Radio Times / TV Times Covers

[Susan Foreman]

TVTimes from June 1974, and Jon Pertwee asks the question... "WHO-dunnit"!

Good to see a nice bouffant there!

[Susan Foreman]

No date is given, but I assume this is the Christmas / New Year edition of the TVTimes from December 1980 - a new series of 'Sapphire And Steel' began on January 6th, 1981

[Susan Foreman]

September / October 1978, and the TVTimes cover features Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke, in the promotion for a new series called 'Fantasy Island'

[Susan Foreman]

17th September, 1971

52 years ago today, the first episode of 'The Persuaders' was broadcast on ITV

[Susan Foreman]

30th September, 1967

"Mrs Peel! We're needed!!". 56 years ago, Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg returned to our television screens as 'The Avengers' (following a 4 month break) with the episode 'Return Of The Cybernauts'

It should be noted, however, that the episode had already been broadcast in the Scottish Grampion region 3 days earlier, on the 27th September

[Susan Foreman]

1st November, 1980

40 years ago, the third series of 'Worzel Gummidge' started on ITV, with Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs on the front cover

[Susan Foreman]

29th January, 1966 - 58 years ago today, Jeremy Brett appeared in a 'Mystery And Imagination' play entitled 'The Lost Stradivarius'

[Susan Foreman]

31st January, 1976 - 48 years ago today, the ITV region screened 'Children Of The Damned' (1964) as its late night horror film

[Susan Foreman]

The Radio Times for the period December 17 - December 30, 1994

While the cover is unremarkable and probably of no interest to us, what *is* important is what is contained inside

On December 17 1994, BBC2 had one of their 'theme nights'. This particular one was entitled 'weird night' and has been described as Fortean Times on television years before the 'Fortean TV' documentary programme began in 1997

'Weird Night' began at 20:35 and continued for the following 11 hours. Yes - 11 straight hours of strange television documentaries, series episodes and films

The full schedule for the extravaganza was:

20:35 : Weird Night

Cult director Roger Corman introduces the night's forthcoming weird programmes.

20:40: The Fortean Review of the Year

A month-by-month tourthrough 1994's most bizarre events from around the world. Including a shoal of fish falling on a pub in Australia and an outbreak of fainting Egyptian schoolgirls

21:05: Strange Days

Coincidences. First of three programmes featuring ordinary people with first-hand accounts of extraordinary incidents.

21:15: The Last American Freakshow

Follow the final tour of impressario Ward Hall, the "Ziegfield of the Cornfield", who has been bringing the strange and bizarre to middle America for the last 50 years.

22:00: Strange Days

Visions. Another peculiar incident.

22:10: W S H -the Myth of the Urban Myth

Documentary-drama. American professor of folklore Charles Paulson Pulling is convinced that all those tales about vanishing hitch-hikers are strange but false. However, as he recalls an increasingly dark series of events during the last 12 months of his life, his reassuring view of the world begins to fall apart.

23:00: The X Files

Fire. Mulder and Scully are pursuing a pyromaniac, when Mulder's ex-girlfriend arrives and ignites a burning jealousy in Scully. [This episode had been banned and this was the first time it had been screened]

23:45: Strange Days

Beasts. Last of three programmes featuring tales of odd occurences.

23:50: Weird Thoughts

A discussion that explores the nature of superstition and exposes our fascination with the unexplainable

And then we got to the films...

00:30: Martin

Is 17-year-old Martin the supernatural, blood-sucking fiend he believes himself to be. or is there another equally terrifying explanation?

02:00: The Grandmother

An early work by acclaimed director David Lynch. An abused and neglected boy plants some mysterious seeds and they grow into a loving grandmother.

02:35: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

Dr Xavier is conducting a series of experiments in his search to give x-ray vision to the human eye, but things begin to go terribly wrong.

03:50: Strange Holiday

A businessman returns from a trip to find the government has been taken over by fascists.

04:50: Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

A wealthy woman runs into aliens in the desert and grows to giant size. Enraged by her husband's philandering she goes on the rampage.

06:00: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Weird Night concludes with this comedy starring Pee-Wee Herman. The best bike in the world has been stolen and owner Pee-Wee is prepared to endure anything to get it back.

Can you imagine having a single channel produce an evenings line-up like this nowadays?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

The Radio Times for the period December 17 - December 30, 1994

This cover was reproduced for Christmas 2011 by Doctor Who Magazine to promote that years Christmas special The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.