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| Animal
Magic BBC ( West ) 1962- |
Childrens
wildlife programme presented from Bristol Zoo by the wonderful Johnny
Morris. Later specials were made at places like the Miami Seaquarium and
Frankfurt Zoo. Probably the most memorable feature of the programme was
Johnny's ability to give the animals personalities by using funny voices
to make it appear as if the animals were talking. Early assistants included
Tony Soper, famous in his own right for nature films and naturalist Gerald
Durrell who owned his own zoo in Jersey. Main producer was Winwood Reade |
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| Compact BBC 1962 - 65 |
In
1962, soap operas on ITV were forced off the air by an Equity strike,
which gave this BBC offering virtually free reign over the British viewing
public. Shown on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it was set in the editorial offices
of Compact, a women's magazine, with the usual mix of personal and business
triumph and tragedy. It was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling ( who
also created Crossroads ) and was scheduled originally for a 3 month run.
373 x 30 minute episodes were eventually made starring main character
Editor Joanne Minster ( Jean Harvey ), other parts being played by Nicholas
Selby, Gareth Davies, Moray Watson and Leo McGuire. There was a 50 minute
omnibus edition shown from April 1964. Later in the series Ronald Allen
joined the show as the second Editor. He was also later to star in Adair
and Ling's Crossroads series |
 
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| Dial
Rix BBC 1962 - 63 |
Stage
farce genius Brian Rix made a series of 50 minute shows, beginning with
'Between The Balance Sheets', specially for television which were shown
at monthly intervals during the winter of 1962 - 63. These were followed
by 'Laughter From Whitehall' in 1964 and 'Laughter From The Whitehall'
in 1965. Main writers for the shows were Ray Cooney, John Chapman, Tony
Hilton and Kenneth Horne |
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| Dr.
Finlay's Casebook BBC 1962 - 71 |
Thirteen
series were made of this long- running medical drama series set in the
town of Tannochbrae, Scotland, during the 1920s. 200 x 50 minute shows
featured Andrew Cruickshank as Dr Cameron, Bill Simpson as Dr Alan Finlay
and Barbara Mullen as the legendary housekeeper Janet. The eternal battle
of youth and enthusiasm versus age and experience most often ended in
a compromise to the benefit of both the townspeople and the situation
at hand |
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| Fireball
XL5 ATV 1962 - 63 AP Films / ITC |
Another
great series from Gerry Anderson, this time apparently aimed at a slightly
older audience. The sets, stories and production techniques were improving
greatly. Characters Steve Zodiac, Dr Venus, Matt Matic and Robert 'On
Our Way 'Ome' the Robot were the primary crew of interplanetary patrol
vessel Fireball XL5, hindered by their 'pet', Zoonie the Lazoon. 39 x
30 minute episodes were made, filmed in 'Supermarionation' with special
effects by Derek Meddings.'I wish I was a spaceman, the fastest guy alive
- I'd fly you round the universe in Fireball XL5....' |
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| Hugh
And I BBC 1962 - 67 |
Sitcom
which saw the first wonderful pairing of Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd, produced
by David Croft. As a lodger in Scott's mum's house in suburbia, Lloyd
became involved in his many crackpot and fabulous 'get rich quick' schemes'
which were the creation of writer John Chapman. The pair were later reunited
in 'Hugh and I Spy' ( 1968 ) and the hilarious 'Gnomes of Dulwich' ( 1969
) |
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| Man
of The World ATV 1962 - 63 |
20
x 60 minute episodes were made of this action drama, starring Craig Stevens
as trouble-seeking globetrotting photo-journalist Mike Strait assisted
by Maggie, played by Tracy Reed. Some episodes were re-edited into telefeatures
- 'Double Exposure', 'Dangerous Hideaway','Love Me - Love Me Not' and
'Flashpoint'. The series was produced by Harry Fine with music from Henry
Mancini |
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| Oliver
Twist BBC 1962 |
This
Charles Dickens novel adaptation lasted for 13 x 25 minute episodes, starring
Bruce Prochnik as Oliver, Max Adrian as Fagin, Melvyn Hayes as The Artful
Dodger, Peter Vaughan as Bill Sykes and Carmel McSharry as Nancy. The
murder in the final episode was the subject of huge protest from TV monitoring
organisations and shocked viewers. The series was produced by Eric Tayler
from a dramatisation by Constance Cox with period design by Stephen Bundy |
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| On
The Braden Beat ATV 1962 - 67 |
Popular
consumer affairs programme presented by Canadian Bernard Braden championed
the cause of the British consumer for five years. Jock Watson and, later,
Francis Coleman produced this Saturday late-night watchdog which also
examined current political issues affecting the British public |
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| Out
Of This World ABC 1962 |
Horror
king Boris Karloff hosted 13 x 60 minute programmes of this science fiction
drama anthology presentation which featured the works of many famous writers
such as John Wyndham, Isaac Asimov, Terry Nation and Philip K.Dick. This
series, produced by Leonard White, was effectively the forerunner to BBC2's
more well-known 'Out Of The Unknown' series which story editor Irene Shubik
went on to produce |
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| Police
Five ATV 1962 - 69 LWT 1970 - 90 |
An
extremely popular and long-running crime prevention and information gathering
programme which was introduced by Shaw Taylor. Originally a five minute
interlude between main programmes it was later extended into a programme
in its own right. Stephen Wade originally produced this series on behalf
of ATV in conjunction with New Scotland Yard. The LWT programme 'Junior
Police Five' was not introduced until 1972 |
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| Steptoe
& Son BBC 1962 - 65 ( 70,72,74 ) |
This all-time classic
sitcom starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett as Rag and Bone
men Albert and Harold Steptoe started life as a half hour play called
'The Offer' in the Comedy Playhouse series. 26 x 30 minute episodes
were made during the Sixties with a further 20 episodes made in three
series in the Seventies. The self-imagined upwardly mobile Harold was
perpetually being dragged back to his Oildrum Lane roots by dad Albert
in a constant feud of selfishness and hypocrisy brilliantly written
by Galton and Simpson. Their
horse was Hercules and my own favourite episode was where Harold divided
the house into two halves with turnstiles at the front door. Two Cristmas
shows and two feature films were made in the Seventies and copycat versions
were produced by U.S. and Dutch television |
 
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| Take
A Letter GRANADA 1962 - 64 |
A
crossword-based game show produced by John Hamp and hosted during its
130 editions by Bob Holness
and Jenny Hull.
The original maximum prize was about £34, obtained by turning up
letters to try and get the word before the opposition with the help of
verbal clues supplied by Bob |
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| That
Was The Week That Was BBC 1962 - 63 |
Or,
more commonly known as 'TW3', produced by Ned Sherrin, was a 30 minute
Saturday evening current events satire show hosted by David Frost, ably
assisted by Lance Percival, Willie Rushton, Roy Kinnear, Kenneth Cope,
Bernard Levin, David Kernan and Al Mancini. Resident singer was Millicent
Martin whose contribution of 'near the knuckle' songs each week was one
of the highlights. The show was superseded in 1964 by 'Not So Much A Programme,
More A Way Of Life', also featuring the dry wit of Frost and Rushton |
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| The
Cheaters ITV 1962 - 63 Danziger Productions |
Drama
series produced by Edward and Harry Danziger starring John Ireland as
Eastern Insurance Company investigator John Hunter. This insurance version
of Columbo was responsible for tracking down any fraudulent claims which
covered virtually the entire gamut of possible insurance situations from
arson to double indemnity to sport |
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| The
Flintstones US Tx 1960 - Hanna-Barbera |
Never
planned as a children's cartoon, 166 x 30 minute episodes were made of
this domestic sitcom largely based on a programme called 'The Honeymooners'.
The scene of the prehistoric action was Cobblestone Lane, Bedrock, involving
the various schemes, arguments and generally dubious activities of headstrong
Fred Flintstone, gullible neighbour Barney Rubble and their long-suffering
wives Wilma and Betty. A dinosaur 'dog' was Fred's pet, but the sabre-tooth
cat he put out at night ( or the other way around ) was rarely if ever
seen apart from the closing credits. Later episodes saw the birth of Pebbles
Flintstone and the adoption of super-strong Bam-Bam Rubble |
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| The
Odd Man GRANADA 1962 - 63 |
Created
by Eddie Boyd, 24 x 60 minute episodes were made of this suspense serial
starring Edwin Richfield, Sarah Lawson, Keith Barron, Moultrie Kelsall
and Christopher Guinee. Stuart Latham produced. The second series also
starred William Mervyn as C.I. Rose. Essentially a crime series, the storyline
also took in many other human interest elements in the 'soap' mould. Two
of the characters in the series, Barron's 'D.S.Swift' and Davies' 'C.I.Rose'
later featured in their own separate series |
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| The
Saint ATV 1962 - 69 New World / Bamore Productions / ITC |
Do
I love this series? The incomparable modern buccaneer created by novelist
Leslie Charteris in the 20s was brought right up to date by producers
Monty Berman and Robert S. Baker and brilliantly cast Roger Moore as starring
hero Simon Templar. 185 x 60 minute episodes, 9 of which were directed
by Roger Moore, tracked his adventures on either side of the law and featured
Ivor Dean as his gum-chewing Scotland Yard nemesis, Inspector Claude Eustace
Teal. Two telefeatures were also made from two-part episodes:- 'The Fiction
Makers' (67) and 'Vendetta For The Saint' (68). Edwin Astley composed
the brilliantly haunting signature tune |
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| University
Challenge GRANADA 1962 - 87 |
A
team quiz show held on a 'knockout' basis each season which featured quizmaster
and host Bamber Gascoigne presiding over four-person teams from various
universities. 'Your starter for ten' was on the buzzer while bonuses allowedteams
to confer with the captain being responsible for giving the correct answer.
You used to feel really smug if you could answer more than four or five
questions per programme, but it was still immensely popular. The first
ever show featured teams from Reading and Leeds Universities |
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| William BBC 1962 |
Based
on the stories by Richmal Crompton, this 25 minute episode Leonard Chase-produced
children's series was adapted for television by C.E.Webber and famously
starred Dennis Waterman in the title role. His gang, 'The Outlaws', consisted
of Douglas ( Carlo Cura ), Henry ( Kaplan Kaye ) and Ginger ( Christopher
Witty ) with Gillian Gosling as the awful Violet Elizabeth Bott |
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| Z
Cars BBC 1962 - 78 |
Possibly
one of the most famous and realistic police drama series of all time,
not least because of its distinctive theme tune, 'Johnny Todd', played
by the Liverpool Flutes and Drums. The episodes varied between 25 and
50 minutes in length depending on whether they were being shown once or
twice weekly and over 667 shows were made. The original cast included
James Ellis ( P.C.Bert Lynch ), Jeremy Kemp ( P.C.Steele ), Brian Blessed
( P.C.'Fancy' Smith ), Joseph Brady ( P.C.Jock Weir ) and Terence Edmond
(P.C.Sweet ) based in the fictional Northern area of Newtown. More famous
names such as Stratford Johns, Frank Windsor and Colin Welland joined
soon after. The storylines were supplied from the casebooks of the Lancashire
Police and two spin-off series ( 'Softly Softly' and 'Barlow At Large'
) werte also made. The show started in episodic form, moving to a more
serialised format in 1967 |
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| Zero
One BBC 1962 - 65 MGM TV |
A
sort of detective / investigator series of 39 x 25 minute episodes based
at London Airport. 'Zero One' was the call sign for the International
Air Security Board starring Nigel Patrick as their chief investigator
with seemingly all-embracing powers. The series also featured Bill Smith
and Katya Douglas as his regular assistants. Series producer was Lawrence
P.Bachmann |
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 Some
Other 1962 Shows Which You May Have Seen are...Brothers In Law - BBC -Comedy drama set in law chambers - 13 x 30mins Electra - AR - Dramatised version of a Sophocles play - 60mins The Largest Theatre In The World - BBC ( 62,65,67,70,71 ) - Series of EBU plays - 75mins The Monsters - BBC - Scifi/Spy drama set in Lakeland - 4 x 45/50mins Studio 4 - BBC - Series of adaptations of modern novels - 50mins The Virginian - NBC - Western series starring James Drury - 225 x 90mins Ask Me Another - BBC - Quiz show presented by Franklin Engelmann Pit Your Wits - BBC - Quiz show hosted by Kenneth Kendall and Gwynneth Tighe Play Your Hunch - BBC - Novelty quiz hosted by D.J. Alan Freeman City Beneath The Sea - ABC - SciFi serial - 7 x 30mins The Andromeda Breakthrough - BBC - SciFi serial - 6 x 45mins Whicker On Top Of The World - BBC - Travel series Pops And Lenny - BBC 1962/63 - Variety show starring Lenny the Lion Six More Faces Of Jim - BBC - Comedy series starring Jimmy Edwards - 6 x 30mins A Climate Of Fear - BBC - Second part of a drama trilogy Foreign Affairs - Granada - Comedy spin-off from The Army Game The Craddocks - A-R - Fanny and Johnny Craddock cookery programme Benny Hill - BBC 1962-63- A series of comedy plays Mr. Pastry's Pet Shop - BBC - Children's programme starring Richard Hearne Mess Mates - Shipboard sitcom starring Sam Kydd, Dermot Kelly and Archie Duncan The Crazy Gang - Sunday May 20th at 8:25p.m. - The famous comedy team's last show Bulldog Breed - Granada - Comedy series starring Donald Churchill Saki - Granada - Series of plays adapted from short stories by H.H.Munro Time, Gentlemen, Please! - A-R - 60 minute documentary on pubs presented by Daniel Farson Silent Evidence - BBC - Police pathology series starring Basil Sydney |
1962
Television Ratings ( millions of homes )
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1
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Royal
Variety Show
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BBC
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9.25
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2
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Coronation Street |
ITV
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8.86
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3
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Miss World 1962 |
BBC
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7.55
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4
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Sunday Night at The London Palladium |
ITV
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7.43
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5
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European Cup Football Spurs v Benfica |
ITV
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7.30
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6
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Armchair Theatre |
ITV
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7.28
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7
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Val Parnell |
ITV
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7.21
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8
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The Crazy Gang's Last Night |
ITV
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7.16
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9
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No Hiding Place |
ITV
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7.14
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10
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Bernard Delfont's Show |
ITV
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7.14
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11
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Drama '62 |
ITV
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7.08
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12
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Take Your Pick |
ITV
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6.96
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13
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Double Your Money |
ITV
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6.95
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14
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Maigret |
BBC
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6.94
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15
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One Step Beyond |
ITV
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6.75
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16
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Emergency Ward 10 |
ITV
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6.75
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17
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Play Of The Week |
ITV
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6.75
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18
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Rawhide |
ITV
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6.67
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19
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Top Secret |
ITV
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6.59
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20
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The Bruce Forsyth Show |
ITV
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6.59
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