Old TV programmes you liked but no one else remembers

odyssey06 · 22-01-2019 09:01PM

Some short lived 90s teen dramadies...
Emerald Cove - starring Keri Russell, similar across the class divide story to The OC
Malibu Shores - the Emerald Cove cast seemed to migrate to the series, and were joined by Charisma Carpenter (Buffy)
Opposite Sex - cheesy teen comedy with early appearance by Chris Evans (Captain America not the DJ)

22-01-2019 09:06PM

Ger Roe wrote: »

OK, you have really opened a can of worms there.... the history of test card design and it's use, is a very particular geek interest that has sadly been lost in the mists of time. Few people remember them and even fewer realise that they were first used to calibrate the brightness and contrast settings on a black and white TV.

The colour bars were later added and used to select the correct shade for each colour. The bars were placed close together so that you could adjust your TV to ensure that no colour 'bled into' it's adjoining colour.

The various shapes and horizontal & vertical lines were used to ensure that contrast and brightness settings were correctly adjusted so that the lines remained clear and straight and did not cause any sound interference - strong brightness and contrast settings could result in wavy lines and an audible hum on the received signal. This would be caused by the video signal being set too strong and it then expanding into the separate audio channel frequency.

There are websites dedicated to preserving images of various test cards from around the world and detailing the evolving technical developments in TV broadcasting that resulted in the need to change the designs.

For more on the story of the girl with the clown design (the legendary Test Card 'F'), take a look here.

I'll get my coat and leave now

The music behind the test card is of huge interest to me - drawn from the lounge / easy listening genre or various sound libraries (KPM, Chappell, Bruton etc). There's some great compilations out there like
Natural Born Fillers - https://www.discogs.com/Various-Natural-Born-Fillers/release/2540458
Girl In A Suitcase - https://www.discogs.com/Various-Girl-In-A-Suitcase/release/1035273

22-01-2019 09:08PM

The Further Adventures Of Oliver Twist
Made by ATV in 1980.
There was a tie-in book.
Broadcast by RTE 1 on Sunday nights during that summer.
Never repeated.
No DVD.

22-01-2019 09:11PM

Storybook International

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfHJgZptH-w

salmocab · 22-01-2019 09:13PM

branie2 wrote: »

The Famous Five - 70s version

The theme tune was great, often used to sing that when drunk.

salmocab · 22-01-2019 09:18PM

rubadub wrote: »

street hawk, yes, possibly another sky one job. I think you can get old RTE guide pages online showing the daily lineups. There were a few programs with vehicles after knight rider, -Airwolf, blue thunder, streethawk
l]

There was an impossibly bad boat one with hulk hogan, thunder in paradise or something like that. Think the boat could turn invisible.

Joe_ Public · 22-01-2019 09:22PM

smilerf wrote: »

Anyone remember an early stage 90s comedy about the president of America? I think there was a blonde in it. Its not Benson

Spin City had a blonde in it (whose name I forget but was in falcon crest, scrubs, loads of shows) but was a bit later than early 90s. Always liked it, as with most things with MJ Fox.

I recall a show about the presidential election around 1992, was a kind of mockumentary focused chiefly on an independent candidate and his campaign. Wasn’t exactly a comedy but I remember being engrossed in it. Can’t remember name but it’s almost certainly not one you’re thinking of. Sorry!

Skid X · 22-01-2019 09:23PM

Herman's Head.

American Sitcom shown late Saturday nights on Channel 4/S4C about in the early 90s.

Herman has four competing emotion personas living in his head (like the Numskulls in the Beezer Comic). Lisa Simpson and Apu from the Simpsons were in it (although not in his head)

22-01-2019 09:24PM

Book Adventures - very hard to find info online.
US series and known as CBS Library over there.
Broadcast by RTE in first half of the 1980s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjfOWmnW55w

odyssey06 · 22-01-2019 09:37PM

Dream on!

Rather racy (for 90s TV) comedy series from HBO, which would cut to clips from black and white series as a kind of window into the main character's thoughts.

LimeFruitGum · 22-01-2019 09:52PM

Used to enjoy Central Park West, think it was on around 95/96? Featuring a foine John Barrowman as a JFK Jr type, and Lauren Hutton.
Excellent bitchy trash &#55357;&#56836;

branie2 · 22-01-2019 10:32PM

Game On, a comedy starring Samantha Janus (now Womack) before she became famous as Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders

Salmon Leap · 22-01-2019 10:35PM

I seem to remember watch a kids programme called Follyfoot back in the 70s. Anyone remember that one? I think it was on HTV.

salmocab · 22-01-2019 10:48PM

branie2 wrote: »

Game On, a comedy starring Samantha Janus (now Womack) before she became famous as Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders

With the lad that had agrophobia? Good show although I suspect it’s aged badly

branie2 · 22-01-2019 11:00PM

salmocab wrote: »

With the lad that had agrophobia? Good show although I suspect it’s aged badly

That's the one

igCorcaigh · 22-01-2019 11:02PM

Not sure if this counts as old, mid 90s, but The Trip on C4, late Saturday night; NASA footage and ambient music. Perfect for the days that they were

igCorcaigh · 22-01-2019 11:03PM

Kids cartoon from my very early days: Bod.

branie2 · 22-01-2019 11:19PM

The High Life, a short-lived Scottish comedy about an airplane cabin crew

The Crowman · 22-01-2019 11:41PM

Henry's Leg. I remember this from when RTE showed it in the late 80's. It was pretty weird for a kids show, not least of all the lad Henry collecting dead hedgehogs from the side of the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nT1alh2vdo

branie2 · 22-01-2019 11:44PM

The Roman Holidays, a cartoon about life in ancient Rome

madmaggie · 22-01-2019 11:49PM

Take the High Road, a sort of Scottish version of Emmerdale. I remember being on shift work and having this programme on in the background as I made lunch, about 12.30ish.

branie2 · 22-01-2019 11:50PM

madmaggie wrote: »

Take the High Road, a sort of Scottish version of Emmerdale. I remember being on shift work and having this programme on in the background as I made lunch, about 12.30ish.

It had a very good theme tune

Skid X · 22-01-2019 11:54PM

branie2 wrote: »

The High Life, a short-lived Scottish comedy about an airplane cabin crew

That was very funny.

They had planned to do another series but then Alan Cumming went to Hollywood and got famous

smilerf · 23-01-2019 01:28AM

branie2 wrote: »

The High Life, a short-lived Scottish comedy about an airplane cabin crew

I loved it. Oh deerie me

sweetie · 23-01-2019 08:59AM

salmocab wrote: »

With the lad that had agrophobia? Good show although I suspect it’s aged badly

Ben Chaplin played him in the first series and went on to have a decent hollywood career that seems to have petered out a bit.

The Crowman wrote: »

I remember that! The rat swallowing scene was another memorable moment.

Mousey, mousey!

branie2 · 23-01-2019 09:19AM

Around the World with Willy Fogg, an animated animal version of Jules Verne's classic novel.

Koolhanger · 23-01-2019 10:52AM

Are you afraid of the dark? - used to be on The Den after school in the 90s. Great 'scary' kids show with a different creepy story every week.

https://youtu.be/4qTrgCWpLlM

artvanderlay · 23-01-2019 11:50AM

branie2 wrote: »

Game On, a comedy starring Samantha Janus (now Womack) before she became famous as Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders

The first series was great, one of my fav 90s comedy shows, but when Ben Chaplin went to Hollywood, it sank. His replacement in the show was just underwhelming.

I loved when Matt joined the band with the posh boys upstairs, but their styles didn't blend :pac: (@14:29 below)

branie2 · 23-01-2019 11:59AM

The Golden Girls, a comedy about four senior citizens living together in a house in Miami, Florida.

briany · 23-01-2019 12:10PM

Apparently, Game On was written by Andrew Davies, the guy who wrote the original House of Cards miniseries. He was around 60 when Game On came out. Not the most obvious candidate for creating a sitcom about 3 20-somethings sharing a flat.

Old TV programmes you liked but no one else remembers

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