3CR's VCR Advent Calendar

[3 Colours Red]

I've wanted to do one of these on here for a couple of years now but always put it off for maybe being a bit too self-indulgent. But hey, it's 2022 - the world is burning and all bets are off. That and Wales are out of the World Cup with barely a whimper and I need cheering up.

And what about that title, eh? Serendipitous or what?

So, yeah. This is where I'll be posting stuff that I've discovered on my many, many, many YouTube rabbit hole sessions. And as that title suggests, I'll try my damndest to keep it to rips of old VHS, Beta and maybe even V2000 tapes. I'll try my best to update it every day till the 24th (because that's when Advent calendars should stop, really) but my current circumstances may make that tricky.

So keeping up with the whole self-indulgence theme, here's some continuity and adverts and that from the day I was born:

[Felicity, I guess so]

Pictures came and broke your heart/Put the blame on 3CR

(There- took me 5 goes to post that, kept getting 403 error)

[elguapo4]

So was Pauline Collins having it off with the Swedish next door neighbour or what?

[Stumpy Pepys]

Ads on Granada should have an advert for Tommy Ball's shoe store. And an invitation to ring Eileen Bilton to discuss Warrington-Runcorn.

[3 Colours Red]

The one I embedded is only part one of three ad breaks taken from Granada that day from that YouTube account. Maybe the conclusion to the Collins/Swede drama and a Ball or Bilton ad is in one of those.

[hobbes]

Alls I could think is "gosh, isn't 3CR young."

[Benjm]

That is solid gold, 3CR.

[Nefertiti2]

Alls I could think is "gosh, isn't 3CR young."

Impressive how he managed to work the recorder so early, though.

[3 Colours Red]

If only... nobody in my family had a VCR until 1984 and I only know that because of one surviving tape that's still somewhere in the house (as the only one of the brood who still has working VCRs, it seems I have become custodian of the whole familial archive), that I was able to date due to it having adverts for the new cars for '85.

[tee rex]

I enjoyed those ads. They don't seem to date half as badly as a lot of "classic" drama/comedy from the same era.

[Stumpy Pepys]

I enjoyed those ads. They don't seem to date half as badly as a lot of "classic" drama/comedy from the same era.

I think the 80s was a high point for television adverts in the UK, in terms of sophistication and budgets (Quicks for Ford notwithstanding).

[Various Artist]

This is a brilliant idea 3CR, I'll be tuning in daily for the forthcoming instalments.

I too loved those adverts (except, yes, the Quicks for Ford one), particularly the Double Decker one – when do we think was the last time in British TV history that a chocolate bar was able to advertise itself as having got bigger? (To be fair, Double Decker is even today the one remaining bar that still feels like a really good mouthful.)

The Walkers one is great too, and are my eyes deceiving me or is that the marvellous Liz Smith among the ramblers, in the cherry-red hat with the white bobble, as seen best at the 2:44 mark?

[Nocturnal Submission]

That Quicks for Ford advert reminded me of a pisstake of ohI'lldoitmyself adverts on, I think, Who Dares Wins, (the comedy sketch series, not the game show or any of the SAS survival programmes).

[3 Colours Red]

Day 2 - The Three Knights (should I have saved this for day 3? No, there are no rules anymore. FIGHT THE MACHINE!)

The transfer could be better to put it mildly but I'll forgive it for being so utterly charming:

[Jah Womble]

Enjoyed those. (August 1989? Wasn't that like, last week..?)

So was Pauline Collins having it off with the Swedish next door neighbour or what?

Clearly. Nice bit of mugging from her at the end.

[3 Colours Red]

(August 1989? Wasn't that like, last week..?)

I know I'm young by OTF standards but I'm not THAT young!

[3 Colours Red]

A day late but day 3 - episode one of Round The Bend:

[3 Colours Red]

Day 4 - the classic 101 Great Goals:

[3 Colours Red]

Day 5 - I always thought this show was a vibe:

[Benjm]

Wins extra seasonal points for featuring a soap-on-a-rope, currently residing in the gifts of yore file.

[Jah Womble]

(Is there a particular theme to the order, or just random pre-Xmas treats?)

[3 Colours Red]

No order other than whatever I'm feeling.

[Jah Womble]

Good way to live.

[3 Colours Red]

Day 6 - oh dear, oh deary me:

[3 Colours Red]

Day 7 - short but sweet... unless you live in Baltimore, I suppose: