The Champions
Classic TV

Talking Pictures March 2021: The Champions

An occasional look at what classic TV shows Talking Pictures (Sky 328 | Freeview 81 | Freesat 306 | Virgin 445) is going to be airing soon

Obviously, TMINE isn’t quite at its usual running speed at the moment, so I’m not going to be doing full Talking Pictures listings rundowns for quite some time yet. But this did jump out at me when I saw the latest schedule highlights.

The Champions is coming to Talking Pictures! Yay!

I don’t need to discuss it too much here, since I wrote about it many years ago for the now-defunct TV Scoop but posted my write-up here. All I’ll say is: watch it – it’s on every Sunday from 7 March at 9pm! And here’s a promo video, for those who don’t want to read that; or maybe I’ll just say it’s the 1960s version of Iron Fist, assuming anyone other than me regarded that as a recommendation.

Upstairs Downstairs
Classic TV

Talking Pictures November 2020: The June Allyson Show, Rooms, Hannay, Out and Upstairs Downstairs

An occasional look at what classic TV shows Talking Pictures (Sky 328 | Freeview 81 | Freesat 306 | Virgin 445) is going to be airing soon

We’re now into November with the Talking Pictures schedule, and there’s a good few ‘new’ and returning shows coming to the line-up that I’ve been able to spot, including one biggie.

Full details of when you can watch The June Allyson Show, Rooms, Hannay, Out and – because you demanded it, apparently – Upstairs Downstairs.

Continue reading “Talking Pictures November 2020: The June Allyson Show, Rooms, Hannay, Out and Upstairs Downstairs”
Classic TV

Talking Pictures October 2020: The Mind of Mr JG Reeder, Burke’s Law, Armchair Theatre, Dick Powell Theatre, Dick Barton: Special Agent and Reilly: Ace of Spies

An occasional look at what classic TV shows Talking Pictures (Sky 328 | Freeview 81 | Freesat 306 | Virgin 445) is going to be airing soon

It’s hard keeping up with Talking Pictures. They’re sending me a (slightly inconsistent) Excel spreadsheet every week now and I’m having to use my mad table powers to find all the new TV shows they have in the schedule – which is often a lot. Who says no skills are required to run TMINE?

Anyway, a full rundown of the new shows I’ve spotted (because you never know when I might have missed one), starting from today and running right up until November 1 in a mo: The Mind of Mr JG Reeder, Burke’s Law, Armchair Theatre, Dick Powell Theatre, Dick Barton: Special Agent and Reilly: Ace of Spies.

Some of these have been on Talking Pictures before, but it never hurts to list them again, does it?

Continue reading “Talking Pictures October 2020: The Mind of Mr JG Reeder, Burke’s Law, Armchair Theatre, Dick Powell Theatre, Dick Barton: Special Agent and Reilly: Ace of Spies”
Edward Woodward as Callan
Classic TV

Talking Pictures September 2020: Callan, Enemy at the Door and Midnight is a Place

An occasional look at what classic TV shows Talking Pictures (Sky 328 | Freeview 81 | Freesat 306 | Virgin 445) is going to be airing soon

It’s been a while since the last Talking Pictures rundown, but since I got as far as the end of August, we’ve only missed a couple of weeks of possible new shows, you’ll be glad to hear. In fact, we only missed a couple of episodes…

Callan - Suddenly At Home

Callan

Starts: Wednesday, September 15, 4am (weekdays)

This was last on Talking Pictures in March 2019, so I don’t need to explain again how brilliant it is. But you do need to watch it if you’ve not seen it before – Talking Pictures is beginning tonight/tomorrow morning with a selection of the rarely seen black and white episodes.

Enemy at the Door

Airs: Sundays, 9pm

Sorry, this has already started, but it’s only two episodes in, with the third to air on Sunday, so you haven’t missed too much.

During the Second World War, the inhabitants of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, try to cope with the German occupation.

Midnight is a Place

Starts: Saturday, September 26, 9am

Based on the Joan Aiken historical melodrama. Lucas Bell is lonely. To be an orphan at Midnight Court in 1842 is not pleasant.

Danger UXB
Classic TV

Talking Pictures August 2020: Hazell, The Brack Report, Lytton’s Diary and Danger UXB

An occasional look at what classic TV shows Talking Pictures (Sky 328 | Freeview 81 | Freesat 306 | Virgin 445) is going to be airing soon

The week starting August 31 is packed with new shows. Well, they’ve all been on before, but you know what I mean.

The Brack Report

Starts: Monday, August 31, 6pm (weekdays)

So here’s remarkable. Literally the only information about this 1982 Thames TV show comes from Talking Pictures – there’s almost nothing on the Internet. Not Wikipedia. Not IMDb. Not the BFI.

Here’s what they say: “Scientist Paul Brack is working on a project at one of Britain’s nuclear power stations, which suddenly becomes the focus of a potential disaster.”

Stars: Donald Sumpter, Jenny Seagrove, Patricia Garwood, Neil Nisbet,
Richard Hampton.

Hazell

Starts: Monday, August 31, 9pm (weekdays)

Nicholas Ball stars in his best-known role as a tough, charismatic private detective in this hit Thames series, first aired in the late 1970s and created by journalist and novelist Gordon Williams, and future England coach Terry Venables.

Hazell paid homage to classic film noir while boasting rounded characterisations, sparkling Cockney dialogue and highly credible action scenes, all set in the kind of seedy London locations that would be revisited in Minder – the series created by screenwriter Leon Griffiths following his work on Hazell. Other high-profile writers included Trevor Preston (The Sweeney) and author Richard Harris (A Touch of Frost).

Following the curtailment of his police career after an injury and subsequent slide into alcoholism, the newly reformed James Hazell sets himself up as a private eye. Utterly ruthless when he needs to be, Hazell is also blessed with a breezy charm, effortless style, robust sense of humour and the ability to think on his feet – vital when tackling blackmail, missing persons cases, organised crime and the drugs trade… or dour Scottish CID adversary ‘Choc’ Minty (Roddy McMillan).

Desmond McNamara stars as Hazell’s cousin and assistant Tel, with Barbara Young as landlady and sometime employer Dot – one of British TV’s first regular gay characters

Lytton’s Diary

Starts: Tuesday, September 1, 3am (weekdays)

London gossip columnist Neville Lytton exudes a sophisticated charm that masks a tenacious commitment to his job. All the while, Lytton struggles to keep his love life in order, write a novel, and fend off an old rival at the Daily Post.

Stars: Peter Bowles, Holly De Jong, Adam Norton, Harriet Keevil, Bernard Lloyd, Lewis Fiander, Bernard Archard, Anna Nygh, Jeffrey Segal

Danger UXB

Starts: Tuesday, September 1, 5am (weekdays)

Danger UXB chronicles the exploits of the fictional 97 Tunnelling Company, which has been made a bomb disposal unit, and specifically 347 Section of the company, to deal with the thousands of unexploded bombs (“UXBs”) in London during the Blitz.

As with all his fellow officers, Lieutenant Brian Ash must for the most part learn the techniques and procedures of disarming and destroying the UXBs through experience, repeatedly confronted with more cunning and deadlier technological advances in aerial bomb fuzing.

The series primarily features military storylines, though among them is a romantic thread featuring an inventor’s married daughter, Susan Mount, with whom Ash falls in love, and other human interest vignettes.

Stars: Anthony Andrews, Maurice Roëves, Ken Kitson, Kenneth Cranham, Judy Geeson