520 Game For A Laugh

First  viewed :  26  September  1981

This   became  one  of  the  great  success  stories  of  the  early  eighties  despite  having  one  of  the  most  charmless  presenting  line-ups  ever.

It  was  the  brainchild  of  Jeremy  Beadle  who  developed  it  with  US  producer  Michael  Hill after  the  BBC  rejected  the  pilot  for  a  similar  show. It  was  the  first  practical  joke  show  since the  demise  of  Candid  Camera   but   it  was  also  influenced  by  Crackerjack  and  Tiswas  in  the studio-based  sections. Beadle  himself  , a  malevolent  gnome-like  figure,  presented  it  assisted  by the  appalling  Matthew  Kelly  ( initially  with  a  broken  leg  sustained  in  a  parachute  jump which sadly  didn't  finish  him  off )  , the  equally  odious  Henry  Kelly who  came  across  as  an  Irish used  car  salesman  and   most   incongruously,  the  frumpy  Sarah Kennedy  who  seemed  more suited  to   a  BBC  2   arts  programme  than  something  as  stridently  lowbrow  as  this. Perhaps Beadle  saw  her  presence  as  a  trick  in  itself .

Some  of  the  set-ups  were  quite  funny  and  for  me  were  the  only  bits  worth  watching  in  a show  that  ran  at  a  frantic  pace  so  I  never  loved  it.

 It  ran  for  four  years  but  as it  relied  so  much  on  surprise,  it  had  a  built  in  obsolescence  factor  and  all  three  of  Beadle's  co-presenters  recognised  this  and  got  out  while  the  going  was  good, After  one  season  with  a  new  team  featuring  the  supremely  annoying  Rustie  Lee  the  show  was  put  to  bed  in  1985.

519 Labour Party Conference 1981

First  viewed  : 27  September  1981

I  wouldn't  normally  be  watching  a  party  conference  at  the  tender  age  of  16  but  this  one  was different. The  whole  family  were  in  the  room  to  watch  one  of  the  most  pivotal  moments  in  recent  political  history.

Ever  since  Labour's  defeat  to  Margaret  Thatcher in  1979  one  figure  had  dominated  debate within  the  party, our  friend  Anthony  Wedgewood  Benn. He  had  led  the  movement  to  change the  rules  under  which  the  party  leader  was  elected  in  1980. Jim  Callaghan  promptly  resigned to  allow  his  succcessor  - Dennis  Healey  he  hoped -  to  be  elected  before  the  changes  came into  effect. Having  been  heavily  defeated  in  the  leadership  contest  of  1976  Benn  decided  to bide  his  time  and  support  venerable  old  leftie  Michael  Foot  instead. Foot  won  and  Healey had to  settle  for  the deputy  leadership , a  very  poor  consolation  prize. Who  now  remembers   Edward  Short, Harold  Wilson's  deputy  from  1972 to  1976 ?

Nevertheless  once  the  new  rules  were  in  place  in  1981, Benn  made  the  momentous  decision to  challenge  Healey, ignoring  an  invitation  from  an  incandescent  Foot  to  directly  challenge him  instead.  That  set  the  stage  for  a  furious  internecine  contest  out  of  all  proportion  to  the paltry  prize  on  offer. Healey  had  the support  of  most  of  the  MPs  and  Benn  was  the  darling of  the  activists  so  both  men  went  after the  third  part  of  the  electoral  troika, the  unions'  block votes,  to  decide  the  winner  and  as  many  saw it  the  fate  of  the  party. A  third  candidate, the obnoxious  John  Silkin  , threw  his  hat  into  the  ring  but  was  never  a  serious  contender.

With  excitement  at  fever  pitch,  the  NEC  decided  to  start  the  Party  Conference  a  day  early  and  get  the  count  and  announcement  of  the  result  out  of  the  way  before  the Conference  proper  began. The  Newsnight  team   moved  in  to  cover  the  declaration  live  on  BBC2  that  Sunday  evening.

In  an  atmosphere  of   unbearable  tension  the  chairman  ground  his  way  through  the  figures  to  announce  the  narrowest  of  wins  - less  than  one  percentage  point - for  Healey. What had  made  the  difference  was  the  decision  of  a  number of  Labour  MPs   on  the  so-called  "soft"  Left  to  abstain , most  notably  everyone's  tip  as  heir  apparent, Neil  Kinnock.  Far  closer to  Benn  on  policy,  they  had  walked  to  the  brink  of  the  abyss   with  him  and   then  drawn  back.

Benn  was  finished  and  he  knew  it  immediately. You  can  see  it  in  that  extraordinary  grimace as  the  result  was  announced. He'd  taken  a  high  stakes gamble  and  lost. His  influence  in  the party  didn't  vanish  overnight  but  thereafter  he  was  always  fighting  a  rearguard  action. He suffered  a  further  blow  18  months  later  when boundary  changes  meant  he  wet  down  in Labour's  rout  at  the  1983  General  Election. Without  a   seat  in  Parliament  he  had  little influence  in  the  leadership  contest that  year  which  brought  his  assassin  Kinnock  to  power. He got  back  in  at  Chesterfield  6  months  later  ( I  played  a  very  minor  part  in  the  Liberals'  by-election  campaign )  but  a  front  bench  role  under  Kinnock  was  unthinkable. Instead  his championship  of  Arthur  Scargill  and  the  Militant  Tendency  simply  pushed  him  further  to  the margins. In  1988, dismayed  by   Kinnock's  rightward  drift  , he  launched  a  last  desperate  bid for the  leadership  against  the advice  of  all  his  former acolytes  and  was  thoroughly  trounced. He remained  an  impotent   backbencher  right  through  to  Tony  Blair's  first  term  before  retiring  in  2001  "to  spend  more  time  on  politics". This  witty  epigram  was  actually  suggested  by  his dying  wife  as  cover  for  his  real  wish  to  be  with  her  throughout  her  last  days.  After  her death,  the  great  bogeyman  became  a  sort  of  cuddly  uncle  figure , still   doggedly   preaching   his   romanticised   version  of  socialism  on  lecture  tours. It  became  hard  to  recall  how   terrifying   he'd  seemed  back  in  the  day. He  died  a  couple of  years  ago  aged  88.        

518 Fanny By Gaslight

First  viewed  : 24  September  1981

This  was  a  four-part  adaptation  of  Michael  Sadleir's  novel  which  had  been  filmed  with  James  Mason  back  in  1944. Although  often  thought  of  as  a  Victorian  novel,  it  was  actually  published  in  1940  and  looks  back  to  a  time  when  courtly  romance  and  the  utmost  depravity  existed  side  by  side.

Fanny  ( Chloe  Salaman  )  lives  comfortably  with  her  mother  and stepfather  Hopwood  ( that man  Stephen  Yardley  again )  who  runs  a  gentleman's  club  which  is  a  front  for  prostitution including  children. He  makes  the  mistake  of  evicting  the  dissolute  aristocrat  Lord Manderstoke ( Michael  Culver ) who  avenges  the  insult  by  blowing  the  whistle  on  the  club  and  ruining  the family. Fanny  finds  work  as  a  maid  and  companion  and  meets  a  genuine gentleman  in  Harry Somerford   ( Peter  Woodward ). However  her  friend  Lucy  ( Julia  Chambers )  brings Manderstoke  back  into  her  orbit  with  tragic  consequences.  The  final  word  from  Fanny, spoken at  a  funeral  is  "Nothing".

It  was  a  good-looking  series  with  a  splendidly  malevolent  performance  by  Culver  as  the villain.  It  went  out  on  Thursday  evenings  after  the  Nine  O Clock  News  although, for  all  the seedy  backdrop,  I  can't  remember  it  having  any   sex  scenes  as  such . It  was  repeated  once , two  years  later  and  as  far  as  I know isn't  available  on  DVD.

Chloe  Salaman, neice  of  Alec  Guinness,  seemed  set  for  a strong  career  -  in  the  same  year she had  a  good  part  in  Winston  Churchill  - The  Wilderness  Years   and  appeared  in  the  film Dragonslayer -  but   it  didn't  work  out  that  way  and  her  appearances  have  been  sporadic  since then.

517 East of Eden

First  viewed  : 21  September  1981

This  one's  come  around  a  bit  earlier  than  I  was  expecting.  I  only  saw  a  brief  part  of  the  second  episode  of  this  epic  mini-series  first  time  round . It  was  repeated  in  the  summer  of  1985  and  although  coming  in  at  more  or  less  the  same  point  I  watched  it  through  to  the  end. That  was  when  I  fell  in  love  with  Karen  Allen.

The  series  was  an  adaptation  of  John  Steinbeck's  epic  novel,  re-telling  the  Cain  and  Abel  story  over  two  generations  of  the  Trask  family  from  the  American  Civil  War  to  World  War One . It  was  dramatised  in  three  lengthy  episodes, its  scale  allowing  it  to  be  much  more  faithful  to  the book  than  the  1955  James  Dean  film. Production  values  were  high and  it  was  largely  well  cast. I  say  largely  because  unfortunately the  leading  role  of  high-minded  Adam  Trask  went  to  Timothy  Bottoms  who  seems  to  think  looking  down  your  nose  with  a  solemn  expression  constitutes  acting.

Adam  is  one  of  the  two  sons  of  tyrannical  hypocrite  Cyrus  Trask  ( Warren  Oates ). He  is  the favoured  one  despite  being  placid  and  easy-going  in  contrast  to  hotheaded  workaholic  Charles ( Bruce  Boxleitner ) . The  brothers  have  a  fearsome  fight  before  Adam  is  dragooned  into  the Army  by  his  father. Finding  the  strength  to  defy  the  old  man,  Adam  becomes  a  wanderer before  returning  to  the  family  farm  after  Cyrus's  death  for  reconciliation  with  Charles. Their father's  corruption  has  made  them  both  rich.

After  a  brief  period  of  harmony,  they  are  finally  pulled  apart  by  the  appearance  of  Cathy  ( Jane  Seymour )  who  Adam  takes  in  after  being  found  beaten  close  to  death. We  have  already seen  that  she  is  a  liar, whore  and  murderess  whose  assailant  Edwards   ( Howard  Duff  )  was her  whoremaster . Charles  can  see  her  for  what  she  is  but  Adam  falls  in  love  with  her, gets married  and  moves  to  California  leaving  Charles  behind  for  good.

After  failing  to  abort  her  pregnancy , Cathy  deserts  Adam  after  giving  birth  to  twins  Caleb  ( Sam  Bottoms, a  better  actor  than  his  brother  ) and  Aron  ( Hart  Bochner )  and , through   another  murder,  becomes  a  brothel  madam. Adam  is  destroyed  but  his  friends  kick  him  into some  sort  of   shape . However  he  becomes  just  as  guilty  of  favouring  one  son  over  the other  as  his  father  and  the  destructive  cycle  begins  again.  Karen  Allen  plays  Abra , Aron's virginal  girlfriend.

Seymour  won  a  Golden  Globe  for  her  stunning  portrayal  of  the  irredeemably  evil  Cathy  making  her  a  hot  property  in  the  US. Her  performance  contributes  to  the  dark  tragedy  of  the  story  and  although  we'll  be  covering  some  quite  terrible  US  mini-series  over  the  next  few  years  this  one  is  worth  catching.

516 The Sky At Night

First  viewed  : Uncertain

I  really  have  no  idea  when  I  first  caught  an  episode  of  this  long-running, late  night,  astronomy  series  and  suspect  it  may  have  been  earlier  than  1981  but  with  bed  time  curfews  now  abandoned  this  seems  as  appropriate  a  time  as  any  to  include  it.

The  Sky  at  Night   was  first  broadcast  as  a  live  show  presented  by  amateur  astronomer  Patrick   Moore  who  was  at  the  helm  for  every  monthly  episode  bar  one   until  his  death  three  years  ago  , a  record-breaking  stint. I  realise  the  programme  has  carried  on  since  then  but  can't  really  imagine  it  working  without  him. Space  is  a  bloody  frightening  subject   emphasising  how  small  and  vulnerable  the  human  race  is  and  it  needed   his  lovable, avuncular   if  cranky  presence  to  make  it  cosy  late  night  viewing. I  never  became  a  regular  viewer  but  tuned  in  from  time  to  time,  half  an  hour  of  Moore  having  the  same  appeal  as  a  cup  of  cocoa.

From  2004  it   had  to  be  broadcast  from  Moore's  home  due  to  advancing  arthritis  and  became  less  comfortable  to  watch  as  he  was  propped  up  and  plastered  with  make-up  in  a  futile  attempt  to  mask  his  obvious  physical  decline. Still  the  mind  remained  active  to  the  end   and  he  died  in   harness. I've  never  seen  it  with  the  new  team  in  place  but  it's  telling  that,  barely  a  year  after  Moore's  death,  it  was  moved  over  to  BBC  Four.

515 Behind the Scenes with ...

First  viewed :  10  September  1981

This  was  a  ten  part  documentary  series  going  "backstage"  with  various  creative  people. I  only  watched  the  first  episode  because  its  subject  was  Pamela  Stephenson.

It  was  clear  from  the  word  go  that  Pamela  was  preparing  for  a  solo  career  so  the  programme  increased  fears  that  Not  The  Nine  O  Clock  News  was  no  more.  It  also  gave    clues  as  to  why  Pamela  ultimately  failed  to  become  a  top  comedienne  outside  of  the team. For  one  thing  she  was  trying  to  be  too  many  things  at  once , dancer, author, actress  and  singer. For  another,  she  made  some  lousy  choices  when  looking  for  collaborators. As  you  can  see  from  the  picture  she's  throwing  shapes  with  ex-Shock  duo  Tik  and  Tok  who  were  only  headed  for  the  dumper. For  her  musical  debut  she  called  on  Richard  Burgess  and  John  Walters  from  briefly  popular  jazz-rockers,  Landscape,   after  appearing  in  the  video  for  their  second  ( and  last ) hit  "Norman  Bates". The  EP  she  made  with  them,  "Unusual  Treatment",  died  a  horrible  death  when  released  at  the  beginning  of  1982. The  programme  included  her  performing  the track  "Music  Bitch  Weekly".

Of  course  Pamela  bounced  back  in  various  guises  but  the  programme  was  an  interesting  look  at  someone  taking  a  wrong  turn  at  the  height  of  their  fame.

514 The Day of the Triffids

First  viewed  : 10  September  1981

This  was  a  six-part  adaptation  of  John  Wyndham's  science  fiction  classic  and  was  partly  funded  by  Australia's  ABC  although  there  are  no  concessions  to  Oz  in  the  casting.

John  Duttine  ( again )  starred  as  Bill  Masen , a  temporarily  blinded  man  who  misses  a  spectacular  meteor  shower  which  has  left  everyone  who  did  watch  it  permanently  blind. In  the  chaos  a  group  of  genetically  engineered mobile  and  carnivorous  plants  , the  Triffids, have  got  loose  and  started  preying  on  the  incapacitated  humans. Bill  finds  some  other  sighted  survivors  including  Maurice  Colbourne  and  Stephen  Yardley  ( yet  again )  who  argue  about  how  to  rebuild  society  or  whether  it  is  better  simply  to  find  an  island  retreat.

The  show  was   moderately  absorbing  and  the  special  effects  were  quite  good. The  Triffids themselves   were  a  little  Dr  Who-ish   but  then  again  few  plants  look  inherently  terrifying   so looking  like  giant  sticks  of  rhubarb  was  as  good  an  idea  as  anything  else. It  also  suffered   a bit  from  having  a  pre-watershed  slot  ; a  reasonable   injection of  sex  and  violence  would  have  spiced  it  up  a  bit  without  compromising  the  story.

The  series  has  been  repeated  three  times  on  BBC  Four  over  the  past  decade  so  the  Beeb  are  still  proprietorial   over  it   i.e  you  can't  watch  it  on  You Tube  without  coughing  up.