Bank Holiday television

[George 1978]

I was rather surprised to see from my TV Guide magazine that ITV have got Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday in the afternoon - the original Gene Wilder film from 1971, while BBC 1 have got normal weekday programmes on at that time, but BBC 2 have got the Guys and Dolls on - step forward Brando and Sinatra! Pity that they have This Morning on as usual in the morning (natch) and as recently as a few years ago that was also given a day off for family films - I was concerned as a result that it made its first appearance on Christmas Day last year. I know that people have DVDs with films on them; people go to the cinemas (which I believe will be opening again soon if they haven't done so already); as well as the movie channels on Sky and Freeview, but it wasn't the same as it was in the 1980s and 1990s.

I remember reading about complaints elsewhere that run of the mill series like Murder, She Wrote were being seen on a Bank Holiday Monday schedule, and comments like they would have preferred to have seen Angela Lansbury in something lie Bedknobs and Broomsticks - I know that it got an August Bank Holiday slot in 2004 (my birthday incidentally just like this year), even if I was visiting the Newlyn Fish Festival in Cornwall on that day! What has improved was the Saturday afternoon-alike coverage of sport on BBC 1 and ITV which thankfully has gone now, (probably around the time when World of Sport was axed), but I am certain that horse racing still gets shown in that slot now and again.

At least when it comes to the May Day Bank Holiday a few weeks ago, one has the World Snooker Final to fall back on, but apart from that, Bank Holidays seem to be a normal affair with "business as usual" programmes - even the odd James Bond and Superman films would turn up here. Turn the clock back to the late 1980s and we had the ITV Telethon on the same Bank Holiday, raising money for charity, and even I donated £5 to Telethon as a goodwill gesture. This is why I look forward to events like Christmas and Royal Weddings - at least if it is a Bank Holiday, you are guaranteed to have special programmes on to keep you amused.

Bank Holiday television ain't quite what it used to be, do you agree?

[Semi42]

Certainly do agree
i always looked forward to Disney time usually shown on Bank Hols

[tex]

You make the point George that everybody has dvds which these days can be picked up for a quid each but i think the plethora of streaming platforms is another reason programme schedulers seem like they can't be bothered showing what at one time would have been considered a treat on a bank holiday. Bond was considered a staple of any bank holiday but you can practically switch your tv on anytime and find a Bond film is showing, the magic is gone as we have become a nation of "on demand" gluttons. I can literally switch on my ahem...."customised" fire stick and watch anything at anytime.

[W1 Rover]

I was rather surprised to see from my TV Guide magazine that ITV have got Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday in the afternoon - the original Gene Wilder film from 1971, while BBC 1 have got normal weekday programmes on at that time, but BBC 2 have got the Guys and Dolls on - step forward Brando and Sinatra! Pity that they have This Morning on as usual in the morning (natch) and as recently as a few years ago that was also given a day off for family films - I was concerned as a result that it made its first appearance on Christmas Day last year. I know that people have DVDs with films on them; people go to the cinemas (which I believe will be opening again soon if they haven't done so already); as well as the movie channels on Sky and Freeview, but it wasn't the same as it was in the 1980s and 1990s.

I remember reading about complaints elsewhere that run of the mill series like Murder, She Wrote were being seen on a Bank Holiday Monday schedule, and comments like they would have preferred to have seen Angela Lansbury in something lie Bedknobs and Broomsticks - I know that it got an August Bank Holiday slot in 2004 (my birthday incidentally just like this year), even if I was visiting the Newlyn Fish Festival in Cornwall on that day! What has improved was the Saturday afternoon-alike coverage of sport on BBC 1 and ITV which thankfully has gone now, (probably around the time when World of Sport was axed), but I am certain that horse racing still gets shown in that slot now and again.

At least when it comes to the May Day Bank Holiday a few weeks ago, one has the World Snooker Final to fall back on, but apart from that, Bank Holidays seem to be a normal affair with "business as usual" programmes - even the odd James Bond and Superman films would turn up here. Turn the clock back to the late 1980s and we had the ITV Telethon on the same Bank Holiday, raising money for charity, and even I donated £5 to Telethon as a goodwill gesture. This is why I look forward to events like Christmas and Royal Weddings - at least if it is a Bank Holiday, you are guaranteed to have special programmes on to keep you amused.

Bank Holiday television ain't quite what it used to be, do you agree?

People's expectations have changed George. It's largely no longer the case that famillies huddle around the box and share the experience of Bank Holiday viewing as they might have done in the past. It was almost a ritual and I say that in the nicest possible way. The old films remain the same, it's us that have moved on.

[George 1978]

People's expectations have changed George. It's largely no longer the case that families huddle around the box and share the experience of Bank Holiday viewing as they might have done in the past. It was almost a ritual and I say that in the nicest possible way. The old films remain the same, it's us that have moved on.

I have to admit that I do miss that "the whole family does everything together" aspect of British life - as someone who has traditional views, I do miss that. But of course, variety is indeed the spice of life and what one person likes, the other person doesn't like.

I suppose that Sunday opening of shops is one example - however, I think that going to B&Q or Ikea on a Sunday to do some DIY or garden shopping is better than the pre Sunday Trading Act 1994 and staying at home with nothing to do because no shops are open. I prefer the shops being open on Sunday rather than the 1980s and before.

Kudos to ITV for showing Willy Wonka however - all I can say is that this year, the August Bank Holiday is on my birthday, and so I will certainly be making plans to be entertained on that day! (and no COVID situation will hopefully ruin my plans).

[George 1978]

Returning to this thread, (I was going to start a generic thread about Bank Holidays in another part of this forum, but I think that it can go here instead); I have had a look at the TV schedules for Easter Monday - Guys and Dolls is on again, but it is on Channel 4 this time. ITV 3 have got Carry On films on (which I don't mind as one of them happens to be Carry On Again, Doctor). One of the movie channels has down in the 300s of the Sky EPG has Lawrence of Arabia - a film which is so long in duration that I wouldn't have bothered recording it on a VCR unless it had an LP function on it.

Bank Holidays can have special programmes on that day by default - I refer to the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral last year (who would have known this time last year that Monday 19th September would have been a Bank Holiday? - no one would have) - that and also her Platinum Jubilee coverage - when the Bank Holidays were on the Thursday and Friday. It will also be interesting what the King Charles III Coronation Bank Holiday weekend schedules will be like - the irony of an episode of Coronation Street will be on there of course on Saturday 6th May! Snooker fans probably worship the May Day Bank Holiday most years, and I regard it as a tradition in any case.

Last week, I emailed a few TV stations, asking whether any of them had the rights to a certain film that had not been seen on terrestrial television since 2004, and that I would like to see again, and it seems that none of them seem to know any of the wiser - the same film was a post-Queen's Christmas Message at 3.10 pm on Christmas Day one year. As we have quite a few Bank Holidays coming up in May, it gives food for thought with so many channels that at least one of them could show it again.

Otherwise, I might abdicate from the TV set just for one day and listen to the radio instead - or even go out on the bus for a McDonalds.

[George 1978]

It's also worth giving mention to the weekend of HM King Charles III's Coronation; the event itself is on the Saturday (with a "night before" preview on the Friday evening); and special "street parties around the UK"-type programmes (including a special Songs of Praise) on the Sunday afternoon, with the concert in the evening.

Although there are no Coronation-related programmes on the Bank Holiday Monday 8th May (obviously in lieu of Saturday), the only difference on that day are shortened news bulletins (20 minutes instead of 30) on BBC One, and a couple of Eurovision Song Contest previews in the evening. Still, I would like to very much regard the Monday as part of that weekend. The Saturday and Sunday are obviously enough to uphold interest for the Monday.