The Early Days of Channel 4

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...were classic. The launch of a UK TV channel had never occurred in my lifetime previous to that and the subsequent ones have failed to make an impact. re-live those days of September 1982!

― MarkH, Friday, 30 August 2002 08:56 (twenty-three years ago)

The Cut Price Comedy Show. mmm. bouncing 4 logos. five go mad in dorset. countdown. isn't it? back when tv wasn't broadcast 24hrs a day. ceefax. test cards for goalposts. (etc)

― Alan (Alan), Friday, 30 August 2002 09:13 (twenty-three years ago)

For all of August and possibly in July as well, after the Radio Rentals man had turned up to tune the tv so we all good and ready, the multicoloured 4 logo was resplendent on its black background. Then all of a sudden a red flash appeared over the top right hand corner of the screen reading "Starts 4th September". I started secondary school the day before. They didn't have enough adverts to begin with! So they'd just have a still photo and play music. There were about four ads in rotation, one of which was for a curtain (or curtain rail) company called Swish and featured budgies dancing along a curtain rail. The tune had the words, "Get on the right track baby, the right track".

― MarkH, Friday, 30 August 2002 09:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Channel 5 is better. This cannot be gainsaid. "I am the son/and the heir/of a shyness that
is criminally vulgar/I am the son and the heir/of nothing in particular ... "

― DO U SEE!! (mark s), Friday, 30 August 2002 09:58 (twenty-three years ago)

The episode of "No Problem" featuring Kid Creole playing himself is a classic of TV comedy.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 30 August 2002 09:58 (twenty-three years ago)

there were also showings of Get Smart, Car 54 Where Are You, I love lucy, Addams Family and the Munsters. Also kids' science programme Start Here, featuring a robot called Conrad. And whatever that programme was where members of the public went into the Video Box.

― MarkH, Friday, 30 August 2002 11:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Even The Paul Hogan Show seemed kinda cool back then.

My fav was Reggae Sunsplash for which I can blame much of my musical taste.

― tigerclawskank, Friday, 30 August 2002 11:55 (twenty-three years ago)

american football was ace then.

― chris (chris), Friday, 30 August 2002 12:03 (twenty-three years ago)

mike batt's zerozero watched through a snowstorm (gloucestershire wasn't part of the initial rollout of channel 4)

http://www.mikebatt.com/zerozero1.cfm

andy

― koogs, Friday, 30 August 2002 13:23 (twenty-three years ago)

the lack of ads meant there was a lot of this kinda thing:
http://www.sculptor.clara.net/ch4/graphix/th-ch4-interval-avengers.jpg

― MarkH, Friday, 30 August 2002 13:31 (twenty-three years ago)

But it was not all good. Lest we forget The Mini-Pops. And what has Network 7 spawned eh?

No Problem could do with a repeat though - just to see if it was as good as I thought it was (I fear not).

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 30 August 2002 13:58 (twenty-three years ago)

As late as the eighties, you would sometimes come across an American network program in which the network hadn't been able to sell any ads. They ran PDAs instead. (Most of those were overnight news programs, but I do remember seeing at least one prime time program with no ads.)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 August 2002 14:59 (twenty-three years ago)

As late as the eighties, you would sometimes come across an American network program in which the network hadn't been able to sell any ads. They ran PSAs instead. (Most of those were overnight news programs, but I do remember seeing at least one prime time program with no ads.)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 August 2002 15:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Whoops. Sorry for the double post. (At least the second one's more accurate.)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 August 2002 16:07 (twenty-three years ago)

C5 is certainly better than C4 these days, but I'm afraid I get all misty-eyed when I think abt the J. Isaacs era C4 - all those art movies, those Jean-Luc Godard seasons etc. etc. We'll never see its like again.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Friday, 30 August 2002 16:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I used to like Norman Gunston.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Friday, 30 August 2002 16:40 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought it was great, and if there was something like it now, I might actually still have a telly. High points => "Blood of the British" k-rad documentary series abt very early brit history pheaturing archaeologist womyn in wooly jumper crawling thru long barrows. RoWR! Also, as noted above, Jean-Luc Godard season, as well as many many foreign-language feature films, which I loved, and still do. I remember this really weird & rather RUBBIDGE comedy about a bar in a cellar, I can't remember what it ws called tho'. I'm sure there was a lot of crap really, but enough good stuff lingers in the memory to make it CLASSIC.

― N0RM4N PH4Y, Friday, 30 August 2002 17:50 (twenty-three years ago)

It was November, not September. November 2nd 1982. The day I was shat into existence in this planet.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 30 August 2002 20:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Suddenly, I feel old.

(May 28, 1968)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 August 2002 21:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Ha! I will see you and raise you, ms leafy dragon. (May 21 1965)

― n0rm4n ph4Y, Friday, 30 August 2002 21:22 (twenty-three years ago)

archaeologist womyn in wooly jumper crawling thru long barrows. RoWR!

You really should meet mine and Katie's old friend Kate T, Mr Phay. She is often to be found in exactly those circumstances.

― RickyT (RickyT), Friday, 30 August 2002 21:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Martin to thread!

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 August 2002 21:34 (twenty-three years ago)

hey d'you remember VOICES!! it wz kind of like ile with an ugly rug!!

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 30 August 2002 21:54 (twenty-three years ago)

rug as in carpet, not rug as in syrup

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 30 August 2002 21:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm mentioning my age too much around here! I am, I believe, rare here in dating all the way back to the '50s, albeit by only a few months.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 31 August 2002 08:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Blimey what age did you go on yr first date then Martin?

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 31 August 2002 09:09 (twenty-three years ago)

My husband was born on October 20th, 1949.

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Saturday, 31 August 2002 11:53 (twenty-three years ago)

''Blimey what age did you go on yr first date then Martin?''

yeah martin, don't you want to add a few years to that.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 31 August 2002 11:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Blimey, Christine's husband is three days older than my mum!

― RickyT (RickyT), Saturday, 31 August 2002 19:11 (twenty-three years ago)

there were a lot of unemployment-themed shows, hands
oop anyone who remembers 'prospects' and 'what now ?'.
or 'scully'. then there was the red triangle stuff
('montenegro: of pigs and pearls' a particular fave)
to say nothing of (god help us) murun buchstansangar
a cartoon about a green blob-midget of a man who wandered
aroun the garden. repeats too - i love lucy, bewitched,
i dream of jeannie, george + mildred, man about the house etc.
the film (on) four early movies well they were pretty good. there was some rubbish (she'll be wearing pink pyjamas) but some long-
forgotten classics too (restless natives, the chain).
the highlight of the first 5 years was early 'brookside'
- written by mcgovern, hard as nails, and starring the
best tv family of the 80's the corkhills.

christ wasn't chanel 4 ace !

― piscesboy, Monday, 2 September 2002 11:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember the first night. As well as "Five Go Mad...", there was a film called (I think) 'Walter', something like that anyway. Also, still have much love for early Film 4 movie "P'tang Yang Kipperbang".

― zebedee, Monday, 2 September 2002 12:02 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

oh yes "ptang yang kipperbang" and also one about 3 girl fans of spurs called (i think) "Those glory Glory Days"

― jed (jed_e_3), Friday, 2 January 2004 02:04 (twenty-two years ago)

there are some great articles about the inception of Channel 4 at http://www.offthetelly.co.uk (search the archives)

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 2 January 2004 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

The voice that announced "Channel Four will start on November the second" was... Paul Coia ? It was certainly a well-spoken Scottish accent, and ever since then I can't think of said date in any other way.

― darren (darren), Friday, 2 January 2004 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

A good thread theme.

Richard Whiteley's jackets - Ricky Tomlinson's beard - Colin MacCabe's jumpers - isn't it?

One thing that C4 have lost and not attempted to retain or recover is their old four-note *signature tune*.

― the fourfox, Tuesday, 6 January 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

P'Tang, Yang, Kipperbang is on after midnight tonight. i wonder how it will stand up after all these years?

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 22 May 2006 18:27 (twenty years ago)

I remember when Channel 5 began in 1997, like it was yesterday.... the Spice Girls... the multicoloured epilepsy inducing "flash" between adverts, the Kelloggs "we had an advert at every launch" advert, the comedy one-off "Hospital", The Stephanie Slater abduction drama (with Sylvester McCoy!!!), "Family Affairs" which everyone watched for the first 3 episodes or so... shame it never really became part of the fabric like 4 did.

I haven't really paid it much notice since.... ummmm.... March 1997? :)

― JTS (JTS), Monday, 22 May 2006 21:06 (twenty years ago)

"P'Tang, Yang, Kipperbang is on after midnight tonight."

Really enjoyed this. Can't remember seeing a movie/tv-movie with such a strong cricket dimension. Hey, I'll even kid myself that this makes up for Sky getting live coverage for all the summer tests!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 13:57 (twenty years ago)

i really wanted to catch this as i've not seen it since it was first out, but i had to go out for a 30th party. i think my sis has taped it, she couldn't remember watching it previously though,

"you know, there's this lad and he fancies some girl and she says ptang yang kipperbang at the end"

because thats all i can remember about it.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 23 May 2006 14:06 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

Has anyone seen FROCK THIS or whatever with Alex@ Chung on Sundays? My friend is on that show regularly so I've heard, and I wonder what it's like. DAMN CHANNEL 4 DOT COM WON'T LET ME WATCH IT.

― homosexual II, Thursday, 27 May 2010 18:53 (sixteen years ago)

who is ur friend, henry holland?

― cozen, Thursday, 27 May 2010 20:22 (sixteen years ago)

his name is andre\/\/ b3van, he is a yank with glasses

― homosexual II, Thursday, 3 June 2010 20:34 (sixteen years ago)

lol yeah, he's on it

only seen him once mind, though I've only seen the show twice cs it's crap

― cozen, Thursday, 3 June 2010 22:15 (sixteen years ago)

nine years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yehd3tVkJNI

great doc is this, about the Greek Civil War

― calzino, Monday, 30 September 2019 21:40 (six years ago)

I vaguely remember the Ch4 pre-broadcasts (on valve driven b+w tv that was future proofed with 4th ITV2 button) before they came to air which showed clips from The Cars That Ate Paris and 9 yr old me thought : wow, they are just going to play the good movies!

― calzino, Monday, 30 September 2019 21:50 (six years ago)

four months pass...

Scottish Opera are doing John Adams' Nixon in China and I'm about to see it in the flesh for the first time. When I was a teenager Ch4 broadcast the whole of it basically at prime time and I recorded it on VHS and watched it several times.

Incredible to think that they did this.

― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_), Sunday, 2 February 2020 01:06 (six years ago)

Also Incredible that teenage me did that and current me can't get to the end of a 30 minute TV show without pausing it a few times to look at the internet.

― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_), Sunday, 2 February 2020 01:07 (six years ago)

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