memorable tv           

UK / Thames / 13x30m-e / 1980-81 30 Dec 1980 - 7 Apr 1981  Tues 4.20pm

Executive Producer: Charles Warren / Producer: Stan Woodward 

Sitcom. A spin off from the pre school series Rainbow and following the exploits of the residents of the Rose Marie Hotel, a home for resting show business types.

With:- STANLEY BATES as Stanley Waters / DAWSON CHANCE as Dawson 

UK / BBC1 / 1x50m-e / 1975  16 November - Sunday 5.05pm

Writer: Fay Weldon / Producer: Frank Hatterley / Director: John Bruce 

Comedy. When his father is jailed for fraud upper crust Timothy Bagshott is forced to go and live with relatives in a tower block.

With:- PAUL MURIEL as Timothy Bagshott / MARGO CUNNINGHAM as Auntie Anne  / HARRY JONES as Arnold Oates / FANNY CARBY as Maisie Oster  / TONI PALMER as Audrey Bagshott / BILL McGUIRK as Jim Bagshott / TIM BARRETT as Mr Korn 

UK / Central/Talkback / 6x25m-e / 1992 7 April - 12 May  Tuesdays 4.10pm

Writers: Lenny Barker, Vicki Stepney / Producers: Adrian Bale, Chris Langham / Executive Producers: Peter Fincham, Lewis Rudd / Director: John Birkin 

Period sitcom. Adventures of fearless 17th century pirate Connie Blackheart, especially her running battles with Admiral De'Ath.

With:- HELEN ATKINSON WOOD as Connie Blackheart / NICHOLAS PRITCHARD as Capt Henry  Stallion / CHARLES GRAY as Admiral Dennis De'Ath / PAUL SHEARER as Petty Officer Coleridge / DUDLEY SUTTON as Scurvy / COLIN McFARLANE as Lt Parkinson / MIKE GRADY as Honeywell / BUNNY REED as Albert / GRIFF RHYS JONES as Narrator 

UK-France / BBC-Matrix-Cimadis / x5m-e / 1990

Writer/Producer: Graham Lee / Puppeteers: Graham Lee, Kate Frost / Music: Ann Bryant / Design: Deborah Wright / Executive Producer: Theresa Plummer Andrews / Director: Jeremy Cross

Puppet series based on the ancient fables of Aesop whose stories always contained a moral.

Oren and Iba Enterprises / x5m-e / 19?

Creator: Rony Oren / Music: Shmuel Noifeld / Producers: Iba and Oren Enterprises

Stop frame animated plasticine stories of a King in days of old.

Canada / Dave Ellison-Ray Billings / 52x30m-e / 1960-64

Writers/Producers/Directors: Dave Ellison, Paul Sutherland

Comedy series. Stories of Hammy Hamster and his riverbank chums. The shows used footage of real animals filmed doing humanised things (such as driving a car etc).

UK / BBC1 / 7x25m-e / 1990 3 March - 14 April  Saturdays 8.15am

Writers:Dennis MacDonald, David Claridge  / Producer: Steve Haggard 

Sitcom. A mixture of puppetry and live action with popular (briefly) TV-AM superstar Roland Rat (operated by David Claridge).

With:- ROLAND RAT as Sherlock Holmes / KEVIN THE GERBIL as Watson 

France-Germany / France 3-WDR-Cologne Cartoon-Sofidoc-Siriol Prod-Eva / x5m-e / 1992

Creator: Francoise Gaspan / Music: Gerard Labady / Executive Producer: Steve Walsh / Producers: Jean Francois Laguionie, Robin Lyons  

Animated tales of the Tooth Fairies who come whenever a child leaves a tooth under their pillow. 

English voices:- PENELOPE KEITH / DAVID KELLY / ERIC COLLINSON /  SALLY ANN MARSH

Australia / 9 Network / x15m-e / 1957-? (First Episode: 20 January 1957)

Children's entertainment show hosted by Happy Hammond and his sidekicks Ernie Carroll, Bernard the Magician, Ventriloquist Ron Blaskett and puppeteers Gerry Gee, Elaine McKenna and Patti McGrath. Episode 1 was broadcast from a studio made of glass built in a ground floor window of Myer's Losedale St Store. The show later switched to Channel 7 (minus a contracted Ron Blaskett).

UK / ABC / 6x30m-e / 1960 24 April - 29 May black and white

Writers: Malcolm Hulke, Eric Paice / Design: David Gillespie / Producer: Sydney Newman / Director: Adrian Brown 

Scifi drama series. On a Scottish island rocket station Professor Wedgewood invites his three children to spend Easter with him, one of them Jimmy stows away on a rocket ship bound for the moon. The Wedgwood family had three further adventures see the Pathfinders Trilogy.

With:- DAVID MARKHAM as Professor Wedgwood / MICHAEL HAMMOND as Jimmy Wedgwood / SYLVIA DAVIES as Valerie Wedgwood / MICHAEL CRAZE as Geoffrey Wedgwood / ANNETTE KERR as Mrs Wedgwood / FRANK FINLAY as Mr Henderson / JOHN CAIRNEY as Ian Murray 

USA / Filmation / x20m-e / 1976-78

Animated adventure series. Adventures deep in the jungle with Tarzan and his friends. A follow up called Tarzan and the Super 7 appeared in 1978, again made by Filmation. 

USA / Dic Prod / x30m-e / 1996

Creators: Jim Fisher, Jim Staahl

Scifi comedy drama action adventure. A quartet of Beverly Hills teens are turned into superheroes to fight the evil Emperor Gorganus who is planning an alien takeover of Earth.

With:- LESLEY DANON as Lori-Scorpio / RICHARD NASOR as Gordon-Taurus / K.JILL SORGEN as Drew-Centauri / RUGG WILLIAMS as Swinton-Apollo / GLENN SHADIX as Voice of Nimbar / ED GILBERT as Voice of Gorganus 

USA / Fox-Warner Bros. / x30m-e / 1991-?

Executive Producers: Tom Ruegger, Jean MacCurdy / Producer: Art Vitello / Music: Richard Stone 

Animated adventures of Taz  a whirling dervish of a Tazmanian Devil. Taz actually had a job - working in the Hotel Tazmania.

Voices:- JIM CUMMINGS as Taz-Buddy Boar-Wendel T. Wolf and Bushwacker Bob / DAN CASTELLANETA as Mr Thickly / KELLIE MARTIN as Molly Devil / JOHN ASTIN as Bull Gator / DEBI DERYYBERRY as Jake Devil / ROB PAULSEN as Dog-Didgeri Dingo 

UK / ITV / x20m-e / 1987-92

Writers: Lee Pressman, Grant Cathro 

Comedy series. Misadventures of the titular character, Elizabeth Estensen starred as the title character. Each series went under a different title. 

These were:- 1.T-Bag Strikes Again, 2.T-Bag Bounces Back 3.T-Bag and the Revenge of the T-Set, 4.T-Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom, 5.T-Bag and the Rings of Olympus, 6.T-Bag and the Sunstones of Montezuma, 7.Take Off With T-Bag,

UK / BBC2 'Scene' / 1x30m-e / 199?

Writer: Al Hunter Ashton  / Producer: Richard Langridge / Director: Sharon Miller 

Drama. A student teacher tries to help his younger brother through his GCSE's.

With:- ADRIAN LESTER as Matthew / WILBERT JOHNSON as Lester / ALEX LANGDON as Nosty / AL HUNTER ASHTON as Sgt Conrad / RUDOLPH WALKER as Bernie Daniels / OSCAR JAMES as Mr Clegg 

UK / Granada / 6x30m-e / 1982 17 September - 22 October  Fridays 5.15pm

Writer: C.P. Lee / Producer: Diana Bramwell / Director: Eugene Ferguson

Comedy sketch series starring musical comedy act Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias.

UK / ITV-Merdian /52x20m-e / 1999-2000

Books: Susanna Bretz, Alison Sage / Theme Music: Kim Goody, Alan Coates / Design: Pia Ashbury, Anneka Bluhm, Mike Joyce / Executive Producers: Don Maddicott, Claire Derry, David Hamilton / Producer/Director: Adrian Hedley

Pre-school fun with a group of six giant Teddybears. 

With:- CHERYL BLAIZE as Louise / CARL MATTHEWMAN as William / LOUISE CONRAN as Sara (season 1) / REBECCA CLOW as Sara (season 2) / TIM HULSE as Charles (season 1) / LEE CROWLEY as Charles (season 2)  / JAMES O'DONNELL as Robert (season 1) / JOHN TOBIAS as Robert (season 2) / SAI as Fred the Dog (season 1) / DISNEY as Fred the Dog (season 2)

UK / BBC-Abbey / x5m-e / 1993

Writer: Chris Allen / Books: Michelle Cartlidge / Music: Kick Productions / Producers: Jo Pullen, Joan Lofts / Executive Producers: Ann Miles, Theresa Plummer-Andrews / Director: Derek Mogford

Animated adventures of a group of distinctly human like bears who run their own removals firm.

Voices:- CAROLE BOYD / JONATHAN KYDD 

USA / Syndicated-Murakami-Wolf Swenson Inc / Group W. Prod / 89x30m-e / 1988-95

Action adventure animated series. When four turtles from a pet shop fall down a New York sewer and are contaminated by mutant material 'Mutogen' they are transformed into the Superhero Ninja Turtles. Based on a comic book the popular show spawned two hit movies (both live action) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991). In the UK it was re-titled as TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES

Voices:- BARRY GORDON as Donatello / CAN CLARKE as Leonardo / TOWNSEND COLEMAN as Michaelangelo / ROB PAULSEN as Raphael / RANAE JACOBS as April / JAMES AVERY as Shredder / PETER RENADY as Splinter

Creators/Executive Producers: Al Jean, Mike Reiss / Music: Jeff Rona

Teen fantasy sitcom. A high school student has his own guardian angel who just happens to be a streetwise teenager.

With:- MIKE DAMUS / JORDAN BROWER / CORBIN ALLRED

USA / Cartoon Network / x20m-e / 2003

Animation. Robin The Boy Wonder and teenage superheroes Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire and Raven defend the Earth from a new generation of superheroes.

UK / TVS / 86x10m-e / 1986-87 Three seasons

Creators: John M. Mills, Elphin Lloyd-Jones / Music: Andy Murray / Executive Producer: Anna Home

Animated scifi. Professor Brainstrain creates the computerised Telebugs who he uses to battle the evil (hellbent on world domination), Bullibyte and Angel Brain.

Voices:- RON MOODY / SUSIE WESTERBY

UK / BBC2-Ragdoll / x30m-e / 1997-continuing

Creator: Anne Wood

Pre school series. The adventures of four bizarre alien creatures with televisions in their stomachs that show short films designed to help toddlers understand various aspects of the world around them. The 'Tubbies' had their own toddleresque language.

Voices:- DAVE THOMPSON as Tinky Winky / SANDRA DICKINSON as La La / PUI FAN LEE as Po / RUDOLPH WALKER as Dipsy / TOYAH WILCOX as Narrator

UK / BBC1 / x25m-e / 1999

Writer: Peter Corey / Producer: Richard Simkin / Executive Producer: Sue Knott

Weekday interactive series setting questions that the kids had to phone in and respond to.

With:- SIMON THOMSON as Questor / PETER EASTLAND as Butt 

BBC1 / 6x25m / Nov 1973

Writer: Christopher Bond

Adventure serial.

With:- GODFREY JAMES as Bob Jackson / KRISTINE HOWARTH as Maggie Jackson / KANDY HOWARD as Linda Jackson / PATRICK MURRAY as David Jackson

UK / BBC1 / 16x25m-e / 1979 2 February - 6 July Fridays 3.20pm

Producer: Bryn Richards

Comedy sketch series for youngsters starring Wynford Ellis Owen, Mici Plwn, Richard Jones, Myfanwy Talog and Olwyn Rees. The programme was seen originally only in Wales, the above dates refer to the national UK screening.

UK / LWT-Anderson Burr / 39x30m-e / 1983-86

Creator: Gerry Anderson / Music: Richard Harvey / Special Effects: Stephen Begg / Producers: Gerry Anderson, Christopher Burr

Supermacromation puppet scifi series. In the 21st century (2020) the Terrahawks protect Earth from the planned take over by Zelda - the Witch Queen of Guk.

Voices:- DENISE BRYER as Zelda/Mary Falconer / WINDSOR DAVIES as Sgt Major Zero / JEREMY HITCHEN as Dr Ninestein/Hiro/Johnson / ANNE RIDLER as Kate Kestrel / BEN STEVENS as Hudson/Space Sgt 101/Yung Star 

UK / BBC1 / x15m-e / 2001 (First Episode: Tuesday 2 January 4.20pm)

Books: Jeremy Strong

Fantasy comedy series. A Viking, Siggy, from the 10th century is surprised to find himself stranded in the 21st century, once there he is befriended by young Keith Ellis.

With:- PETER ANDE as Siggy / PAUL BIGLEY as Keith Ellis / JENNY GALLOWAY as Mrs Tribblethwaite / PATRICK MOWER as Mr Thripp / GABRIELLE COWBURN as Penny Ellis / JACK BLUMENENAU as Tim Ellis

UK / Central / 6x25m-e / 1985

Writer: Roger Parkes / Producer: John Cooper 

Drama series. Cases of children appearing in front of a juvenile court.

UK / Central-Britt Allcroft(latterly HIT) / 275x5m-e / 1984-2007

Creator: Reverend W. Audry / Executive Producer: Britt Alcroft / Director: David Milton

Hugely successful series about the adventures of the little steam engine and his friends Gordon, Henry, Percy, Bertie the Bus etc on the beautiful Island of Sodor (creator Awdry used the Isle of Man as his basis for Sodor). Despite the huge array of merchandise available Thomas is a lovely, gentle show that keeps it simple and follows the Reverend Audry's stories closely and harks back to a simple almost pre world war II way of life. The original narrator was former Beatle Ringo Starr and then later sound-alike Michael Angelis. Thomas is sold to 120 countries and broadcast in 11 different languages. In the US the show is also known under the banner of Shining Time Station  and has been narrated by Alec Baldwin, George Carlin and Michael Brandon.  

From season 7 the title was shortened to Thomas and Friends The 10th season introduced some new characters (aimed at new merchandising possibilities no doubt :-) and there have been both a big screen movie (Thomas and the Magic Railroad which bears no real similarities to the series itself and features just as much live action material) and a couple of direct to dvd releases most notably Calling All Engines (which features characters, such as the scary Diesel 10, seen in The Magic Railroad movie) and Thomas's Trusty Friends (aka Jack and the Pack) which features non train characters who worked on a Sodor construction site.  

Between 1994 and 2003 Thomas and Friends only appeared on Pay TV in the UK. 

UK / ABC / 17x30m-e / 1956  2 Seasons + 2 specials

Writer/Producer: Patricia Latham / Director: Vivian Milroy 

Sitcom. In season one ex-sailor Mr Oddy got up to various adventures with his nieces and nephews and in season two he hired the kids to help get his bossy elder sister out of his cottage.

With:- PETER BUTTERWORTH as Mr Oddy / TOTTI TRUMAN-TAYLOR as Agatha (Season 2) / GEORGE HOWELL as Henry / LYNN GRANT as Maisie  / DAVID HIGSON as Mike  / CHRISTOPHER SANDFORD as Robert / SHANDRA WALDEN as Sally /  TERRY COOKE as Jackie (Season 1)  / PETER SOULE as Al (Season 2)

UK / Associated-Rediffusion / x20m-e / 1964 black and white

Puppet series starring a Scottish hedgehog known as Spike McPike. The show also marked the first appearance of Basil Brush who would of course later graduate to his own series The Basil Brush Show. 

UK / BBC2/Zenith 'English File' / 5x20m-e / 1997

Writer: Barry Purchase / Novel: Ian Strachan / Music: Rick Fenn / Director: Kim Flitcroft 

Scifi drama serial. A schools production. In a Britain of the future which is on the verge of collapse, two young children are forced to fend for themselves.

With:- CAMILLA POWER as Sky / JOHN McARDLE as Spindor / DEAN COOK as Chip / SIOBHAN REDMOND as Mum

UK / ITC-ATV / 32x50m-e / 1965-66

Creators/Producers: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson / Special Effects: Derek Meddings / Producer: Reg Hill

Supermarionation series. Amazing exploits of the staff of International Rescue, a family run organisation based on their own (Tracy) island and dedicated to keeping evil at bay. The family was head by Jeff Tracy who had five sons Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John. Brains was the man responsible for the teams vehicles. The team had different vehicles they could call upon depending on the case. These were:- Thunderbird 1 ( A Rocket piloted by Scott). Thunderbird 2 (The Green carrier type craft piloted by Virgil) Thunderbird 3 ( Spaceship Piloted by Alan). Thunderbird 4 (submarine piloted by Gordon) and Thunderbird 5 ( space satellite manned by John). Also involved was six wheeled pink rolls royce owning Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her chauffeur Parker. Number plate of Lady P's Rolls Royce was FAB 1 Two movies were also made in the mid sixties these were Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird Six.

Voices:- SYLVIA ANDERSON as Lady Penelope / RAY BARRETT as John/The Hood / PETER DYNELY as Jeff Tracy / DAVID GRAHAM as Gordon/Brains/Parker/Kryano / CHRISTINE FINN as Tin Tin / SHANE RIMMER as Scott / DAVID HOLLIDAY as Virgil 

USA / Syndicated-Rankin Bass-Marvel / 1x120m-e 1x60m-e 32x60m-e / 1985

Producers: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr

Animated scifi drama series. The exploits of 7 feline superheroes, Lion-O, Panthro, Tygra, Wilykat, Wilykit, Cheetara and Snarf as they do battle with the evil Mumm-Ra.

Voices:- LARRY KENNEY / ROBERT McFADDEN / EARL HAMMOND / PETER NEWMAN / LYNNE LIPTON / GERIANNE RAPHAEL / EARLE HYMAN

Australia / Network 10 - Tele Images - Jonathon M. Schiff / 39x30m-e / 1998-99

Creators: Jonathon M. Schiff, David Phillips, Jenny Sharp / Music: Garry McDonald, Lawrence Stone / Script Editors: MIchael Joshua, Barbara Bishop / Producer: Jonathon M. Schiff

Scifi drama series. A teenager of the future is forced to travel back into the past to try and save the people in his own time.

With:- JEFFREY WALKER as Noah Daniels / MEREONI KUKI as Arushka / DANIEL DAPERIS as Chip / GERARD KENNEDY as Dr Pretorius / ROBERT ALSTON as Ferris / JASPER BAGG as Rork / ERNIE BOURNE as Pohl / STUART HALUSZ as Tao / KATE KELTIE as Becky Daniels / ELENA MANDALIS as Jett     

UK / BBC / 6x25m-e / 1973

Writer: John Tully / Novel: Noel Streatfield / Producer/Director: Dorothea Brooking 

Period children's drama serial. The adventures of three young orphan children.

UK /  ITV / 7x25m-e /  1958  18 March - 29 April

Writer: Sheilah Ward / Design: John Emery / Director: Daphne Shadwell 

Scifi drama serial. A man finds that his attic door leads him into Victorian London where he finds himself accused of being a French spy.

With:- CLIFFORD ELKIN as Jim Barnaby / NIGEL ARKWRIGHT as Mr Porter  / BETTY HUNTLEY WRIGHT as Mrs Deverill / DAVID LANDER as August Bellini  / ANNE REID as Patience Mee

UK / Thames / 4x25m-e / 1991  16 October - 16 November

Writer: Jim Eldridge / Music: Debbie Wiseman / Design: Haydn Pearce / Producer: Alan Horrox  / Director: Michael Winterbottom 

Scifi drama series. Scientist B.B. Miller is able to travel through time (on her motorbike) and has adventures during the English Civil War and Victorian times.

With:- HAYDN GWYNNE as B.B. Miller  / CLIVE MERRISON as Prof Crow  /  KENNETH HALL as Ben Hardy / KERRY SWALE as Hepworth  / BRIMLEY JENKINS as Judge  /  IAN McNEICE as Leather Hardbones / PAUL BOWN as Captain / JAMES SAXON as Lord Chalmerston / JULIE T. WALLACE as Lady Chalmerston / ARNOLD BROWN as Matlock / GAVIN RICHARDS as Witchfinder General 

UK / ATV /  26x25m-e / 1970-71  28 September - 22 March 71

Creators: Ruth Boswell, James Boswell / Script Editor: Ruth Boswell / Scientific Advisor: Geoffrey Hoyle / Producer: John Cooper 

Scifi drama series. Two teenagers, Simon Randall and Liz Skinner are holidaying in a small village when they discover a 'time barrier' which leads them into four adventures where they find themselves in the past(1940) and in the future(1990) where they  do battle with the evil Commander Traynor.

With:- SPENCER BANKS as Simon Randall / CHERYL BURFIELD as Liz Skinner / DEREK BENFIELD as Frank Skinner / IRIS RUSSELL as Jean Skinner / DENIS QUILLEY as Commander Traynor / JOHN BARRON as Devereaux 

UK / ITV (ATV) / 138x15 minute episodes / 1966 -1970 
First episode broadcast Sunday 10 July 1966 @ 6.15pm 
Final Episode broadcast Wednesday 1 Jan 1969 @4.40pm

Producers: Bill Allenby and later Jean Morton, John Pullen / Directors: John Holdsworth, John Pullen, Dilys Howell, 

A Children's show hosted by Jean Morton and her twin Koala bears (the Tingha and Tucker of the title). 
Aimed at the younger audience each episode featured a story and from around 1969 Uncle Pat Astley also acted as host.

UK / ATV-Central / 1974-82

Anarchic Saturday morning show. The main presenters  were Chris Tarrant and Sally James assisted by Lenny Henry, Bob Carolgees and John Gorman. The programme made ample use of custard pies and the like (espcially with the masked Phantom Flan Flinger) and the presenters ended up getting drenched most weeks. Until 1979 the show was shown only in the midlands area and the title stood for TODAY IS SATURDAY WEAR A SMILE. 

UK / 1950's

This was the name given to the time (until 1957 anyway) when TV closed down in the UK between 6.oopm and 7.00pm in order to allow parents to put their children to bed. Obviously TV was so fantastic in the 1950's that you couldn't tear yourself away from the screen unless they switched off for you.

USA / Hanna-Barbera / 17x25m-e / 1975

Animated comedy. Watered down version of the film series about the exploits of the warring cat Tom and mouse Jerry.

UK / Granada-Wizard / x10m-e / 1998-continuing

Script Editor: Hilary Haverstock / Songs sung by Justin Fletcher / Executive Producers: Annie Miles, Martin Pullen / Producer: John Gregor

Pre-school animation. Two children play in their Grandfather's garden.

Voices:- RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH / RIK MAYALL / FLEUR TAYLOR / TIM WHITNALL 

UK / YTV / 6x10m-e / 1976  20 May - 24 June  Thursdays 12 noon

Writer: Jim Bywater / Producer/Director: Lesley Smith 

Comedy series. The slapstick adventures of flat sharing Tom, Dick and Harry.

With:- JIM BYWATER as Tom / TED RICHARDS as Dick  / PETE IVATTS as Harry

UK / BBC1 / x20m-e / 1996-continuing

Music: Kjartan Poskitt / Executive Producer: Christopher Pilkington

Game show presented by the self styled Chuckle Brothers. The title sprang from their catchphrase which featured prominently in their Chucklevision series. The brothers real names are Paul and Barry Elliott. 

Yorkshire / 6x30m-e / 1968 (Augusts / shown Wednesdays 5.20pm)

Writer/Producer/Director: David C. Rea / Executive Producer: Tony Essex 

Period drama serial. Stories of a young boy, the Tom Gratton of the title, having adventures during world war II.

With:- MICHAEL HOWE as Tom Grattan / CONNY MERIGOLD as Mrs Kirkby / SALLY ADCOCK as Julie Kirkby / GEORGE MALPAS as Stan Hobbs / PETER SUGDEN as The Major / ROY BOYD as Agent