Remember a sitcom or Top Of The Pops performance from your youth? A quick Google (yes - Google is a Verb (apparently)) or key word search on YouTube and you'll be watching in seconds and either be happy you've found it as you remember it, or slightly miffed because you've just realised whats in your memory bears no resemblance to what actually happened.
One search leads to another and you can be stuck there for hours.
Not everything is available. Some things I haven't been able to find:
TV
- Spitting Image: Alistair Burnett reading a News Report about Uranus and the sudden change of name ("Why is everyone now calling it Uranus, and not Uranus, which has been making schoolboys giggle for years?"). The report finishes with a preview of pictures from Jupiters new moon "Boom-holay" (or Bumhole as it said on the screen)
- Theres Only One Brian Moore - Bob Mills presented ITV late night 70s Football Show. Each week he'd have a couple of 70s players on and they'd watch a match from The Big Match archive. Sounds boring? Well, ordinarily it would be, but with players like Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, George Best and Duncan McKenzie the 'chat element' was a bit more than: "Obviously, we were over the moon".
One show contained footage of Duncan McKenzie playing for Everton. At Half Time, the cameras followed the Everton team into the dressing room. The first thing they did when they got in there? Spark up a cigarette. Proper 1970s athletes! - Two memorable episodes of the BBC Science Documentary programe QED.
One featured Steve Davis discussing the science of snooker ("Riddles of Ball and Cue"), and the other was presented by Kenny Everett discussing/explaining how the Universe works ("Before Your Time") - Trippers Day - Leonard Rossiters ITV sitcom. Ran for one series in 1984. Leonard Rossiter sadly died between the broadcast of Episodes 2 & 3, obviously meaning there could be no more series. It was brought back 2 years later with Bruce Forsyth, and re-titled Slingers Day. Bits of Slingers Day are on YT, but Trippers Day is not
- Wurzels singing "I Shot JR" on Cheggers Plays Pop - Don't know why I remember this implicity. Maybe I dreamt it? (Cheggers Plays Pop episode archive confirms that The Wurzels were on CPP a couple of times, and once performed the song "I Hate JR")
- Dave Wolfe TV Special - Dave Wolfe won ITVs Search For A Star in 1979. In early 1980, as part of the reward, he had his own TV Special. I don't honestly remember much about this apart from a sketch based on The Multi Coloured Swap Shop.
The set was correct, right down to the messy desk and the none-more-80s Trimphones. Dave Wolfe even looked like Noel Edmonds, which was fairly uncommon for a late 70s/early 80s Impressions (Remember how the facade was dropped at the end of 'The Mike Yarwood Show' when he announced "And This Is Me"?).
Anyway, the one bit I can remember is someone phoning Dave/Noel with a swap request. He had an Action Man with one arm and wanted to swap it for a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. At the age of 9, I found this immensely funny, and obviously memorable as I'm still talking about it now. - Another ITV Special, around Christmas 83/84. No idea who was on it, what it was called, but only remember the "comedy band" they had on. Their theme tune was: "I'm Bernie, I'm Barry, I'm Scott", and then the camera panned to the bass player who said nothing. What else do I remember about this? The drummer looked a bit like Robin Driscoll, but a search on IMDB reveals nothing relevant. The final song they did was a collection of Christmas Carols with the words changed for comedy benefit (the only one I recall was "We Three Kings Of Leyton Orient Are")
- TV Advert from about 1984 for Allinsons Wholemeal Bread ('Breads Better Wi Nowt Taken Out'). This particular advert contained a memorable jingle. Memorable, because I can still sing it:"Not, nowt, not a lot, zilch,
thats the big O,
not a penny, not a jot, not the tiniest spot,
nothing whatsoever taken out"
Music
- Barron Knights - One of the first (if not THE first) albums I ever owned was Knights Of Laughter by The Barron Knights. The album contained 12 songs, 2 of which ('Ballad of Frank Spencer' & '1358 Into Beetroot Song') I have subsequently found, but 'Couldn't Spell !!**?!' and 'Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm' remain undiscovered.
- Sweet Addiction - All I Wanted To Do. Bought this single in 1990 for (I think 15p from the Basingstoke Woolworths "Bargain Bin Of Old Kack We Want To Get Shot Of". Good song, sound fits well with the Gun/Quireboys/Thunder/Black Crowes type stuff of the time. Just wanted to hear it again without finding the vinyl copy.
(Note: Recently found it on Soundcloud, which just goes to prove that there are other options apart from YouTube (I knew that anyway, but I wouldn't be able to waste your time reading this)) - Senseless Things - Got It At The Delmar. From the 1991 Album "First Of Too Many". Was trying to explain to a friend who The Senseless Things were and was going to send a link to the video. That option didn't work.
Not YouTube, but omissions in the LoveFilm.com database. According to the website the following Films are "Coming Soon"
- That Summer (1979, Ray Winstone)
- Breaking Glass (1980, Hazel O'Connor)
- Let It Be (1970, The Beatles)
Are they? I wait with baited breath because I (grumpily) doubt any of the above will see the light of day on a legitimate DVD any time soon.
