My 70's TV Childhood

This week, we return with the ultimate sporting spectacle of the 70s: Superstars, where our greatest athletes stepped out of their comfort zones to compete in the classiest school sports day ever televised. First airing on New Year's Eve 1973 as "Britain's Sporting Superstars," this brilliant concept saw elite athletes from different sports competing against each other in everything except their own discipline. I vividly remember the sheer excitement of watching David Hemery, Jackie Stewart, and Bobby Moore all lined up together! The format was beautifully simple: ten events, points for placement, and may the best all-rounder win. What made it magical was seeing our sporting heroes in completely unfamiliar territory. Kevin Keegan falling off his bike during the cycling event and still fighting on with those famous words: "These people here in the stands have come here to see me make a fool of myself and they've got a right to it!" Pure class. Then there was James Hunt chain-smoking between events before performing brilliantly, and Stan Bowles shooting a hole in the table during the shooting event before capsizing his canoe! But for me, it was all about Brian Jacks and those legendary parallel bar dips. That man was an absolute machine on the gym tests – I tried doing just thirty dips recently and was completely done in! Brian dominated the late 70s, winning both British and European titles before missing the world finals due to shingles. The show regularly pulled in ten million viewers during its heyday. Sadly, by the mid-80s, the magic had faded as insurance concerns and scheduling conflicts made it harder to attract the real superstars, and the BBC cancelled it in 1985. But what memories it left us with! Did you watch Superstars? Which event was your favourite, and do you remember any of those brilliant mishaps? 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]

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: Car as the Star! This round focuses on those iconic vehicles that became almost characters in their own right. From Doctor Who's yellow car to the General Lee, how well do you remember these famous TV automobiles? 📺 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. We'll be testing your memory on The Waltons, The Banana Splits, Harlem Globetrotters, Thunderbirds, and Bagpuss! 📺 Round Three: Name That Tune & Spin the Wheel! Our specially constructed wheel of fate has landed on... 1975! 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 Edward the Seventh to Val Doonican's famous outerwear!. And of course, we have our Bonus Question for this week: What was the introductory sequence for London Weekend Television meant to signify? 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://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood]] 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 take a nostalgic journey through one of the most iconic talent shows of the 1970s – "Opportunity Knocks!" While watching modern talent competitions like "Britain's Got Talent" and "The Masked Singer," I found myself reminiscing about Monday evenings in the 70s when families across Britain would gather around their televisions to watch aspiring performers compete for fame on Hughie Green's legendary show. "Opportunity Knocks" was a true British institution that began on BBC radio in 1949 before finding its true home on ITV in 1964. By the 1970s, it had become appointment viewing for millions, including my family. The format was refreshingly simple – a variety of acts would perform, the studio audience would show their appreciation via the famous "clapometer," and viewers at home would vote by sending in postcards (yes, actual postcards!) to determine the winner. The show's host, Canadian-born Hughie Green, was as much a part of the spectacle as the acts themselves. Dressed in a shiny suit with his catchphrase "I mean that most sincerely, folks," he guided viewers through a parade of singers, comedians, musicians, and occasionally, some truly bizarre performances. The set was quintessentially 70s – beige carpet, gold curtains, and a revolving stage that spun acts on and off with military precision. I share my personal memory of when the Warrington Youth Band from my hometown appeared on the show around 1975. The local excitement was palpable, with our newspaper, The Warrington Guardian, breathlessly covering their appearance. When they won and returned for several weeks, it was like having celebrities in our midst – a testament to the show's cultural impact. The episode explores some of the most memorable winners, including ten-year-old Lena Zavaroni, whose powerful rendition of "Ma! (He's Making Eyes At Me)" catapulted her to fame; Peters and Lee, whose hit "Welcome Home" topped the charts; poet Pam Ayres with her cheeky verses about teeth; and Bernie Flint, who holds the record with twelve consecutive wins in 1977. But perhaps more fascinating are those who didn't win but went on to greater things – Les Dawson, Su Pollard (who famously lost to a singing dog!), Freddie Starr, and Paul Daniels. And who could forget the truly odd acts that somehow captured the public's imagination, from singing nuns to spoon players? As the 70s progressed, "Opportunity Knocks" faced competition from the more modern "New Faces," which introduced celebrity judges and scoring systems – pointing the way toward today's talent show formats. But for those of us who grew up in the 70s, nothing quite captures the innocent charm of talent shows like Hughie Green and his clapometer. 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]] Do you remember watching "Opportunity Knocks"? Did you ever send in a postcard to vote for your favourite act? Get in touch and share your memories! 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: Mayday, Mayday! In honour of the month of May, I'll be asking you about shows that began in May or have a May connection. Can you recall when these classic shows first hit our screens? 📺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... 1976! 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: In our last quiz, we mentioned "The Partridge Family." What were the names of the original members of the Partridge Family? The characters rather than the actors, and they all had the surname Partridge. Here's a clue, there were six of them. 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://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood]] 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 take a nostalgic journey through the TV schedules from Saturday, May 19, 1973, using both the TV Times and Radio Times as my time machines – yes, in those days you needed two separate magazines to know what was on all three channels! I begin by exploring ITV's offerings before moving on to BBC1 and BBC2. Starting with ITV (which required the TV Times to view its schedule), the morning lineup featured "The Flaxton Boys," a children's adventure series set in Yorkshire that I'm struggling to remember clearly. This was followed by the variety show "Saturday Scene" with Sally Ann Howes, and later "World of Sport" which dedicated its entire afternoon to football coverage – quite different from BBC's more varied sporting approach. Switching over to BBC1 (listed in the Radio Times), the morning began with a curious mix of children's programming, including "Repondez s'il vous plait" (a French language course), "Camberwick Green" with its charming wooden puppets, and "The Further Adventures of Dr Dolittle" featuring the rascally pirate Sam Scurvey. At 12:05, viewers were transported to Australia with "Barrier Reef," an adventure series featuring marine scientists in colourful wetsuits battling pirates and criminals on the Queensland coast. Afternoon viewing on BBC1 was dominated by "Grandstand," which was impressively packed in football (the Home International Championship), six horse races, boxing, and Rugby League. The football coverage featured an all-star commentary panel including Jock Stein, Don Revie, Brian Clough, and Bobby Charlton – a lineup that puts today's pundits to shame! The teatime slot belonged to "Doctor Who," with this particular Saturday featuring the first episode of "The Green Death" – a story about a dead miner found glowing green in Wales. This was followed by "Clunk Click" with Jimmy Savile, "The Dick Emery Show" with its memorable catch phrases like "Ooh, you are awful!", and the groundbreaking "Ironside" starring Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief Robert Ironside. The day concluded with late-night sports coverage, an episode of "Bilko," and then the National Anthem before closing down just after midnight – a reminder of how television wasn't the 24-hour service we take for granted today. Do you remember any of these shows? Can you help fill in details about "The Flaxton Boys" or what happened in "The Green Death"? Get in touch and share your memories! 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!  Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1324933/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]