Tonight’s TV… in 1980 

17 September 2014 tbs.pm/5232

19800917 - Guardian - tv and radio listings

YTV frontcap copyThe Guardian, then still a broadsheet, gives us a run down of the programmes for 17 September 1980. Things worth noting include:

  • BBC-2’s limited hours. They’re still basically an evenings-only service, although they now fill some – but not many – of their daytime hours with The Open University
  • The Guardian notes that Flickers at 9pm on Granada is made by ATV. They don’t say if this is a recommendation or not
  • Peaktime (7pm-10pm) programming is the same on all of the (non-south) ITV regions listed here – this was becoming more standard but still wasn’t normal for ITV
  • Nowhere on this page are the letters ‘ITV’ used: regional names dominate
  • ATV is the latest to come on air, with nothing before 10am. YTV is the latest to go off air, staying up to 12.50am
  • Crossroads is still being put where each region can find a slot rather than being networked. Granada, YTV, Anglia, Border and Grampian have it at 6.35; ATV has it at 6.05pm, a surprisingly poor slot; HTV, UTV and STV go for 5.20; Tyne Tees goes for the curiously specific 6.02pm
  • Radio 2 is typical Light Programme speech and sport from 8pm
  • Radio 4 still has Home Service style music programmes and opts FM out to go to The Open University at one point.

You Say

6 responses to this article

Arthur Nibble 17 September 2014 at 3:07 pm

The reviewer may not have recommended “Flickers”, but they certainly didn’t rate “Hart Of The Yard” (7 0 on Granada), referring to it as a so-called comedy series.

Referring to the lack of a mention for ITV in the schedules, I recall that, some time in the late 60’s or very early 70’s, at least one paper or publication down south didn’t even bother calling one of the ITV regions by its proper name, labelling it as “Northern”. I’m guessing this would have been ABC Weekend Television.

Christian Bews 19 September 2014 at 11:42 am

at midday on all ITV regions except HTV wales & channel(who don’t start programmes till news at one start at 1) the lyrics ‘Rupert,rupert the bear’ was heard that day for the very last time as ITC’s adaptation of’the adventures of Rupert bear’ made it’s last broadcast & was never shown again or released commercially on vhs & dvd ever since because of copyright from the daily express. it was replaced the following week by Gerry Anderson stalwarts john read & mary turner’s final series ‘the munch bunch’.

Steve Binnie 23 September 2014 at 11:25 am

Intrigued by the slightly creepy sounding “Toys Talk Back” on STV at 6.20… Reason suggests they probably mean “Toye’s Talk Back” hosted by long time Scotland Today frontman John Toye.

David Barron 25 October 2015 at 6:54 pm

MASH on BBC2 showing a Series 7 episode which was originally shown on CBS on New Years Day 1979. Therefore Series 7 was being shown on the BBC almost two years after it was originally shown in the US. Something that would not take place now. Looking at the BBC Genome site it seemed to be same for the later series as well and continued until late 1984 when Goodbye Farewell and Amen was shown for the first of only two showings in the UK.

Victor Field 23 January 2016 at 10:25 pm

“Hart Of The Yard” was shown in America as “Nobody’s Perfect” – the title was changed for the UK so it wouldn’t be confused with the Elaine Stritch sitcom.

Christian Bews 16 June 2017 at 5:37 pm

as i’m reading this again 3 years after i typed this that ‘the adventures of rupert bear’ is finally being released the now on DVD from the excellent network label with the first two series released on a 4-disc set. seasons 2 & 3 will be available later in the year.this series is a web exclusive & only released on their website.

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