About

Welcome. This is the blog where I share memories of some of my favourite things. These include a look back at TV shows, pop music, computer games, and so on from various years. There is plenty to go through so why not take a look, hopefully you’ll enjoy what I have to say. Thanks for your interest.

43 thoughts on “About”

      • Steven says:

        Hi Adam,

        Thanks for posting all the UK adverts. Is there an email address I can contact you on regarding the possibility of you sending me a higher quality version of one of the videos?

        Like

  2. Des Elmes says:

    Hi Adam,

    I couldn’t help but notice that some YouTube user named “Poll Core” has been uploading videos that the likes of you, Benriggers and Aidan Lunn have already uploaded, and mixing up the descriptions…

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2VQqPsRqc8DZLmPICNsBWQ

    To me, anyway, this user comes across as a mischief maker – it doesn’t look like he/she has taken these videos with permission.

    So shouldn’t he/she be reported?

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  3. Steven says:

    Hi Adam,

    Thanks for posting all the UK advert videos. Is there an email address I can contact you on regarding the possibility of you sending me a higher quality version of one of the videos?

    Like

    Reply
  4. Waseem says:

    Hi Adam,

    I was watching some of your videos you posted on YouTube especially Big Break. I was wondering if you had the whole series? I have come across some episode but no whole complete series except the first. I live in the USA and was wondering if it is still played on TV in the UK? I know some channels play older “nostalgic” TV show.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Hello, I have uploaded some editions of Big Break to YouTube, but I don’t have any more, I wouldn’t know if anyone else does. If you want to know, Big Break ran on BBC1 for 239 editions in 14 series from 1991-2002. It isn’t shown on BBC1 any more, but some series have been repeated on the channel Challenge, but I don’t remember seeing it in the past few years.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Waseem says:

        Thanks for uploading the editions that you did Adam. I’m familiar with how many editions thier were. I’m also familiar with the Challenge channel. BBCiplayer does not have them online. Can’t seem to find them online. ☹️

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Abbie Walton says:

    Hello Adam,

    I am loving your memories!
    Please can you write reviews on these following shows:-
    SM:TV Live
    Popworld
    Strictly Come Dancing
    Britain’s Got the Pop Factor
    ITV Weather (post Weathergens)
    Pointless Celebrities (in general, not just that one edition)
    TOTP (in general)
    PointlessBlog
    100 Greatest series (Channel 4)
    Channel 5 clip shows (in general)
    X Factor
    BGT
    Dancing on Ice
    Love Island
    I’m a Celebrity…
    Saturday Night Takeaway

    I would like to see your reactions to these programmes!

    Abbie

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    • Hello, thanks your comment.
      I must admit that I haven’t watched that much of some of the shows on your list, out of them I would probably want to review Popworld, Pointless, some more clip shows, Top Of The Pops, and Saturday Night Takeaway, I shall have to see how it goes.

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    • Mark bunce says:

      Hi I was the last ever contestant on series of 3 of TV scrabble . They never made any more. But I won both finals so had my 15 minutes of fame 20 years ago when the finals were held

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  8. Abbie Walton says:

    Hello again Adam, I am still enjoying your retro reviews. I would like to see your opinions on these TV shows:-

    SMTV Live.
    Gameshow Marathon.
    Byker Grove.
    Come Outside (Pippin & Aunt Mabel).
    Tweenies.
    Ministry of Mayhem.
    Fingertips (CITV).
    Bob the Builder.
    This Morning With Richard, Not Judy.
    Engie Benjy.
    Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe.
    Big Brother (in general).
    Pointless Celebrities (not just Bananarama episodes).
    more of the 100 Greatest series on C4.
    ITV Weather (after the Weathergens 2001-2007).
    some of Peter Kay’s shows.
    some British chat shows.
    Transmission with T-Mobile (another TOTP clone on C4 aired 2006-9).
    TOTP magazine (in general).
    Smash Hits! magazine (in general).
    some more first and last series comparisons.
    ABBA’s All Time Greatest Hits (ITV).
    Advertising’s Greatest Hits (C4).
    Dead Ringers.
    A full list of adverts brands that have been featured on all your breaks in alphabetical order (including public info films).

    Also, I would like to see your take on long-running greats and how they ended/what led them to their declines in “The Decline of…”

    Abbie

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    • Hello, thanks for your list. I have to admit that there isn’t a huge amount on there that I plan to review soon, but I am always on the lookout for shows to review, so any that people want to recommend will be considered. I’ll definitely think about some of the choices.

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  9. Abbie Walton says:

    Hello again Adam,

    I’m keeping track of your Retro TV blogs. I am very interested in UK TV sponsor idents fron ITV, C4, C5, Sky and other stations.
    Question:- Which TV sponsors can you remember and the ones you remember, I would like to see a list of them please?

    Abbie

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    • Sorry for the late reply, but I have been thinking about this.
      I am not hugely interested in sponsors, but I remember Countdown being sponsored by The Times in 1994, which I think is the earliest example of a game show sponsor in the UK. Also around that time some newspapers gave away gamecards that you could play along with for prizes. I also remember Coronation Street being sponsored by Cadbury’s in 1996 was a major event, I think that was the first UK soap with a sponsor.

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      • Abbie Walton says:

        Adam, the very first sponsor of them all was of course Powergen sponsoring ITV’s National Weather forecasts for 18 years from 1989 until 2007 (they had rebranded to Eon then). Do you know how much comments on the Weathergen segments say “Shivra scared me as a kid” or “So much better than nowadays, bring them back!”

        But the longest UK sponsorship deal has to be Ford sponsoring Sky Sports Premier League for a staggering 24 years from the first ever season in 1992 all the way up to 2016.

        Thanks for the reply by the way.

        Like

  11. Michelle says:

    Hi Adam, wow what a great site.

    Can you help me? I’m looking to track down a toy I had when I was younger, I’m almost certain it was from a CITV show in the 1990s, I’d say from 1994-1999.

    I don’t think it was a very well known show, the figurine I had, I’d say was a villain, who from memory was a mix between Cobra Queen and Harley Quinn in terms of physique and calendar girl DC also.

    The character was female, in a red body suit, she had around 5 long vertical spikes on her head. A white face, and long black gloves and knee high black boots.

    When I got the figurine, she had changeable facial expressions, all white masks you could take off and change with happy, angry or surprised faces.

    It is possible she had a black cape.

    I’m not sure if you’d be able to help track down the cartoon she was in. I think it was sci fi orientated.

    Best wishes

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  12. Seb says:

    Hi Adam. You posted a commercial for an episode of ‘Small Talk’ on BBC in 1996 on your YouTube channel (The video is titled ‘BBC1 Junction 1996 (26)’, link to the video below).

    Do you happen to have the full episode? I am one of the kids in that episode and would love to send it to my parents as a nostalgic gift. Any help would be hugely appreciated.

    Here’s the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-FpzroW8_w

    Thanks!

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    Reply

    • Hello there. I did record some episodes of Small Talk and put them on YouTube in full, but they are all from the series in 1994, I didn’t record any in 1996, so I won’t have the one that you want, sorry.

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  13. Hi Adam

    I was on a quest to find episodes of Think Tank that I appeared on. Ending up in contact with the creator Steve Radosh who asked to be informed if any turned up. You published one episode, can I ask if you recorded any other?

    David

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    • Hello, I did put three or four editions of Think Tank on YouTube, but I didn’t record them myself at the time, they were sent to me by someone who knew I was into game shows. I don’t have any more editions of Think Tank to upload, and I haven’t spotted any others turning up online recently.

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      • Thanks for the reply. Did you happen to keep the contact details of the kind person who sent them to you?

        I did watch those episodes and have snuck into ITV Archive to see if they had more, but they are not listed. Action was bought by Granada and them by Carlton and them by ITV so if there was an official archive it would be ITV.

        A quest. Goddam…

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      • Unfortunately no-one has contacted me for a while with any more game shows, and I can’t think of anyone else who would have any editions of Think Tank, so sorry that I can’t help you out more.

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  15. hi, i’ve been looking for about half a year now trying to find an 80s music video that scared my mom as a child. i was wondering if maybe i could describe it to you and see if you have an idea?

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      • okay, the part that scared her was this blue person who had a long chin. in her memory it’s long enough to be some kind of prosthetic, but obviously since she thinks she was around 5ish, it might not have actually been that long. very well could just be someone who has a prominent chin. she thinks this person was sitting on a throne and at one point in the video gives a weird smile. the other parts she remembers is two purple girls that might have been inside of a cave. outside of the cave though, the setting was either tropical or desert-like. also this wasn’t animated. i know it’s only a few details, but just let me know if you have any idea. thank you!

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      • I have been having a think, and the only video from that time I can think of that features different coloured people doing odd things is “True Faith” by New Order. I would doubt that’s right though, hopefully you can get an answer eventually.

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  16. Jackie Piercy says:

    Hi, i won one of the competitions on sky trax in Milton Keynes hosted by Gary Davis and Pat Sharp, they would play a music video (Eurthymics – there must be an angel) it was pixelated and I had to guess on time limit whose video it was.
    I still have the sky trax jacket I won, its never been worn and in perfect condition been kept in the loft in packaging. I can’t find one image on the net of it, I can find MTV which is what SKYtrax turned into
    (I think) but no actual sky trax jackets.
    do you have any idea if it is worth anything, not that I would sell it just interested. unfortunately lost the signed photos of Gary & Pat, they were stuck on the bedroom wall along with all sorts of posters lol if you can’t help can you advise where i would go to find out.

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  17. Dude!
    In a fit of nostalgic pique I stumbled across your blog. I was wondering do you have any recordings of Videotech… I don’t, and I regret it. I did the cgi backgrounds for the show and directed the lions share of seasons 2 & 3. Anything you have would be terrific to see.

    Mischa Welsh

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  18. Ferne says:

    Hi Adam,

    I have enjoyed your blog, Twitter and YouTube for years. I have a growing collection of TV listing magazine scans and wondered if you might be open to trading? Please let me know if you would like to talk about this further 🙂

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      • Ferne says:

        Lots of 90s and 00s TV Times. Most of the first 5 or so years of Heat magazine (1999-2004). Lots of others like Radio Times, Inside Soap, What’s on TV, TV Choice too.

        What’s the best way to contact you privately?

        Like

      • Well that sounds terrific, and would definitely be of interest to me. I presume that these will be scans in folders, rather than sending anything in the post. I wouldn’t really be able to send you anything in return (apart from my thanks). If you want to give me more information, you can email me at: pat.beckwith@btinternet.com

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