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Tuesday, 23 December 2014

CHRISTMAS TV TIMES WITH ANDERSON

In the build up to Christmas, I've been leafing through some pages from old scans of  Christmas TV Times dealing with the North West Granada ITV region from the mid to late sixties, which featured Gerry Anderson's puppet series near the Christmas Break.  I'd certainly like to thank those selfless scanners who've gone to the trouble of getting hold of these little gems and making them available to grateful fans like me. Please accept some virtual mince pies and several cyber sherry's.

This first one that caught my eye is from 1964.  Although it wasn't shown on Christmas Day, Fireball XL5 and Steve Zodiac were featured a few days earlier along with an accompanying  photo.


ITV viewers on Christmas Day that year did  get the chance to watch an episode of Four Feather Falls, but I'd have probably been more excited about that little ad for TV Comic.


Television viewing on Christmas Day for the Gerry Anderson fan was like being in heaven in 1965. Kids (and adults) were treated to no less than four puppet episodes being shown that day, Starting with Supercar in the morning, followed by Fireball XL5, and then, the Stingray Christmas episode, Christmas to Remember. Thunderbirds' episode 'The Vault Of Death' was shown during early evening. I love the way the puppet characters are listed.


Also, worthy of note in that Christmas issue was a page from the Tivvy club (remember him TV Comic readers!) 


 Although Christmas Day TV in 1966 wasn't the puppet frenzy of the previous year, ITV did show the brand new Thunderbirds'  Christmas episode, 'Give Or Take A Million'.


No Gerry Anderson TV series showing on Christmas Day in 1967, but if you tuned into the game show, The Golden Shot on Christmas Eve you'd get to see Captain Scarlet and the Spectrum pop group, among the guests.



By Christmas, 1968, Joe 90 would have been well into it's first run. On  the Sunday, a few days before that year's Christmas, the Joe 90 episode, 'International Concerto', premièred. The TV Times even had a little photo tucked in the corner of the page to advertise the show.


   Stingray's, 'A Christmas To Remember' was repeated on Christmas Day.


Thunderbirds episode, ' Martian Invasion' , rather than 'Give or Take a Million' was shown on Boxing Day.


The 1969 Christmas edition of the TV Times didn't feature any of Gerry's series on or around Christmas. The Secret Service TV series wouldn't feature during the season as it would have finished it's initial (and only run?!) in the few  ITV regions that showed it.


By some way of a consolation View - Master did feature an ad in that 1969 edition of one or two of it''s products.
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4 comments:

  1. Arto12/23/2014 5:22 pm

    Seeing Tivvy on the set of Thunderbirds is very special for me since Tivvy - along with the whole Troll Forest - was created by a couple of creative people here in Finland. Their Atelier Fauni produced also those sought-after Moomin trolls. Tivvy and friends were big in the turn of 60's-70's, with their own production line and the Troll Forest amusement park. The creators moved tothe U.S. where they are still active http://www.trollforest.com/history.htm

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  2. SCOOP12/23/2014 5:26 pm

    Aha! I didn't know that Arto, I hope it brought a little Christmas nostalgia to you.

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  3. Arto12/23/2014 6:03 pm

    It sure did Scoop. Got quite a bit of these Fauni fellas around the house, in various forms.

    Great Anderson TV archaeology, thanks for it all!

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  4. WOODSY12/23/2014 8:54 pm

    Great post Scoop. What a treasure trove. And I remember Teevi. I've got a TV Comic Annual in the loft. I'll have to dig it out! There was a Tufty club too I recall. And you've come up with the best name for a band I've heard in ages - The Selfless Scanners! Great stuff.

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