The end of the line for Neighbours

While other things were raging on this week it was announced by Freemantle Productions that the iconic Australian soap, Neighbours had not found a buyer after its partner UK's Channel Five pulled out.

Neighbours it has to be said had lost a chunk of its Australian viewing  in recent years and was very much dependent on foreign sales and money to keep it in production.

 The show started in the late 1980's and was originally shown on the BBC at Midday but such was its popularity that the previously sacrosanct early evening hand over period from children's program to that for adults was shunted back to allow it to start at 5:35 on BBC1 before the 6PM evening news and this altered the times of children's shows such as Blue Peter.

The evening news was the program that marked the end of children's tv and the start of the family viewing up to 9pm in the days before dedicated children's channels.

That series launched the careers of a good number of Australian stars such as Kylie Minogue  and Jason Donovan shown here at the famous Wedding scene which had massive viewing figures at the time and whose song Suddenly by Angry Andersson became a big hit in 1989.

The reason that it was repeat shown in the early evening was due to older schoolchildren staying to watch the shown during lunch recess and the need in an age where there was no iPlayer to enable people to have a second chance to see that days episode which was kept on by Channel Five and to which the slot created for it at the BBC got reused for cheap to make quiz shows.

Today rather like the show itself that quiz show format looks tired.

It is sad for the shows fans the series will be coming to and end as production stops although the UK is a bit behind as it was a game changer in the tv world in lots of ways.

R.I.P. Neighbours.

Reflections on the death of David Cassidy

It was announced Wednesday, the child actor and singer, David Cassidy died from complications following hospitalization late last weekend

He played the role of Keith Partridge  a teen boy of the touring headed by their Mother who was played by Shirley Jones in the must see tv series of the early 1970's that we all watched and talked about as juniors back then. Indeed I had to go visit friends as we weren't allowed at home to watch commercial tv in order to see the show on the pretext it was a play date.

The series was massive in North America and given its construct being but a few years on from The Monkees, the series gave birth to hit 45's and albums which are still adored by many of our generation as terrific pop songs.

David left the show pursuing a career in popular music having a good number of hit 45's and albums of which this, Daydreamer from the Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes album was a favourite of mine from 1973

Like a number of artists of this era following a change in music tastes he took time out before resuming in 1985 with the  Romance album  issued by Arista and resuming concert tours. It was sad he had to give up performing in 2014 due to dementia.
David was a part of our lives as kids back then the adorable boy next door who could sing and act whose life we followed in Jackie magazine and elsewhere.
Let's be glad for what he gave us and for the opportunities he was able to take advantage of furthering his craft.
Rest in peace, David.

Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy (DVD)

Now this sure brings back memories at back in the Winter of 1981 this tv adaptation of the Douglas Adams novels that had become an acclaimed radio series was put out by the BBC.
Back the we only had three tv channels!!!!
It was at the cutting edge the of robotics with Zaphod Beeblebrox's heads.
To summarize Arthur Dent (an ape-descendant whose anger at the apparently inexplicable destruction of his home planet Earth, situated in an obscure corner of the outer spiral arm of the galaxy, is expressed in frequent irritation at friendly automatic doors and vending machines) is joined by travelling companions, Ford Prefect (an itinerant towel-carrying hitch-hiker originally from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse), Zaphod Beeblebrox (the notorious ex-Galactic President and patron of Eccentrica Galumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon Six) and Marvin the Paranoid Android (who's still suffering from that terrible pain in all the diodes down his left side).
While some aspects may not work quite as well as the radio series it has a certain charm about it and the comparatively low budget effects help to keep your attention on the story allowing some classic one liners to hit you.

This is the 2002 BBC DVD PAL R2/4 box set with a extras disc.

The Care Bears and me

One of the favourite tv shows from the mid 1980's for me was the Care Bears which had a lot tie in merchandise.
I am a girl who cares about things that happen to others be they close friends or communities miles from here, feeling their sadness, anger and pain and truly doesn't want to cause that to happen although I am also sometimes naughty too.

I'd would do almost anything to help my friends if I could  deal with their emotions and needs being prepared to share whatever I have at the time and I have