To our British members: What was going on in the UK when this Gillette Christmas Special Set #80 was being offered for sale? (1961)

[Alum Ladd]

We used to get a lot of U.S programmes, always on ATV, the commercial channel franchise that showed adverts and basically dominated the UK TV scene in the 60's and early 70's. I can't really ever remember watching the BBC. It was boring. I think ATV sold some UK programmes to the U.S too. Secret Agent, in the UK called Dangerman, Thunderbirds, I recall Fireball XL-5 and lots of great cartoons. Hanna-Barbara seemed to make them.

Man In A Suitcase, The Baron, there were a lot of Anglo-American productions. You may have also got the Avengers in the U.S. You may also have got The Champions. That was the entrepreneurial work of the great Lew Grade, who revolutionised British T.V. Also the Prisoner. This was mostly mid-late 60's I can recall.

Also the theme tunes to many of these programmes were brilliant!

Simon

 

[HDSledge]

We used to get a lot of U.S programmes, always on ATV, the commercial channel franchise that showed adverts and basically dominated the UK TV scene in the 60's and early 70's. I can't really ever remember watching the BBC. It was boring. I think ATV sold some UK programmes to the U.S too. Secret Agent, in the UK called Dangerman, Thunderbirds, I recall Fireball XL-5 and lots of great cartoons. Hanna-Barbara seemed to make them.

Man In A Suitcase, The Baron, there were a lot of Anglo-American productions. You may have also got the Avengers in the U.S. You may also have got The Champions. That was the entrepreneurial work of the great Lew Grade, who revolutionised British T.V. Also the Prisoner. This was mostly mid-late 60's I can recall.

Also the theme tunes to many of these programmes were brilliant!

Simon

I remember the Prisoner. That was one weird lsd trip show. The big balloon overseer or guard or whatever it was is a particularly odd and hard to explain phenom. I remember Patrick McGoohan's name to this day, he played the part very well.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I remember the Prisoner. That was one weird lsd trip show. The big balloon overseer or guard or whatever it was is a particularly odd and hard to explain phenom. I remember Patrick McGoohan's name to this day, he played the part very well.
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I don't even think Patrick McGoohan the writer, knew where he was going with it. Viewers were expecting a version of SecretAgent/Dangerman and many were very angry at the ending, which is very trippy I agree. Apparently McGoohan only had 48 hrs to write a 2 part finale and was at the end of his rope due to exhaustion.
I saw an interview on YouTube where McGoohan said he had to go into hiding for a month, such was audience backlash.

He seemed to be trying to write a metaphor about individual freedom and societal pressure and the tensions between freedom and the pressures of self-conformality. The natural urge to conform and the rebel in us all.

Lew Grade was willing to fund a second series but Patrick was burned out I have read and didn't want to continue.

Anyway, still a great and challenging programme. Relevant even more today maybe. The 'Village' is 'Social Media' such as Twitter today? Maybe it makes more sense in 2021 than it did in 1967.

That damn balloon used to make me hide behind the sofa.

Simon

 

[enrywivanh]

In 1950s GB with Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men on the telly and a Ventriloquist’s Act on the radio we chose to play outside most of the time.
British Bulldog - Punch Kingy - Marbles and Conkers were some of the games we played.
All of these games are deemed to be offensive and institutionally racist now but at least we’ve got hundreds of tv channels.
In the 1960s I use to enjoy Callan, among others, and never missed it.