Fred Dibnah - Russell Harty show 1979
This is taken from Russell Harty's ITV chat show, after looking at the year this took place, "Russell Harty Plus" (1973-1981), before moving to the BBC, the stint he was more well known for, Grace Jones et all. He is interviewing the colourful character which was Fred Dibnah, not an entertainer, but had the erstwhile job of being a "steeplejack". This was a traditional job repairing and most famously, demolishing steeples and chimneys such as factory and church steeples. He would be required to climb these tall structures with rope or ladders before going onto the next stage of scaffolding.
Fred Dibnah's work was captured on film in 1978 in a documentary called "Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack", and much like reality TV, the very likeable and passionate Lancastrian became a celebrity on TV appearing on various shows, as well as his own TV series in his later years. 1998's "Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age". In this Youtube clip, one of his most famous scenes from the original programme, the felling of a factory/mill chimny in Rochdale, showing Dibnah dashing away from his handiwork, in this spectacular felling, and you're wondering "has he run in the right direction away from the chimney?".
Showing posts with label 1979. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1979. Show all posts
Monday, 15 March 2010
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Michael Foot Appearing on the First Ever BBC "Question Time"
The First Ever Question Time (BBC - 25 September, 1979) [Part One]
In light of the death of former Labour leader (from 1980-1983) Michael Foot, who has died at the age of 96 today, here is the most extensive footage I can find of him on Youtube. Coverage of Foot is pretty scant on the website at the moment, but I'm sure that will correct itself soon. This is when Michael Foot was a leading candidate to become the next leader of the Labour Party after Prime Minister James Callaghan's downfall to Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives at the May 1979 General Election. Presented by Robin Day, the panel is completed by former Scottish Conservative MP Teddy Taylor, (who lost his Glasgow Cathcart seat at the previous election) Irish novelist Edna 'O Brien and Archbishop Derek Worlock. This is the first and full edition of "Question Time", in six parts of 10 mins+.
"Question Time" was a topical discussion show that tour in studios, church halls and various other venues around the UK, and would contain a local audience with a scale of wide-ranging view. Members of the audience would be able to ask pre-selected questions (sometimes wonder if they're not their own questions but volunteers for BBC production staff allowable queries for the show), asking a selected number of politicans plus religious leaders and artistic intellectuals (now, pillored with perhaps a celebrity, who is sometimes clueless!). Mostly serious issues are discussed, lighter issues may be asked at the end of the show.
The issues discussed in this episode are the Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland and whether he should've went to Northern Ireland ("The Troubles" era) and how a story of animals trapped in an aeroplane in Rome had top billing over the state of the economy in the news (aww, we're such animal lovers us Brits), and more.
"Question Time" was not intended to last long, as it has. The BBC, much like the viewing audience, had tired of the 5-nighter that was "Parkinson" the chat show, and reduced it to 3 nights a week, and to be replaced by something different in tone, more serious. Little to be known at the time, the show has now been running for over 30 years. Robin Day hung up his anchoring boots in 1989, then-Channel 4 newsreader Peter Sission took over for a few years, and David Dimbleby has presented the show since 1994.
Michael Foot was leader of the Labour party at a tulmutuous time for the party. Foot was one of the intellectual members of the left wing of the party. A somewhat eccentric manner and look to the man, infamous for wearing a "donkey jacket" at the cenotaph at Remembrance Sunday in 1981. He was though a great orator of the old guard of politicians, never a man to personally please the media, but did things his way. His leadership from 1980-1983, was very unsuccessful, as his anti-war stance and plea for unilateral nuclear disarmament, was not greeted well by voters, especially as PM Maggie Thatcher boldly went to war with Argentina and won quickly, after their invasion of the Falklands Island, a British colony. This bolstered Thatcher's Conservatives they smashed Labour in the 1983 General election. Despite that, Foot was also set back by the plight of the Labour party almost coming to breaking point in 1981, when right wing Labour MP's "The Gang of Four" left for a breakaway party, "The Social Democratic Party", headed by Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers. Further party in-fighting continued, and Foot's manifesto for the 1983 election was labelled "the longest suicide note in history" by right-wing Labour MP Gerald Kaufman.
Although Foot's leadership was a failure, he was a vital part in keeping the party together, until it blossomed under his old apprentice Neil Kinnock. Also, some experts claim, some economic warnings heeded by Foot could've helped Britain stop the full brunt of the 2008 recession.
In light of the death of former Labour leader (from 1980-1983) Michael Foot, who has died at the age of 96 today, here is the most extensive footage I can find of him on Youtube. Coverage of Foot is pretty scant on the website at the moment, but I'm sure that will correct itself soon. This is when Michael Foot was a leading candidate to become the next leader of the Labour Party after Prime Minister James Callaghan's downfall to Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives at the May 1979 General Election. Presented by Robin Day, the panel is completed by former Scottish Conservative MP Teddy Taylor, (who lost his Glasgow Cathcart seat at the previous election) Irish novelist Edna 'O Brien and Archbishop Derek Worlock. This is the first and full edition of "Question Time", in six parts of 10 mins+.
"Question Time" was a topical discussion show that tour in studios, church halls and various other venues around the UK, and would contain a local audience with a scale of wide-ranging view. Members of the audience would be able to ask pre-selected questions (sometimes wonder if they're not their own questions but volunteers for BBC production staff allowable queries for the show), asking a selected number of politicans plus religious leaders and artistic intellectuals (now, pillored with perhaps a celebrity, who is sometimes clueless!). Mostly serious issues are discussed, lighter issues may be asked at the end of the show.
The issues discussed in this episode are the Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland and whether he should've went to Northern Ireland ("The Troubles" era) and how a story of animals trapped in an aeroplane in Rome had top billing over the state of the economy in the news (aww, we're such animal lovers us Brits), and more.
"Question Time" was not intended to last long, as it has. The BBC, much like the viewing audience, had tired of the 5-nighter that was "Parkinson" the chat show, and reduced it to 3 nights a week, and to be replaced by something different in tone, more serious. Little to be known at the time, the show has now been running for over 30 years. Robin Day hung up his anchoring boots in 1989, then-Channel 4 newsreader Peter Sission took over for a few years, and David Dimbleby has presented the show since 1994.
Michael Foot was leader of the Labour party at a tulmutuous time for the party. Foot was one of the intellectual members of the left wing of the party. A somewhat eccentric manner and look to the man, infamous for wearing a "donkey jacket" at the cenotaph at Remembrance Sunday in 1981. He was though a great orator of the old guard of politicians, never a man to personally please the media, but did things his way. His leadership from 1980-1983, was very unsuccessful, as his anti-war stance and plea for unilateral nuclear disarmament, was not greeted well by voters, especially as PM Maggie Thatcher boldly went to war with Argentina and won quickly, after their invasion of the Falklands Island, a British colony. This bolstered Thatcher's Conservatives they smashed Labour in the 1983 General election. Despite that, Foot was also set back by the plight of the Labour party almost coming to breaking point in 1981, when right wing Labour MP's "The Gang of Four" left for a breakaway party, "The Social Democratic Party", headed by Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers. Further party in-fighting continued, and Foot's manifesto for the 1983 election was labelled "the longest suicide note in history" by right-wing Labour MP Gerald Kaufman.
Although Foot's leadership was a failure, he was a vital part in keeping the party together, until it blossomed under his old apprentice Neil Kinnock. Also, some experts claim, some economic warnings heeded by Foot could've helped Britain stop the full brunt of the 2008 recession.
Monday, 15 February 2010
ITV Lobs It's Head Off the Pillow after a Nice, Cosy Nap
News at 545 with Leonard Parkin (1979) Part 1
This was the first ITN broadcast after the infamous ITV blackout that occured for an eye-shattering 2 months from August-October 1979. This was the early years of ITN's(Independent Television News, which has provided news content for ITV from the very beginning -1955- to the present). evening news programme that used to begin at 5.45pm. This features Leonard Parkin with a magnificent combover. A well-liked news presenter, he began presenting the "News at 545" in the same year until 1987, sharing his position with such great stewards of the presenter garb like Peter Sissons.
This is a 2 part full edition of the evening ITN news. The ITV blackout was surprisingly not the top storyline, but it was British airline entrenpeneur and Laker Airlines owner Sir Freddie Laker's fight to bring dirt cheap (in those days) planes rates to Europe, prompting threats of increased competition and decreasing production quality. Also on the headlines, former Prime Minister James Callaghan faces a challenge for the leadership, from the left wing of the party, which did invariably win. Michael Foot became the next leader of the party. Other headlines of course include the ITV 2 month blackout, plus the upcoming British-ruled Zimbabwe-Rhodesia elections and rising cases of truancy in Birmingham. As said by the user who uploaded the video, 3 minutes in, we have a BBC report on the ITV fiasco blackout shocker. Part 2 of this edition, highlights the ITV event. We see the premier cream of news presenter market being previewed as hosting the upcoming "News at Ten", with Alistair Burnett, and Anna Ford, rather angrily typing on a typewriter. This forwards with report on the set of Coronation Street, and filming their reaction to their glorious return, featuring Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch) and Peter Adamson (Len Fairclough) . Can imagine 2 months without Coronation Street? Bliss for some I suppose.
This was the first ITN broadcast after the infamous ITV blackout that occured for an eye-shattering 2 months from August-October 1979. This was the early years of ITN's(Independent Television News, which has provided news content for ITV from the very beginning -1955- to the present). evening news programme that used to begin at 5.45pm. This features Leonard Parkin with a magnificent combover. A well-liked news presenter, he began presenting the "News at 545" in the same year until 1987, sharing his position with such great stewards of the presenter garb like Peter Sissons.
This is a 2 part full edition of the evening ITN news. The ITV blackout was surprisingly not the top storyline, but it was British airline entrenpeneur and Laker Airlines owner Sir Freddie Laker's fight to bring dirt cheap (in those days) planes rates to Europe, prompting threats of increased competition and decreasing production quality. Also on the headlines, former Prime Minister James Callaghan faces a challenge for the leadership, from the left wing of the party, which did invariably win. Michael Foot became the next leader of the party. Other headlines of course include the ITV 2 month blackout, plus the upcoming British-ruled Zimbabwe-Rhodesia elections and rising cases of truancy in Birmingham. As said by the user who uploaded the video, 3 minutes in, we have a BBC report on the ITV fiasco blackout shocker. Part 2 of this edition, highlights the ITV event. We see the premier cream of news presenter market being previewed as hosting the upcoming "News at Ten", with Alistair Burnett, and Anna Ford, rather angrily typing on a typewriter. This forwards with report on the set of Coronation Street, and filming their reaction to their glorious return, featuring Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch) and Peter Adamson (Len Fairclough) . Can imagine 2 months without Coronation Street? Bliss for some I suppose.
The infamous blackout was a 10-week industrial dispute after pitiful wage increase for staff including electricians. ITV was entrely blacked out, with no TV programmes for those 10 weeks, with only viewers in the Midlands being able to see Central Television programmes, from which they were fear the regional company would be run out of business, if the strike reached their shores.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Rare Kate Bush Interview on "Swap Shop"...
Multi Coloured Swap Shop Kate Bush interview Part 1
Curly-wurly haired Noel Edmonds interviews softly-spoken musician Kate Bush on the show that started and revolutionised Saturday morning's TV for kids and adults alike "Multi-Coloured Swap Shop".There is a second part to the interview. Taking a look at the comments and the quality of the video, it seems this is the only way now, we will ever view this clip, because it doesn't exist in the BBC archives anymore, which was a regualar occurence in the 70's and before. Only this video recording helps it to survive to this day. This is one of the great things about youtube and the internet today.
This was following 20-year old Kate Bush's climb to music fame in the previous year, 1978, led by her big No.1 hit song, "Wuthering Heights", which is talked about in the interview. Also, there is also that in-famed, unpredictable section where celebrities take part in the phone-in from children, a great TV innovation at the time. Arghh! Kate comes across very well here.
Curly-wurly haired Noel Edmonds interviews softly-spoken musician Kate Bush on the show that started and revolutionised Saturday morning's TV for kids and adults alike "Multi-Coloured Swap Shop".There is a second part to the interview. Taking a look at the comments and the quality of the video, it seems this is the only way now, we will ever view this clip, because it doesn't exist in the BBC archives anymore, which was a regualar occurence in the 70's and before. Only this video recording helps it to survive to this day. This is one of the great things about youtube and the internet today.
This was following 20-year old Kate Bush's climb to music fame in the previous year, 1978, led by her big No.1 hit song, "Wuthering Heights", which is talked about in the interview. Also, there is also that in-famed, unpredictable section where celebrities take part in the phone-in from children, a great TV innovation at the time. Arghh! Kate comes across very well here.
Before 1976 and the arrival of "Multi-Coloured Swap Shop", Saturday mornings were boring for children. Open University programming was not "spiffing good fun" on a Saturday! So, "Swap Shop" took much of it's inspiration from "Tiswas", which was a growing popular Sat. morning, wacky kids/family shows, currently being shown in the ATV Midlands region. Swap Shop became the first nationwide Saturday morning live show on British TV. Swap Shop, typical of the BBC, definitely didn't have the sort of mayhem and flinging flan-flingers, like "Tiswas", it was a more organised and sensible and well, trying to keep the balance appeal to adults and kids. They're were only 3 channels back then, there were no kids channel to dump it on, and be as childish as they want! So, Noel Edmonds, previously known as a Radio One DJ and "Top of the Pops" presenter, and future sidekick of the immortal "Mr Blobby", steered the show along with Maggie Philbin, John "Newsround" Craven, and Keith "Get up all you Beggars, it's Cheggars!" Chegwin, who did the swap element of the show. The show really tried to make kids feel inconclusive, and it was a great idea, where kids could either dial up the show, or attend Chegwin shrines around the country to swap their goods -no, not drugs or money- but innocent of the essence stuff like toys and stereos. The success of the show attracted people of high importance to the show, such as your celebrities and politicians. This all started with Swap Shop, as well as you're phone-in's. This continued into it's future evolutions like "Going Live!", however, today, the importance of Saturday mornings has fizzled out. You won't see Gordon Brown appearing anytime soon on "TMI", the scattered remains of a once unifying element of TV genre, now getting ready for the graveyard shift.
Aha, and just as I was saying about material being lost or missing from the archives, Wikipedia says, the BBC got rid of many of the episodes of the show back in the early 90's, as they felt they were of no use anymore. So that under-dealing trade did not stop in the 70's.
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