Christmas was always a time where there was lots of TV, so I’d end up with a lot of tapes with lots of unconnected stuff on them, and this is one of those tapes.
First, there’s something from CITV, where the host (whose name escapes me) wishes Grotbags a happy Birthday.
Then episode 5 of The Tomorrow People, the 90s remake. I’ve completely forgotten how the story was going, so check back to my previous entry on the subject.
Young Megabyte is in trouble with the police – played by Ricco Ross.
But his father is someone important at the US Embassy, investigating the Tomorrow People. He’s played by Jeff Harding, another US actor who worked a lot in UK TV.
The bad guys want young Lisa to teleport back, and they’ve got her mother captive to persuade her.
The evil Doctor Galt and Gloria, who are working for General Damon, try to kidnap Megabyte, not realising he’s Damon’s son. They really don’t have a good intelligence apparatus. They hang him over the bannisters and threaten to drop him, but then, to everyone’s surprise, he teleports.
The shady old lady who appears to be behind all the bad guys seems to be playing Chess with the Queen.
There’s a climax where all the principals and bad guys are collected together, and the old lady, Lady Mulvaney, turns up with a machine gun.
But the good guys all escape by teleporting away, and that’s the end. Somehow.
After this, recording switches to BBC1, and More Auntie’s Bloomers. Not sure about Terry Wogan’s shirt.
There’s a cruel bit at the start. “There’s the remains of Doctor Who’s Tardis over there.”
I’m very shallow, so I find these programmes very funny. There’s nothing funnier than other people falling over, often repeatedly.
But I do worry that here’s Clive Swift again, and I do sincerely hope he’s in good health.
And it’s a nice touch to have a bloomer featuring Wogan himself (and Elton John)
BBC Genome: BBC One – 27th December 1992 – 19:15
After this, recording switches to ITV, and the end of The Bill.
There’s a couple of trailers for Thames TV itself. This was, of course, the last Christmas for Thames, as they lost the franchise, and the new year would see a different broadcaster from the London Weekday franchise. Dark Days.
Then Merry Christmas Mr Bean. Nice to see Doctor Who being represented here as well.
The last shot of part one is flipped – presumably to maintain the correct screen direction from the previous shot of the mini driving right to left.
After this, recording continues briefly with the start of Frankenstein The Real Story.
Then recording switches to BBC2 and the end of Vampyr: A Soap Opera.
There’s a trail for the next part of this, and one for programmes on BBC2.
Then, a programme I don’t really remember. It’s The Bogie Man with Robbie Coltrane. There’s some familiar BBC Scotland faces, like Ron Donachie.
Fiona Fullerton is the stern head of a mental hospital
Coltrane himself plays Francis Forbes Clunie, escaping from the hospital.
Craig Ferguson plays Detective Sergeant Ure.
Coltrane’s old Tutti Frutti co-star Maurice Roeves turns up in a soup kitchen.
Jean Anderson plays a landlady with whom Coltrane stays after he escapes.
Midge Ure (yes, that Midge Ure) plays a criminal gang leader, whose contraband turkeys stuffed with jewellery are taken by Coltrane.
This is ultimately a bit silly. It’s based on a comic book by John Wagner, Alan Grant and Robin Smith.
BBC Genome: BBC Two – 29th December 1992 – 21:25
After this, recording continues for a time with a trailer for Married to the Mob. And for Without You I’m Nothing with Sandra Bernhard.
Then, there’s the start of Earth Girls are Easy, and the tape ends just as this starts.
Adverts:
- Sega
- Fairy Ultra
- Erasure – Pop
- Pampers
- Frosties
- Oil of Ulay Bath Bar
- Cinderella on video
- trail: Thames Television
- trail: Frankenstein
- trail: The Spy in the Green Hat
- A Few Good Men in cinemas
- Nestle Clusters
- The Sun
- Woolworth’s
- Hyundai Lantra
- trail: The End of the Year Show
- Citroen AX
- Gold Blend
- Pizza Hut
- John Smith’s – Jack Dee
- Thomas Cook
- trail: Des O’Connor Tonight
- Continental Airlines
- The Sun
- Boots Opticians
- Renault Clio
- trail: Thames Television
- trail: A Murder of Quality