https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/ en Wed, 29 Jul 2026 22:02:28 GMT vBulletin 60 images/misc/rss.png https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/ https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/tv-movies/adverts/310480-u-k-kid-in-a-tiny-ufo-advert-1979-80-s Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:09:46 GMT
The advert showed a chid inside a very small round U.F.O, comically small. I seem to recall him in his garden, maybe his front garden as I remember a gate. The top had a see-through dome and you could see the kid inside it. I don't think it hovered, just moved along, so maybe the kid was shuffling the tiny vehicle along.

But there are patchy memories that it might have taken off after eating the sweet or product in question. Probably using strings to lift it, as this was no hi-tech advert.

The reason the advert stuck out to me is that I wanted the UFO. It had all controls in it and maybe blinking lights. Little peddle cars were quite a seller then. I believed I would be able to fly in it.

Thanks.]]> Adverts Creamy121 https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/tv-movies/adverts/310480-u-k-kid-in-a-tiny-ufo-advert-1979-80-s https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/people/gone-but-not-forgotten/310450-rip-ronnie-le-drew-zippy-s-puppeteer-on-rainbow Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:14:16 GMT I feel sorry for puppeteers when the puppet that they happen to be working with often gets more prominence on TV shows rather than they do (David Claridge who graduated from Mooncat to Roland Rat is a fine example of this), not to mention having to crouch down behind a desk so that they cannot be... I feel sorry for puppeteers when the puppet that they happen to be working with often gets more prominence on TV shows rather than they do (David Claridge who graduated from Mooncat to Roland Rat is a fine example of this), not to mention having to crouch down behind a desk so that they cannot be seen; but then again, by doing that, one tries not to spoil the illusion that the puppet they are working with is a real person or organism rather than a puppet (even if the mentions of: "Puppeteer" in the closing credits of the relevant children's TV show ruins the magical illusions to the younger viewer). No doubt that that puppeteers are almost like the viewers who watch their shows; except that they are heard and not seen. At least they can still be Equity members, the puppets as well hopefully. The thought of the puppeteer having their hands and fingers up somewhere unimaginable (which is the main explanation why they don't have legs) is something which we hardly ever concentrate on for a number of realistic reasons. I do believe that he was ambidextrious and operated both Zippy and George at the same time.

I always used to confuse Ronnie le Drew's name, (Zippy's puppeteer on Rainbow who has died aged 78, although one source says 79) with Danny la Rue because of their similarities in their names, and not because they are both (the puppets obviously) were a little bit camp. I also used to confuse le Drew with Roy Skelton who did Zippy and George's voice, and one obituary that I read prior to reading this one assumed that le Drew also did the Zip's voice; that might be the case but I always assumed that Skelton did that job, especially during the first half of the 1980s which was my "neck of the woods" age-wise. Skelton did Doctor Who's Daleks and le Drew didn't because Zippy and the Daleks sounded almost the same. Anyone asking why they never saw Zippy or George's legs on Rainbow, such as Children's ITV presenter Debbie Shore, (later Flint of the QVC Shopping Channel) was asked this question back in 1988 just after a Friday repeat of Rainbow, and not long after they had abandoned the monthly continuity presenter format idea, and Shore didn't know, but someone wrote to Rainbow Comic (a publication that I used to get between 1988 and 1993, fortnightly a la Private Eye and then weekly, and I was around twice the age of an average reader at the time), and asked the same question, whereas their response was that they were both shy (or that they had previously done modelling for Pretty Polly or Aristoc).

Zippy was Ronnie le Drew's bread and butter at the time; when Thames lost their franchise in 1992, le Drew was a victim of this due to Rainbow being axed (never mind the Recession going on back then); he was closer to travelling to his local Job Centre rather than the TV studios for work when the "pass the parcel" approach of biking or axing former Thames programmes in 1992 became more than apparent after the franchise loss. Even Granada got Sooty, and Anglia got the Cosgrove Hall animations courtesy of United News and Media. However, Tetra Films for HTV Wales managed to a couple of new series of Rainbow in the mid-1990s, and one assumes that le Drew was involved once again. At least he wasn't demoted to driving a taxi or stacking Winalot on shelves in Sainsbury's as an alternative to the DWP like his colleague Geoffrey Hayes had to resort to. I mentioned in Hayes' obituary in 2018 about my "deliberate school refusal, opting out of Art and PE lessons" affording me to see the Rainbow Show at the Nottingham Theatre Royal that afternoon at 2.00 pm GMT on Tuesday 21st November 1989; and I believe that although le Drew participated in the show, we didn't really see him for obvious reasons; a pity that I didn't book to see the second one a couple of years later. I believed that he also was "behind or underneath" Zippy in the Thames Christmas tape edition that was first shown on TV Offal in 1997.

A few Christmases ago, I received a copy of Zippy and Me, a sub-autobiographical book about why le Drew just happened to have his hands stuck up a cloth extension to a Liberal Democrat-coloured rugby ball / lemon sort of thing with teeth (because zips have teeth), and eyes that never even blinked or winked. It has been lying dormant on my bookcase just a few inches from where I am writing this, and I might finally get to have a read of it later on as a tribute. I also recommend that Rainbow book which was out in around 2002 and was written by Tim Randall (he is not to be confused with my former Gedling MP Tom Randall). Any Rainbow fan should have a copy of le Drew's book on their bookcase. Thank you Ronnie le Drew for bringing Zippy and George to life!

(By the way, off-topic I know, but I was sorry to hear about the demise of Bill Oddie as well - he did quite a few children's TV and schools programmes back then - now Graeme Garden is the sole-surviving Goodie).]]> Gone but not forgotten George 1978 https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/people/gone-but-not-forgotten/310450-rip-ronnie-le-drew-zippy-s-puppeteer-on-rainbow https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/tv-movies/movies/310430-can-you-help-me-find-this-movie Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:10:18 GMT
I’m a late 80’s UK baby but watched lots of older things like worzel gummige and Andy pandy(black and white) so the show could be older. I remember thinking it was old when I watched it in very early 90’s.

It was definitely live action pretty sure it was a made for tv movie. I had it on VHS and it was recorded from tv.

It was about a young boy(pretty sure he time travelled) who ends up being a wizard/sorcerer’s assistant/apprentice in a castle tower. The wizard was your stereotypical long white beard,tall hat and velvet robes(dumbledore/disney Merlin style)
Pretty sure he was trapped in the castle.
The main thing that I remember about it was that there was a huge fire breathing mechanical/metal robot dragon. You could see the rivets and stuff. I think it was on like wood and was rolled out of that makes sense. The rest of it seemed quite medieval.

I was sure it was called the magicians apprentice but I’ve never been able to find it.
It’s driven me mad for YEARS!

Ive already ruled out
Puddle lane
Through the Dragons eye
Dragon slayer
monster maker
Knightmare
Into the labyrinth
Time bandits]]> Movies Cherrybebop https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/tv-movies/movies/310430-can-you-help-me-find-this-movie https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/people/gone-but-not-forgotten/310318-rip-ann-widdecombe Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:40:27 GMT Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative MP and Brexit Party MEP has been found dead in Devon at the age of 78. I am not going to comment further into the news at the moment, but I can say that I was a Conservative Party member for 14 years and I very nearly had a chance to meet her in the late...
I am not going to comment further into the news at the moment, but I can say that I was a Conservative Party member for 14 years and I very nearly had a chance to meet her in the late 2000s when she attended a party function, and had it not been for my "Greta Garbo" shyness and anxiety of attending the party's events at the time, I would have met her through them.]]> Gone but not forgotten George 1978 https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/people/gone-but-not-forgotten/310318-rip-ann-widdecombe https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/people/gone-but-not-forgotten/310316-bonnie-tyler-r-i-p-%E2%80%94-1951-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:55:21 GMT The music world has lost one of its most distinctive voices with the passing of Bonnie Tyler at the age of 75. Some singers become famous because of their songs. Bonnie Tyler became unforgettable because of her voice. From the moment you heard those unmistakable husky vocals, there was never any...
Some singers become famous because of their songs. Bonnie Tyler became unforgettable because of her voice. From the moment you heard those unmistakable husky vocals, there was never any doubt who was singing. It was a sound unlike anyone else’s, full of emotion, power and character.

While Total Eclipse of the Heart will always be the song most closely associated with her, her career was far richer than a single hit. Lost in France, It’s a Heartache, Holding Out for a Hero, Faster Than the Speed of Night and If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man) remain timeless records that continue to resonate with listeners decades later.

What I always admired about Bonnie was that she never chased musical fashions. Whether she was recording country rock in the 1970s or delivering Jim Steinman’s larger-than-life anthems in the 1980s, she remained unmistakably Bonnie Tyler. Authenticity like that is rare, and it’s one of the reasons her music has endured.

For many of us, her songs are woven into our memories—heard on the radio, played at parties, sung along to in the car, or discovered on vinyl, cassette or CD. They weren’t just records; they became part of the soundtrack to our lives.

Although Bonnie Tyler has now taken her final bow, her extraordinary voice will never fall silent. It will continue to echo through the speakers of future generations, just as it has for the last fifty years.

Rest in peace, Bonnie. Thank you for the music, the memories, and for proving that sometimes one unique voice is all it takes to leave an everlasting mark on the world.]]> Gone but not forgotten TubThumper https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/culture/people/gone-but-not-forgotten/310316-bonnie-tyler-r-i-p-%E2%80%94-1951-2026 https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/toys-games/computer-games/310315-resident-evil-requiem Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:21:20 GMT
It seems Capcom has made the recent remakes canon. This therefore takes a massive dump on the OG ("legacy") of the entire franchise.

The game is generally okay, but it feels like they just did the story for nostalgia. Not to mention there is a villain in it called Zeno, who looks a lot like Wesker.

Like, Capcom. Why just recycle all of this stuff? Meh.

In fact, his voice actor was accused of domestic abuse, so he has been pulled from some upcoming convention as a result.]]> Computer games batman https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/toys-games/computer-games/310315-resident-evil-requiem https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/tv-movies/adverts/310286-can-anyone-identify-this-late-80s-early-90s-tv-advert-duke-of-earl Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:16:52 GMT I'm trying to identify a UK TV advert from the late 80s or early 90s (possibly earlier). I always thought it was for sausages, but I'm no longer certain.

It featured a man entering a boardroom (possibly greeting an older man with something like "Ey up, pater, how's tricks?", then doing a ridiculous chicken-like dance on his own to a version of Duke of Earl (not necessarily Gene Chandler's original recording).

The details may be slightly off after all these years, but both me and my brother are 100% certain about the silly dance to "Duke of Earl". Does anyone remember this advert?
]]> Adverts Mr Cocktail https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/forum/tv-movies/adverts/310286-can-anyone-identify-this-late-80s-early-90s-tv-advert-duke-of-earl