My 70's TV Childhood

This week, we're diving into the wonderful world of 1970s summer holidays - from the surprising success of sitcom film spinoffs to family holiday traditions and those magical school holiday TV schedules that kept us glued to our screens. Remember when "On the Buses" topped the UK box office in 1971, beating The Godfather? The 70s were obsessed with turning popular sitcoms into films - Dad's Army, Are You Being Served, Porridge, and even the forgotten Spanish spinoff "Don't Drink the Water" starring Stephen Lewis as Blakey retired to the Costa del Sol. While some families jetted off to Spain for package holidays in the blazing sunshine, many of us experienced the great British holiday tradition - packing the Singer Gazelle or Morris 1800 to bursting point with deck chairs, folding tables, swing ball sets, and enough provisions as if the rest of the country didn't have shops! From Northumberland to the Forest of Dean, these cottage holidays created lasting memories, even when the accommodation came with unwanted extras like dog hair or mice. But the real tragedy? Staying in a cottage without television during school holidays meant missing those special BBC morning programmes. From Belle and Sebastian's gorgeous Alpine sequences to the endless repeats of The Flashing Blade, Casey Jones, and Tintin adventures, these cheap foreign imports became the soundtrack to our summer mornings. I've delved into the BBC archives to check what was actually on during those magical summer weeks - from Noggin the Nog and Whirlybirds to the educational delights of David Attenborough's animal programmes. The reality matches our memories surprisingly well, proving that sometimes nostalgia gets it right. Did your family pack everything including the kitchen sink for holidays? Do you remember swing ball battles in cottage gardens? Share your summer holiday memories with us! Contact Us: 📧 Email: Oliver@My70sTVChildhood.com 📖 Blog: [Link [https://my70stvchildhood.com/]] 📘 Facebook:[Link [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood]] 🐦 X: [Link [https://twitter.com/home]] 📺 YouTube: [Link [https://youtu.be/nzAK_tz6E6w]] Don't forget to like, rate, and review me wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps me grow and keeps the spirit of 70s TV alive! Tell your friends about the quiz and invite them to join the fun. Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1324933/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

Welcome back to My 70's TV Childhood Quiz, where we test your memories of what was on the box during that memorable decade! This quiz is an offshoot of the My 70's TV Childhood podcast, which looks back fondly on what it was like to grow up as a child in 1970's Britain and the important role that television played in our lives back then. If you haven't listened, I really recommend you do. As always, we have 20 questions over 4 rounds. It's just for fun, and the quizmaster's answer is the final one! So settle down with a pen and paper and your favourite beverage! Here's what we've got lined up for you: 📺 Round One: A Land Down Under! In honour of the British and Irish Lions rugby tour to Australia, this round is all about Australian TV shows that were shown in the UK during the 1970s. From The Young Doctors to The Sullivans, can you remember these Aussie imports? 📺 Round Two: Marathon/Fil Rouge! Questions related to topics and personalities we've featured in previous episodes of the My 70's TV Childhood podcast. Let's see how good your memory is about our past discussions, from Tomorrow's World to Hector's House! 📺 Round Three: Name That Tune & Spin the Wheel! Our specially constructed wheel of fate has landed on... 1971! Our AI-powered theme tune generator has selected five theme tunes from TV shows first shown in the UK that year. Get your ears ready! 📺 Round Four: TV Times! Anything goes in this round – questions about various 70s television shows, personalities, and notable programming from the era. From Trumpton's Fire Brigade to The Muppet Show! And of course, we have our Bonus Question for this week: It's about the popular US super-soap Dallas. J.R. and Bobby Ewing's brother Gary left Dallas to live in California with his wife Val, which led to a spin-off series. What was the name of that spin-off series? Are you celebrating like J.R. Ewing – or has your well run dry? Either way, I hope you enjoyed playing along. We’ll be back next week with a new episode of the regular podcast – and again in a fortnight with another quiz. Send your answers and score to: quiz@my70stvchildhood.com [quiz@my70stvchildhood.com] Take care, Oliver Contact Us: 📧 Email: Oliver@My70sTVChildhood.com 📖 Blog: [Link [https://my70stvchildhood.com/]] 📘 Facebook:[Link [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood]] 🐦 X: [Link [https://twitter.com/home]] 📺 YouTube: [Link [https://youtu.be/nzAK_tz6E6w]] Don't forget to like, rate, and review us wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps us grow and keeps the spirit of 70s TV alive! Tell your friends about the quiz and invite them to join the fun. Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1324933/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

This week, we're exploring the martial arts craze that swept Britain in the 1970s, inspired by the unlikely hit TV series "Kung Fu" starring David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, the wandering Shaolin monk. Remember those Saturday tea times when we were allowed to eat in front of the TV? The lineup was glorious - Pink Panther, Alias Smith and Jones, and of course, Kung Fu. This slow, meditative Western about a half-Chinese, half-American monk wandering the Old West was unlike anything else on television. The show ran from 1972 to 1975 and captivated audiences with its unique blend of Eastern philosophy and Western action. Each episode followed Caine as he searched for his half-brother while getting drawn into helping others - corrupt sheriffs, oppressed farmers, racist outlaws. What made it special were the flashbacks to his training in a Shaolin monastery with his blind master Po and the stern Master Kan, giving us iconic moments like "when you can take the pebble from my hand, it'll be time for you to leave" and the famous nickname "Grasshopper." The show's influence was massive - it sparked a martial arts craze that saw kids across Britain donning what looked like dressing gowns to attend kung fu classes after school. Bruce Lee's films like "Enter the Dragon" had made martial arts cool, but Kung Fu brought it into mainstream television. However, the show carries a controversial legacy. According to Bruce Lee's widow Linda, the series was based on Lee's original pitch called "The Warrior," but studios allegedly felt America wasn't ready for a Chinese lead, casting David Carradine instead - a decision that casts a shadow over the show's cultural impact. From Hong Kong Phooey to the Goodies' "Ecky Thump," the kung fu craze influenced everything in 70s popular culture. It was a product of its time - when America was dealing with Vietnam, counterculture was going mainstream, and television was becoming more philosophical and edgy. Did you learn kung fu in the 70s? Were you able to walk across rice paper without leaving footprints? Share your martial arts memories with us! Take care, Oliver Contact Us: 📧 Email: Oliver@My70sTVChildhood.com 📖 Blog: [Link [https://my70stvchildhood.com/]] 📘 Facebook:[Link [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood]] 🐦 X: [Link [https://twitter.com/home]] 📺 YouTube: [Link [https://youtu.be/nzAK_tz6E6w]] Don't forget to like, rate, and review me wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps me grow and keeps the spirit of 70s TV alive! Tell your friends about the quiz and invite them to join the fun. Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1324933/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

Welcome back to My 70's TV Childhood Quiz, where we test your memories of what was on the box during that memorable decade! This quiz is an offshoot of the My 70's TV Childhood podcast, which looks back fondly on what it was like to grow up as a child in 1970's Britain and the important role that television played in our lives back then. If you haven't listened, I really recommend you do. As always, we have 20 questions over 4 rounds. It's just for fun, and the quizmaster's answer is the final one! So settle down with a pen and paper and your favourite beverage! Here's what we've got lined up for you: 📺Round One: Anyone for Tennis? In honour of Wimbledon season, I'll be asking you about tennis on television during the 1970s. From legendary commentators to championship winners, can you serve up the right answers? 📺Round Two: Marathon/Fil Rouge! Questions related to topics and personalities we've featured in previous episodes of the My 70's TV Childhood podcast. Let's see how good your memory is about our past discussions! 📺Round Three: Name That Tune & Spin the Wheel! Our specially constructed wheel of fate has landed on... 1979! Our AI-powered theme tune generator has selected five theme tunes from TV shows first shown in the UK that year. Get your ears ready! 📺Round Four: TV Times! Anything goes in this round – questions about various 70s television shows, personalities, and notable programming from the era. And of course, we have our Bonus Question for this week: According to the website radios-tv.co.uk, how much was the rental on a 19" Baird 705 colour TV from Radio Rentals in 1970? Are you bouncing off the ceiling with joy or flat on your face with misery? Whichever, I hope you've enjoyed it. Share your results on social media, comment on our blog, or send me an email to let me know. Send your answers and score to: quiz@my70stvchildhood.com [quiz@my70stvchildhood.com] Take care, Oliver Contact Us: 📧 Email: Oliver@My70sTVChildhood.com 📖 Blog: [Link [https://my70stvchildhood.com/]] 📘 Facebook:[Link [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood]] 🐦 X: [Link [https://twitter.com/home]] 📺 YouTube: [Link [https://youtu.be/nzAK_tz6E6w]] Don't forget to like, rate, and review us wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps us grow and keeps the spirit of 70s TV alive! Tell your friends about the quiz and invite them to join the fun. Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1324933/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

This week, I'm taking inspiration from the BBC's classic viewer feedback show "Points of View" to share some of the wonderful messages you've sent me over the years. It's a celebration of our shared 70s TV memories and the amazing community we've built together. Since starting the podcast in 2020, I've been overwhelmed by the volume and variety of comments from listeners. It seems I'm not the only one for whom brief fragments of sitting watching the box bring back happy memories. This episode is inspired by Barry Took's "Points of View," which returned to BBC screens in 1979 after being axed in 1971 for being "a bit dull." From general reviews praising the podcast for bringing back "so many happy and long forgotten memories" to specific stories about FA Cup Final days and regional ITV variations, your messages have made producing this podcast truly worthwhile. I share memories from listeners like Guy, who watched The Six Million Man with his dad while eating thinly sliced Mars bars, and Stefan, who watched TV with a Siamese cat called Winky above a pub. The episode covers the practicalities of 70s TV watching, from dodgy rolling pictures to catch different ITV regions, to the rituals and games that television inspired. It's a reminder of how television wasn't just entertainment - it was a shared cultural experience that connected families and friends across the country. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get in touch. Your feedback and memories are what make this podcast special, and this episode is my way of saying thank you for being part of our 70s TV community. Contact Us: 📧 Email: Oliver@My70sTVChildhood.com 📖 Blog: [Link [https://my70stvchildhood.com/]] 📘 Facebook:[Link [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood]] 🐦 X: [Link [https://twitter.com/home]] 📺 YouTube: [Link [https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood]] Don't forget to like, rate, and review me wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps me grow and keeps the spirit of 70s TV alive! Tell your friends about the quiz and invite them to join the fun. Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1324933/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]