for Paramount Comedy, though, who kept them as filler for their late night / early morning schedules for about a decade. (I believe Paramount Comedy was the only channel who ever repeated The Jim Tavaré Show, which they re-ran the 13 episodes of for some time.) However I'm still haunted by one Paramount-repeated show I've forgotten the name of, that had one episode featuring nothing but the poetry of Hovis Presley as its entire second half. Apologies to anyone here who may have been a fan of his, but that episode seemed to get repeated more than any of the others, and his monotone droning would drive me insane while I lay on my bed trying to cope with one of my twice weekly 3am panic attacks.

Years before C5 actually launched, around about 1989 / 1990, I remember watching a feature on some current affairs show about the first attempt to get Channel 5 going from the IBA (just before they got murdered). There were clips of some promotional films from various British cities that attempted to convince the IBA to set the channel up somewhere other than London (what with Sky having only just properly launched and the idea of a fifth channel of any kind still being exciting). The thing that really fascinated me about it, and that I have not seen anywhere since, was some sort of test ident for the channel presumably made by someone at the IBA (as that organisation's name briefly appeared on it at one point). It was a typical late 80s / early 90s Quantel-esque animation, using half a film countdown gracefully floating out of some cubes or something and coming to rest upon the number 5, all backed with an excerpt of "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It was quite a slow ident, very arty, and seemed to give the impression that the IBA wanted a late 80s Channel 4 Extra at that point. I'd love to see it again.

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on April 11, 2019, 01:02:18 AM
Quite possibly so, but a brief look at Wikipedia didn't reveal any connection between Janny Stree-Pawuh and Channel 5, so I guess I remembered that wrongly.

She was involved with an early version of the stupidly named L!VE TV, which you may be mixing up with Channel 5. During her reign it was more upmarket, only in a really weird way - i.e. broadcasting people's dinner parties. (They also had Sacha Baron Cohen, then unknown, presenting some sort of teen phone in thing which seems to be the only surviving footage of this era.) Then, Kelvin McKenzie (who was the other main person there) kicked her out and turned it into a TV version of The Sun, inventing embarrassing shite like Topless Darts and The News Bunny that got much more press than anything they'd previously done, but only moderately higher ratings. I think their only real success was some sort of proto-Babestation "Phone-A-Stripper" thing shown at midnight - but they still ended up closing down in 1999 (although a strange archive footage only version of it came about in 2004, which got remade into a Babestation clone a few years later).

the

Quote from: Chriddof on April 11, 2019, 02:23:13 AMYears before C5 actually launched, around about 1989 / 1990, I remember watching a feature on some current affairs show about the first attempt to get Channel 5 going from the IBA (just before they got murdered).

On that note:

     

From IBA Engineering Announcements, November 1988, on the Government white paper "Broadcasting In The '90s".

Glebe

[tag]Partridge gets smug.[/tag]

Quote from: DrGreggles on April 10, 2019, 08:39:41 PM

Bruce Campbell has let himself go or Griff Rhys Jones has let himself go weird.

Ferris

Quote from: Bazooka on April 11, 2019, 12:46:27 AM
Great to hear such fondness. They also show the Worlds Strongest Man.

That was great to be fair. Big massive lads putting concrete blocks inside dustbins while a timer whirred away in the background. Excellent programming.

Bad Ambassador

They intermittently had the rights to interesting US shows like House and Gotham, before forgetting to renew the direct debit so Sky would pick them up. They also show a lot of Columbo at the weekend, which pleases many.

gilbertharding

One of the Channel 5 channels (5 Star?) was the only place to show (the first three series of) 30 Rock - before, as someone else has said, it vanished and became only available to sky subscribers.

Channel 5 is also the only place I get to watch cricket now (although the IPL used to be on ITV4).

I also have to admire their commitment to their roots - even now it's all digital, the picture remains lo-def.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on April 11, 2019, 09:06:40 AM
They intermittently had the rights to interesting US shows like House and Gotham, before forgetting to renew the direct debit so Sky would pick them up. They also show a lot of Columbo at the weekend, which pleases many.

If you look at Sky or Cable on a Sunday afternoon you can find about 3 different episodes of Columbo being broadcast on unrelated channels at the same time.

Pranet

I liked it when it had baseball. And Lexx.

Ferris

Quote from: Pranet on April 11, 2019, 12:45:04 PM
I liked it when it had baseball. And Lexx.

It had baseball? This changes everything! It may well have genuinely shown something worthwhile, which I'm surprised by.

Edit: '97-'08 so basically it broadcast Jeter and Rodriguez's Yankees to an impressionable nation that didn't know any better. I take it back - this was an unforgivable error. Channel 5 to be scrapped.

Captain Z

I vaguely remember their tea-time quiz show "100%" having a slight cult following for a while, and that the Spice Girls launched the channel with a specially written song. And there endeth my familiarity with Channel 5.

Bazooka

Quote from: Pranet on April 11, 2019, 12:45:04 PM
I liked it when it had baseball. And Lexx.

Lexx, yes, such a strange show, never really had an idea what was going on, but would watch in bed.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Bazooka on April 11, 2019, 02:10:56 PM
Lexx, yes, such a strange show, never really had an idea what was going on, but would watch in bed.

I BET YOU DID YOU DIRTY OLD BOLLOCKS.

Looks like the first 3 series are on prime video btw, scifi fans.
https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/lexx

boki

Quote from: Captain Z on April 11, 2019, 02:07:01 PM
I vaguely remember their tea-time quiz show "100%" having a slight cult following for a while, and that the Spice Girls launched the channel with a specially written song.

Wasn't it a cover of '5-4-3-2-1' by the Dave Clark Five?  I think there were only two TV channels when that was written.

boki


Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Chriddof on April 11, 2019, 02:23:13 AM
Then, Kelvin McKenzie (who was the other main person there) kicked her out and turned it into a TV version of The Sun, inventing embarrassing shite like Topless Darts and The News Bunny that got much more press than anything they'd previously done, but only moderately higher ratings.

I met a guy who was sometimes the News Bunny, he was one of the live editors on the channel and they all took turns doing it apparently, said it was a huge amount of fun, almost as if it had been the highlight of his life.

Sebastian Cobb

Live also had Britain's Bounciest Weather.

boki

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on April 11, 2019, 02:42:24 PM
I met a guy who was sometimes the News Bunny, he was one of the live editors on the channel and they all took turns doing it apparently, said it was a huge amount of fun, almost as if it had been the highlight of his life.
To be fair, my pride would've been swelling in several locations in such a scenario.

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on April 11, 2019, 02:45:01 PM
Live also had Britain's Bounciest Weather.
Oh, cripes, that was the thing with a dwarf on a trampoline, wasn't it?  It was a different time...

Sebastian Cobb

Yeah, although to be fair it did look like Rusty Goffe was enjoying himself.

Bad Ambassador

Quote from: boki on April 11, 2019, 02:29:55 PM
Wasn't it a cover of '5-4-3-2-1' by the Dave Clark Five?

Weirdly, only one of them was called Dave Clark.

Their opening night included an hour-long comedy special and a true-crime TV movie, both purpose-made. That was the last time they ever put that much effort into their programming.

I did like that they showed a movie every night at 9.00pm, and putting Xena: Warrior Princess on Saturdays at 7.00pm was prescient. If only they had any money.

Bazooka

But two years ago when I had access to Channel 5/Five I must say I felt very wholesome during the Christmas period, the Hallmark afternoon Xmas films were simply top notch, shit but Wonderful made for TV bollocks.

imitationleather

Does anyone remember the kids' show Harry and Cosh? I only saw snippets of it but it seemed far saucier than what you'd normally expect from a kids' show. Pretty standard for Channel 5 at the time, I guess.

Bazooka

Quote from: imitationleather on April 11, 2019, 03:50:41 PM
Does anyone remember the kids' show Harry and Cosh? I only saw snippets of it but it seemed far saucier than what you'd normally expect from a kids' show. Pretty standard for Channel 5 at the time, I guess.

Fuck a duck, complete eradication from the brain box, you'd be up in the docks with Harvey Weinstein for making that these days.

The Lurker

Quote from: Bazooka on April 11, 2019, 12:46:27 AM
Great to hear such fondness. They also show the Worlds Strongest Man.

Do they also show Norfolk's Maddest Man?

Sebastian Cobb

Has any tv station televised a proper shin-kicking tournament?

Ferris

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on April 11, 2019, 05:51:55 PM
Has any tv station televised a proper shin-kicking tournament?

No, but you tell Desmond the time and place and the camera crew will meet you there.

Gulftastic

They show Neighbours. Even if it is in one if it's regular downswings at the moment.

petril

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on April 11, 2019, 05:51:55 PM
Has any tv station televised a proper shin-kicking tournament?

Channel 5 did International King of Sports, featuring the beautiful International Skids
(watch out for shitty audio quality)

Pranet

It showed seasons three and four of Angel- frequently with no ad breaks, presumably it was so unpopular that they could not actually sell any advertising.

It had a bit of cheap science fiction/fantasy in the old days, Xena was the cream of the crop. Anyone remember Cleopatra 2525? The Tribe?