Bosco Presenters

T.G Catter

We had big argument in our house last night about the names of the presenters of Bosco (i know but it was that or study for exams)
I said there was a philip and 2 of my house mates say i'm wrong,
I said there was a suzy and they all say i'm wrong, i think im right, so how many can you remember?
Here's what we came up with,
Frank
Philip (y/n)
Marian
Suzy(y/n)
Johnathan

There's more.... care to enlighten me anyone.....

sceptre

All your names are totally correct.

Frank was the rather happy bald chap (last seen on Bull Island)
Philip was the younger camp chap (often wearing a stripy sweater)
Marian Richardson was the one with the brown hair (last time I saw her she was doing reports for Today Tonight)
Suzy was chubby.
Jonathan Ryan was the chap with the beard (also played some character on the Irish RM)

Can't remember them all but I can add:
Liam (used say "like so")
David (wooly jumper bloke, probably the oldest, the voice for one of the two closing songs)
Barbara (chubby also)

Fortycoats played Santa

That's my entire contribution.

Gaffo

Philip was definitely there. I saw him in town the other day, it was quite strange. Nobody else remembered him.

Sceptre, how the f**k do you remember these people in such detail. Me reckons you've got some inside info.

aidan_dunne

All sounds about right to me. They were a pretty weird collection of people to be presenting a children's programme in 1980's Ireland by all accounts. I remember reading an article somewhere several years ago about Bosco (I think it was about the time RTE announced they were going to stop showing it - early '90's about). It turns out that two of the presenters were gay and one was a lesbian and that one had a serious drug problem (cocaine, I think).

As for Jonathon Ryan, he's done quite a bit of serious acting and you can often hear him doing voiceovers on ads on the radio. Look out for a scene in the film "Patriot Games" where he plays an IRA terrorist having a meeting with another terrorist in a pub, spots an attractive girl, takes off the wedding ring, goes over to her, chats her up, gets her into the sack, she goes to her bag for a sec, he turns and says, "Ah, come on darling, you're not going to make me wear a rubber. You know, the Catholic church says that's a sin." She whips out a gun, says, "So's this, darling!" and he gets a double-tap to the head. That'll teach him!

mike65

Thanks guys, I've had a hard day and was looking foward to a good nights sleep but not now.....Boscooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :eek:

Mike.

krankykitty

Wasn't there a Grainne as well??

DMC

You're thinking of Gregory Grainneog!

Marion Richardson is a reseacher still in RTÉ, I believe on Pat Kenny's radio show.

Edit: Ha! just checked on the Radio 1 website to confirm what Marion is doing, she the producer, so my apologies for doing a dis-service, but I see that RTÉ's old space cadet Leo Enright is standing in for Plank for two weeks. No space report on RTÉ in the 80's was worth its salt if he wasnt there!

rubadub

i was through the "magic door" once.




never came back out......

sceptre

Originally posted by krankykitty
Wasn't there a Grainne as well??

I think there was. Curly brown hair if I remember rightly, she was the "not chubby and not Marion" one.

seamus

Originally posted by aidan_dunne
All sounds about right to me. They were a pretty weird collection of people to be presenting a children's programme in 1980's Ireland by all accounts. I remember reading an article somewhere several years ago about Bosco (I think it was about the time RTE announced they were going to stop showing it - early '90's about). It turns out that two of the presenters were gay and one was a lesbian and that one had a serious drug problem (cocaine, I think).

Didn't one of the gay male presenters die of AIDS? Twas quite strange to think that this is the group that shaped the minds of Ireland's current young adults. Must be why we're so open and tolerant :rolleyes:

Amnesiac_ie

Anybody remeber PIRATE WEEK on Bosco? Or the way the tongue twisters built up to a climax and ended with a post-orgasmic sigh? Or the magic jig-saws? Or Bosco sulking in the box? Oh the memories...
Frankopened the new toilets in The Other Place nightlcub (gay) in Cork last month... we all sand "Knock knock open wide..."

Bard

Originally posted by sceptre

Barbara (chubby also)

There was also a Bairbre (not the same as the "Barbara" you mention) who wasn't chubby ... but was, in fact, quite slim, had dark hair and wore a pink shell-suit.

She's a relation of mine. She went on to be quite a successful actress, theatrical producer and director and playwright.

krankykitty

I particularly liked the episode where the camera went INSIDE the bosca...

Did anyone have the bosco story and song tape?
That filled many an hour for me as a kid

sceptre

Originally posted by Bard
There was also a Bairbre (not the same as the "Barbara" you mention) who wasn't chubby ... but was, in fact, quite slim, had dark hair and wore a pink shell-suit.

Ah rings a bell. Pink shell suits aren't the kind of thing you forget. I'm guessing she's had some nightmares about it too:D

evie

Have a look here
http://www.rte.ie/tv/40years/onthebox2.html
You can play a clip from the show!
I think I can remember a Gráinne.
My sister was mentally scarred when they cancelled that show!
Does anybody remember the Supermarket with the potatoes? Can't for the life of me think of the name!
The magic door, what a blast from the past. They always seemed to end up in the zoo.
What about the creatures made out of plasticine (or mala depending on where you were from)? they could change shapes and stuff, fun fun fun!

tribble

that would be Savers Supermarket.

tribble

Bard

Originally posted by sceptre
Ah rings a bell. Pink shell suits aren't the kind of thing you forget. I'm guessing she's had some nightmares about it too:D

Surprisingly enough, the topic doesn't come up in conversation much

evie

Savers! The spud family! Class!

Okie

Originally posted by evie

The magic door, what a blast from the past. They always seemed to end up in the zoo.
What about the creatures made out of plasticine (or mala depending on where you were from)? they could change shapes and stuff, fun fun fun!

That blasted magic door!! Usually Dublin Zoo alright but can anyone remember the trips to an ice-cream factory where they showed how Choc-Ices and Brunches (nyom!) were made?

Also, were those plasticine creatures called The Plonksters or some sort?

Heh heh, Seamus and Sheila McSpud

Class!!

michaelanthony

There definitely was a Gráinne. She had an annoying naselesque, high pitched voice.

Panda

Originally posted by rubadub
i was through the "magic door" once.

is that what you crazy kids are calling it these days?:rolleyes:

cant remember the presenters names at all, but i can sum them up in 3 words.

bunch-of-stoners

i remember going into some sort of bosco show in Leisureland in Galway at the height of its popularity and being really disappointed that i didnt win bosco puppet......
I do have a bosco mug tho!

I'm so cool....

I also remember that magic door thing where some kid goes to a supermarket and then to the meat counter, where he walks thru these double doors only to arrive in a field with a cow and a butcher.
if i remember correctly the butcher had a cleaver and took a lump of beef from the cow without the use of the cleaver or hurting the cow.

what a magic door it was too.....

sceptre

Originally posted by Okie
Heh heh, Seamus and Sheila McSpud

Stop it, stop it, stop it!

My younger sister is named Sheila. For anyone who doesn't know, I'm Seamus

It was hell at school for the ten minutes before I realised the best solution was to point and shout: "Haha, you watch Bosco!"
(didn't work as well for my sister as she was probably only seven or thereabouts at the time)

Okie

I'm really very sorry *Guffaw* sceptre. No really, *chortle* You have my *hee hee* deepest sympathy..........


HA HA!!! HEY LOOK EVERYBODY

---

>

IT'S ONE OF THE McSPUDS!!!!

Sorry, didn't mean it. Don't hurt me!


Mummy!!

Cian H

Did they ever get bosco back after he/she was kidknapped?

YoungNastyMan

Thers was a Mary Garriock

Mistakill

Originally posted by Amnesiac_ie

Frankopened the new toilets in The Other Place nightlcub (gay) in Cork last month... we all sand "Knock knock open wide..."

/me laughs his balls off

Originally posted by Panda

I do have a bosco mug tho!

darn you. all i got was a damn cup. still have it today but the paint is a little faded

swalsh

does anybody remember the name of the dog, and the crow....had an original bosco doll the head was mad of wood and all, could have been worth a bit if my flupin dog didnt decide to chew on the little buggers head

aidan_dunne

I think you're getting your "Bosco's" mixed up with your "Wanderly Wagon's" there, swalsh. I don't recall there being a dog and a crow in Bosco, but there was in Wanderly Wagon. The dog's name was Judge but I can't remember the crow's name. Never fear though, I'm sure one of the other late 70's/early 80's children in here will be able to remember!

sceptre

Originally posted by aidan_dunne
I can't remember the crow's name.

"Mister Crow"

Probably didn't take them long to come up with that one. It was also (badly) written on his jumper.

malichizer

it's been bugging me for ages.

TUTS

What was the num on Bosco's box?

AGHHHHHHHHH!:D

sceptre

Originally posted by TUTS
What was the num on Bosco's box?

AGHHHHHHHHH!:D

It was a big green "5" I think. Though that would have clashed with Bosco's jumper so maybe it wasn't green. Constant reminder of the number of fingers he had in him.

No idea on the name of the cat in WW. Actually I don't remember a cat at all, though knowing my memory he was probably in every episode.

nikita

"ruff", said flaherty,
"caaw", said cornelius
"meoiw", said ....... whatever the cat was called.

Ringing any bells with anyone? I'll hum the theme tune to Flaherty's Garden if that helps!!!

I've checked the RTE archives, they have the footage of Bosco but not of the shorts like Flaherty's Garden, Gregory and Grainne, Times the Tide, etc. Seemingly RTE didn't do them themselves, and they have no record of where they came from. I also asked Marian and a couple of other ppl who used to work on the show and nobody remembers!

anyone rem the names of the characters in Times the Tide or Gregory and Grainne either?

Epitaph

"ruff", said flaherty,
"caaw", said cornelius
"meoiw", said ....... whatever the cat was called.

Flaherty and Cornelius are exactly right - but the cat?? Can't even remember a bleedin' cat...

"What a lovely day."

God but those lads had evil voices... *shudders*

ColinM

Originally posted by sceptre
It was a big green "5" I think ... Constant reminder of the number of fingers he had in him.

Ah, lol, there sceptre!

And yeah DMC, Marian Richardson is a producer in the radio centre. She tried to have me believe that she often gets guys cracking on to her because they have a "feitsh" for the whole bosco thing. I nearly puked, but out of politeness, managed to keep it to a mild wretching. In fairness to her, she was quite hammered at the time.

embee

I was afraid of my LIFE of the woman with the mad eyes and the pink dungarees so tight you could clearly make out her front bum........ she had long hair and an unfeasibly low pitched voice...... and I used to hide behind the couch when bosco went into his box.......

Amnesiac_ie

There's an ex Bosco guy giving a laughable performance as a cult member on Fair ****ty these days!

Mr E

I think the connery-soundalike cult leader is funnier

- Dave.

simu

Cool thread!

My aunt was in one of the magic door films - how cool is that?;)

rymus

saw Frank in Cork city a few months ago. Well, "saw" him is a bit of a stretch. I screamed blue murder at some moron driving his car at 20mph on a dual carraigeway and as I overtook him I peered across to see Frank from Bosco. I nearly fell off my bike in shock.

beardedchicken

aawwww, the memories! i looooooved bosco, and i was convinced that he loved me too, cos when he said, "hello everybody, hello boys and girls, hello (presenters)" i thought he was talking to me, cos i've the same name as one of em!!

.......kids can be really stupid........

catspring

ok, this isn't entirely on topic, but it's not entirely off topic either.
the magic door rhyme went:
knock knock open wide, see what's on the other side
knock knock .......

what's the last line??? i really have been trying to remember for the last while, but keep on forgetting to ask people or else people can't remember.

rymus

im gonna go for

Knock knock any more (many more), come with me through the magic door.

Probably completely wrong though...

sceptre

Yeah, you're right rymus (and it was "any more" rather than "many more")

Kalina

Remember Twizzle on the seashore? There used to be a really short sketch with her in it every so often on Bosco.

mr_angry

I just remember the blokes with the long necks - with that psuedo-nightmarish animation. Who came up with all these ideas. And why did the set always remind me of the BBC off-air screen with the girl at the blackboard? I think it was all the geometrical shapes around it...

Fabritzo

See attachement, aww come on she aint scary at all, the clown on the other hand might be your culprit. Yeah bosco is nothing more than a fading memory now, I think it used to be on at 2:45 before the den used to start....but that would mean the den would have had to start at 3:15 which is all wrong, it must have been half 2 but then I would have been home from school early enough to catch the start, yeah that's probably right :P Can someone confirm this? I've been looking for the original bosco theme tune for a while now, anyone got it please?

pickarooney

Just noticed this thread. If it's still of interest I'm pretty sure the cat was called Rosario.

sceptre

I do believe pickarooney is right - certainly rang a bell in my head

I used to enjoy the plonksters (or whatever they were called). Nothing compared to Pib and Pog though (lack of machine guns and acid made all the difference)

BrianD3

One of the Bosco presenters was in Fair City recently. I think it was Frank. Dopey looking camp guy anyway

BrianD3

littleninja

I remember the excitement when Bosco came to a local hotel I think it was for some pantomime or something like that.... I got a Bosco badge that day and I thought I was the business with it proudly pinned to my jumper (ah those were the days - when ya didn't worry about what other ppl thought!!!) I think I still have the badge at home somewhere, although it could well have been thrown out or given to some sale or something.

Also, my cousin was sitting on Bosco's box for some programme on tv I think they were singing or something, and they just happened to be filming in the studio that they filmed Bosco in.... she was dead surprised that bosco's box was so big it looked tiny when it was shown on the programme.

I used to love the tongue twister twins and would go into school the following day saying the tongue twister I had heard the previous day.. trying in vain to get them right whilst saying them five times faster than the time before.... "red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather" etc..... you get the idea!

Anyway, that's my Bosco reminiscing done for the day

AAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH I have the Bosco theme tune playing in a loop in my head now!!!!!