Saturday 21 February 2009
Roxy Music - Some Things Last Forever - At Least In Soapland...
Picture the scene: it's the late 1970s and Suzie Birchall and Gail Potter of Coronation Street are working at Mike Baldwin's fashion shop, The Western Front. Mike wanted teenage girls to staff the shop as he thought they would, hopefully, know what the punters were "in to".
Oddly, Gail and Suzie often used to play severely out-of-date music, like Roxy Music's early '70s stuff, in the shop. Not something I ever heard when Sue, my older cousin, dragged me around real fashion shops in the late '70s...
Picture the scene: it's the mid-1980s, the setting is Tarrant, home of the boating saga Howards' Way, and local teens, wearing very "trendy" ripped clothes are having a boogie... to early '70s Roxy Music. That never happened at any disco I attended back then! (Incidentally, they followed it by hoofing it up to mid-'80s Robert Palmer - PURLEASE!!)
Picture the scene: it's Howards' Way, a fashion shoot, and the background music is a Bryan Ferry track from the mid-1980s...
Picture the scene: it's Beckindale, December 1984, and Archie and the local teens are listening to a Roxy Music compilation LP, including early '70s groover Love Is The Drug, and 1980 sensation Midnight Hour.
Picture the scene: it's the next day at Emmerdale Farm and Jack Sugden is doing the farm accounts and listening to the radio, which just happens to be belting out Roxy Music's 1980 hit, The Same Old Scene.
Picture the scene, it's Tarrant again...
I won't go on. But Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry tracks seemed to crop up an awful lot in our '70s and '80s serials. Much as I love the group and Mr F, and aware as I am that the group and Bryan Ferry as a solo artist had chart hits from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, they seemed to crop up more than was natural, particularly when it came to scenes involving teenagers - who might more realistically have been listening to The Fall or the latest synth epic.
I know there were copyright issues and Emmerdale Farm in the 1980s did make an effort to be modern, including snatches of Party Fears Two, Like To Get To Know You Well, various Sade hits, and Relax. I suppose Roxy/Bryan Ferry must have had an arrangement with UK telly producers which made their music an attractive proposition, but the band's back catalogue cropping up in two separate scenarios in one episode of Emmerdale Farm in 1984 did seem to be straining credibility more than a little!
"Ooh, Jack, not this bunch again - let's switch it off!"
Saturday 14 February 2009
Amos: When True Love Was Crushed By A Crushed Ukulele
"I might 'a' married Gillian Partridge. Aunt Emily thought I should 'a' done."
"Who were Gillian Partridge?" asked Mr Wilks.
"Oh, very talented, Mr Wilks, very talented!" said Amos. "You've not seen her like this side 'a' Bridlington!"
"Mmm, sounds very impressive - what did she do?" asked Mr Wilks.
"George Formby impersonations," said Amos.
"Oh dear!" Mr Wilks began to chuckle. Even Walter was smiling. But then neither was what you might call sensitive.
"She'd 'a' won that talent contest - if Uncle Arthur 'adn't sat on her ukulele!" continued Amos. "It were all his fault. He ruined what were likely to be a very fruitful relationship!"
And so, it seems, Amos' youthful dreams of romance were crushed.
Just like Gillian's ukulele.
Sheila Mercier - In Appreciation
Many thanks to Sheila. Her appearance was a tremendous tribute to Clive Hornby, and a great treat for us viewers.
Friday 13 February 2009
Tim Fee To Retire
1988: Begins work on Emmerdale (Farm) as Unit Manager - Sheila Mercier mentions this as his original job title in her autobiography, Annie's Song (1994)
1989: Tim is listed as "Production Supervisor" in the closing credits of a November episode I have on disc.
1994: Sheila Mercier refers to Tim's role as "Production Supervisor" in her autobiography.
1996: Listed as "Production Controller" in the closing credits of several episodes I have on disc from that year.
February 2002: Job title changed to Line Producer - discovered on-line:
Yorkshire TV executives have also announced that Tim Fee, Emmerdale's production controller is being given the new title of line producer to recognise even more fully 'his importance to the smooth running of Emmerdale'. 'As anyone who works on Emmerdale knows, Tim is at the heart of all that goes on there and played a key part in the smooth transition to five episodes a week,' says John Whiston.
...
Says Tim, who has worked on Emmerdale for 12 years: 'I'm thrilled to be supporting Steve in his new role and look forward to even more Emmerdale success, after taking the show to five-times-a-week with Kieran.' 'With the combination of Tim and Steve both Keith and myself are not just confident but excited about the future for Emmerdale and know that we've got a great team to take the show on from the excellent state that Kieran left it in,' says John Whiston.
http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Fee_Tim_32935649.aspx
(scroll down!)
Sheila Mercier wrote fondly of Tim in her autobiography, Annie's Song (1994):
"He has such a sunny disposition that it rubs off on everyone."
From all of us here at The Beckindale Bugle, we wish you a long and happy retirement, Tim!
Saturday 7 February 2009
The Funeral Of Jack Sugden - Farewell To An Emmerdale Favourite
Thursday 5 February 2009
1980: Clive Hornby - First Scenes As Jack Sugden
Clive's first scene as Jack was outside the farm.
He took a long look at the exterior of his family home, and then made his way to the kitchen door...
Jack's grandfather, Sam Pearson (Toke Townley), answered the door and, with a wink at Jack, said:
"Oh, Annie, it's the man from the travelling library!"
"Eh? They're not coming round door-to-door now, are they?" Annie was highly puzzled.
"Just trying to encourage more people to read, Mrs Sugden!" said Jack, stepping over the threshold.
Annie was delighted: "Jack! You're early! You were gonna phone! I was gonna come to meet you!"
Jack: "I 'ad to walk it, Ma."
Annie: "Oh! Nothing's ready, you know!"
Sam: " 'Course it is! Been ready for ages!"
Annie: "I didn't expect you to walk in like that! Oh, it's good to see you! You look well, I'll say that for you. Welcome home, lad!"
Sam: "Aye, welcome back, lad!"
More to follow on Jack's funeral at the weekend. In the meantime, for all those interested in Clive Hornby's opening decade as Jack Sugden, please look at our 'Jack Sugden' label here.
Tuesday 3 February 2009
A Warm Welcome At The Woolpack...
"There's always a warm welcome at The Woolpack"...
Hmmm...
Yes...
I see what they mean...
Walter enjoys a Woolpack warm welcome.
The Woolpack, with Amos as landlord, was never the most convivial place: in the first eight years of the show, Amos was dour and sour, a gossip and given to puffing himself up like a peacock. Who wanted to spend the evenings with the likes of him and pay for the privilege?!
In 1980, Ronald Magill took Amos up to a new peak - he became less dour, but louder, more animated, more fad-ridden, more pompous, more prickly, more nosey... more everything! The old Amos could display sound commonsense at times. The '80s Amos was usually absolutely bonkers! I believe that the arrival of Seth Armstrong as a full-time Woolpack regular, plus the arrival of Al Dixon as Walter, and Amos gaining an allotment - all events of 1980 - contributed enormously to Mr B's increased oddness.
But he was a sweet, innocent soul underneath. I suppose that's why we loved him.
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Why No Alan Turner?
Hassan asks: Why no Alan Turner in your 1980 and 1981 reviews so far?
Because he didn't arrive in Beckindale until March 1982, Hassan. Apparently, the plan was to feature the character for a few months, then NY Estates was to pull out of Beckindale and Alan would leave. But, of course, his on-screen rapport with Stan Richards as Seth Armstrong ("GET OUT, SETH!") and a certain child-like vulnerability about Mr Turner's character, coupled with a warm smile and twinkling eye, ensured that the character stayed on. No cardboard villain, this!
There is quite a lot of Alan Turner material on this blog - click here - and I have prepared a little chart of 1980s NY Estates managers below.
Sunday 25 January 2009
Jackie Merrick - Out Of Fashion?
Jackie Merrick must have been one of the most out of date teenagers in England in the early 1980s! He seemed to have hardly any clothes, and those that he did have, particularly those dreadful patched flares, made him look like he was off to Woodstock in 1969 - or to a tramps' convention! And yet he was into modern bands like Adam and the Ants!
Sandie ran him pretty close for the first couple of years. I know that Pat was hard-up, but no working class teenager I knew would have been seen dead in the clothes Jackie and Sandie wore in the early 1980s! If teenagers had actually been playing the roles, I'm sure they would have protested!
I see what you're saying, Cerys. I think the "Woodstock" flares stood out like a sore thumb when Ian Sharrock played scenes with other young male characters in their fashionable narrowed legged trousers post-1980. But to be fair, Jackie was mainly using the flares for work at that time. Meanwhile, Sandie seemed to be making an effort at fashion by late 1981 - and, let's face it, flares were still very common in 1980. They had been cutting edge in the late 1960s, stagnated in the 1970s, and there wasn't much dosh around for splashing out on new gear in the early 1980s.
A pal of mine recently watched a documentary about the football scene in 1980. Included was footage of fans queuing for a match and my friend tells me it looked like "Attack Of The Flaredy People"!! The queue was literally knee-deep in them!
Pat was financially hard-pressed, as you say, and the Emmerdale Farm wardrobe department was not exactly up-to-date (teenager Rosemary Kendall was not exactly a thrilling dresser in the mid-1970s). I was just glad to see some permanent teens in the show. And, hey, Jackie was making a bit of an effort for his courting of Angie Richards in 1983 - he took her for a drink at the ultra-trendy Woolpack and actually pushed up his coat sleeves - a very fashionable thing to do!
Emmerdale Farm - The Novels!
Tuesday 20 January 2009
The 1980s AND The 1990s?
I've had an e-mail from Karl:
I love your blog - it's informative, fun and packed with great pictures. Would you consider extending the Beckindale Bugle to cover the 1990s, as well as the 1980s? It would be great to see these two wonderful Emmerdale decades here.
I'd love to, Karl, but I didn't see a great deal of Emmerdale in the '90s for various reasons. The Bugle is written out of affection for the 1980s era in the show, which gave me lots of viewing pleasure.
Still, there's no doubt that the 1990s were a fascinating decade in the show. How about starting a 1990s Emmerdale blog yourself?
Thanks for your kind words about The Bugle. There's much more to come as we put 1981 and 1984 under the spotlight.