My 70's TV Childhood

Ronnie Le Drew: The Man Behind Zippy, Sweep and the Goblins

Welcome back to My 70s TV Childhood! This week, I'm delighted to welcome a very special guest, a man I can only describe as a legend of children's television. He's the puppeteer behind Zippy on Rainbow, he was Sweep alongside Harry Corbett, he worked with Jim Henson on Labyrinth, he performed on the Muppet films, and he even became a rave star in the 1990s touring university discos with Zippy and George. Welcome to the podcast, Ronnie Le Drew. But first, our My 70s TV Childhood theme tune quiz game is about to go into manufacturing. If you'd like to register your interest, head to www.my70stvchildhood.com and join the waitlist. There's no commitment at this point, but it helps us get our production numbers right. 💬 What to Expect: From Pelham Puppets to the Puppet Guild: Ronnie tells us how it all began with three Pelham puppets, a wind-up gramophone, and kids sitting on a freezing concrete staircase in a South London block of flats. The Little Angel Theatre: How a 15-year-old Ronnie wrote to the legendary John Wright asking for an apprenticeship, and the extraordinary conversation his parents had in the kitchen that changed his life. Muffin the Mule and the Park Shows: Working with Jan Bussell and Anne Hogarth, performing three shows a day from a caravan in London's parks. Rainbow and Zippy: How Ronnie joined Rainbow for a six-week contract on a massive £125 a week and stayed for 20 years, lip-syncing to Roy Skelton's voice as the most lovably naughty character on children's television. Sweep and the Corbetts: Ronnie's time working with Harry and Matthew Corbett, and the little reed in the mouth that gave Sweep his voice. Labyrinth and David Bowie: Auditioning for Jim Henson with a fake American accent, working as a goblin puppeteer at Elstree Studios, and the moment David Bowie walked onto set in a dressing gown and said hello. The Rainbow Rave Years: When Thames Television lost its franchise in 1992, Ronnie took Zippy and George on a three-year tour of university discos. A generation that had grown up watching Rainbow was now old enough to buy them drinks. What are your memories of Rainbow, Zippy, Sweep, and the characters that Ronnie brought to life? Get in touch and let me know! Take care, Oliver 📲 Connect & Follow * 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood] * 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/] * 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home [https://twitter.com/home] * ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood [https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood] Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1324933/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

Quiz #72: Summer Holiday ☀️

Welcome to the 72nd edition of the My 70s TV Childhood Quiz. This week Round One takes us back to those glorious school holiday mornings in front of the television, with five questions about the shows that filled our summers throughout the 1970s.  A quick note before we start: some of the shows mentioned were made before the 70s but were endlessly repeated and very much part of our 70s TV childhood.  What to Expect: * Round 1: Summer Holiday Five questions about the school holiday morning shows that filled our summers in the 1970s. * Round 2: Marathon/Fil Rouge Questions drawn from over 200 episodes of the podcast. Regular listeners may have a slight advantage. * Round 3: Name That Tune (1976) Five theme tunes from shows first broadcast in 1976. You'll need to listen to the podcast for this one. * Round 4: TV Times General 70s TV trivia. Anything goes. * Bonus Question One final challenge to separate the casual viewers from the true obsessives. Grab a pen and paper, settle in with your favourite brew, and let's see how many you can get right. Send your score to quiz@my70stvchildhood.com [quiz@my70stvchildhood.com] or drop me a comment on social media. Take care, Oliver 🎲 The My 70s TV Childhood Board Game is nearly here! We are about to start production on a playable version of our famous Name That Tune round. That is right, you will be able to play at home with family and friends and show them all how brilliant your knowledge of theme tunes really is. It would help us enormously to know how many of you might be interested in buying the game. Any profits will go straight back into helping with the costs of producing the podcast. Register your interest at: https://my70stvchildhood.com/ [https://my70stvchildhood.com/] 📲 Connect & Follow * 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood] * 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/] * 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home [https://twitter.com/home] * ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood [https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood] This have been a Worth a Listen production for Lucky Table Media Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1324933/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

The Family: The BBC Documentary That Changed Television Forever

Welcome back to My 70’s TV Childhood, a British nostalgia podcast about growing up with classic television in 1970s Britain. This week, I’m heading back to 1974 and one of the most talked-about and controversial programmes in the history of British television. The Family was a BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series that followed the everyday lives of an ordinary working-class family from Reading, and it changed television forever. But first, a quick reminder that our My 70’s TV Childhood Theme Tune Game is coming very soon. It is a nostalgic family game for people who grew up with 1970s British television, designed to get grandparents, parents and grown-up children around the table, guessing and singing along to the classic TV theme tunes we still remember from childhood. Head to www.my70stvchildhood.com to register your interest. No commitment required. 💬 What to Expect: * The Television Landscape of 1974: I look back at what British television was like when The Family first aired, three channels, families gathered around one set, and a BBC that carried real authority. * The Wilkins Family: I introduce Bill, Marg, and their children from Reading, and the lodger Tom Bernes, who became one of Britain’s first reality television stars decades before anyone used that phrase. * How The Family Was Made: Director Paul Watson and producer Franc Roddam embedded a crew in the family’s daily life for months, capturing meals, arguments, celebrations and boredom in a way that had never been seen on British television before. * The Controversy: I explore why The Family shocked so many viewers in 1974, from debates about class and privacy to questions about whether the presence of cameras changes the reality they are supposed to be recording. * The Legacy: I look at how The Family paved the way for everything from observational documentaries to modern reality television, and why the questions it raised are still being argued about today. Do you remember The Family? I would love to hear your memories, so get in touch and let me know! Take care, Oliver 📲 Connect & Follow * 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood] * 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/] * 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home [https://twitter.com/home] * ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood [https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood] Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1324933/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

Quiz #71: Remember These Royal TV Moments

Welcome back to the My 70s TV Childhood Quiz. This week Round One takes us back to some of the most watched moments in 1970s television, the great Royal events that brought the nation together around the TV set. After that, we have our regular Marathon/Fil Rouge round, the Wheel of Fate landing on 1970 for Name That Tune, and the TV Times general trivia round to finish. What to Expect: * Round 1: Royal Ratings Five questions about the most watched Royal events on British television in the 1970s. * Round 2: Marathon/Fil Rouge Questions drawn from over 200 episodes of the podcast. Regular listeners may have a slight advantage. * Round 3: Name That Tune (1970) Five theme tunes from shows first broadcast in 1970. You'll need to listen to the podcast for this one. * Round 4: TV Times General 70s TV trivia. Anything goes. * Bonus Question One final challenge to separate the casual viewers from the true obsessives. Grab a pen and paper, settle in with your favourite brew, and let's see how many you can get right. Send your score to quiz@my70stvchildhood.com [quiz@my70stvchildhood.com] or drop me a comment on social media. Take care, Oliver 🎲 The My 70s TV Childhood Board Game is nearly here! We are about ready to start manufacturing. But as we get to that point, it would be a huge help if you could let us know whether this is something you might be interested in buying. Any purchases of the game will help towards the costs of producing the podcast, and there is no commitment at this stage. Register your interest at: https://my70stvchildhood.com/ [https://my70stvchildhood.com/] Connect & Follow * 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood] * 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/] * 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home [https://twitter.com/home] * ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood [https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood] This has been a Worth A Listen Production Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1324933/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]

Argentina 78: My First Proper World Cup

Welcome back to My 70’s TV Childhood, a British nostalgia podcast about growing up with classic television in 1970s Britain. This week, with the World Cup just around the corner, I’m heading back to Argentina 1978, the tournament that made me a lifelong football fan and one of the most dramatic World Cups in history. But first, a quick reminder that our My 70’s TV Childhood Theme Tune Game is coming very soon. It is a nostalgic family game for people who grew up with 1970s British television, designed to get grandparents, parents and grown-up children around the table, guessing and singing along to the classic TV theme tunes we still remember from childhood. Head to www.my70stvchildhood.com to register your interest. No commitment required. 💬 What to Expect: * The World Cup in the 1970s: I reflect on what the World Cup meant to children growing up in 1970s Britain, and how different the experience was from the mega broadcast event we have today. * England’s Absence: I look back at England’s failure to qualify for both 1974 and 1978, and what it felt like as a child to be left out in the cold. * Panini Sticker Albums: I dig out my old Panini sticker collections and relive the thrill of peeling open packets, the smell of fresh stickers, and the endless search for the ones you still needed. * Ally’s Army: I revisit Scotland’s extraordinary journey to Argentina 1978, from the 25,000 fans who came to Hampden to wave them off to the heartbreak that followed. * The Argentina 78 Tournament: Mario Kempes, ticker tape, late-night matches, arguments with parents about bedtimes, and one of the most controversial results in World Cup history. * Opening My 2026 Panini Album: I open my brand new World Cup sticker album live on the podcast. Only 983 stickers still to find. Are you looking forward to the World Cup? And do you remember Argentina 1978? Get in touch and let me know! Take care, Oliver Connect & Follow * 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood] * 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood [https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/] * 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home [https://twitter.com/home] * ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood [https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood] This has been a Worth A Listen Production. Get in touch! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1324933/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/olivercolling]