ITV families

[Paul Calf]

We were definitely an ITV family. My parents watched ITV almost constantly, and still do. Whenever I go around to see them, the TV is constantly on and tuned to 103.

I had an Amstrad CPC464 from the age of about 12. I'm now a contract software developer. How have your childhood experiences playing with artisan wooden toys and talking about Blue Peter at Woodcraft Folk meetings held up?

[Fambo Number Mive]

I reckon the epitome of BBC v ITV has got to be Blue Peter v Magpie. I watched both and managed to get a Magpie badge simply by writing a shit letter about my dad having built a greenhouse. No such luck with Blue Peter. Mind you I understand the BP badge did get you into some National Trust (?) places for free so I guess you had to work for it.

Oh and I always thought Jenny Handley was far sexier than Lesley Judd.

Shouldn't your dad have got the Magpie badge, given he built the greenhouse? There should be an adult version of Blue Peter where adults can write in for badges.

[Inspector Norse]

I was born a bit later than the OP, in 1984, but I remember my parents - my mum, specifically - still being a bit snooty about ITV when I was growing up; I think it was the adverts and a perception that the BBC programming, at least the children's stuff, was superior because they had worthy stuff like Jackanory and Blue Peter (though for some reason we were never particularly encouraged to watch Newsround, despite our parents being fairly socially and politically progressive). We did watch ITV, though, it never reached the stage of a banning or anything.

We had to turn off before Grange Hill and Byker Grove because they were too grown-up. And Neighbours at 17:35 was absolutely not allowed. I can't remember what happened on CITV after 17:00. Did they have their own teenage dramas or did they turn off the kids's shows and go straight into soaps and American cop shows?

Channel 4 was OK to watch on weekend mornings, despite also having ads. Maybe because it was seen as being artier?

[Darles Chickens]

I can't remember what happened on CITV after 17:00. Did they have their own teenage dramas or did they turn off the kids's shows and go straight into soaps and American cop shows?

Let's play Blockbusters!

Followed by the ITN News at 5:45 (with Leonard Parkin)

[thenoise]

Born in 1983. My Mum was BBC growing up and my Dad was ITV,in all sorts of ways, so we mostly compromised and watched Channel 4. Memories of watching disturbing Eastern European animation at too young of an age and wondering why it wasn't funny.
Countdown was the gameshow it was ok to watch. Nerdy and vaguely Oxbridgey without being too University Challenge about it.
Grew up with Jon Snow making his concerned face at world events. As well as the ubiquitous punning captions before they went to ads.

[dr beat]

Before the 1990 Broadcasting Act the companies that made up ITV had a significant degree of autonomy and specialised in different types of programming, which meant they could all bring something to the table.

[steve98]

it is, though we were in no position to be snobs

Behind the sofa? Hidin' from The Provi Woman? Same here, every Friday night (Still thought we were better than everybody else though.)

[canadagoose]

I was born a bit later than the OP, in 1984, but I remember my parents - my mum, specifically - still being a bit snooty about ITV when I was growing up; I think it was the adverts and a perception that the BBC programming, at least the children's stuff, was superior because they had worthy stuff like Jackanory and Blue Peter (though for some reason we were never particularly encouraged to watch Newsround, despite our parents being fairly socially and politically progressive). We did watch ITV, though, it never reached the stage of a banning or anything.

We had to turn off before Grange Hill and Byker Grove because they were too grown-up. And Neighbours at 17:35 was absolutely not allowed. I can't remember what happened on CITV after 17:00. Did they have their own teenage dramas or did they turn off the kids's shows and go straight into soaps and American cop shows?

Depends what region you were in. Border had Blockbusters, then later on in the 90s there was Home and Away (I think that might have been after the news was moved).

[Small Man Big Horse]

I was born in 74 and we were a mix of ITV and BBC1, but I remember we were always a Swap Shop family rather than Tiswas, and later Going Live and whatever ITV was showing at the time. Which as an adult I'm quietly horrified by, though my excuse was that there was always a chance of a Doctor Who actor turning up on the beeb and that rarely happened elsewhere.

[Sebastian Cobb]

My parents watched both but I think there was a general knowledge that outside the odd drama CITV was mostly dross.

I associate it with being papped off to one set of Grandparents; forced to go to church then back to an evening of Michael Barrymore and Cilla Black, with a stop off for Casuality on BBC. Week in, week out with no deviation allowed.

The other grandparents had a radio times to pick what they watched and had a video machine, so generally didn't mind making concessions.

[popcorn]

Where does having Sky fit into all this? I feel that in the early 90s, at least, it was common and yet expensive therefore = ?? Nouveau riche?

As a lad if I found myself round someone's house with Sky it was unbelievable. The Turtles episodes had a different picture for the credits! I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

OLD:



NEW!!!!!

[buttgammon]

Where does having Sky fit into all this? I feel that in the early 90s, at least, it was common and yet expensive therefore = ?? Nouveau riche?

As a lad if I found myself round someone's house with Sky it was unbelievable. The Turtles episodes had a different picture for the credits! I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

We didn't get Sky until around 2000-2001, but my aunt (who's total nouveau riche) had it for as long as I can remember. They got The Simpsons before the BBC picked it up, so I already loved it before most of the kids in school had watched it, and even after it was being shown by the BBC, I got to see newer episodes ages before terrestrial proles did. This was back when that was actually a good thing.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Used to love going round a mates to watch Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network.

I do now wonder if Sky was actually good if you were an adult who didn't like sport or just lots of channels of crap. Since that's definitely what I've found having cable is like as an adult, generally leafing through the EPG leaves me with a greater feeling of listlessness.

[Sherringford Hovis]

It's called snobbery mate.

Imagine how snobby my parents were, looking down on people that actually watched TV. When Grandma that lived with us died in 1983, her telly went back to the rental place and our family did without until late 1989.

[pigamus]

We were definitely an ITV family. My parents watched ITV almost constantly, and still do. Whenever I go around to see them, the TV is constantly on and tuned to 103.

I had an Amstrad CPC464 from the age of about 12. I'm now a contract software developer. How have your childhood experiences playing with artisan wooden toys and talking about Blue Peter at Woodcraft Folk meetings held up?

You even sound like Alan Sugar

[Satchmo Distel]

Didn't ITV families switch to BBC when ITV was showing 'World In Action'?

[Inspector Norse]

Depends what region you were in. Border had Blockbusters, then later on in the 90s there was Home and Away (I think that might have been after the news was moved).

I was in Granada in the infants and Yorkshire in junior school, Home and Away being on does ring a bell. But did it clash with Neighbours or could you watch one and then the other? (not that it mattered for us as both were off-limits due to parents being generally opposed to Australia)

[buttgammon]

Used to love going round a mates to watch Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network.

I do now wonder if Sky was actually good if you were an adult who didn't like sport or just lots of channels of crap. Since that's definitely what I've found having cable is like as an adult, generally leafing through the EPG leaves me with a greater feeling of listlessness.

Agreed, channel surfing gives me such a sense of ennui (although I like sport, I stream almost all of the football I watch and don't subscribe to any sports channels). We have a fairly basic cable package here, so there aren't even any amusingly crap channels; if I'm staying with my mum (who has Sky) or my in-laws (who have a premium cable package), at least there's the novelty of being able to laugh at shopping channels or the documentaries about how aliens built the pyramids on channels that are meant to be factual.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Did anyone ever experience the thing that I had when I was a kid where you wanted to watch something on BBC1 but an older relative (usually your mum or your gran) had to watch the start of This Is Your Life on ITV and after about a minute and a half she'd go "Oh, I'm not interested in him!" and you could turn over and watch Star Trek or The Goodies.

[Zetetic]

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who had an Amstrad CPC464 from the age about 12 and became contract software developers,
who cowered in unshaven rooms in underwear, burning their money in wastebaskets and listening to the Terror through the wall,

[pigamus]

^lol

[Small Man Big Horse]

Where does having Sky fit into all this? I feel that in the early 90s, at least, it was common and yet expensive therefore = ?? Nouveau riche?

As a lad if I found myself round someone's house with Sky it was unbelievable. The Turtles episodes had a different picture for the credits! I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

We were a very middle class family but got Sky in September 1991, though it was due to my step-father dying in the August of that year and my Mum getting a substantial insurance pay out. It was a fantastic swap too, Sky One alone gave me far, far more pleasure and happiness than that moany old shit ever did.

We didn't get Sky until around 2000-2001, but my aunt (who's total nouveau riche) had it for as long as I can remember. They got The Simpsons before the BBC picked it up, so I already loved it before most of the kids in school had watched it, and even after it was being shown by the BBC, I got to see newer episodes ages before terrestrial proles did. This was back when that was actually a good thing.

Sunday night at six thirty quickly became a very popular night in our household and over time between five to ten friends would come round and watch it with me, and if it was a great episode (which was often the case back then) as I was taping them all we'd rewind it and rewatch it a second time straight afterwards. The more I think of it, my stepfather dying was the nicest thing ever did for me.

[idunnosomename]

while shepherds washed their socks by night, all watching ITV
the angel of the lord came down and switched to BBC

[steve98]

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by Madness...

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by The Bay City Rollers...

[Paul Calf]

You even sound like Alan Sugar

Busted.

[Jittlebags]

For some reason, back in the early 70's, ITV film scheduling times were a bit odd, and you'd quite often get a Bugs Bunny or a Daffy Duck cartoon appearing at the end.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Gobots not Transformers
Had a C64 but never got into home taping because the right tapes were expensive
54321 bars
Findus Crispy Pancakes

[Emma Raducanu]

We were an itv household except my dad who never watched anything and would literally sit with his fingers over his ears as he read a book. It used to irritate me but now it's one of the things I most respect about him. That and his massive knob.

How shit it must have been to have a teenage daughter binging on neighbours, then home and away then Hollyoaks and a wife watching coronation Street, then an itv exclusive drama premier sponsored by cadburys.

The first time it dawned on me how relentlessly shit itv was, was when they won the rights to match of the day and the opening credits featured bono followed by a live studio audience of pukka pie eating football experts dressed in full kit.

[Pranet]

At my Nan's house she would only have ITV on for some reason. Refused to watch the BBC.

We used to visit her on Sunday afternoons. At some point the football highlights were on the BBC at the same time that we visited and my mum and dad and older siblings were amazed when nan agreed to turning the channel over so I could watch them. Never before had this been allowed.

[Glebe]

Had a sort of nice, cultured, 'upper'-working class upbringing and we were definitely a BBC family (grew up and still live in Dublin, but we've always had the UK channels alongside RTE). We got UTV here of course, though now strangely for some years now we don't get it but do get ITV 2,3, and 4.