Simon McLean

I never in my wildest dreams would ever have imagined I'd get to discuss favourite Tony Hatch theme tunes with Rob Curling, and yet it happened. His fave is the theme from Airline.

4291

Watching ‘Melissa’ (1974) and goodness, Peter Barkworth’s phone number is a familiar one. What are the odds eh (he asked, rhetorically)

YouTube video by Elen Nas Shoreditch Experimental Music School 1969

If you're wondering why so many of my generation ended up with the eyes and ears and minds that we did it's because we could watch stuff like this on schools programme. This is simply astounding.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gED...

Yes! Delightfully mad stuff!

I do sometimes find myself wishing It's The Mind was a real show - I'd love to see a whole half hour magazine programme about psychiatry from 1970, especially with that theme tune

This was made by people who 100% know how television works, stick The Sopranos up your arse.

YouTube video by BBC Archive 1972: 84-year-old woman has an INDOOR CARAVAN | Nationwide | Classic BBC Clips

There are no words to describe how happy shit like this makes me. Absolutely masterful set-up and reveal from 1:07. I howled

I've got a feeling Modlyn was on Capital Radio in the early days too. The Thames YouTube channel uncovered a video of him visiting a factory where the parents of a friend of mine worked, and I think it was the first time I had ever seen him

Yes! I'm still not entirely sure what he is even now

As a kid, I read a lot of old comedy books published before I was born, and Monty Modlyn was one of those names that used to crop up and I'd always wonder who they were - others include Malcolm Muggeridge and Joyce McKinney

It's The Late Late Show on RTE - there's a brief glimpse of host Gay Byrne next to Eamonn Andrews

YouTube video by Warner Bros. Rewind Dracula a.d. 1972 - Trailer #1

Was watching one of my favourite all-time movies last night and noticed that it was actually released *today* in 1972! Happy birthday to Dracula AD 1972. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN1M...

Buying a secondhand record online in the UK, a global guide:
Buy it from UK dealer - record £40 postage £10
Buy it from European dealer - record £25 postage £25
Buy it from US dealer - record £5 postage £45.

Ooh, where's that? I would like to think the original is still knocking about somewhere, but nobody knows!

The Edstone was made in Basingstoke - another proud achievement for my town

Johnny Pearson and the band sounding absolutely terrifying here, like they're off to Brighton to beat up some rockers afterwards

Post a happy TV theme you like...

I love the key change every time a new presenter walks down the stairs, and Alf Bigden's drum breaks

youtu.be/v9jd-7sELJU?...

@eldiabolik.bsky.social This is amazing!

Due to planned engineering work, the 200th anniversary of rail travel will be replaced by the 200th anniversary of bus travel.

Amazing! Happy birthday!

YouTube video by Muppet Songs Muppet Songs: Steve Whitmire - Jogging

And covered by The Muppets in an early solo for future voice of Kermit, Steve Whitmire - a few lyric changes to make it more family-friendly! youtu.be/9_ukmEc87XE?...

YouTube video by CrossroadsFanClub Crossroads Theme - Tony Hatch and Carl Wayne

Carl Wayne did it in episode 1500, only audio survives (I think someone's done a cleaner version since, but I can't find it)

youtu.be/_XXHZrBFGtM?...

YouTube video by Vladimir Cosma Vladimir Cosma feat LAM Philharmonic Orchestra - L'animal - Thème - BO Du Film L'animal

They used a lot of stuff in the 90s from Europe and Japan that was logged under fake names, which strikes me as being a bit dodgy - including this banger, from a Jean Paul Belmondo movie soundtrack:

youtu.be/GCrPwQAKb08?...

And here's your answer - the opening credits of the edition broadcast on 13th Dec 1977 has a very brief clip of the sequence in question, so it must have come from a show shortly before that date. I don't know if the whole show exists, but at least there's a bit of evidence!

I'm going to do some digging to see if I can find out what the toys are all about - the 1000th PM@1 was March 1978, so if this photo was taken around Xmas 1977 that would give BBC Records about three months to get something together.

And that must be Donnie MacLeod's head peeking over the camera on the left too

The presenter in the safari jacket looks like David Seymour, and I'm sure the woman is Marian Foster - I suspect this is a PM@1 rehearsal shot, possibly on a lovely dark winter morning. Doesn't really capture the spirit of the programme, does it?

And Miss Felicity Lemon from Agatha Christie's Poirot playing bass in The She Trinity too

Defending the WAC: Is the BBC a fit and proper keeper of its own paper archive? Ian Greaves on Defending the Written Archives Centre (Part 1) When the creation of the BBC Written Archives Centre in Caversham was agreed, at a meeting of the Board of Management on 17 November 1969, it was done so with a view to history. Kenneth Lamb…

My latest blog for @cstonline.bsky.social , rounding up what has gone on behind the scenes over the past six months in our efforts to rescue BBC Written Archives Centre from recent policy changes. cstonline.net/is-the-bbc-a...

I'm delighted to report Tony says in the booklet that the title and cover were his idea, and he deeply regretted both when he was stuck on a freezing cold layby pretending to play his Wurlitzer electric piano for the camera