Talking Pictures

[Tubby Isaacs]

A fun channel.

Caught a few episodes of Southern TV's regional soap opera, Together, which makes Crossroads look like Citizen Kane. Sarah Greene was one of the better actors in it.

And watched a few movies- by coincidence, all starring Ian McShane. The excellent Villain (not to be confused with the excellent series, Villains, from about the same time) is fairly well known, but I'd never heard of the other two. In Yesterday's Hero he plays an alcoholic footballer brought back for one last crack at the big time by a club chairman, over the head of manager, Adam Faith. It's not very good. Now watching Sewers of Gold, where a fascist gang rob a bank in France, escaping through the sewers. Does this remind you of anything?

Anybody else dip into this channel?

[Stumpy Pepys]

Talking Pictures

I have good memories of Yesterday's Hero, but it's an awful long time since I've seen it.

Ian McShane deserves a thread of his own. Other than Kevin Bacon and Steve Buscemi, has an actor ever been less unemployed?. From Lovejoy to Deadwood.

[MiserableOldGit]

Talking Pictures

An excellent channel, where you can find really obscure British films that would never otherwise be shown. Okay, so some of them are crap, but at least they're our crap and not the usual American crap.

Sid James and Jack Warner must have been making a film every week. I was disappointed to realise that I'd missed the Norman Wisdom film, What's Good For The Goose; not because of Wisdom (who I can't stand), but because of the classic Pretty Things soundtrack and a legendary live performance. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbi4CFY4yTc

[Jah Womble]

Talking Pictures

Remember seeing Yesterday's Hero at the ABC in Canterbury with a couple of friends when it was released - we proceeded to annoy most of the small crowd in attendance by laughing through most of it. It indeed was fairly poor: from what I can recall, McShane's team was known only as 'Saints' - conveniently, given that the producers had intercut the drama with footage from the 1979 League Cup Final.

Clearly, to get my fix of UK crap, I must check out this channel more thoroughly.

[Ginger Yellow]

Talking Pictures

Is it on Freeview?

[3 Colours Red]

Talking Pictures

Ginger Yellow wrote: Is it on Freeview?

It is if you've got Freeview HD and live in an area fortunate enough to receive the secondary hi-def multiplex - i.e. the one with BBC Four, BBC News, CBBC and CBeebies HD. It's only available on the same transmitters that beam those out.

If not, it's on Freesat as well.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

I've been watching the channel a bit recently - or at least watching stuff I'd recorded on it a while ago and now got round to. I started to think the BFI or other body must be behind it, but apparently it's family owned, run by some ex industry guy and his daughter, buying up rights to old stuff that no one else is interested in.

Watched 'The Small World of Sammy Lee' which is a bit of a cult classic, and like all cult classics flopped on release (and took most Anthony Newley's career prospects down with it). Usual suspects in the supporting cast (old man Steptoe, Derek Nimmo, Warren Mitchell, Roy Kinnear) and worth it for the opening shots of 60s Soho. The ending is a bit of a reverse Billy Liar (which is also on next week, I believe).

Also watched 'The Games' which I'm sure I must have seen when I was a kid, some of it was familiar (and not just because of the tropes and clichés it employs). Michael Crawford goes from speedy milkman to middle distance world record holder and favourite to win the marathon in the Rome Olympics, while Stanley Baker shouts at him occasionally and expects him to beat the two hour mark even though he's not previously run more than six miles. Ryan O'Neal is the American playboy college kid who defies medical advice to run, Charles Aznavour is a Czech (of course) running legend coming out of retirement to give it another go, and (spoiler) they are all beaten by a native Australian who is the butt of much racism and runs barefoot because he can't wear running shoes. For some reason there is a riot in the Olympic village between (I think) the Polish and Zambian teams, while the race has to be run in the midday heat at the insistence of American TV, even though that means it would be done by 5am Pacific time.

Anyway, look out for 'Rock City' documentary about the late 60s London music scene.

[Benjm]

They have some good stuff. I watched pretty much all of Callan as they reran it over the last few months in a weekday 9pm slot. Van der Valk has taken over in that berth. Catchy though the theme is, I wouldn't want to hear it four nights a week.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I've been watching the channel a bit recently - or at least watching stuff I'd recorded on it a while ago and now got round to. I started to think the BFI or other body must be behind it, but apparently it's family owned, run by some ex industry guy and his daughter, buying up rights to old stuff that no one else is interested in.

Watched 'The Small World of Sammy Lee' which is a bit of a cult classic, and like all cult classics flopped on release (and took most Anthony Newley's career prospects down with it). Usual suspects in the supporting cast (old man Steptoe, Derek Nimmo, Warren Mitchell, Roy Kinnear) and worth it for the opening shots of 60s Soho. The ending is a bit of a reverse Billy Liar (which is also on next week, I believe).

Also watched 'The Games' which I'm sure I must have seen when I was a kid, some of it was familiar (and not just because of the tropes and clichés it employs). Michael Crawford goes from speedy milkman to middle distance world record holder and favourite to win the marathon in the Rome Olympics, while Stanley Baker shouts at him occasionally and expects him to beat the two hour mark even though he's not previously run more than six miles. Ryan O'Neal is the American playboy college kid who defies medical advice to run, Charles Aznavour is a Czech (of course) running legend coming out of retirement to give it another go, and (spoiler) they are all beaten by a native Australian who is the butt of much racism and runs barefoot because he can't wear running shoes. For some reason there is a riot in the Olympic village between (I think) the Polish and Zambian teams, while the race has to be run in the midday heat at the insistence of American TV, even though that means it would be done by 5am Pacific time.

Anyway, look out for 'Rock City' documentary about the late 60s London music scene.

By a neat coincidence, Harry is playing to visit one of the filming locations for The Games this weekend.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

By a neat coincidence, Harry is playing to visit one of the filming locations for The Games this weekend.

I saw that post and didn't put two and two together - nor read the text in the article, but did look at the photos and should have noticed from the distinctive roof. While watching it I assumed it was White City, given my limited knowledge of London stadia that would have had a cinder track and decent sized grandstand.

I read a bit more about the film and didn't clock that it was directed by Michael Winner. It fairly tanked on release, making back a third of its ambitious budget (location shooting in for or five different countries wouldn't help) probably putting on a par with many British origin, internationally financed, films of that era.