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Early tv memories

(94 Posts)
Poppyjo Thu 23-Apr-26 04:24:34

I can remember The Appleyards, the first soap and whirligig. I remember the late Queen‘s Coronation seen on a 9“ rented Television and spent the day trying to fathom how the people got inside the box.

Happy days.

What early memories do you have?

Deedaa Wed 29-Apr-26 20:39:20

We didn't have a television but I used to see my grandparents' once a week. I remember Muffin The Mule, Whirlygig, and Prudence Kitten. I watched Andy Pandy, but didn't like it. If we stayed late I sometimes saw some grown up stuff. I remember a murder serial called Little Red Monkey, and another one called The Scarf.

PamelaJ1 Wed 29-Apr-26 20:26:38

So many memories- my doll was call Sylvia after aunty Sylvia on Watch with mother.
When we got a dog it was a Dalmatian, Who wouldn’t want a spotty dog?

Dylis Wed 29-Apr-26 20:16:42

I remember having a day off school to watch the wedding of Princess Anne to Captain Mark Phillips. I think it was public holiday!

JenniferEccles Wed 29-Apr-26 11:39:35

Oh yes Katie1949 the Beverly Hillbillies! I loved that programme so much!
I have recently read up about it. It was the top rated show for years apparently. Tv critics slated it but viewers loved it, and kept it at the top of the ratings.
The casting was spot on. Buddy Ebsen was already well known, and the other actors and actresses were perfect for their parts.

It’s still available to watch on YouTube, so I have caught up with the wonderful, innocent, non offensive humour, which in my view puts modern, so-called comedy to shame.

Celieanne86 Wed 29-Apr-26 10:51:51

After I was married we didn’t have a tv but mother and dad rented one from a local shop ten shillings a week and I used to go back home at lunch time from work to watch Noelle Gordon, I don’t know what the show was called but I enjoyed it and was often late going back to work. Then came Coronation street, two episodes a week, so went to mother and dad one night and hubbys parents the other night, think it was Wednesday and Friday. Then I heard about Redifusion and the dial on the wall which gave the programmes all for twelve and six a week, I went in the shop to book it at lunch time and it was all done and dusted next day. I remember teaching my children the letter for the bbc and itv, then play school, such memories, much more fun than today as we carefully selected the programmes to watch.

Dylis Wed 29-Apr-26 10:05:39

I loved White Horses and Folly foot., The Tellygoons, Twizzle, Torch and spotty dog on the Wooden Tops.
I never did get a pony of my own or a Dalmatian!

fancyflowers Wed 29-Apr-26 09:58:45

Crackerjack, Watch with Mother and later Dixon of Dock Green, The Black and White Minstrel Show, Benny Hill, Z Cars, Saturday Night at the London Pavilion and good old Coronation Street with Ena Sharples, Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst.

Chardy Wed 29-Apr-26 08:15:05

The Buccaneers is currently on the Talking Pictures Channel

albertina Sun 26-Apr-26 15:47:31

The Buccaneers for me. You were supposed to fancy Dan Tempest but I loved Captain Beamish.

LemonJam Sun 26-Apr-26 12:38:42

Andy Pandy, Watch with Mother, The Wooden Tops, Tales of the Riverbank (one of my favourites), Blue Peter, Dr Who and Crackerjack.

Black and white at first then colour from 1966 just in time for the World Cup match.

SORES Sun 26-Apr-26 11:25:00

The Brains Trust! although I didn’t understand
The Potters Wheel, a fill in whilst the BBC schedulers panicked

Garry Halloday, with Terence Longden, series about a pilot,
The Cabin in the Clearing with Ewen Solon, a pioneering family in the Americas,
Crackerjack!
Jacques Costeau
Hans and Lottie Hass
Billy Bunter
Robin Hood
Lone Ranger and Tonto
Lassie
The Black Tulip
Ivanhoe
Andy Williams Show

our tv was an ugly pieceof sturdy furniture, tiny curved screen, two little sliding doors to close over it

Lilyflower Sun 26-Apr-26 10:26:08

Torchy, the Little Battery Boy, when I was two.

Kate1949 Sat 25-Apr-26 14:17:45

Just remembered The Beverley Hillbillies. I can still remember all the words to the theme tune.

Z Cars
77 Sunset Strip - Cookie lend me your comb.

Primmy15 Fri 24-Apr-26 22:42:27

I fell in love with Richard Chamberlain in Dr Kildare on our black and white tv. I used to go to bed the same time as my younger sister and Mom would let me get up to watch it. As a family we also watched Emergency Ward 10, What's My Line, Double Your Money with Hughie Green and Z Cars.I also remember Lunch Box with Noele Gordon, Mom must have had it on when we went home for lunch, the tv was such a novelty in the 50's.

mae13 Fri 24-Apr-26 20:08:09

knspol

Does anybody remember a tea time, country type US programme about a man who worked on the railways and of course solved everybody's problems but often went back home to a lovely, home cooked meal of chicken dumplings? Think Waltons or Little House on the Prairies, that sort of thing. It's always stuck in my mind, especially the dumplings. Probably late 50's or early 60's.

Maybe 'Casey Jones'? A train driver in the pioneering Wild West who also seemed to find time to sort anything from broken hearts to bank robberies.

Harris27 Fri 24-Apr-26 20:03:20

We had a rented tv from redifusion there was @ little white box behind the curtains which you could switch the radio on. I loved bewitched Andy pandy and later play school. I’m 66.

WelshPoppy Fri 24-Apr-26 19:56:11

I remember watching Badgers Bend but no one else seems to remember it.

knspol Fri 24-Apr-26 19:47:47

Does anybody remember a tea time, country type US programme about a man who worked on the railways and of course solved everybody's problems but often went back home to a lovely, home cooked meal of chicken dumplings? Think Waltons or Little House on the Prairies, that sort of thing. It's always stuck in my mind, especially the dumplings. Probably late 50's or early 60's.

Vintagegirl Fri 24-Apr-26 19:00:34

Apart from the children's ones like Bill and Ben, I remember Lassie and The Lone Ranger in the 1950's Then there was Hans and Lottie Hass who did sealife documentaries and of course David Attenborough. Dixon of Dock Green and Zcars anyone?

Rocketstop2 Fri 24-Apr-26 18:40:24

Animal magic, Tales of the riverbank, all the usual 'Watch with Mother ' stuff previously mentioned up thread.
Can always remember my Nan always used to seem to be watching a film with Barbara Stanwyck in !!

Rocketstop2 Fri 24-Apr-26 18:38:09

ViceVersa

This thread has reminded me of the public information films of out youth - which were obviously designed to put the fear of god into us! I particularly remember the 'Lonely Water' one, which if I remember rightly was voiced by Donald Pleasence. There was also one with a boy climbing an electricity pylon to retrieve a kite and a fairly gruesome one in which a boy lost his legs after being hit by a train. Oh, and one with a child running on a beach which stopped just as they were about to run onto a broken bottle. Trying to think of some of the other ones...

Ooh yes I remember those, they served us well, but they wouldn't be allowed now cos that would mean telling children they couldn't DO things !! Also they WERE quite sinister and children now might have nightmares about them. we just had to get on with it !

mae13 Fri 24-Apr-26 18:28:00

1958-ish. "Watch With Mother", "Bill & Ben", "Rag, Tag and Bobtail" in stunning black and white and grey.

Until one of those clunky glass valves in the back of our Pete'o'Scott telly (with the 16" screen) went pop and that meant Dad had to phone the repairman from the telephone in his office - we didn't have the luxury of one at home - and then the TV would vanish to the workshop for a whole week......

So we were relegated to the radio and the Home Service until it's return.

Lizzie44 Fri 24-Apr-26 18:14:41

The Queen;s coronation in 1953. Dad hired a TV from Radio Rentals. He thought it was too risky to buy a set in case the "tube"broke which would have cost a fortune to replace. I remember all the family, uncles and aunties and the neighbours huddled together in front of the small screen in our living room with the curtains closed. We had flags and bunting decorating the outside of our house...... ironic really as I turned out to be very much a republican

Brighousejim Fri 24-Apr-26 17:26:32

The fist TV I saw was for the late Queens coronation, my gran rented one from radio rentals, as we lived on a bus route the screen became a snow storm when a bus went passed the house!

Brighousejim Fri 24-Apr-26 17:20:06

The first to I saw was for the late Queens coronation, my Gran rented a small to, we sat in the dark and as we lived on a bus route the picture became a snow storm when a bus went passed