My family's VHS collection is truly vast. This week I've been pulling out some gems that are missing from YouTube.
I have a few videos of children's TV from the late 80s that I have lovingly kept. It's mostly Postman Pat, Gummi Bears and SuperTed (the only Welsh superhero?), but the most important relic has always been the last episode of The Mysterious Cities of Gold. My recording of the finale includes an intro and outro from a very young Phillip Schofield (I still love you, Phil!) and the wonderful Gordon the Gopher:
The importance of this recording has somewhat diminished since the whole series came out on DVD, but for years this was the only way I could see any of this amazing cartoon. This series made me want to be an archaeologist when I was five (I went off the idea when I realised you had to spend quite a lot of time digging outside - I think I actually wanted to be an archaeologist in the Twenties in Egypt when a lady archaeologist would supervise digs from under the comfort of a parasol, and Poirot would visit and solve some murders). Cities of Gold left me with a deep fascination with ancient South America.
This video tape also had some amazingly Eighties bits and pieces. Check out this advert for a music show The Roxy, followed by the opening to the wonderful Get Fresh! Unfortunately, I don't have any of Gilbert the Alien on tape. He was voiced by Phil Cornwell of Stella Street fame.
And this clip from something called It's Wicked! The opening titles are pretty snazzy for a show that's basically about steam trains. The female presenter's hair. THE FEMALE PRESENTER'S HAIR. She's like Jem come to life.
Yes, yes 'Get Fresh' with punky Gaz Top! They used to play the Mel & Kim song of the same name to promote it :-). So strange because I was thinking of GF and Gilbert recently. Gilbert had his own show on Children's ITV which like 'Round the Bend' felt really cheeky and irreverent at the time; like a 'Spitting Image' for kiddies.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe Gaz Top was allowed to have such an unconventional image as a children's TV presenter in the late 80s/early 90s. It felt very avant garde come to think of it.
I'll have to revisit these clips once my TV fast is over.
BTW I stumbled across full 'Maid Marian and Her Merry Men' episodes on Youtube recently. They weren't many before so I'm well due a trip down memory lane.
Shalom x
PS Do you remember Sat am shows No.73 with Tommy Boyd (and Michaela Strachan I think), The Gost Train and BBC's Parellel 9? What about 'Why Don't You?'
I don't remember No.73, but I loved Parallel 9! It was amazing. I loved the Little Green Man on it. I think I remember Why Don't You and Round The Bend too, but don't have them on video, sadly.
Delete