Advent Calendar - 4 December

Ok, let’s lighten the mood.

I have terrible difficulty explaining to my 8 year old son that there was a time in my life when there were only 3 TV stations in the UK and you couldn’t record a programme. You had to sit down and watch it there and then, or miss it. He still thinks I am lying.

In some ways, I think the ‘sitting down with all the family to watch something good on telly’ is one of the things I miss about Christmas in the modern digital/satellite/multiple TVs/Ipads world.

Of course, it was a nightmare for TV companies trying to come up with something that all the family could enjoy. Which is where Morecambe & Wise came into their own. The Christmas special was so popular that, for many, it was a key factor in how well you thought Christmas had gone.

In keeping with the cultural theme, here is my favourite sketch from the 1971 Christmas show, featuring Andre Previn. You may have seen it a million times, but another won’t hurt.

If I were to write the 'hundred greatest one-liners' in UK comedy, Eric's response to Andre Previn's complaint that Eric is not playing the right notes would feature pretty high up.

YouTube

Absolutely great!

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Ok, let’s lighten the mood.

I have terrible difficulty explaining to my 8 year old son that there was a time in my life when there were only 3 TV stations in the UK and you couldn’t record a programme. You had to sit down and watch it there and then, or miss it. He still thinks I am lying.

In some ways, I think the ‘sitting down with all the fa ...[text shortened]... ying the right notes would feature pretty high up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7GeKLE0x3s

I'm surprised a man with the stature of Andre Previn (I saw him conduct 'the miraculous Mandarin' at Wolftrap a long time ago, breathtaking) doing a comedy bit!

Originally posted by sonhouse
I'm surprised a man with the stature of Andre Previn (I saw him conduct 'the miraculous Mandarin' at Wolftrap a long time ago, breathtaking) doing a comedy bit!

Possibly 1971 was a bit early, but certainly later in their careers, it would have been other way round. M&W were huge, and appearing on their show was a bit like being on the Simpsons today.

The 1977 Christmas special was watched by about 28m people, when the population of the UK was about 56m.

In this episode alone, you have Vanessa Redgrave, Yehudi Menuhin, Rudolf Nureyev and Laurence Olivier!