Caroline in the City – Friends – Frasier – tape 2197

The tape opens with the end titles of Brookside. Did you know that Series Producer Mal Young was the BBC executive who was originally in charge of the 2005 relaunch of Doctor Who, whose anniversary was a few days ago? Sadly, he left the BBC before the show went on air, so he got a little forgotten in all the hoopla, but we owe him a little thanks.

The first programme on this tape is an episode of Lea Thompson’s sitcom Caroline in the City. This is a Christmas episode, Caroline and the Christmas Break.  Judging by the adverts, this is Christmas 1996.

Next, Friends, and it’s The One With Barry and Mindy’s Wedding.

Then, there’s an episode of Frasier.

Before the next programme, another bit of Brookside end credits.

Then, more Caroline in the City with the episode Caroline and the Married Man.

Another episode of Frasier, The Focus Group.

Then more Frasier, You Can Go Home Again.

After this episode, recording continues with an episode of Whose Line is it Anyway? It’s a compilation of other episodes.

Next is TFI Friday, which starts with a very weak joke. It features guest Rachel Hunter (billed as ‘Rod Stewart’s Missus’ of course) and an awful lot of filler.

Adverts/trails:

• trail: Brookside
• trail: Heathers
• Michael Jackson – HIStory
• Asda
• Pizza Hut
• House of Fraser
• The Greatest Non-Stop Party Under The Sun
• trail: Desperately Seeking Something
• Iceland – with a brief appearance from Elisabeth Sladen

• The Sun – Jonathan Ross in the most ill-advised Star Trek costume you’ll ever see

• Nescafe
• Murphy’s
• House of Fraser
• Ferrero Rocher – the classic Ambassador’s Ball
• trail: Saturday Night Programmes
• trail: The Madness of King George
• Cadbury’s Roses
• Bisto – Julie Walters
• Our Price – Stevie Wonder – Song Review
• Pantene
• Toni Braxton
• Holsten Pils – Denis Leary
• Cadbury’s Roses
• trail: Brookside
• trail: Heathers
• trail: Friends With Gaby

• Vauxhall Vectra
• Toshiba – Comet
• The Best Sixties Album in the World Ever II
• Packard Bell
• Revlon
• Dremel
• Clearasil
• Obsession
• trail: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café
• Bacardi
• Now 35
• Murphy’s
• Crowded House – Recurring Dream
• trail: Untamed Heart
• trail: Frasier
• Viennetta
• Peugeot 106
• No7
• Eternity
• HMV – Hits 97
• trail: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café
• trail: The Big Breakfast
• Murphy’s
• Star Trek First Contact in cinemas
• Kula Shaker
• Die Hard Trilogy – Playstation
• Ferrero Rocher
• trail: Secret Lives – Enid Blyton
• trail: Brian DePalma’s The Fury
• Motorsport Mayhem
• Courvoisier
• George Michael – Older
• Martini
• Comet
• Guinness
• trail: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café
• Smirnoff
• HMV – Jamiroquai
• Miller
• Calvin Klein Escape
• Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
• Coca Cola – Holidays are coming
• trail: Travels with my Camera
• trail: Shopping
• Hooch
• Recurring Dream
• Tandy
• Bailey’s
• Andrex
• Woolworth’s
• Hooch
• trail: Mystic Pizza
• trail: Secret Lives – Enid Blyton
• American Express
• Carling Premier
• Teacher’s
• trail: The Big Breakfast
• trail: Equinox – Dr Satan’s Robot
• Champs Elysées
• Fifa 97
• Angus Deayton – One Foot in the Groin
• Carling Premier
• Courvoisier
• Liberty
• Obsession for Men
• NBA Live 97
• trail: The Fury
• trail: Moviewatch
• Tandy
• HMV Jamiroquai
• Murphy’s
• Fifa 97
• Timex Indiglo
• Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
• Advil
• Bandick’s
• Teacher’s
• trail: The Big Breakfast
• trail: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café
• Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
• Bravo – Satan’s Grotto
• Jean Paul Gaultier
• Malibu
• Robert Miles – Dreamland
• John Smith’s Bitter
• Miller

Paul Merton In… – Cybill – Roseanne – tape 2334

Here’s a tape that was mislabelled. The label just said ‘Cybill – Roseanne’ but the first programme here is an episode of Paul Merton’s series of Galton and Simpson Hancock scripts. This episode is The Missing Page. Paul returns some overdue books to the library, and takes out a mystery, Lady Don’t Fall Backwards by Darcy Sarto. But when he gets to the end, he discovers that the last page is missing, so the identity of the murderer remains a mystery.

The librarian doesn’t know what happened to the page, and doesn’t have another copy, but he does know the last person who borrowed it – played by Jim Sweeney.

But he, too is obsessed with the ending. Finally, when Paul and his partner, played by Caroline Quentin, go to the British Museum and finally get an undamaged copy, and learn the truth…

Somehow, Paul Merton doesn’t quite do the stories justice. He doesn’t quite have the same qualities as Tony Hancock does. The scripts are very close to the originals – but the staging is slightly different – Quentin is playing the role originally played by Sid James. And some of the details are updated – Paul gets a CD player where Hancock got a gramophone, and the librarian uses a ‘magic wand’ to scan the books. But the bulk of the dialogue is identical.

If you’re interested in seeing the original, it’s available on YouTube.

After this, recording switches to an episode of Cybill.  Then, it goes into an episode of Roseanne. Which always slightly surprises me when I see Angel’s Glenn Quinn and The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki as guest stars.

Then we have an episode The Mark Thomas Comedy Product. One segment has him trying to get rentaquote MP Jerry Hayes to wear a penis costume.

Seb Coe, then an MP, was also persuaded to talk to Thomas in a bear costume.

Also used in the same segment is David Amess, famously also embarrassed by Chris Morris in Brass Eye. One part of this setup asks the MPs if they can draw their constituency on the stomach of a young woman. Amess and another MP seem happy to do this, but Coe sensibly demurs.

Talking to David Amess, Thomas (in a bear suit) asks about his support for the death penalty, and his opposition to abortion. “You’re pro-hanging, you’re anti-abortion. What age do you think we should be able to kill ’em?”

He phones the press office to ask if they had any MPs who would be willing to be interviewed on the toilet. Cue George Galloway.

There’s also a segment on the LiveTV News Bunny.

And a credit spot: Researcher Dominic Joly

After this, recording continues (I think) into an episode of TFI Friday with guest Jarvis Cocker, less than a week after he famously disrupted Michael Jackson’s appearance at the Brit awards.

Also on the show, music from Lenny Kravitz

Up and coming actor Ewan McGregor is there to promote Trainspotting.

There’s ‘At Home with Chris and Cher’ – yes, that really is Cher.

Patsy Kensit is interviewed, although she\s rather patronisingly introduced as Liam Gallagher’s girlfriend.

Jarvis Cocker talks about his Brits appearance.

 

This recording continues, with some Beavis and Butthead. Another of Mike Judge’s unfunny cartoons (see also King of the Hill).

Following this, the tape runs out during a film, The Romantic Englishwoman starring Glenda Jackson and Michael Caine.

Adverts/trails:

• Golf TDi
• Tunisia
• Gillette Sensor Excel
• Lynx Atlantis
• Emirates
• trail: Catherine Cookson’s The Girl
• Renault Laguna
• San Marco
• UPS
• Vauxhall Corsa
• Rolo Caramel Egg
• Diet Coke
• Capital FM
• Nutella
• Nike
• Patak’s
• Lottery Instants
• Orbit
• Bird’s Eye Chicken dishes
• Peugeot 406
• When Saturday Comes in cinemas
• Clairol Nice ‘n’ Easy
• Pantene
• Casino – in cinemas – with a URL in the advert, a rarity in those days
• Precision UV contact lenses
• trail: NBA Raw
• Vauxhall Corsa
• AA insurance
• martini
• Capital FM
• Oxy 10
• renault Laguna
• Always
• DHL
• partners against Crime
• One Plus One dating
• Esso
• trail: Peter’s Friends
• Tyson Uncaged on video
• Essilor Varilux bifocal
• Chatback
• Lynx Atlantis
• orbit
• Polaroid
• Maltesers
• Lottery Instants
• Peugeot 406
• Polo
• When Saturday Comes
• trail: Moviewatch
• trail: board stupid
• Reservoir Dogs on video
• Saab
• Biactol
• Territorial Army
• Wispa Gold
• Capital FM
• Florida
• SeaWorld
• trail: NBA Raw
• Nike
• KFC
• DHL
• Party Time
• Oxy 10
• Citroen Synergie
• Lottery Instants
• Our Friends Electric
• M&Ms
• Trail: Peter’s Friends
• Golf TDi
• When Saturday Comes
• Kleenex
• orbit
• Bodyform
• NHS Lotto
• BT
• Chatback
• Special Constabulary

Stuff the White Rabbit – tape 2369

This project can be a mixed bag. For every long-lost gem I’m delighted to watch again, there’s ten lots of Sky-recorded 90s telefantasy about which there’s barely an original word that could be written.

So as I work through the tapes I’ve digitised, I can see what’s coming up on the next few recordings, and I look forward to some of them a lot more than others. This tape is a case in point.

Stuff the White Rabbit was a late-night BBC2 show presenting some of the best magicians working at the time, doing mostly close-up and table magic. It’s one of the few shows on TV that can safely feature Jerry Sadowitz, in his secret identity as a superb close-up magician. Not that I can share this with you, as I don’t want to get another copyright strike against me, like I did last time I uploaded one of these shows.

In the first episode, as well as presenter John Lenahan, there’s magic from a very animated David Williamson

My nemesis Sadowitz

A laconic Chris Power

BBC Genome: BBC Two England, 1 March 1997 0.00

Before the next episode, there’s the end of an episode of Space: Above and Beyond, a trailer for The Simpsons, and one for the Mark Radcliffe Breakfast Show.

Then, more White Rabbit stuffing. Lenahan opens the show with a Copperfield-sized illusion where he vanishes London landmarks.

There’s more card magic from Mr Sadowitz.

Noel Britten does an act tailored to an audience of magicians – including a piece where he talks about a ‘trick’ where you pretend to chew molten lead. Which is fake. Made with Mercury.

Tom Mullica does several tricks, included his cigarette smoking routine.

BBC Genome: BBC Two England, 15 March 1997 0.00

Before the next episode there’s the end of an episode of This Life. Followed by a trailer for This Life. I guess that’s targeted marketing.

There’s the Mark Radcliffe Breakfast Show trailer, then we’re back with John Lenahan and more magic.

Along with return appearances from Tom Mullica and Jerry Sadowitz,  this episode features Fay Presto doing some table magic.

BBC Genome: BBC Two England, 22 March 1997 0.50

After this, the last episode in the series, recording switches to a Sky movie channel for a recording that’s not on the label, and not in my database. Which is always a little exciting.

It’s Eraser, Chuck (sorry) Charles Russell’s identikit Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie. Arnie plays John Kruger, the eponymous ‘Eraser’ whose job it is to hide people in the witness protection program. James Caan plays his compatriot, but it’s soon clear he’s not to be trusted. And Vanessa Williams is the witness he’s tasked to protect.

This is all just a little bit too generic. The Witness Protection thing isn’t enough of a hook to make this really stand out, and the rail-gun superweapon isn’t much more than a very big gun.

There’s a couple of notable action sequences, one set on a plane where Arnie is showing Tom Cruise how to hang on to the outside of a plane, before falling and having to catch up with a thrown parachute.

And there’s a sequence at the New York Zoo involving some very feisty crocodiles. When Arnie dispatches the reptile he quips “You’re luggage.”

And my favourite thing in the whole movie – Arnie’s credit is ‘Eraser’.

After this movie, the recording continues for a while and we get the start of another movie. It’s Eve of Destruction, a movie that I’ve got fully recorded elsewhere, so I won’t say anything about it here, except that I think they borrowed sets and sound effects from Irwin Allen for the opening.

Adverts/trails:

• Always
• Carex
• gator Grip
• Nissan Micra
• trail: X-Files
• trail: Phenomenon
• Renault Scenic
• Gold Blend
• Arm & Hammer
• Television X
• Dettol
• trail: The X Files

The New Adventures of Superman – tape 2199

Let’s quickly skip over the end of Big Break, marking that dark period when BBC1 decided that Jim Davidson was a suitable talent for Saturday Evening entertainment.

There’s a trailer for Sunday Night programmes, then we get an episode of The New Adventures of Superman. Although I used to enjoy this show at the time, it all feels a bit soapy and lightweight today. TV Effects weren’t quite good enough to really portray the Man of Steel well enough on a weekly basis, so there’s much less of Superman, and a lot more Clark Kent.

The first episode here is Just Say Noah. Married couples are vanishing, so Lois and Clark pose as a happy couple to investigate.

Did it bother anyone else that this version of Superman never had the iconic kiss-curl? I felt that Dean Cain’s slicked-back hair was a bit too Gordon Gecko for my taste.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 16 March 1996 18.15

Following more B*g B***k, and a trailer for Dalziel and Pascoe, the next episode opens whimsically with Dean Cain dressed as Desi Arnaz in a scene filmed like an I Love Lucy episode.

And Lois gets in on the act.

This episode is called Don’t Tug on Superman’s Cape. It features a guest appearance from Commander Riker himself, Jonathan Frakes.

He even gets a chance to don the tights.

 

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 23 March 1996 18.15

Before the next episode, there’s a trailer for a new series of Confessions with Simon Mayo, and a trailer for programmes on Sunday.

Then we have the episode Ultra Woman. Guest star this week is Cheers’ Shelley Long, who zaps Superman with a ray generated by Red Kryptonite. In fact, Shelley Long’s so important she’s no mere Guest Star – she rates a ‘Special Appearance’ credit.

Superman finds his powers gone, but then realises they’ve been transferred to Lois, who later gets her own costume.

But Long’s plan is not complete, and later on she manages to get the powers transferred to her.

At the end of this episode, there’s a big moment, as Clark proposes to Lois.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 30 March 1996 18.15

Before the next episode, trailer for Sunday Programmes, and for the new series of Simon Mayo’s Confessions.

then there’s the episode Chip Off the Old Clark which starts with a tabloid news programme running a story in which a woman announces ‘I Had Superman’s Love Child.’

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 6 April 1996 18.25

After this episode, there’s a trailer for The Clothes Show: Bride of the Year. Plus a trailer for The Vicar of Dibley.

Then, there’s the start of the new series of Simon Mayo’s Confessions. I honestly have no recollection of this programme even existing, despite it being slap bang in the middle of the Saturday schedules, between Superman and Bugs. It’s a charming enough programme – most of the confessions here are harmless enough, and everyone in the studio audience seems to be having a great time.

This episode features an appearance by the great Shaw Taylor, who sadly passed away recently.

Recording stops during this show.

 

The X Files – tape 2332

After the last tape and its faux X-Files nonsense, here’s the real thing.

The first episode starts off entirely in French as a French diving crew, looking for some lost submarine, find what they are looking for, but there’s something alien going on. This is the third season episode Piper Maru. It sees the introduction of the strange black oil that infects people, and would continue as a plot device all the way into the X Files Movie.

This episode is followed by the second part, Apocrypha.

the next episode, Pusher, was written by Vince Gilligan, who would go on to create Breaking Bad.

Then the final episode on this tape is Teso Dos Biches.

Following this, there’s the start of an episode of Quantum Leap. It’s the episode Another Mother. Recording stops shortly into this episode.

adverts/trails:

• KFC
• Pedigree
• Playstation
• trail: The Specialist
• trail: Space Above and Beyond/The Outer Limits
• VW
• Lilt
• McDonalds
• Mr Sheen
• National Lottery Instants
• Jolly Rancher
• Hartley’s Jam
• trail: Blown Away
• trail: It Could Happen To You
• Ford Escort
• Gillette Sensor Excel for Women
• Eurotunnel
• Ford Escort
• trail: Hercules
• trail: Digital Man
• Chrysler Neon
• Wall’s Feast
• Gillette Sensor Excel
• The Chart Show Rock Album
• Sea-Life Centres
• Vision Express
• BT
• Trail: Golf
• trail: The Specialist
• trail: July on Sky
• McVities Digestive
• Freepages
• The Rock in cinemas
• Philadelphia
• Mix Zone
• trail: Strange Luck/Fire
• trail: Space: Above and Beyond
• Martini
• Burger King
• Calippo
• Rock With Barney – video
• Muller Corners
• Oasis
• Audi A4 – is that a young Alexis Denisof?
• 
• trail: The Specialist
• trail: The Outer Limits
• Intertext
• Playstation: Adidas Power Soccer
• BT
• Vienetta
• Eurotunnel
• Tina Turner – Wildest Dreams
• Playstation
• trail: Trapped in Paradise
• trail: Striking Distance
• Summer Vybes
• Ford Probe
• Toshiba
• Boots
• BT
• AA Car Insurance
• Sunkist
• trail: Melrose Place
• trail: July on Sky
• Ford Escort
• BT
• trail: Rugby
• trail: Outer Limits
• BT
• Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds
• Scrumpy Jack
• Irn Bru
• Botanicals
• Argos
• American Express
• trail: Alien Nation Dark Horizon
• trail: Boxing
• Eurotunnel
• Ford Escort
• Toshiba
• Horizons
• trail: Chasers
• trail: Blown Away
• Peugeot 106
• BT
• ICL
• Bradford & Bingley
• Iveco
• Miss Selfridge
• Ariel Futur
• trail: Saturday Night
• trail: Bad Girls
• trail: Strange Luck/Fire
• Fastext
• Ford Probe
• Botanicals
• American Express
• trail: Bad Girls
• trail: Pulp Fiction
• trail: The Outer Limits
• Ford Escort
• Muller Crunch Corner – Phil Cool
• PAL
• Salon Selectives
• Argos
• Oasis
• Ford Escort
• trail: Stargate
• trail: Asteroid
• BT
• RAC
• Whiskas
• Doublemint
• Kiss FM
• Zovirax
• Scrumpy Jack
• trail: Without Warning
• trail: Prototype
• Ford Probe
• Nat West
• Sony
• Bodyform
• Miller
• trail: Boxing
• trail: Rugby
• AA Car Insurance
• Twix
• American Express
• trail: Pulp Fiction

Dark skies – tape 2370

Paranoia and conspiracy theories were popular themes on TV in the 90s – fuelled partly by the success of The X Files, but clearly its success indicated that people wanted these kinds of things.

So here’s Dark Skies, a sort of alternate-history alien abduction story. This one opens with that favourite alien abduction trope, cattle mutilation. Then, our heroes Sculder and Mulley (or whatever they’re called) find a cow with a small child growing inside and decide to adopt him. Then the child gets abducted by aliens.

Oh, and JT Walsh reads his daughter the story of Tom Thumb.

Bobby Kennedy pops up as one of the good conspirators. I think.

This is such a patently obvious X-Files clone they even used the same font for the end credits. It’s shameful.

This episode was called Inhuman Nature.

The Next episode is Hostile Convergence. I thought I might watch another one, but I’m bailing. This is just too dull.

We Shall Overcome follows, featuring Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris in its guest cast.

But he’s playing a horrible racist so we don’t like him. Later in the episode, something he’s eaten disagrees with him.

After this episode, recording continues, with a preview of the Cheltenham Festival. Then that recording stops, and underneath there’s some encrypted satellite channel broadcast left over from some old recording. The tape ends during this.

adverts/trails:

• trail: ER
• trail: Indoor Athletics
• UPS
• Nivea Visage
• British Midland
• Carex
• Murder in Mind – partwork
• 1001 stain remover
• The Equitable Life
• Citroen Xantia Estate
• trail: Blonde Fist
• trail: NBA Raw
• Renault Megane
• Adiemus II
• Prudential
• Murder in Mind
• Intel Pentium MMX
• Renault Megane
• Coca Cola
• Jamaica
• Mitsubishi
• Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene 7-13 – an album I never knew existed…
• Branston
• Melody FM
• Lynx
• Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene 7-13
• trail: ER
• Chrysler Voyager
• Setler’s Wind-eze
• Nytol
• The Independent
• First Direct
• Canesten
• British Midland
• Kilkenny Irish Beer
• harvester
• trail: Here’s Johnny
• trail: Singles
• Audi Quattro
• Bodyform
• Toshiba
• Wispa Gold
• Levi 501 – Mermaids
• Sprite
• Ford Galaxy
• N64 – Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire
• Guinness
• RBOS
• Ford Galaxy
• trail: Cutting Edge – Jilted
• trail: Mr Wonderful
• Renault Clio
• Doritos – SImpsons
• Tetley’s Bitter
• Vileda ActiveFibre
• Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
• Army Soldier
• trail: Here’s Johnny
• trail: Close My Eyes
• Ford Fiesta
• The Evening Star – in cinemas
• gillette Sensor Excel
• Ford Fiesta
• AA
• Laker Airways
• Guinness
• Ford Fiesta
• Heineken
• Swissair
• Royal Mail
• Bridgestone
• Amtrak
• Chrysler Voyager
• Coca Cola
• trail: Edward Scissorhands
• Renault Clio
• Jordan’s Country Crisp
• Pantene
• Ronseal Floor Varnish
• National Lottery
• trail: Programmes on Wednesday

The Simpsons – Deep Space Nine – Star Trekkers – tape 2385

This tape opens with a special Simpsons episode, Springfield’s Most Wanted. It’s presented by John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted, and sets up for the season opener, the second part of the Who Shot Mr Burns story.

Not that Sky plays that immediately after. Instead they have an episode of Deep Space Nine. Bashir and O’Brien return to O’Brien’s quarters from a holosuite session, both wearing WW2 airman’s jackets. “We should have left the holosuite hours ago.” “What? And let the Jerries cross the channel? Never!”

This episode is Accession. A Bajoran comes through the wormhole in a 300 year old ship. When he arrives on the station, he announces he is the Emissary. He thinks he has only been away for a few days, but it has actually been over 200 years. Sisko seems happy that someone else has appeared who can be the Bajorans’ Emissary so he can step aside.

However, when the new Emissary announces that Bajor would return to its strict caste system – an idea that horrifies Sisko – and Nerys, who would  have to relinquish her military career and become an artist. She’s not very good at it.

I didn’t really follow DS9 enough to really keep track of the whole Prophets thing, but this was a nice episode, and the B plot concerning Keiko O’Brien returning home after a year away breaking up the budding bromance between O’Brien and Bashir is quite sweet.

Credit Note: This episode was written by Buffy’s own Jane Espenson.

After this episode, recording switches to BBC2 for a short programme, Star Trekkers, one of a series of short pieces where people talk about why Star Trek is important to them. In this episode, David Soul talks about the episode he appeared in, The Apple. BBC Genome: BBC Two England, 26 August 1996 0.00

Then, we have more Deep Space Nine with a great teaser. An old O’Brien is released from prison after twenty years of incarceration.

But then he wakes up his regular age, his alien captors (with Major Kira) explain that on this planet, punishment is effected by implanting the memory of a long incarceration. A very creepy idea.

This is a really good episode, concentrating solely on O’Brien coping with his memories of what happened during his twenty years of prison, and the programme shows us flashbacks, hinting right from the beginning of a dark secret he doesn’t want to share. It’s a really good episode for Colm Meany, and one of the best DS9 episodes I’ve seen.

After this, there’s a Movie Channel behind the scenes on the movie Quiz Show. Then, recording continues with an episode of The X Files. It’s the first episode of the second series, Little Green Men.

Recording continues on, with the start of Peter Benchley’s The Beast, starring William Peterson. From the trails, it doesn’t look like Jaws is in any danger of being surpassed.

Adverts/trails

• Potato Waffles
• Bird’s Eye Crispy Chicken Dippers
• Asda
• Lenor
• Specsavers
• Argos
• Rolo mousse
• trail: Moldova vs England
• trail: Xena Warrior Princess
• Cheerios
• WH Smith
• 101 Dalmations on video
• Munch Bunch Potshots
• Clairol Ultress
• Pure Dance 96
• trail: Jack Higgins Midnight Man
• trail: Sky Sports
• Kelloggs cereal Mask offer
• Castrol GTX
• The Disney Channel
• Sure
• Inside Soap
• Wash & Go
• trail: Southenders
• trail: Jack Higgins Midnight Man
• Wella Experience
• Chewits
• Ambre Solaire
• Alton Towers
• Pringles
• JVC 3D-Phonic
• Right Guard
• trail: Boxing
• trail: Peter Benchley’s The Beast
• Lucozade
• Specsavers
• St Ivel Gold
• KiteKat
• Kellogg’s
• Smint
• trail: The X Files
• trail: Xena Warrior Princess
• Dettol
• Autoglass
• Asda
• kitekat
• McDonalds
• Head & Shoulders
• trail: Stars in the Park
• Peter Benchley’s The Beast
• Bounty
• Direct Line
• Gillette Sensor Excel
• McCain Oven Chips
• Smint
• Sun Pat
• trail: The River Wild
• trail: Water Rats
• Whiskas
• Carex
• Specsavers
• DfEE
• orbit
• trail: Just Cause
• trail: X Files
• Galaxy Caramel
• Sun Pat
• Carlton Select
• Rennie
• Fairy Non Bio
• Nestle Cremant
• trail: new York Undercover
• Iceland
• Surf
• Pantene
• McDonalds
• trail: Basketball
• trail: the Outer Limits
• Whiskas
• Boddington’s Gold
• BHS
• Autoglass
• Register to Vote
• trail: Boxing
• trail: Profit
• trail: The Langoliers
• Eurostar – Eric Cantona
• I Can’t believe it’s not Butter
• Iceland
• Dance Zone 8
• Mothercare
• AA
• trail: Just Cause
• trail: Peter Benchley’s The Beast
• trail: Disclosure
• Bud Ice
• Flora
• Castrol GTX
• UK Living
• REM – Adventures in Hi Fi
• trail: Last Gasp
• trail: Stephen King Season
• Mr Kipling
• Airel
• Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
• Wash & Go
• Army Soldier
• trail: The River Wild
• trail: The Langoliers
• Domestos
• Bounty
• Head & Shoulder
• Iceland
• Carte Noir
• Boots
• Pringles
• Domestos
• trail: Just Cause
• trail: The Outer Limits

Film 97 – tape 2387

The tape opens with a trailer for Holiday with Neil Morrissey in the Caribbean.  Nice work if you can get it.

Then, Film 97 with Barry Norman, who reviews:

• The People vs Larry Flynt
• Fever Pitch
• Twin Town featuring a young Rhys Ifans.
• A Self Made Hero

Tom Brook talks to Woody Allen about Everyone Says I Love You. “I wanted to do a musical where the people couldn’t sing or dance.”

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 7 April 1997 23.50

There’s a nice fireworks display when recording switches – the end credits for a documentary, Ten Pound Poms.

There’s a trailer for Eastenders using Louis Armstrong’s All The Time in the World to trail Ricky and Bianca’s wedding.

Then there’s a trailer for Weekdays at Ten on BBC1 – before the news had been moved there.

Then, more Film 97 where Barry Norman reviews:

• The Saint – “Phillip Noyce’s seriously dumb movie”
• Everyone Says I Love You
• Box of Moonlight
• The Funeral

In the movie news, there’s talk of Ridley Scott directing RKO 281 as a star studded movie – I think it ended up being made for television. Also mentioned – Tim Burton’s Superman starring Nicholas Cage. Tom Brook looks at the controversy behind The Devil’s Own.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 14 April 1997 23.20

Before the next episode, there’s the end of a Richard Gere movie, Intersection. There’s a trailer for the Nigel Havers drama The Heart Surgeon. There’s a trailer for North by Northwest.

Then, Barry Norman returns for another look at the week’s releases, which were:

• Donnie Brasco
• The Boy From Mercury
• Eddie – “A basketball movie of exceptional mindlessness”
• Scream – Naturally, Barry doesn’t like it.

Katie Derham looks at Hitchcock, and the recent reissue of Vertigo.

 

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 21 April 1997 23.30

Before the next episode, there’s a trailer for the Election episode of Blackadder the Third.  Then a trailer for Falling Down. Which I still have never seen.

Then, more Film 97 with reviews of the following films:

• Liar Liar
• Ghosts from the Past (Confusingly called Ghosts of Mississippi in the US)
• Margaret’s Museum
• It Takes Two

There’s a location report by Katie Derham on The Serpent’s Kiss.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 28 April 1997 23.30

Before the next episode, there’s a bit of the end of The Beast of Lenny Henry – at least that’s what the Radio Times database says.

There’s a trailer for the FA Cup Final – Chelsea vs Middlesborough.

Then we’re back to Film 97 in which Barry Norman reviews:

• Anaconda – “A load of rollicking rubbish” Barry’s particularly taken by Jon Voight’s leer.
• Kolya
• When We Were Kings
• Microcosmos
• Moll Flanders
• The Relic

Katie Derham presents a location report on Wilde.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 13 May 1997 23.15

Before the next episode, there’s the end of QED looking at a man who makes cheap glasses for the developing world. QED’s series editor was Lorraine Heggessey, who would go on to run BBC One.

There’s a trailer for Indecent Proposal.

Then, a Film 97 special edition from the Cannes film festival. Bruce Willis’ The Fifth Element was greeted with derision from the critics when it opened the festival, but Bruce doesn’t think much of critics.

Stephen Dillane talks about Michael Winterbottom’s Welcome to Sarajevo as do Winterbottom himself and co-star Woody Harrelson.

Howard Stern talks about Private Parts.

Sigourney Weaver talks about Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm.

Lee himself is interviewed, and interrupted by Kevin Kline.

Billy Connolly in there to talk about Mrs Brown.

Sylvester Stallone is there to talk about Copland.

Asked about Miramax’s recent purchase of the Rambo franchise, he says “If Rambo ever came back, which I doubt, I think it would be more in an administrative capacity.”

Danny DeVito talks about L A Confidential.

The new Labour government announced new measures for the film industry, and there’s a slight kerfuffle as Alexander Walker makes a big fuss at the press conference.

And Barry seems slightly overwhelmed with his encounter with the Spice Girls.

To make up for The Fifth Element, Gary Oldman was also there to promote Nil By Mouth.

 

Also there to talk about the film, Ray Winstone.

Kathy Burke wins the Best Actress prize at the festival awards.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 20 May 1997 22.30

After this, it’s straight into the next episode, with reviews of:

• Absolute Power
• Big Night
• The Spitfire Grill
• Turbulence
• Gridlock’d

There’s a location report on The Secret Agent, starring Bob Hoskins and directed by Christopher Hampton.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 27 May 1997 23.35

After this episode, trailer for Back Up and Firefighters. Then the tape plays out with some cricket.

Comic Relief 97 part 2 – tape 2356

We join this edition of Comic relief where we left it from the previous tape – with Steve Coogan as Tony Ferrino duetting with Bjork. Here’s the first frame of the video.

DJ Mike Smash presents the new edition of Thank Fab It’s Friday.

Naturally, DJ Dave Nice also appears.

It’s quite a barbed satire of Chris Evans and TFI Friday, and all done live. Good stuff.

Jonathan Ross and Griff Rhys Jones get to kiss all the Spice Girls.

Then, Father Ted and Dougal arrive, to the strains of their Eurovision entry My Lovely Horse.

There’s a nice collection of bloopers from classic comedy shows.

Dougal and Ted’s segment also has guest appearances from Pauline McLynn’s Mrs Doyle, and Frank Kelly’s Father Jack.

Following this segment, the action moves to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire for more music and comedy. Although it opens with an appalling techno version of ‘House of Fun’ by Suggs himself which does nobody any favours.

Performing in this segment were Pauline Calf

Art Garfunkel is the headliner – so early in the show Lenny says that if they raise £1m he will sing Bridge over Troubled Waters. If they fail, he’ll sing Ernie the Greatest Milkman in the West.

Rowan Atkinson does his Indian Waiter sketch.

 

French & Saunders et al are The Sugar Lumps

Jo Brand does stand-up

At the end of which, Lenny appears to have to stretch for a few minutes, so perhaps they weren’t ready to go over to TV Centre, where Ben Elton hosts the last segment of the evening. The studio audience have been sent home, so it’s just Ben, filling for fifteen minutes until he can announce the final total. Then, we get the very first Comic Relief – recorded at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Some highlights: Neil Kinnock harassed by Pamela Stevenson doing Janet Street Porter.

Howard Jones goes unplugged, with a backing group that’s frankly too good for him.

One of the highlights is Rowan Atkinson duetting on ‘Do Bears…?’ with none other than Kate Bush.

Rik Mayall’s appearance is as good as ever.

The Young Ones are joined by John Craven Cliff Richard. I would comment on his poor choice of hairdo, but I believe he’s not entirely to blame, as at this time he was appearing live on stage in Time The Musical, and that was his hair for that show.

Here’s a sketch that won’t be repeated any time soon. Pamela Stephenson does a magic trick, assisted by ‘Father Glitter’. Clearly the crisis in the church was even greater than we’d suspected.

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure do an unplugged version of Do They Know It’s Christmas?, and there’s a singalong finale, during which someone pies Ben Elton, which I don’t think he was expecting, judging by his reaction.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 14 March 1997 21.00

There’s a trailer for Rugby. Then, the final thing on the tape is Billy Connolly returning to Mozambique. The tape ends before this programme does.

Bafta Craft Awards – Film 96 – tape 2333

Opening with a trail for the new series of Have I Got News for You, this tape opens with the Bafta Craft Awards. Ironically, there’s a brief transmission fault during the continuity announcement…

Here’s the opening, with Ruby Wax patronising people in the way only she knows how.

Among the awards, Nick Park gets an award for originality, and there’s a nice VT package to go along with that.

The fellowship is presented to French actress Jeanne Moreau – only the second time a woman has received it. Perhaps that’s why an award to an actress was relegated to the less important Craft awards.

BBC Genome: BBC Two England, 15 April 1996 19.50

After this, trailer for The Works, and Modern Times – Ellen’s In Exile.

There’s the very start of an episode of The X Files, then recording switches, and we’re treated to this:

It’s an Omnibus profile of Spike Milligan.

Afterwards, another trailer for Inside Story: Ellen’s in Exile.

Then, it’s Film 96, in which Barry Norman reviews:

• Twelve Monkeys
• Before and After
• City Hall
• Smoke

Kirsty Young looks at rock stars who turn to movies.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 15 April 1996 23.25

Before the next episode there’s the end of Panorama looking at the case of Thomas Creedon. There are trailers for Flying Soldiers and an Omnibus profile of Eve Arnold.

Then, more Film 96, where Barry reviews:

• Primal Fear
• Executive Decision – Barry spoils the best part of the movie
• Money Train
• Mr Holland’s Opus
• Kids
• Rough Magic

Kirsty Young talks to Roger Corman, while he was shooting a commercial for Greenpeace.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 13 May 1996 22.10

Following this episode, there’s a trailer for the Ian McShane drama Madson. A trailer for Dennis Potter’s last work, Karaoke.

Then, recording continues with Omnibus, and a profile of photographer Eve Arnold.

BBC Genome: BBC One London, 13 May 1996 22.40

After this, trailers for Making Babies (featuring Professor Robert Winston) and No Bananas.

Then, the tape continues with the first 30 minutes of Marilyn Monroe’s last film, The Misfits. The tape runs out during this.