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As I have mentioned in the Hospital thread, I went into hospital for a scheduled operation back in June 1988 - I went in on the Wednesday and came out on the Saturday, but as you would gather, the experience was obviously so surreal and different to the norm of life that I was so used to - I believe that everyone feels like that when in hospital, but I was only nine years old at the time, so routine was even more paramount. Mind you, my summer term at school ended a month earlier because of my scheduled operation, and so my summer holidays started a month before everyone else's, giving me nearly two and a half months before I went back to school (well according to the consultant, the date that the recuperating at home ended, coincided with the start of the summer holidays anyway).
So, I was admitted to a children's ward (not very Great Ormond Street but it had to do), and it had one of those television sets on a stand - the ones that you had at school to see Look and Read and Words and Pictures on, and it provided an agreeable way of entertainment, information and education while the troops were limited to the Hoskins metal beds with some even having to use a portable tube / bottle thing because the nearest toilet might as well be a few miles down the road for the benefit of the bedridden guests.
I do remember what I saw on television in the hospital ward while I was there - courtesy of the Times Digital Archive, looking at the old television guides from June 1988, I revisit what I had probably watched on those days whilst in Bedpan Land:
On the Wednesday, I arrived at hospital at around 2.00 pm. I know that the Aled Jones show Chatterbox was on Children's ITV that day at 4.50 pm (a Kellogg's Frosties advert was in the ad break before it perhaps?), just before Winner Takes All (Tarby left in order to launch his Frame Game and left Geoffrey Wheeler in charge to host). Central was showing the Bionic Woman (the only ITV region to show it), and I do remember that as it was the fourth week of June, the nurses had closed the curtains while it was still light. The film Earthquake was on just before News at Ten. One of the nurses had switched the television off for the night during the film Hostage Flight which was shown on ITV after News at Ten. Very late indeed.
On the Thursday, I saw some of the schools programmes which had recently moved to Channel 4 (as I obviously didn't want to stay behind with schooling of course) - the series Start the Day and Gather Round were two of them. I might have watched one of the pre-recorded videos as well, before they gave me the anaesthetic mid-morning in preparation for my operation at 1.00 pm. I must have woken up from the operation at around 5.00 pm as the Children's ITV programme Panic Station was on, which I thought was quite apt considering the outcome of the operation! I might have seen Top of the Pops (The Pasadenas and Tribute (Right On) was in the charts) and probably Lingo (the five letter word game) and The Bill as well.
On the Friday, I saw that day edition of Rainbow at 11.10 am (even though I was a bit old for it even then but I didn't care back then and I still don't) - it was on an hour early because of schools programmes moving to Channel 4 and This Morning not starting until October of that year. Had fish and chips but had couldn't finish it as I was "nil by mouth" for a second operation. Through the Keyhole and the Athletics were on (in the days when it moved to Channel 4 at 9.00 pm). I do know that a repeat of the TVS Jill Gascoigne series CATS Eyes was on ITV at 9.00 pm as I was transferred from one ward to another in a wheelchair via a lift, and when I came back, that was on the television.
On the Saturday, I didn't watch much television as I was about to be discharged. Got a taxi home, and saw Tarby's Frame Game in the evening, but a bit closer to my own bed rather an a Hoskins one.
Does anyone remember watching television in their hospital ward while being a patient, and does anyone actually remember what programmes were on at the time? (By the way, I have not quoted this from diary entries written at the time, but from vague memories and looking at TV Guides).
So, I was admitted to a children's ward (not very Great Ormond Street but it had to do), and it had one of those television sets on a stand - the ones that you had at school to see Look and Read and Words and Pictures on, and it provided an agreeable way of entertainment, information and education while the troops were limited to the Hoskins metal beds with some even having to use a portable tube / bottle thing because the nearest toilet might as well be a few miles down the road for the benefit of the bedridden guests.
I do remember what I saw on television in the hospital ward while I was there - courtesy of the Times Digital Archive, looking at the old television guides from June 1988, I revisit what I had probably watched on those days whilst in Bedpan Land:
On the Wednesday, I arrived at hospital at around 2.00 pm. I know that the Aled Jones show Chatterbox was on Children's ITV that day at 4.50 pm (a Kellogg's Frosties advert was in the ad break before it perhaps?), just before Winner Takes All (Tarby left in order to launch his Frame Game and left Geoffrey Wheeler in charge to host). Central was showing the Bionic Woman (the only ITV region to show it), and I do remember that as it was the fourth week of June, the nurses had closed the curtains while it was still light. The film Earthquake was on just before News at Ten. One of the nurses had switched the television off for the night during the film Hostage Flight which was shown on ITV after News at Ten. Very late indeed.
On the Thursday, I saw some of the schools programmes which had recently moved to Channel 4 (as I obviously didn't want to stay behind with schooling of course) - the series Start the Day and Gather Round were two of them. I might have watched one of the pre-recorded videos as well, before they gave me the anaesthetic mid-morning in preparation for my operation at 1.00 pm. I must have woken up from the operation at around 5.00 pm as the Children's ITV programme Panic Station was on, which I thought was quite apt considering the outcome of the operation! I might have seen Top of the Pops (The Pasadenas and Tribute (Right On) was in the charts) and probably Lingo (the five letter word game) and The Bill as well.
On the Friday, I saw that day edition of Rainbow at 11.10 am (even though I was a bit old for it even then but I didn't care back then and I still don't) - it was on an hour early because of schools programmes moving to Channel 4 and This Morning not starting until October of that year. Had fish and chips but had couldn't finish it as I was "nil by mouth" for a second operation. Through the Keyhole and the Athletics were on (in the days when it moved to Channel 4 at 9.00 pm). I do know that a repeat of the TVS Jill Gascoigne series CATS Eyes was on ITV at 9.00 pm as I was transferred from one ward to another in a wheelchair via a lift, and when I came back, that was on the television.
On the Saturday, I didn't watch much television as I was about to be discharged. Got a taxi home, and saw Tarby's Frame Game in the evening, but a bit closer to my own bed rather an a Hoskins one.
Does anyone remember watching television in their hospital ward while being a patient, and does anyone actually remember what programmes were on at the time? (By the way, I have not quoted this from diary entries written at the time, but from vague memories and looking at TV Guides).
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