Oztalgian 3,298 Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 1 hour ago, mary1947 said: "Billy Bunter" The TV series starred some later well known actors such as Anthony Valentine, Michael Crawford, Melvyn Hayes and Kenneth Cope with Gerald Campion as Bunter. "I say you fellows", "You beast", and "Yarooh" were among his catchphrases and he was known as "The fat owl of the remove". Another school-based programme was Whack-O starring Jimmy Edwards. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mess 618 Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 1 hour ago, mary1947 said: HI Mess You will get a telling off by the children it was not just a Spotty dog? It was the biggest Spotty dog that you ever did see/ Mary, I thought Spotty Dog was wonderful particularly how both his/her ears went up during the introduction. I was also amused how he seem to walk on air but then so did many of the Watch with Mother puppets. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,307 Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 My father was a great Billy Bunter fanatic and I still have some of the old annuals that were his. As a child, he learned to read long before he went to school by utilising the picture stories in Magnet and Gem papers for boys. Walter Hayes in Beeston had a shop which allowed youngsters to swap two papers they had read for a new one. I don't think he ever watched the TV version, though. I don't imagine Billy Bunter is very politically correct today. Ram Jam Singh included. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,307 Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 I remember a very strange tv serial from 1969/70 called The Owl Service. Based on the book of the same name by Alan Garner. I remember watching it when first broadcast and didn't understand it at all. I've recently watched it again on YouTube and haven't revised my opinion. The acting is wooden, to say the least. The book is aimed at teenagers but I don't think they'd be allowed to screen it now. 25 year olds playing adolescents and the female lead often very skimpily clad. I was 11 when I first saw it. One of the most peculiar children's programmes ever made, I should think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,467 Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 I also have memories of The Owl Service. I first encountered it in my 3rd or 4th year at Fairham Comp; we read it as a class book and nobody understood what was happening. It was around the same time as the TV series - which I watched, and that didn't make things any clearer. I'd like to know what Alan Garner was on when he wrote it. He had a very strange idea of what was suitable for teenagers - and I was one at the time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,730 Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 I definitely didn't see it in the late 60s as I barely saw any telly,being too busy being a fab DJ. I was also living where I am now when I saw odd bits. So I must have seen the 1978 re-showing. I didn't see all of it as it mystified me, but I do recall being quite bemused at some of the scenes I did see. The female lead seen in what I assume was her bedroom, in her underwear. Not quite hard core porn, but a bit odd for a kids programme. Lots of chatter online, and it's been released on DVD. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Owl_Service_(TV_series) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338632/episodes/?year=1970 https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/the-owl-service Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,467 Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 All eight episodes (8 x 30 mins) of Owl Service are on Youtube, and I’ve semi-binge watched them over the last few days, first time for 50+ years. It’s even stranger than I remembered; eg. the creepy gardener. The original story is weird and complicated, and the TV version doesn’t make things any easier. I defy anyone to explain or understand what’s going on. And I don’t see it as children’s TV; several of the lead characters are teenagers, but it’s worlds away from any other children’s programme ever broadcast. They certainly don’t make them like they used to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,307 Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 I also watched it again over several evenings on YouTube. I watched it when it was first broadcast and hadn't a clue what it was about. Usually, if I saw a tv adaptation of something like that, I'd go and find a copy of the book and read it to see whether it made any sense of the televised version. In that case, I didn't. Sounds as though I wouldn't have been any the wiser for the effort. Alan Garner seems to have written quite a number of books. I've never read any. Certainly never read any at school. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oztalgian 3,298 Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 The Owl Service, never heard of it or seen it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jill Sparrow 10,307 Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Don't lose any sleep over it, Oz. You didn't miss much! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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