TV Live Forum

Whataday post_id=11612 time=1620551398 user_id=1029 Wrote:Because no one would expect anything less from this forum, I have done some investigating.

Bravo, [mention]Whataday[/mention].

"This is great [forum usage]... it really is."

Interesting, I didn't know Tommy Cooper did a series for LWT?

Markymark post_id=11652 time=1620568250 user_id=1078 Wrote:Interesting, I didn't know Tommy Cooper did a series for LWT?

It's been repeated on ITV4 enough over the years.

James2001 post_id=11663 time=1620572015 user_id=956 Wrote:

Markymark post_id=11652 time=1620568250 user_id=1078 Wrote:Interesting, I didn't know Tommy Cooper did a series for LWT?

It's been repeated on ITV4 enough over the years.

ITV 4

Umm, the last time I stopped off there, they had cropped and zoomed The Professionals to fit a 16:9 image. I moved on.......

Markymark post_id=11666 time=1620575585 user_id=1078 Wrote:

James2001 post_id=11663 time=1620572015 user_id=956 Wrote:

Markymark post_id=11652 time=1620568250 user_id=1078 Wrote:Interesting, I didn't know Tommy Cooper did a series for LWT?

It's been repeated on ITV4 enough over the years.

ITV 4

Umm, the last time I stopped off there, they had cropped and zoomed The Professionals to fit a 16:9 image. I moved on.......

I thought ITV4 were now using the Network remasters?

London Lite post_id=11667 time=1620575888 user_id=953 Wrote:

Markymark post_id=11666 time=1620575585 user_id=1078 Wrote:

James2001 post_id=11663 time=1620572015 user_id=956 Wrote:It's been repeated on ITV4 enough over the years.

ITV 4

Umm, the last time I stopped off there, they had cropped and zoomed The Professionals to fit a 16:9 image. I moved on.......

I thought ITV4 were now using the Network remasters?

They haven't used them whenever I've looked. Athough it does seem to be in 4:3 sometimes... it's still clearly the old masters though whatever the aspect ratio. In fact using the old SD masters cropped down really is ridiculous as it reduces the already not brilliant quality even further. I've seen the remastered ones on Amazon Prime and they are a revelation, even if you were only watching in SD you'd see the massive improvement. There are so many HD remasters which are botched one way or another, thankfully this isn't one, though being Network that's hardly suprising.

If ITV4 have started using them, it must be quite recent, but definitely welcome (as long as they are 4:3, as there are still cases of 16:9 cropped versions of HD remasters being used even when 4:3 versions exist- Star Trek TOS on the CBS channels is a prime example, or indeed ITV's own Blu-Ray release of Thunderbirds when they used a 4:3 version in other countries).

Does seem strange that they use cropped versions of those two shows when ITV3 and ITV4 had no issue showing pillarboxed 4:3 HD versions of countless other shows, both US and UK when they presumably could have opted for cropped versions of some of those shows, so it's not like they have some sort of policy to avoid pillarboxed content, like some channels do.

Though ITV4's screenings of the LWT Tommy Coopers goes back a long way, well before they started using the cropped versions of The Professionals and The Sweeney.

all new Phil post_id=11396 time=1620432088 user_id=865 Wrote:I thought it was terrible. I know comedy is subjective and all that but I can’t imagine anyone watching it and laughing.

I’d have sympathy with that view on most of the other episodes, but I thought this had all elements of all the different Partridge eras.

Whataday post_id=11612 time=1620551398 user_id=1029 Wrote:

Markymark post_id=11596 time=1620547012 user_id=1078 Wrote:Fair point! real hard core stuff, what date in the 70s was that schedule from?
Mention of New Faces (would have been V1. 0 with Derek Hobson) puts it in a five year window, 1973 to 78

Because no one would expect anything less from this forum, I have done some investigating.



Alan is holding a doctored version of this page from 1970:


(Image: Transdiffusion)

However, in Alan's copy "Hot Spell" is replaced by "New Faces" and in place of News they've squeezed in "The Sweeney". There's also a programme that seems to be called "Kung Fu" in Alan's copy. Presumably it was doctored to support some material which ended up on the cutting room floor.

Also Alan can be heard saying "Armchair Theatre" rather than "Saturday Night Theatre", presumably as it's more familiar which makes it a bit funnier.

Wunderbar. This is peak TV Live Forum. Well done sir.

Also worth noting the ATV listings state Midland which could explain Alan saying Central in error.

I'm guessing it says Midland as it's still relatively soon after ATV also served London.

Whataday post_id=11747 time=1620634795 user_id=1029 Wrote:Also worth noting the ATV listings state Midland which could explain Alan saying Central in error.

I'm guessing it says Midland as it's still relatively soon after ATV also served London.

Living, as we did, in a three way ITV overlap area, my dad always referred to Midlands and not ATV.
I'm just a bit too young to remember when there were two ATVs that served us

I hope that low audience figures don't stop the team from making more 'Alan' in whatever form that takes. It's great to have something on TV that puts so much effort into the detail and its own universe and doesn't automatically pander to what will only work for broad appeal (which is why I wish it was being shown on BBC 2).

MrUdagawa post_id=11879 time=1620720024 user_id=1184 Wrote:I hope that low audience figures don't stop the team from making more 'Alan' in whatever form that takes. It's great to have something on TV that puts so much effort into the detail and its own universe and doesn't automatically pander to what will only work for broad appeal (which is why I wish it was being shown on BBC 2).

Yes. I recall the original radio series of KMKY from almost 30 years ago, and Alan going off tangent and pricing up the case for using Anglia TV's studios in Norwich to produce a TV version of the show.

It could be on BBC Sounds perhaps

Markymark post_id=11887 time=1620723591 user_id=1078 Wrote:

MrUdagawa post_id=11879 time=1620720024 user_id=1184 Wrote:I hope that low audience figures don't stop the team from making more 'Alan' in whatever form that takes. It's great to have something on TV that puts so much effort into the detail and its own universe and doesn't automatically pander to what will only work for broad appeal (which is why I wish it was being shown on BBC 2).

Yes. I recall the original radio series of KMKY from almost 30 years ago, and Alan going off tangent and pricing up the case for using Anglia TV's studios in Norwich to produce a TV version of the show.

It could be on BBC Sounds perhaps

It gets an occasional outing on Radio 4 Extra - but someone has uploaded the lot to archive.org, so you can enjoy it there until the BBC notice and get it taken down.

I enjoyed this evenings episode. Interesting announcement at the start, as Duncan just said 'This is BBC One' with no programme introduction or description. Presumably done because of the way of it began, with an "poem to the BBC" by Alan.

Markymark post_id=11887 time=1620723591 user_id=1078 Wrote:

MrUdagawa post_id=11879 time=1620720024 user_id=1184 Wrote:I hope that low audience figures don't stop the team from making more 'Alan' in whatever form that takes. It's great to have something on TV that puts so much effort into the detail and its own universe and doesn't automatically pander to what will only work for broad appeal (which is why I wish it was being shown on BBC 2).

Yes. I recall the original radio series of KMKY from almost 30 years ago, and Alan going off tangent and pricing up the case for using Anglia TV's studios in Norwich to produce a TV version of the show.

It could be on BBC Sounds perhaps

It's available on Audible.