Welcome back to My 70s TV Childhood! In this episode, I celebrate one of the most beloved characters in British television history, Basil Brush. He was a fox, a puppet, a national treasure, and a firm Saturday teatime favourite for millions of families throughout the 1970s.

But first, I have some exciting news about our My 70s TV Childhood quiz game, which is now in pre-production. If you'd like to register your interest in buying one, please visit www.my70stvchildhood.com and let us know!

💬 What to Expect:

The Birth of Basil: I trace Basil's origins back to 1962 when Peter Firmin, yes, the man behind the Clangers and Bagpuss, first created a fox glove puppet for a show called The Three Scampis.

David Nixon and the Sidekick Years: Basil's early days as a sidekick to the great TV magician David Nixon, and how the little fox kept upstaging his partner.

The Basil Brush Show: From 1968 onwards, Basil had his own Saturday teatime show, and I look at the format that made it such a family favourite, from the comedy sketches to the musical guests and story time.

Ivan Owen, the Man Behind the Fox: I celebrate the extraordinary puppeteer and voice artist who brought Basil to life and who kept such a low profile that he never gave a television interview, because he didn't want to break the spell.

Mr Derek, Mr Roy and the Companions: I remember the brilliant straight men who worked alongside Basil, from Derek Fowlds to Roy North, and the chemistry that made the show so special.

Musical Guests and Story Time: From Petula Clark to Demis Roussos, the top artists who queued up to perform alongside Basil, and the wonderful story time segments featuring Basil's ancestors and relatives.

Do you remember the Basil Brush Show? Was your family watching and laughing together on a Saturday teatime? Get in touch and let me know!

Take care,

Oliver

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This week we’re heading into space. Round One is all about the worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, UFO, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999.

Strap in.

What to Expect:

Round 1: Race Into Space – Five questions on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s sci-fi worlds. A quick note: some of the shows referred to were made in the 1960s but were regularly shown throughout the 1970s.

Round 2: Marathon/Fil Rouge – Questions drawn from our back catalogue of over 200 episodes. Have you been paying attention?

Round 3: Name That Tune (1975) – Five theme tunes from shows first broadcast in 1975. You’ll need to listen to the podcast for this one!

Round 4: TV Times – General 70s telly knowledge.

Bonus Question – One final challenge to separate the casual viewers from the true 70s TV obsessives.

Grab a pen and paper, settle in with your favourite brew, and let’s see how many you can get right!

Send your score to: quiz@my70stvchildhood.com

Take the quiz on our blog: https://www.my70stvchildhood.com

Take care,

Oliver

AND.... 🎲 Exciting News – The My 70s TV Childhood Board Game!

We have been working on something very exciting behind the scenes.

A physical, playable version of our theme tune quiz – something you can sit down with at home, with family and friends.

We’re currently in pre-production and getting ready to manufacture. And it seems like lots of you already fancy playing at home – thank you to everyone who has filled in the form so far!

There’s no commitment at this stage. We just need to get our production numbers right.

If you’d be interested, please let us know at: https://www.my70stvchildhood.com

Any purchases will help towards the costs of producing the podcast. More details to follow very soon!

Connect & Follow

• 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood
• 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood
• 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home
• ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Get in touch!

Support the show

Welcome back to My 70’s TV Childhood! In this episode, I head off into the final frontier as we explore what space meant to us as children growing up in 1970s Britain, and the television that fired our imaginations along the way.

But first, I have some exciting news about our My 70’s TV Childhood quiz game, which is now in pre-production. If you’d like to register your interest in buying one, please visit www.my70stvchildhood.com and let us know!

💬 What to Expect:

• Back to the Moon: With the Artemis II mission making headlines, I reflect on what space meant to us 70s kids and why the promise of the space age never quite delivered what we hoped for.
• Brooke Bond Tea Cards: I dig out my Race Into Space tea card collection from 1971, complete with a foreword from a very youthful Patrick Moore, and look at what it promised us.
• The Clangers: I revisit Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s gentle, charming take on extraterrestrial life and why it remains one of my earliest and fondest TV memories.
• Fireball XL5: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson take us to the year 2062 with Captain Steve Zodiac of the World Space Patrol.
• Star Trek: I share my memories of the show that defined the space age on television, from the episode that gave me nightmares to the gadgets that fired my imagination.
• Space 1999: As the optimism of the moon landings faded, the Andersons returned with a rather less cheerful vision of life beyond Earth.

Were you excited about space during your 70s TV childhood? Get in touch and let me know!

Take care,

Oliver

📲 Connect & Follow

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/home
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

Get in touch!

Support the show

🎲 Exciting News – The My 70s TV Childhood Board Game!

We have been working on something very exciting behind the scenes.

A physical, playable version of our theme tune quiz – something you can sit down with at home, with family and friends.

We’re currently in pre-production and getting ready to manufacture. But before we do, we’d love to know whether this is something you’d be interested in buying.

There’s no commitment at this stage. We just need to get our production numbers right.

If you’d be interested, please let us know at: https://www.my70stvchildhood.com

Any purchases will help towards the costs of producing the podcast. More details to follow very soon!

Now back to the show….

This week it’s a comedy special. April is here, the clocks have changed, and we’re celebrating the comedians who made our 1970s childhoods that little bit brighter.

What to Expect:

Round 1: April Fools! – A few questions about comedians famous in the 1970s. Sense of humour is subjective, so apologies if your favourite is missing!

Round 2: Marathon/Fil Rouge – Questions drawn from our back catalogue of over 200 episodes. Have you been paying attention?

Round 3: Name That Tune (1974) – Five theme tunes from shows first broadcast in 1974. You’ll need to listen to the podcast for this one!

Round 4: TV Times – General 70s telly knowledge.

Bonus Question – One final challenge to separate the casual viewers from the true 70s TV obsessives.

Grab a pen and paper, settle in with your favourite brew, and let’s see how many you can get right!

Send your score to: quiz@my70stvchildhood.com

Take the quiz on our blog: https://www.my70stvchildhood.com

Take care,

Oliver

Connect & Follow

• 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood
• 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood
• 🐦 X/Twitter: twitter.com/home
• ▶️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Get in touch!

Support the show

Welcome back to My 70’s TV Childhood! In this episode, we dive into the wonderful and wonderfully wonky world of Bob Godfrey — the animator behind some of the most beloved and distinctive cartoons of our 1970s childhoods.

💬 What to Expect:

• Easter Memories: Oliver shares some nostalgic childhood Easter memories — chocolate eggs, egg hunts, and the eye-watering price of Easter treats today!
• The World of Roobarb: We celebrate the wobbly green dog who first appeared on our screens in October 1974, and explore why Roobarb & Custard became such an enduring classic.
• Bob Godfrey — The Man Behind the Magic: We tell the story of Bob Godfrey, from his Australian birth and wartime naval service to becoming one of Britain’s most influential animators.
• The Signature Style: We explore what made Godfrey’s animation so unique — the boiling lines, the loose drawings, the bold colours, and the gloriously imperfect charm that children absolutely loved.
• Noah and Nelly: We revisit the completely bonkers follow-up series, Noah and Nelly in the Skylark — a flying ark, two-headed animals, and a woman who can knit absolutely anything out of wool.
• Godfrey’s Legacy: We look at the enormous impact Bob Godfrey had on British animation, from his Academy Award win to his influence on animators like Nick Park.

I’d love to hear your memories of Roobarb, Custard, Noah, Nelly, and all things Bob Godfrey. Pop over to our Facebook group and let me know!

Take care,

Oliver

📲 Connect & Follow

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/home

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

Get in touch!

Support the show

This week’s quiz is a trip down memory lane for anyone who remembers the regional idents of 70s television. I’ll play you the theme tune for five 1970s ITV franchises, and you just have to name the company!

We’ve now recorded 65 quizzes, which means there are over 1,300 questions in our back catalogue.

Blimey. If you’re new here, welcome, and good luck catching up!

️ What to Expect:

Round 1: Name the Franchise! - I’ll play the ident, you name the ITV company.

Round 2: Marathon/Fil Rouge - We’re digging into our archives. Have you been paying attention?

Round 3: Name That Tune - The best TV theme tunes from 1971.

Round 4: TV Times - General 70s telly knowledge.

Bonus Question - One final challenge to separate the casual viewers from the true 70s TV obsessives.

Grab a pen and paper, settle in with your favourite brew, and let’s see how many you can get right!

Send your score to: quiz@my70stvchildhood.com

Take care,

Oliver

📲 Connect & Follow

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/home
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

Get in touch!

Support the show

Welcome to a very special episode of My 70's TV Childhood! This is our 200th episode!

That's right, we've now published 200 episodes of podcast land's favourite podcast celebrating what it was like to grow up as a child in the 1970s and the important part that television played in our lives back then. We are now into our 7th season, and I still can't believe that we are still going strong, still growing our band of dedicated listeners, and still finding all sorts of things to discuss.

💬 What to Expect:

•How It All Began: We go back to the summer of 2020, when the podcast was just a new beginning in a time of optimism.

•From Frustrated Author to Podcaster: I share the story of how a half-finished novel and a love for new technology led to the creation of My 70's TV Childhood.

•The First Episodes: We revisit the early days of the podcast, from the first episode to our first Christmas special.

•The Growth of the Podcast: We look at how the podcast has grown over the years, from a fortnightly show to a weekly dose of 70s TV nostalgia.

•The Future of the Podcast: We discuss what's next for My 70's TV Childhood, including more interviews, live events, and merchandise.

•Your Feedback: We share some of the lovely feedback you have provided over the years.

I would love to know what your favourite episodes have been, so I will put a post onto our Facebook group and you can let me know.

Take care,

Oliver

📲 Connect & Follow

•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood

•Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/

•X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/home

•YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

Don't forget to like, rate, and review us wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback helps us grow and keeps the spirit of 70s TV alive! Tell your friends about the podcast and invite them to join the fun

Get in touch!

Support the show

“Here is the News…” 📰

This week’s quiz is all about the newsreaders who brought us the headlines in the 70s. I’ll give you the name of a newsreader, and you just have to tell me whether they were on the BBC or ITN. Simple! We’ve now recorded 64 quizzes, which means there are over 1,280 questions in our back catalogue. Blimey.

If you’re new here, welcome, and good luck catching up! We know you can do it 💪 ️

💬 What to Expect:

Round 1: Here is the News — I’ll give you the name of a newsreader, you tell me if they were on the BBC or ITN.

Round 2: Marathon/Fil Rouge — We’re digging into our archives. Have you been paying attention?

Round 3: Name That Tune — The best TV theme tunes from 1973. You’ll need to listen to the podcast for this one!

Round 4: TV Times — General 70s telly knowledge.

Bonus Question One final challenge to separate the casual viewers from the true 70s TV obsessives.

Grab a pen and paper, settle in with your favourite brew, and let’s see how many you can get right! Send your score to: quiz@my70stvchildhood.com

Take care, Oliver

📲 Connect & Follow

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/my70stvchildhood
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my70stvchildhood/
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/home
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@my70stvchildhood

Get in touch!

Support the show