Tuesday October 23rd My 8th birthday. At most schools I’ve attended, my birthday usually fell during the half-term holiday, and this year is no exception. Though for some reason the half-term holidays in 1980 and 1981 fell on different dates and I spent the merry day at school. This might be the year I got Atomic Man, my first Action Man figure, which, if memory serves me correctly, was a present from my Auntie Pauline. It was just like a normal Action Man, but with a cybernetic heart in his chest that made a clicking sound when you pressed it. Yes. Even my Action Man had to be a sci-fi one. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Part 7 (final episode) Cabaret Voltaire’s first album, Mix-Up, is released. Peter Sutcliffe is interviewed by police in connection with the Yorkshire Ripper murders - more specifically, regarding the fact that his car had been spotted 36 times in some of the red light areas under investigation. This is the sixth time he’s been interviewed in two years. Unfortunately, thanks to an archaic filing system, a previous report flagging him up as a serious suspect hasn’t yet been processed. The officers in charge take a sample of his handwriting but, since it doesn’t match the handwriting in the fake letters sent by the hoaxer who has been pretending to be the Yorkshire Ripper for a laugh, they eliminate him from the investigation. Not The Nine O’Clock News: Series 1, Episode 2 - still casting a wide net searching for an identity, but impressively there’s a sketch about Saint Vincent gaining its independence, which is just about to happen (see Saturday). Which gets interrupted by a man moaning about “the bloody rubbish we’ve had to put up with since ITV went on strike” (see tomorrow). Wednesday October 24th ITV returns to active service after over three months off the air – the first programme is the News at 5.45 (Part 2) with Leonard Parkin, followed by: 6.05 The Muppet Show 6.35 Crossroads 7.00 George and Mildred 7.30 Coronation Street 8.00 3-2-1 9.00 Quatermass - Part 1 10.00 News at Ten 10.30 Chinatown Meanwhile, over on BBC1, we are treated to the first ever episode of Terry and June, and on BBC2, the last ever episode of Ripping Yarns. BBC2 Continuity Thursday October 25th Doctor Who Weekly No 3 - the earliest copy I still have. Features this. Star Wars Weekly No 88 Spectacular Spider-Man Weekly No 347 Hulk Comic No 35 Marvel Superheroes No 355 Look-in No 44: this week’s edition of “the Junior TV Times” features an article about the band Darts (promoting their new album Dart Attack), an ad for the Subbuteo football game and a piece about three ITV-related quiz books. There’s no TV listing this week thanks to the ongoing strike (which ironically just ended yesterday) so instead there’s a feature about TV puppets. Stewpot (the affectionate nickname of Radio 1 DJ Ed Stewart) also mentions the ITV strike in his regular editorial column, Stewpot’s Newsdesk. Top of the Pops - presented by Peter Powell, with music from The Specials, Lena Martell and Janet Brown doing an impression of Margaret Thatcher. Basil the Rat, the final episode of Fawlty Towers, is finally broadcast by the BBC, a day after the final episode of the similarly Python-related Ripping Yarns. It was originally scheduled as part of Series 2 (broadcast Feb to Mar 1979) but hadn’t been completed owing to a strike at the BBC. Friday October 26th South Korean president Park Chung Hee is assassinated by Kim Jae Kyu, the head of his own intelligence service. Saturday October 27th Saint Vincent & the Grenadines gains independence from Britain. Doctor Who: The Creature from the Pit - Part One. Sadly, after several weeks of above-average Doctor Who, this one’s almost irredeemably bad. Adrasta’s great and there are one or two funny jokes dotted about the script, but that’s about it. I’m not sure I liked it that much as a kid either but it’s difficult to remember. Note the ratings were back down to normal levels of 9.3m thanks to the restart of ITV. Series 3 of The Professionals begins on ITV with an episode called The Purging of CI5. 2000 AD Prog 137 Sunday October 28th Chairman Hua arrives in London, the first Chinese leader to visit Britain. UK SINGLES CHART No 1: One Day at a Time Lena Martell No 29: The Eton Rifles The Jam No 32: Still The Commodores No 61: Nunc Dimittis Geoffrey Burgon & Paul Phoenix No 72: No More Tears (Enough is Enough) - Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand UK ALBUMS CHART No 1: Regatta de Blanc The Police No 4: The Specials The Specials No 7: The Fine Art of Surfacing Boomtown Rats No 15: One Step Beyond… Madness

Monday October 22nd - Sunday October 28th, 1979

TERM 1: Half Term

TERM 1 (Sept - Dec 1979) Week 0 (Aug 25 - Sep 2, 1979) Week 1 (Sep 3 - Sep 9, 1979) Week 2 (Sep 10 - Sep 16, 1979) Week 3 (Sep 17 - Sep 23, 1979) Week 4 (Sep 24 - Sep 30, 1979) Week 5 (Oct 1 - Oct 7, 1979) Week 6 (Oct 8 - Oct 14, 1979) Week 7 (Oct 15 - Oct 21, 1979) Half Term (Oct 22 - Oct 28, 1979) Week 8 (Oct 29 - Nov 4, 1979) Week 9 (Nov 5 - Nov 11, 1979) Week 10 (Nov 12 - Nov 18, 1979) Week 11 (Nov 19 - Nov 25, 1979) Week 12 (Nov 26 - Dec 2, 1979) Week 13 (Dec 3 - Dec 9, 1979) Week 14 (Dec 10 - Dec 16, 1979) Week 15 (Dec 17 - Dec 23, 1979) Christmas (Dec 24 - Dec 30, 1979) New Year’s Eve (Dec 31, 1979)

TERM 1 IN LINK FORM

Yorkshire Ripper Claims 11th Victim Sep 2, 1979

Cars Gary Numan

ITV Returns Oct 24,1979

Invasion of Afghanistan Dec 24, 1979

BBC VT Christmas Tape Dec 1979

Video Killed the Radio Star Buggles

Iran Hostage Crisis Nov 4, 1979

Another Brick in the Wall Pink Floyd

TERM 1 WEEK 8 >

< TERM 1 WEEK 7

Life of Brian Debate Nov 9, 1979

The Path of Least Resistance The Human League

Not The Nine O’Clock News Oct 16, 1979

TERM 2 (Jan - Apr 1980) TERM 3 (Apr - Jul 1980)

Mountbatten State Funeral Sep 5, 1979

Destiny of the Daleks Sep 1, 1979