Christmas TV

[akb48fan]

There's no doubt in my mind that Christmas TV especially during the golden era of the 70's was so much better than what is shown these days. Is it just me wallowing in nostalgia or has the Christmas TV schedules gone down over the past 20 years or so? Didn't BBC2 used to show classic comedies of Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and even Laurel & Hardy in the morning over the holidays? What a great start to a day that was. Why aren't they shown anymore? What's happened to variety over the holiday period? James Bond movies used to be special as you know they would only be shown over the holidays, now they're shown over the whole year.

Would you rather sit down and rewatch the entire BBC1 Christmas Day 1977 schedule from morning till closedown or are you happy enough with what's shown now? I don't have to think twice about that one.

[darren]

Re: Christmas TV

HERE IS THE TV LISTINGS FROM 1977 CHRISTMAS DAY.



Christmas Day 1977 - Sunday 25th December 1977 - BBC-1 Television
8:55am Star Over Bethlehem, Christmas music
9:55am Playboard
10:10am Appeal, Wells Cathedral
10:15am Christmas Worship from All Saints Parish Church, Kingston-upon-Thames
11:15am The Bear who Slept through Christmas (cartoon film)
11:40am National Velvet (film) starring Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney
1:40pm Are You Being Served?
2:10pm Top of the Pops '77 (part 1)
3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
3:05pm Billy Smart's Christmas Circus
4:05pm The Wizard of Oz (film) starring Judy Garland
5:45pm Basil Through the Looking Glass, with Basil Brush and Howard Williams
6:15pm News
6:25pm Family Carols from the Albert Hall
7:15pm Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game
8:20pm The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show
8:55pm The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show
10:00pm News
10:05pm Funny Girl (film) starring Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif
12:30pm Weather

Christmas Day 1977 - Sunday 25th December 1977 - BBC-2 Television
12:45pm Sing All Ye Faithful: Carols from St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill
1:30pm News Review presents a continental holiday with deaf children
2:15pm The World About Us: The Predators (wildlife film)
3:00pm Alpha Omega (cartoon)
3:10pm The Lively Arts-in Performance: Coppelia, ballet, music by Delibes
4:40pm In Deepest Britain: Plants and animals by the sea
5:10pm Celebration: Portrait of the Queen's summer Jubilee tour
5:40pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
5:50pm Storm Boy (film) starring Greg Rowe, Peter Cummins, David Gulpilil
7:15pm Thanks for the Memory: The viewer's view of television
9:35pm Christmas Past, introduced by James Cameron
10:05pm Country Holiday: Music with Crystal Gayle, Larry Gatlin, George Hamilton IV, Pete Sayers
10:50pm News
10:55-12:45am The Big Sleep (film) starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall (b-w)

Christmas Day 1977 - Sunday 25th December 1977 - ITV - London Weekend Television (LWT)
8:45am Carol Concert, from Wells Cathedral
9:45am Cartoons
10:00am Parish Mass, from Our Lady of St Oswin's Tynemouth
11:00am A Merry Morning, with Jimmy Tarbuck, Guy Kent, The Wurzels, Roger Stevenson
11:45am Cartoons
12noon Robinson Crusoe and the Tiger (film) starring Hugo Stiglitz
2:00pm Just William
3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
3:10pm To See Such Fun: Four decades of film fun
4:40pm Emu's Christmas Adventure
5:40pm News
5:45pm The Muppet Show: with Julie Andrews
6:15pm Sale of the Century
6:40pm Stars on Christmas Sunday: Bing Crosby, Gracie Fields, Mary O'Hara, Harry Secombe
7:15pm Young Winston (1972 film) starring Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft, Simon Ward
10:05pm News
10:05pm Stanley Baxter's Greatest Hits (repeat)
11:30pm Celebration: The Joys of Christmas in Words and Music
12:30am Christmas Message from the Archbishop of Cantebury

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PERHAPS ONE REASON THEY ARE NOT SHOWN NOW IS THE BBC HAVE WIPED THEM FROM THERE OLD REELS.
THAT WAS QUITE COMMON BACK THEN.

OR THE TV COMPANIES JUST THINK IT WOULD NOT APPEAL TO KIDS ETC NOW.

[Richard1978]

Re: Christmas TV

I think it's changes in viewing habits over the years.

Old films normally only appeal to film buffs, & variety shows are one of those things that became stale by the 1970s & never had a retro following unless it's for charity.

With DVD & Blu Ray along with dedicated film channels & on demand services film premiers don't have the same pulling power.

[akb48fan]

Re: Christmas TV

Thanks for the Christmas Day 1977 TV listings Darren. Much appreciated.

[staffslad]

Re: Christmas TV

I think I would sit through the 1977 schedule over what is on today. But I think it's right that viewing habits have changed tremendously thanks to the internet and on-demand services. The big audiences BBC and ITV used to get are now diluted by dozens of other channels plus watching catch-up. It makes me wonder if the traditional TV schedule that we have had up till now will survive the next 40 years. Maybe by then the current model will have ceased to exist or be very much more diluted and most will be creating their own schedules via the internet.

[Moonraker]

Re: Christmas TV

The Marx Brothers was also aired during Christmas.

[akb48fan]

Re: Christmas TV

There was an article a couple of years ago in The Guardian newspaper that lamented the sorry state of Christmas TV and blamed it all on Thatcher!! Basically it was saying it was her fault for destroying the gentler and more family orientated TV programmes of the 70's and starting the more aggressive and nastier style of programming we have now such as alternative comedy and The Apprentice for example that encourage people to stab each other in the back.

[zabadak]

Re: Christmas TV

Thanks for the Christmas Day 1977 TV listings Darren. Much appreciated.

ITV was pants then and it's pants now! BBC were so much better at Xmas!

[Richard1978]

Re: Christmas TV

My family rarely watches ITV on Xmas day, normally only if there is a film we want to watch or something decent like Downton Abbey.

[staffslad]

Re: Christmas TV

I haven't watched Christmas Day telly for years now. I look at the schedules to see what's on just in case, but little interests me.

[80sChav]

Re: Christmas TV

Some Xmas Days in Recent times have brought good offerings of a few Programmes I like but not more than say 4 at the most
!!

This has been a pattern for me - each year we had 1 to 4 great shows I think - take Only Fools and Horses, Bread, The 2 Ronnies but a lot too has been shown not on Xmas Day itself, which does'nt give a full opinion of Xmas Day Showings I think
80sChav

[darren]

Re: Christmas TV

CHRISTMAS DAY 1978

Christmas Day 1978 - Monday 25th December 1978 - BBC-1 Television
8:55pm Christmas Carols from Cambridge (a repeat of last nights programme on BBC2)
9:50am The Flumps
10:05am Christmas Day Worship: from Knutsford Methodist Church, Cheshire
11:05am The Spinners at Christmas: from a Dickensian Street at York Museum
11:35am Clambake (1967 film) starring Elvis Presley
1:10pm Holiday on Ice: introduced by Brian Matthew
2:00pm Top of the Pops '78: introduced by Noel Edmonds, with dancers Legs & Co
3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
3:20pm Larry Grayson's Generation Game: with Isal St Clair
4:20pm The Sound of Music (1965 film) starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
7:10pm Evening News, with Peter Woods
7:15pm Some Mothers do 'Ave 'Em: Michael Crawford, Michele Dotrice
8:00pm The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show: guests Abba, with Janet Brown
8:45pm True Grit, a Further Adventure (TV film) starring Warren Oates
10:20pm News, with Peter Woods
10:30pm Parkinison at the Pantomime: Michael Parkinson and guest Arthur Askey
11:35-12:10am Christmas Ghost Story: Ice House

Christmas Day 1978 - Monday 25th December 1978 - BBC-2 Television
11:05-11:30am Play School: presenters Sarah Long, Don Spencer
2:30pm Sounds of Christmas: from the Royal Albert Hall, London
3:20pm The Snow Queen: A fairytale for television
4:20pm Christmas Matinée: Dersu Uzala (1975 Russian film with English subtitles) staring Maksim Munzuk
6:35pm Magoo on 2
6:40pm Baker on Board: Richard Baker
7:15pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
7:35pm Anne Hughes: starring Elin Jenkins
8:35pm News on 2
8:45pm The Count of Monte Cristo: Music by Franz Lehar, (sung in German with English subtitles)
10:20pm The King's Singers: Sing Christmas
10:50pm Swing Time (1936 film) starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (b-w)
12:30-12:50am Late Night Story: Tom Baker reads The Emisary by Ray Bradbury

Christmas Day 1978 - Monday 25th December 1978 - ITV - Thames Television (London)
8:45am The Christmas Story
9:00am The Wotsit from Whizz-bang: Enter the wotsit
9:10am Pipkins
9:25am Christmas Clapperboard: with Chris Kelly
10:00am A Merry Morning: with Jimmy Tarbuck, Animal Kwackers, Mike Harding, Ward Allen
from the National Children's Home, Harrogate, Yorkshire
10:45am The Christmas Morning Service: from St. George's Chapel, Windsor
12:00noon Living Free (1972 film) starring Nigel Davenport, Susan Hampshire
1:30pm Crossroads
2:00pm 3-2-1: host Ted Rogers, guests Jack Douglas, Duggie Brown, Chris Emmett
celebrity couples: Terry Wogan, Clodagh Rodgers, Pat Coombs, Mike Channon, and Rachel Heyhoe Flint, play for charity
3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
3:20pm Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973 film) starring Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins
4:55pm Billy Smart's Christmas Circus
6:05pm ITN News
6:15pm The Muppet Show: guest Danny Kaye
6:45pm Diamonds Are Forever (1971 James Bond film) starring Sean Connery, Jill St. John
9:00pm The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show: guests Leonard Rossiter, Frank Finlay, Syd Lawrence and his Orchestra
10:15pm This is Your Life: with Eamonn Andrews
11:00pm ITN News
11:10pm Ghost Story: starring Larry Dann, Vivian Mackerall, Murray Melvin
with: Marianne Faithfull, Penelope Keith, Barbara Shelley
12:30-12:45am Meditation: Bed Time Story by C.P. Taylor. A one-act play for Christmas.

[Mulletino]

Re: Christmas TV

I guess the big difference now is that beck then people didn't have Video Recorders, so what we watched was governed by what was broadcast. So the Xmas lineup would have been a treat indeed! (I always remember having Christmas Dinner while Billy Smart's Circus was on). Nowadays not only do we have the ability to record TV but also many channels, and many formats available to watch whatever we like. The magic of TV has kind of been ruined by technology.

[darren]

Re: Christmas TV

AKB48FAN DO YOU AGREE WITH THE GUARDIANS ARTICLE.


Christmas Day 1979 - Tuesday 25th December 1979 - BBC-1 Television
9:00am Star over Bethlehem (repeat of last night's programme)
10:00am Morning Service: The young children of Christ Church, Llanedeyrn, Cardiff
11:00am Bagpuss
11:15am The Spinners at Christmas, from Thoresby Hall on the edge of Sherwood Forest
11:45am Black Beauty (1971 film) starring Mark Lester
1:30pm John Curry: Ice Skating from Queens Ice Skating Club in London
2:00pm Top of the Pops '79 (part 1)
3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
3:20pm Larry Grayson's Generation Game, with Isla St. Clair
4:20pm The Gnome-Mobile (1966 Disney film) starring Tom Lowell, Walter Brennan
5:45pm News, with Peter Woods
5:50pm Blankety Blank, with Wendy Craig, Patrick Moore, Beryl Reid, Kenny Everett
6:30pm All Creatures Great and Small (first in new series)
7:20pm The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show
8:00pm To The Manor Born: Christmas Special
8:30pm The Sting (1973 film) staring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
10:45pm Parkinson at Christmas, with Barry Humphries
12:05am Close Down

Christmas Day 1979 - Tuesday 25th December 1979 - BBC-2 Television
11:00-11:25am Play School
3:00pm A Hard Day's Night (1964 film) starring The Beatles (b-w)
4:25pm Christmas Day Concert from Amsterdam
5:30pm A Christmas Carol, with Michael Hordern, John Le Mesurier (repeat)
6:30pm Baboushka, music by Donald Swann
7:20pm News and Weather
7:30pm The Front Garden
8:30pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
8:50pm Sutherland and Pavarotti in Recital, from the Lincoln Center, New York
10:05pm Face the Music: Joyce Grenfall (last appearance before her recent death), David Attenborough,
Robin Ray, guest Sir Robert Mayer
10:45-12:50am Cabaret (1972 film) starring Liza Minelli, Michael York, Joel Gray





Christmas Day 1979 - Tuesday 25th December 1979 - ITV - Thames Television (London)
8:45am Beautiful Morning: Carols from the choir of St. Winifred's School, Stockport, Cheshire, with Burl Ives
9:00am The Christmas Story: told by Paul Copley
9:15am A Merry Morning: Songs and Comedy with, Jimmy Tarbuck, Animal Kwackers and others,
from the National Children's Home, Harrogate
10:00am Christmas Morning Service: from Harpenden Methodist Church, Hertfordshire
11:00am Lassie (1978 TV film) with John Reilly
12:45pm Walt Disney Classics (cartoons)
1:00pm Christmas Oh Boy: Hit Songs of the 1950s and 1960s, sung by Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, Billy Hartman and others
1:30pm Crossroads
2:00pm Star Games: Grand finale, Comedy Stars v. TV Presenters
3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth
3:15pm Goldfinger (1964 James Bond film) starring Sean Connery
5:10pm News
5:15pm 3-2-1: Christmas edition, guests Terry Scott, Bill Maynard, Wilfrid Brambell
6:15pm George and Mildred
6:45pm The Three Musketeers (1973 film) starring Michael York, Oliver Reed
8:45pm Christmas with Eric and Ernie, guests David Frost, Glenda Jackson
9:45pm This Is Your Life Special
10:30pm News
10:40pm Cleo Laine: Cleo's Christmas
11:40pm Mystery at Love House (film) starring Robert Wagner, Sylvia Sidney, Joan Blondell, Dorothy Lamour, John Carradine
1:00am A Child is Born: Christmas chants from the monks of Farnborough Abbey, Hants.

[zabadak]

Re: Christmas TV

I guess the big difference now is that beck then people didn't have Video Recorders

Also only three channels back then...