Episode 53: The Wasteland of early 90s TV

This week our Trio rummage deep into their old, dog eared copies of the TV Times and cast their minds back to the Genre TV series of the early 90s. For the UK it was a poor offering, having axed Dr Who the BBC deemed it unnecessary to replace it with anything. Red Dwarf seemed the only game in town, that and the cripplingly dire "Crime Traveler" or the misshapen "Bugs". Science fiction seemed to bubble out on anything but actual drama, surviving on game shows like "Interceptor" or "Crystal Maze."

The doctrine was clear, post Star Wars people expected special effects with their Sci Fi and TV couldn't do that, it was American imports like "Star Trek - The Next Generation" or do without. Thankfully Next Gen was prospering quite well, along with "X Files" and any other half way decent Genre show on Sky Satellite channels. For terrestrial viewers they had to make do with the lack lustre also rans like "Sea Quest" or the 'little low budget show that could', "Babylon 5".

The thing is America was also having a hand in special effects lite fantasy shows like "Early Edition" or "Quantum Leap" which frankly made a mockery of the idea Genre TV was too expensive. Anyway ... "New Adventures of Superman", "Hercules" and "Xena" also rolled about being objects of enjoyment for at least some period of their run. But really this is the bit in history that TV makers of the future would refer to as "Before Buffy" and after that everything changed. But that's a story for another time. For the moment it's very much make do and mend.

Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/053TheWastelandOfEarly90sTv/053-the-wasteland-of-early-90s-tv.mp3

Episode 16: Never Forget The Gunge

Nowadays genre television is of such a high quality that it's a tough game to get into. Faint hearts abound as TV Channels would rather put out tosh like 'Sharknado' than produce a low-production value genre show.

In the 80s this shame was no issue as channels worldwide embraced monsters made of rubber and gaffer tape, sets made of cardboard and endless scenes shot in quarries. Not only that but we went right along with them embracing shows that begged the indulgence of our imaginations to make up for the lack of an effects budget.

The 80s kids examine with affection the role that the UK played in our genre landscape from our attempts at robot based sitcoms to the special schedule for good telly dictated by only having a handful of broadcast channels. It's a good, solid UK-based nostalgiafest this week and all the better for it. Last one to the sofa has to wear the Helmet of Justice!


Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/016NeverForgetTheGunge/016-Never-Forget-The-Gunge.mp3

Episode 7: 70s TV - The Cultural Cannibal's Larder

It turns out during the course of this week's show that, despite the fact that not one 80s kid was properly old enough to remember 70s TV the first time round, repeats, reboots and remakes have ingrained the TV of the 70s into all of our minds.

Of course some of the stuff that we pull out of the great ideational toy box of the 70s doesn't look quite the same as it did when we put it in there, BSG, I'm looking at you, but it is pretty staggering the sheer amount of stuff from the 70s that we're still plundering for our entertainment today. Then, there are a few notable exceptions. Won't you join us at the buffet table?


Direct Link: https://archive.org/download/00770sTVTheCulturalCannibalsLarder/007-70s-TV-The-Cultural-Cannibals-Larder.mp3