Each week in The Stage, there’s a section called Television Today, and it’s always a fascinating read. Especially old ones, available on The British Newspaper Archive. Let’s have a look at the edition from this week, back in 1993.
We’ll start with a bit of a cheat, because this article is actually from the theatre section, but it’s well worth a read.
Inside now, and there’s this little sidebar piece about Lenny Henry winning an award, alongside Paul Merton and Birds Of A Feather.
On the same page, we get a bit of backstage intrigue, with boardroom upheavals at Birds Of A Feather’s umbrella owners SelecTV.
Allan McKeown was one of the first independent TV producers, forming the company Witzend with Galton and Simpson.
Moving on, and ITV launch a broadside attack on the BBC juggernaut of Noel’s House Party, countering with repeats of London’s Burning and new episodes of The Bill.
Westbeach was created by Tony Marchant, and starred Oliver Cotton and Deborah Grant. Coincidentally, it was produced by Witzend. It did not do well. Possibly because of these titles …
Here’s a trail for the show.
On the same age there’s this little reminder that Hale And Pace were the first duo to play Dalziel And Pascoe.
I wrote more about this here.
This story makes me laugh …
I like the idea that over 3,000 people heard that the channel was about to go off-air and decided to spend money on a box that would soon be useless.
On the next page, we find a write up about Nic Phillips, who worked for Celador.
And this advert …
Dunno, about you, but I wanna watch The Man Who Loves Gary Lineker.
This is in the Television Diary …
And so is this …
This was the same year that Hoskins played another plumber, of course.
Finally, here’s Moira Petty’s review of I, Lovett.
