As of today, ITV4 will broadcast 24 Hours a day. Up to now, the channel has only been broadcasting between 6pm and 6am but viewers will immediately be able to watch its output anytime of the day. ITV4 began broadcasting on 1 November, 2005 and the mix of shows has, pretty much, remained constant ever since. I noticed a slight decline in the number of showings of old ITC series, of late, but the station will need to fill the schedules with something and I don’t suppose it will include any new programming just more screenings of what has already been bought in!
Shows on offer have included many British drama series originally aired in the Sixties, a handful from the Seventies and the odd one or two from the Eighties. These are interspersed with imports from the States including “The X-Files” spin-off “Millennium”, “Homicide: Life on the Street” and long-running sitcom “Married… with Children” co-starring the lovely Christina Applegate!
As you might expect, I favour the Brit shows! I’m still waiting to catch Harriet Philpin in one of the Douglas Camfield-directed episodes of “The Sweeney” entitled “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. She’s better known to “Doctor Who” fans as Bettan, appearing in the latter half of “Genesis of the Daleks”. More generally, if you’re a fan of “The New Avengers” you might like to try “The Professionals”, created by the same team of Albert Fennell and Brian Clemens. Dennis Waterman can be seen in “Minder”, as well as “The Sweeney”, on ITV4 but my main reason for tuning in, being a Gerry Anderson and SF fan, is both “Space: 1999” and, especially, its forerunner “UFO”.
I recently had the pleasure of watching one of my favourite episodes of “Space: 1999” on the channel, “War Games” co-starring Anthony Valentine and Isla Blair. When I first watched the episode, in my mid-teens, I remember being totally shocked by the death of series regular Doctor Bob Mathias, sucked out into space near the beginning of the story! I had yet to fully take on board the Gerry Anderson plot algorithm of the reset button now so beloved, but not nearly as well utilised, by Russell T. Davies!
I’ve also recently rewatched the “UFO” episodes “Reflections in the Water” and “The Long Sleep”. Both excellent. The latter features Tessa Wyatt as Catherine Frazer waking from a ten year coma with news of a possibly devastating hidden bomb on a farmyard that could rip England in half. She’s the former wife of ex-Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn but don’t hold that against her! Give the channel a go and root out some buried treasure… you might be lucky enough to ogle Erotica from “Up Pompeii”, gorgeous Georgina Moon, in her other famous role as Skydiver Operative Lt. Sylvia Howell in one of her eight episodes of “UFO”!
Shows on offer have included many British drama series originally aired in the Sixties, a handful from the Seventies and the odd one or two from the Eighties. These are interspersed with imports from the States including “The X-Files” spin-off “Millennium”, “Homicide: Life on the Street” and long-running sitcom “Married… with Children” co-starring the lovely Christina Applegate!
As you might expect, I favour the Brit shows! I’m still waiting to catch Harriet Philpin in one of the Douglas Camfield-directed episodes of “The Sweeney” entitled “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. She’s better known to “Doctor Who” fans as Bettan, appearing in the latter half of “Genesis of the Daleks”. More generally, if you’re a fan of “The New Avengers” you might like to try “The Professionals”, created by the same team of Albert Fennell and Brian Clemens. Dennis Waterman can be seen in “Minder”, as well as “The Sweeney”, on ITV4 but my main reason for tuning in, being a Gerry Anderson and SF fan, is both “Space: 1999” and, especially, its forerunner “UFO”.
I recently had the pleasure of watching one of my favourite episodes of “Space: 1999” on the channel, “War Games” co-starring Anthony Valentine and Isla Blair. When I first watched the episode, in my mid-teens, I remember being totally shocked by the death of series regular Doctor Bob Mathias, sucked out into space near the beginning of the story! I had yet to fully take on board the Gerry Anderson plot algorithm of the reset button now so beloved, but not nearly as well utilised, by Russell T. Davies!
I’ve also recently rewatched the “UFO” episodes “Reflections in the Water” and “The Long Sleep”. Both excellent. The latter features Tessa Wyatt as Catherine Frazer waking from a ten year coma with news of a possibly devastating hidden bomb on a farmyard that could rip England in half. She’s the former wife of ex-Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn but don’t hold that against her! Give the channel a go and root out some buried treasure… you might be lucky enough to ogle Erotica from “Up Pompeii”, gorgeous Georgina Moon, in her other famous role as Skydiver Operative Lt. Sylvia Howell in one of her eight episodes of “UFO”!
3 comments:
Being a huge Robin Of Sherwood fan I best remember Anthony Valentine for his role as Baron De Belleme - a man twisted by his devotion to Arabic demonology... it could have looked ridiculous but he brought so much conviction and gravitas to the role he was genuinely scary. A great actor and a wonderful voice.
Loved th pic to this post - who says string vests can't be sexy?!
Er yes, that top the lady is wearing leaves very little to the imagination!! Was this girl a precursor to Nicola Bryant?!
I've STILL got to do a post on Space:1999 on my own blog, Tim! I did get through the whole Series One boxset and have been very slowly watching Series Two (not remastered like Series One, but purchased for a bargain price from an Aussie website). I agreee "War Games" was one of the best episodes of the first season. You will probably hate me for saying this but I am actually finding Series Two more enjoyable in some respects, although of course it was much derided by the critics!
Anthony Valentine was very good in an episode of Granada's "Sherlock Holmes", too.
If you've ever seen a Sea-Devil, you might think differently about string vests looking sexy but, yes, Georgina is one heck of a looker!
Georgina might well have been a precursor of Nicola's, certainly in my eyes!
I'm still looking forward to reading your "Space: 1999" post maybe as part of your "Cheeser's Choice" strand. It's true I do prefer the first season over the second but am still quite happy to watch episodes from either despite them seeming like two completely different shows!
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