Monday 27 April 2020

RTA In Conversation 05


RTA In Conversation 05

Detectives assemble as Lisa, Paul, Martin and Andrew discuss some of their favourite television crime-fighters.

Featuring Paul Chandler, Martin Holmes, Lisa Parker and Andrew Trowbridge.

Music by Dan Tate and Paul Chandler.

Cover art and editing by Martin Holmes.

You can listen to 'Round The Archives In Conversation' 05 here.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)

Sunday 26 April 2020

RTA In Conversation 04


RTA In Conversation 04

"My brother did like to take the heads off some of the puppets!"

The discussion gets highly animated as Paul, Martin, Lisa and Andrew explore the varied worlds of cartoons and puppets.

Featuring Paul Chandler, Martin Holmes, Lisa Parker and Andrew Trowbridge.

Music by Dan Tate and Paul Chandler.

Cover art and editing by Martin Holmes.

You can listen to 'Round The Archives In Conversation' 04 here.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)

Monday 20 April 2020

Our First Missing Episode


Our First Missing Episode

It's still a surprise to us that we've managed to record and release three episodes of 'Round The Archives In Conversation', with each edition being made available in under 24 hours. In fact, Episode 03 was uploaded less than 5 hours after we first hit the Record button, showing what a great job Martin does with the editing on these!

But Episode 03 was itself the result of a slight emergency situation, when the recording session the previous day didn't quite work as planned.

With a significant chunk of material being lost, it seemed that we were rapidly heading for our very own version of 'Shada', but thankfully the team from 'The Shy Life Podcast' soon came to the rescue.

Paul's imagination is often fired by unexpected happenings and keen viewers of 'Sutton Park' will know that he's not even phased when cast members suddenly find that all their fingers have fallen off.

So, a bit of lost material was no problem and he was able to wave his Yeti Magic Wand (which is impressive, if a little hairy) and give us a 'Shy Life' / 'RTA' crossover episode which reconstructs the majority of the original episode.

Though now we await the inevitable arguments about whether it's true 'Round The Archives' canon or not...

(And that debate will only continue with the new editions of 'The ExtonMoss Experiment'!)

You can listen to Episode 330 of 'The Shy Life Podcast' here.

Many thanks to Paul, Martin and Nick for their help.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)

Friday 17 April 2020

RTA In Conversation 03


RTA In Conversation 03

"I will often go in the tub with 'The Sea Devils'..."

Lisa, Paul, Martin and Andrew discuss their memories of 'Doctor Who' (and other television) merchandise , including Target books, toys, games and records.

Featuring Lisa Parker, Paul Chandler, Martin Holmes and Andrew Trowbridge,

Music by Dan Tate and Paul Chandler.

Cover art and editing by Martin Holmes.

You can listen to 'Round The Archives In Conversation' 03 here.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)

Monday 13 April 2020

A Tribute To Tim Brooke-Taylor


A Tribute To Tim Brooke-Taylor

I sit here in my union flag underpants, typing away my tribute to Mr Tim Brooke-Taylor. Which is no easy feat as spring on the carriage return on the typewriter is very painful in this confined space of said pants.

So where to start…?

Tim will always represent one of the two people who managed to pull off drag and look natural doing it. The other being the great Danny La Rue. And that’s not a line you often start a tribute with!
Tim was the forgotten Beatle, the missing link in the prehistory of Monty Python. He was also, when the occasion demanded, a teapot.

Tim Julian Brooke-Taylor (formerly known as Lady Constance de Coverlet) was born in Buxton, during the blackout, on the 17th July 1940. And being born into a family known for their athletic prowess, you’d expect a world class competitor naturally to emerge.

Tim’s Grandfather was the local parson and a centre-forward in the local team. His mother was a lacrosse champion.

With a family combination such as this, I’m sure Tim (had he put his mind to it) could have rattled off a quick situation comedy around his ancestry.

So Tim made his way through his educational adventure, coming out the other end with a fistful of qualifications.

As a budding actor he performed 5 days a week for a whole academic year as a teacher at a school in Hemel Hempstead. Boy that must have been a tough gig!

But soon, Tim knotted his little union jack hanky on the end of a stick and made his way to the dreamy spires of Cambridge.

Upon arrival he joined the famous Footlights at just the right time under the guise of studying Law. Making friends with such luminaries as Cleese, Chapman, Garden and some little hairy tearaway from Birmingham.

Tim headed up the Footlights, at one point travelling abroad in 1964 with one of their revues. He was an avid writer, director and performer. He was one of the famous four who co-wrote the legendary 'Four Yorkshireman' sketch. I would tell you more about that, but you’d ‘never believe me.’

He appeared on the popular ‘Frost’ franchise of comedy programmes, co-writing with John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman and the great John Junkin.

This would ultimately lead up to the coming together of Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden on the TV programme ‘Broaden Your Mind’ which only survives in a handful of film clips; Oddie joining the cast for the second season.

Very late on the evening of 8th November 1970, the three members of the Cricklewood Royalty would appear to audiences in the form of ‘The Goodies’.

Their shows are a fizzing cauldron of creativity, comedy, slapstick, pathos and sometimes tragedy. The great and the good all lined up to appear or be lampooned in their show. The Royalist, the Mad Scientist and the hairy little Common One.

Awards such as the Montreux Rose were won, and all ages watched eagerly to catch up on the antics of these three Goodies during some of the darkest years of the 1970s. One of Tim’s uncles was even played by the great John Le Mes; that’s how much the programme drew the stars.

Even during the ‘Goodies’ era Tim still found time to work on the wireless in programmes such as ‘Hello Cheeky’ and ‘I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again’ for which he created his character the legendary high pitched Lady Constance de Coverlet.

His acting skills took him to the land of sitcom with series like ‘You Must Be The Husband’ alongside Diane Keen and ‘Me And My Girl’ with Richard O’Sullivan.

Tim was a hardworking performer/writer who enjoyed the challenge of fresh projects and ideas.

His career went on throughout the modern age, appearing recently in a launch with the other two for Network DVD’s release of their entire series of 'The Goodies'.

I was watching some episodes over the last few nights, thinking that the ideas are still as fresh and entertaining as ever.

Tim on screen was the same as the Tim off. A kind, warm and generous person who always wanted to reach that little segment of the audience that he knew had a hidden funny bone, but just needed the right encouragement.

Finally, in 2011 he was made an OBE, a long overdue gong, considering the promise the Royal Family made to him in the very first episode of ‘The Goodies’.

Whether it was being drowned in baked beans, coming out as a closet boy scout, dragging up (Tim never settled for half measures) or being a teapot, Tim was a true comedy legend.

The world can be a cruel lonely place sometimes that needs a belly laugh now and again, and Tim in ‘The Goodies’ definitely lifts my spirits. Give it a go sometime soon and rediscover your inner child.

That three-seater cycle today is missing a huge presence, and one we have the privilege of revisiting at any time.

Cheers Timbo!

Tim Julian Brooke-Taylor: 1940 - 2020.

(Written by Warren Cummings)

(Cover by Martin Holmes)

Thursday 9 April 2020

RTA In Conversation 02


RTA In Conversation 02

"I remember bidding on Nicholas Courtney's hairpiece!"

Paul, Martin and Andrew return for the second edition of 'Round The Archives In Conversation'.

More Archive TV nattering including talk of conventions and filming locations.

Featuring Martin Holmes, Paul Chandler and Andrew Trowbridge.

Music by Dan Tate and Paul Chandler.

Cover art and editing by Martin Holmes

You can listen to 'Round The Archives In Conversation' 02 here.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)

Tuesday 7 April 2020

A Tribute To Honor Blackman

A Tribute To Honor Blackman

To me she will never be that quintessential ‘English Rose’ - a role she thought she’d be saddled with for the rest of her career. In my eyes she will always be that naughty Aunt that’s always up to mischief. You know the type, that one with that naughty glint in her eye, because to her the rules never apply.

Honor Blackman has always been either treading the boards, singing (please don’t judge her by the ‘Kinky Boots’ single), featuring in films or appearing on the box. She’s never seemed to be off the damn thing, but she had humble beginnings and funnily she didn’t always come with that wonderfully, gravelly clipped English accent. Eartha Kit on G & T, I call it.

She first arrived on the scene on the 22nd August 1925. Yes, I know I couldn’t believe it either; she’s always been so timeless in appearance. She was born in the front room of a small terraced house in the East End area of Plaistow. Her father was a civil servant, something Honor would dabble in briefly.

She went to school in the Ealing area. Catching the eye of the drama teacher, she appeared in some of the leading roles in her school plays. Definitely no holding spears in the back row for this girl.

Her parents treated her to several acting lessons for her birthday during her early teens, something that excited and frustrated her in equal measure. She would later recall that men never wrote women’s parts with women in mind, they just appeared to be ‘after thoughts’ who walked on, moved the plates and sat on the sofa looking pretty.

So as much as Honor enjoyed the craft, the world of work reared its ugly head. She followed her father into the Civil Service as an administrative assistant. In my head as I type this, I have a vision of her throwing the men around the room the first time one says “Put the kettle on luv, I’ve got a throat like the Gobi Desert!”

Thankfully the film industry hired her for her first role in 1947; a non-speaking part in the feature film ‘Fame Is The Spur’, a Roy Boulting film with Michael Redgrave as the lead. But this would be the rolling snowball moment that would head Honor towards the 1960s and an amazing change in her fortunes.

So, the roles started to come in for the young Miss Blackman, usually playing the love interest or the ‘English Rose’ character. In 1958 she had a starring role in the classic feature ‘A Night To Remember’ alongside such blossoming names as David McCallum, Geoffrey Bayldon and the extremely underrated Ronald Allen. And yes, for all you trivia buffs out there this would be her first appearance with Sean Connery, who had a walk-on uncredited part in the film.

And to save a sleepless night if you haven’t seen it, her character did survive. I mean you couldn’t have Britain’s first lady of leather-wear drowning in Ruislip Lido.

She appeared in an episode of ‘The Saint’ that aired on the 15th November 1962 alongside Roger Moore. The episode was ‘The Arrow Of God’ and it's available on DVD, if you want to investigate further...

In the late 1950s a young brash Canadian producer arrived at ABC Television. Sydney Newman the father of many an unforgettable series; 'Police Surgeon', 'Target Luna' and 'Pathfinders' to name but a few. He spawned 'The Avengers', of course, although he was more clear about the title of the series rather than what it would be about. In its second year one of its main actors, Ian Hendry wanted to leave to pursue what would turn out to be a very successful career in films.

They went about looking for a replacement. Sydney, resourceful and controversial as ever, suggested that a woman could be the side-kick, but to be written in a masculine vein. I pause to hear the metaphorical spluttering around the production table as several ABC execs spat out their coffee.

And enter Honor…………..

I could say the rest is history, but it's more than that.

I don’t know about you but as I grew up there was a myth that surrounded Honor's character. The only reference my generation had to the original 'Avengers' episodes was the pale 1970s imitation ‘The New Avengers’. And that, as we know, wasn’t a fair comparison.

But those who had been there at the time spoke with reverence of Honor Blackman, the sort of reverence that was reserved for a real game-changer.  It wasn’t until Lumiere Home Video released some early 'Avengers' that Cathy Gale was truly appreciated.

For me Cathy Gale is, and will always be, the following:

The most independent and emancipated character on 1960s Television. Ever. No contest. Don’t even try and argue that one!

The most intelligent and beautiful 'Avenger' there has ever been.

And the most charismatic.

During her stint on the programme she was cool & calm, cut a stylish dash, fought baddies, threw people over her shoulder countless times and even managed to knock out a stuntman. All on live television, all clad in leather!

Her successors would all have the privilege of film and editing.

In the days of live TV, it was make or break. Fluffing a key line was death to any actor who sought re-employment. Honor worked her fingers to the bone and it's not surprising when the episodes were completed,  the actors were exhausted. Live television is a pressurised environment and very unforgiving.

In ‘63 she appeared (quite rightly) as a Goddess in the film ‘Jason And The Argonauts’

But in ’64 she hung up her ‘Kinky Boots’ and left Steed’s apartment, informing him that she'd be pussy-footing across the sun-kissed shores on holiday. She was Pinewood-bound for a part she'd be forever associated with; Pussy Galore. Or just Mrs Gale in jodhpurs?

From that point on Honor was working constantly displaying all the gravitas of an English icon.

Popping up in the awful ‘Minder On The Orient Express’ as the sexy con artist who manages to outwit Arthur Daley.

And for me strangely miscast in the Doctor Who story ‘Terror Of The Vervoids’. I say miscast as I felt she never really had that much to do, and it smacked very much of JN-T casting a big name for the sake of it. Actually, I think she would have made a terrific Rani! I’ll just leave that there to sink in.

Drama, tragedy, comedy, horror or sci-fi Honor Blackman took hold of her career and moulded it into a thing of beauty.

And when a star such as Honor passes, in a small way it reminds me that a little bit of my past has vanished from the portable telly in my head. You know, the one with the coathanger ariel.

So, here’s to the naughty Aunt who threw James Bond across the screen, knocked out a stuntman live on telly and had an appeal that spanned the decades.

Honor has left a legacy that will be appreciated by generations to come.

Honor Blackman : 22nd August 1925 – 5th April 2020

(Written by Warren Cummings)
('RTA' cover by Martin Holmes)

Episode 47 now available!


Episode 47 now available!

Episode 47 of the 'Round The Archives' podcast sees us 'Keeping Up Appearances' as we spend some quality time with Hyacinth Bucket.

Martin and Andy tell us of the new podcast 'An A To Z Of TV Drama', then Martin continues his analysis of 'Quatermass And The Pit' with 'The Enchanted'.

Paul examines some rare soaps with 'Marked Personal' and 'Harriet's Back In Town' then Ben Baker salutes the work of  'Cannon And Ball'.

That's all in Episode 47 of 'Round The Archives' - starring Lisa Parker, Andrew Trowbridge, Martin Holmes, Andy Priestner, Paul Chandler and Ben Baker.

You can listen to Episode 47 of 'Round The Archives' here.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)
(Covert art by Martin Holmes)

'RTA' In Conversation 01


'RTA' In Conversation 01

Although the entire 'Round The Archives' team has been confined to barracks for the moment, it hasn't really had much of an effect on our scheduling or output, although Warren won't be joining us on the sofa for the new couple of episodes.

However, Martin came up with the suggestion of using our extra spare time to record an experimental 'In Conversation' bonus release, linking some of the finest 'RTA' brains via the miracle of Skype.

This was much more in the style of guerrilla podcasting as Martin, Paul and Andrew gathered around their microphones - so please excuse the odd internet pop and crackle - with the aim of seeing whether they could record, edit and release in under 24 hours.

We're rather pleased with the end result, so expect some more to follow during the lockdown period!

As always, stay tuned!

You can listen to 'RTA - In Conversation 01' here.

(Written by Andrew Trowbridge)
(Cover art by Martin Holmes)

'Round The Archives In Conversation' Episode 20 now available!

  'Round The Archives In Conversation' Episode 20 now available! "Fred Harris haunted my nightmares!" This time Bob Fische...