:: Editorial
I never really know what to write here. Time flies (which means I hadn't got around to updating the site), although blaming the weather (to hot, sunny, rainy or cold) is a useful ploy, it is usually I have been too busy. In this instance it has been a substantial pile of check discs to work through - mainly serials so no dipping in an out to get a flavour. It has been fun though, and the results are as follows...
:: The Gentle Touch - series 5
Made at a time when there were very few ranking female officers in the police force, The Gentle Touch not only showed police procedure within a Metropolitan Police CID unit but also gave insight into how a woman might cope with such a role in what was very much a man's world. An instant hit with viewers, it became one of the most successful police dramas ever made, running for five years before spinning off into another series – C.A.T.S. Eyes.
Following the continuing challenges faced by DI Maggie Forbes, this series, originally screened in the early 80s, features more powerful and contemporary storylines that reflected the changing nature of police work in 1980s Britain; a stellar guest cast includes Joan Hickson, Michael Praed, Joanne Whalley, Art Malik and Clive Swift.
I was an avid watcher when it originally went out but have to admit I have only seen the first series on DVD and need to do some serious catching up. It is an excellent series that stands up well today and is available from all good retailers (and bad ones as well, I presume) on 14th November 2011, RRP £39.99 in a 4-disc set.
:: World In Action - volume 3
Growing up I couldn't appreciate this programme and would invariably switch over when the opening credits came on, but now I regret not watching more. The previous two volumes have been fascinating viewing, and it is easy to see why this was, undoubtedly, ITV’s flagship current affairs show.
Over four decades (from the ’60s to the ’90s) this multiple BAFTA winner was fearless, hard-hitting and trailblazing, choosing subjects that other programmes would not dare touch, getting into trouble with ITV regulators and – at times – the Government.
A cornerstone of the British viewing schedule, the WIA team investigated stories at no small personal risk to themselves and often courted controversy whilst reporting on organisations such as the National Front. This report is included here, along with editions that cover everything from euthanasia to Scientology, from the Miners’ Strike to extended coverage of the underhanded practices of the CIA in the 1970s.
The Third World: A portrait of Stokeley Carmichael, the militant black leader, on his visit to Britain.
The Shrinking World of L. Ron Hubbard: An exclusive interview with L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, and an interview with an ex-Scientologist, in an attempt to gain a clear picture of the movement’s purpose and aims.
State of Denmark: WIA takes professional moralist Mary Whitehouse to Denmark – at the time of the ‘Sex Fair’ – where she discusses the country’s liberal laws and lack of censorship with members of the clergy and the Government.
In Search of Gusty Spence: An exclusive interview with Gusty Spence, an Irish Protestant convicted of murder in 1966 and kidnapped while on parole in 1972. WIA traces him to where he is being held by the UVF, and questions him about his links with this organisation and his murder conviction.
The Blood and Guts Shift: The NHS, once the envy of the world, is increasingly overstretched; and nowhere more so than in Liverpool on a Saturday night. WIA spends 24 hours in the casualty department of a city hospital as it deals with the victims of pub brawls and drug overdoses.
The Rise and Fall of the CIA Parts One, Two and Three: In 1975, the Central Intelligence Agency was the subject of an offi cial investigation into its dubious role in national and global politics.
1: A report on the growth of the CIA in the ten years after the Second World War, its anti-Communist activities in Europe in this period, and the methods used to spread influence.
2: WIA examines some of the techniques used by the CIA to topple governments in Iran, Guyana and Cuba, including political intervention, trade union activity and invasion respectively.
3: This film examines how, after the Second World War, successive wars in Indo-China helped drag down two presidents and radically altered the political mood of America.
Death by Request: Mrs. Murray, a confirmed advocate of voluntary euthanasia, expresses her desire that the Suicide Act be amended so that aiding and abetting someone in the act of suicide is no longer illegal. Mrs. Murray herself is terminally ill.
The Nazi Party: WIA goes inside the National Front to reveal the violence and deception behind its patriotic public face. The film includes sworn statements from a police infiltrator and from defectors – some in hiding – and reveals the contents of confidential files and private documents.
Claimant, Scrounger, Snooper, Spy: WIA investigates the twilight world of bogus benefit claimants and the ‘snoopers’ who track them down, talking to a former DHSS investigator and Reg Prentice, Minister of State for Social Security, who has launched a new campaign against those he calls ‘scroungers’.
The Hunt for the Ripper: As five new men are drafted in to lead the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, Britain’s biggest ever manhunt, WIA follows the activities of the Task Force of the West Yorkshire Police in Leeds led by Assistant Chief Constable Jim Hobson.
Paying for the War: A look at the cost of the Falklands crisis in terms of dead and injured soldiers, and damage to the Task Force machinery. The film considers the potential boost in overseas sales of British-made equipment, and talks to those disabled in earlier wars, including a veteran of the Battle of Jutland.
Cleaning Up the Yard: Operation Countryman, the biggest ever investigation into corruption in the Metropolitan Police, collapsed with only two convictions. Arthur Hambleton, ex-head of the operation, claims he was obstructed by Scotland Yard and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Coal War: With the national coal strike in its thirty-second week, WIA reports on events ten years earlier that shaped the attitudes and ambitions of NCB chairman Ian MacGregor and NUM President Arthur Scargill.
The Violent World of Nicholas Hoogstraten: This profile of ex-convict, now multi-millionaire Hoogstraten shows how he became Britain’s most notorious and dangerous landlord. Includes interviews with Hoogstraten and some of the tenants he harassed, evicted and even assaulted.
:: Pathfinders In Space
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The sixties were a much simpler time. Television was restricted to 2 channels for the most part and space exploration was a family affair – Dad, Mum, three kids and a gerbil. At least, that is what you would think when watching Pathfinders In Space – the eagerly awaited release from Network. Following on from Target Luna (sadly all missing from the archive) the Pathfinders series - …in Space, …to Venus, and …to Mars – is available for the first time on DVD from Network on the 17th October. Starring Gerald Flood, the 3 disc set comes adorned with a suitably 60s sci-fi cover to whet the appetite. Security is tight, so only one journalist can wheedle sensitive information about missions from the family run space outfit, and ultimately end up piloting a rocket (they are much like planes, except they can land in upright, the way they take off, and on the exact spots they left). | |
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Of course, the British efforts include representatives from their major allies, and command the respect and envy from the whole world, with everybody cheering when disaster is averted. OK, so the tongue if firmly in the cheek throughout the series, but it was aimed at children and I suspect at the time had them glued to the sets and talking in the playgrounds afterwards. It isn’t going to have the same effect now, but it immediately creates a certain amount of affection for those who remember watching it first time around and those who come new to it, like I did. In my book, anything that has the staying power to last in an archive for 50 years deserves my attention when released. Although the prequel is now lost to time, the scripts are presented as PDFs on this release, and are worth reading to set the scene – as is the production booklet by archive TV historian Andrew Pixley. With an image gallery rounding the package off, I can see this being a popular Christmas present this year. | |
:: City Beneath The Sea & Secret Beneath The Sea
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With the Pathfinders series proving to be hugely popular, it was no surprise that Gerald Flood (and many of the other cast) returned to explore the other great unknown, the ocean. Again the set-up is as implausible as Pathfinders, with scientific journalist Mark Bannerman (Flood) and his (schoolboy?) assistant Peter Blake finding themselves invited aboard an atomic submarine only to be kidnapped by a megalomaniac scientist and taken to his underwater domain. | |
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A willing suspension of disbelief allows what could be complicated effects to be achieved with probably no budget and effort, and although some did incite howls of laughter, this only added to my enjoyment of the series. I have to confess I have only had the time to watch the first series, and am not too sure how they could extend the idea to another – that is a treat I still have in store, but like Pathfinders, any rough and readiness about the production can be forgiven for a romping good storyline, and enthusiasm by all. My only reservation was with the conclusion of the story (spoiler follows). Despite being flagged in advance, the earthquake that finals does for Professor Ziebrecken seems to be a bit of a cop-out. I suppose being a childrens serial, actually killing the bad guy is providing a bad example, but if Mother Nature does it, it is, well, natural justice. Another Network release for the 17th October, another production booklet by Andrew Pixley, and the two-disc set is once again topped off with a great cover and an image gallery with some behind-the-scenes images. All in all another stocking filler in the making. | |
