Scarred For Life

In 1989, Renault chose to advertise their new Renault 21 with this frankly incredible homage to Scarred for Life Year Zero programme The Prisoner. Enn Reitel stands in for Patrick McGoohan's voice at the end. They tried to get the man himself, and I can imagine how well that conversation went...

Happy International Women's Day!

This is an episode of Heartbeat! And he's in the first clip in the thread :)

The lovely, atmospheric title sequence to forgotten Irish supernatural anthology WHEN REASON SLEEPS (1987), an RTE/Channel 4 co-production. The Goya etching 'The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters' was the clear inspiration.

It feels like public information films were high on their own supply when this one was made...

Noseybonk!

The Scarred For Life era is 1969-1993, so I'm afraid not! Even the Heartbeat episode, as brilliant as it is, wouldn't have made the cut. But I've always been fascinated by it.

In the end, Nick Berry tells a deeply rattled Alf that he believes that *something* happened to him as the Close Encounters sting plays...
I wrote a big essay about UFO episodes of mainstream American TV shows in our third book. You don't get anyone saying "Flamin' Nora!" at a UFO in them! (3/3)

Alf agrees to undergo hypnotic regression, and 'relives' what appears to be an abduction experience. This is eerily similar to PC Godfrey's regression video - his advisory role in full effect here. (2/3)

HEARTBEAT: GONE TOMORROW (1995): The cosy Sunday evening police drama did a UFO episode based on the Todmorden case of 1980 involving PC Alan Godfrey (who served as script advisor for this ep!). Here, PC Alf Ventress sees a UFO one stormy night, and experiences missing time... (1/3)

SHORT TERM FOSTER PARENTS: Alarming PIF which goes for shock value to gets its point across. The worst of it is, that poor kid clearly isn't acting, he's genuinely upset.

I thank you.

Cheers, Colin! Hope you enjoy it (and that today was a bit better for you!)

La Kebabina

New episode: Threads, Thatcher & Sheffield!

I speak with Catherine Taylor, who was an extra in Threads.

We chat about the film’s legacy and why it’s a metaphor for Thatcher’s attack on northern cities.

@bangpodcast.bsky.social @scarredforlife.bsky.social

YouTube video by Babel Classics The Tell-Tale Heart (1953) | Animated Edgar Allan Poe Classic

Enjoy this beautiful version of THE TELL-TALE HEART here:

youtu.be/WAXB2H3SsFg?si=JSPMtRcxjoBdF-Ux

In the early hours of 2nd March 1986, Channel 4 showed UAP's gorgeous, expressionistic animated version of Poe's THE TELL-TALE HEART (1953), narrated by James Mason, to conclude its 'Monster Horror' season of classic fright films. It was love at first sight.

TOM THUMBSCREW (1975): Appearing in brilliant kiddie horror comic Monster Fun, this must count as one of the most cheerfully dark concepts for a children's humour strip ever. Tom is the King's torturer, but even though he sides with the prisoners, there are branding irons and iron maidens aplenty!

Discount time again! Get 10% off our print books with the case-sensitive code BCORP10 until midnight on Friday March 6! A trilogy of brick-sized tomes about everything dark, scary and weird from the 1970s & 80s...

Also available as colour eBooks.

Store link: linktr.ee/scarredforlife

Capture Spiral by Jez Conolly PREORDER In Capture Spiral: An Escape from Memory, Jez Conolly revisits the haunted textures of a 1970s childhood on the Lincolnshire coast, where faded...

Scarred For Life contributor @jezconolly.bsky.social has written 'Capture Spiral', a memoir of a British childhood in the 1970s. Bagpuss, body horror, Dennis Gifford books, creepy seaside amusements, and much more!

Pre-order: temporalboundary.bigcartel.com/product/capture-spiral-by-jez-conolly

SESAME STREET: MYSTERIOUS THEATRE (1989) Brilliant parody of Vincent Price's dark anthology series 'Mystery!', complete with Edward Gorey-style title card and host Vincent Twice, Vincent Twice. A slice of creepy fun for pre-schoolers!

Sid Vicious, not Johnny Rotten, obvs.

SCENE: NOT TO BE SNIFFED AT (1984): Episode of venerable BBC education show for teens dealing with that 1980s scourge, glue sniffers (or 'glueys', as we called them). Astonishingly, it opens by showing kids how to sniff glue/solvents to the strains of Johnny Rotten's 'My Way'!

Yes please! I'd say we've been in the middle of another UFO boom since 2017, but I could do with more variety. Bring back lake monsters, bigfoot, and Bermuda Triangles!

Bigfoot was a big part of the 70s paranormal boom. His furry reach extended to books, comics, The Six Million Dollar Man, and board games (two to be precise, from 1977 and 1987). The 80s version sees you trying to become Bigfoot's best friend for life. No, really!

I think I've got this issue! Either that, ot it's in the hardback 'Best of Smash Hits' book. A fantastic time capsule! And I always wanted to know what Princess and Hipsway thought about the nuclear issue.

PAN'S PEOPLE, Top of the Pops' 'something for the dads' dancing troupe, were infamous for their literal interpretations of pop hits. Their routine for Spirit in the Sky, however, is something else entirely...

*Everyone* had fish fingers and chips ;)

POWERFUL STUFF: SUBSTATION (1988): Electricity substations were a go-to horror for PIFs (see also the legendary Play Safe: Frisbee). Aired during kids' telly, you could see a double electrocution while tucking into your fish fingers and chips. Yum!