A quick look at a book based on the prison-based comedy series, Porridge. This paperback book of the BBC's Porridge was adapted by Jonathan Marshall from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’s television scripts. Inside, each of the seven chapters are re-tellings of the television episodes, starting with the 'unofficial' pilot episode, Prisoner and Escort … Continue reading Porridge – The surprising facts behind this book based on the classic comedy
In-Depth Review of Tightrope (1972), the Cold War Classroom Thriller
Tightrope was a tense Cold War thriller for younger viewers, written by former Doctor Who scriptwriter Victor Pemberton and stars Coronation Street’s John Savident, Timeslip’s Spencer Banks, and future BAFTA-winning producer and director David Munro. Intriguing and, at times, compelling, the series brilliantly captures the paranoia of the Cold War in a setting close to … Continue reading In-Depth Review of Tightrope (1972), the Cold War Classroom Thriller
The Omega Factor book
A quick look at The Omega Factor paperback published in 1979. The back cover text: There is a highly-secret government organisation called Department 7. Its existence is known only to the Prime Minister and some members of the Cabinet. Its brief is to investigate the Supernatural—to discover the Omega Factor. Journalist Tom Crane has been … Continue reading The Omega Factor book
Dear Retro TV Diary… Week 11: Dates, delays and decapitations
Contains mild spoilers Splitting Doctor Who: The Space Museum across Saturday and Sunday afternoons, watching two episodes each day, worked quite nicely and suited the pace of this classic Who story. It begins with one of the best opening episodes in all of the Classic Series as the Doctor (here played by William Hartnell) and … Continue reading Dear Retro TV Diary… Week 11: Dates, delays and decapitations
Surprises and New Old Things. The tenth algorithm-free week
For the first time the weekly Retroscopic Roundup is available in Pdf form. I haven't done anything like that before, so I hope it works and looks okay. Please let me know if it doesn't. Retroscopic Roundup W10 Download pdf This diary has been a real eye-opener for me. For example, I failed to realise … Continue reading Surprises and New Old Things. The tenth algorithm-free week
A ginger Mowgli and no songs. VHS memory lane led to obscure anime
It’s funny when something old or nostalgic prompts a fact-finding mission. That’s what happened when I unearthed the Pickwick Video release of The Jungle Book. It all started when I transferred a non-Disney animated version of The Jungle Book from DVD onto my hard drive. To be strictly accurate, it was a DVD-R containing a … Continue reading A ginger Mowgli and no songs. VHS memory lane led to obscure anime
Week 9 of curating my own classic TV line-up
It’s been a supremely busy week of mixed fortunes for me, so I haven’t watched very much this week. Partly due to work, tiredness and some plans coming unstuck. It’s okay, you don’t need to feel sorry for me because I’ve watched some great stuff this week, even if it wasn’t mentioned on the list … Continue reading Week 9 of curating my own classic TV line-up
Retroscopic: Week 8 of curating my own TV line-up
Contains mild spoilers The holiday is over, and I'm back in my favourite armchair, slipping back into familiar viewing habits. Below is my ‘viewing diary’ that I use to kept track of where I am. It's fully expanded for your reading pleasure, with a preview of the week ahead. The full background ‘story so far’ … Continue reading Retroscopic: Week 8 of curating my own TV line-up
Week 7 of curating my own TV line-up
Contains mild spoilers I'm on holiday this week, staying in (sometimes) sunny Cardigan, exploring shops and out-of-the-way places. I'm house-sitting for my parents, who are fully paid-up streamers, watching the majority of their visual entertainment from online. Conversely, my home media set-up is geared up to watching things offline. So, this week required a little … Continue reading Week 7 of curating my own TV line-up
Week 6: Ditching the streaming algorithms and building my playlist
Contains mild spoilers Welcome to this feature-length installment of the Retroscopic Roundup - where I look back over the week's entertainment to see how varied it's been (or not), and to keep track of where I am with the various programmes I've got on the go. Scroll past the diary if you want to read the ‘Story … Continue reading Week 6: Ditching the streaming algorithms and building my playlist
