< TERM 2 WEEK 1

Monday January 14th BBC 1, 11 am: We all sit down to watch an episode of Merry Go Round (part of the BBC Schools and Colleges series broadcast each term-time morning). This week it’s all about a village in West Yorkshire. Sadly not our own. I then write about it in my English book under the title Luddenden. BBC 1, 7.15 pm: The third series of Blake’s 7 continues with Powerplay, another strong episode which introduces us to new crew member Del Tarrant and firmly establishes that Blake will not be returning to the Liberator any time soon. The rest of the series, in my childish mind, is all about the desperate search for Blake. But watching it again as an adult, the crew obviously couldn’t care less. BBC 2, 8.10 pm: The Goodies return for their eighth series, the last set of episodes they make for the BBC. Politics, with its surreal coverage of a very silly general election, clearly should have been broadcast the previous May when there was a real one happening. But it’s still a brilliant piece of work. The Goodies are often looked at as a kind of kids’ teatime version of Monty Python and some of their humour has dated, but this is still a cracking show with a broad appeal. It’s clever, it’s got good jokes and there’s something for everyone. But all the bits one half of the audience likes would probably turn the other half off and vice versa, giving it a weird energy - like it’s actively trying to pull its audience apart. Well worth seeking out. Tuesday January 15th BBC 1, 5.10 pm: Grange Hill: Series 3, Episode 3 - in which Alan nearly burns down an entire forest after hearing Penny ask Susie to take off her bra Wednesday January 16th Paul McCartney is arrested while on tour in Tokyo for possession of marijuana. He is imprisoned for nine days before being released and deported without charge, but the tour - which would have been his last with Wings - is cancelled. Here’s a report about the arrest on BBC News. English: The Hat’s Adventure Thursday January 17th Doctor Who Weekly No 15 Star Wars Weekly No 100: a new look for the comic as it reaches its 100th edition. Taking a cue from the successful new Doctor Who comic (part of the overhaul of Marvel UK’s brand under the editorship of Dez Skinn), the front cover sports a photograph rather than an illustration. Tantalisingly, the comic features a three-page spread in the middle that warns of a forthcoming sequel this summer. BBC 1, 7.20 pm: Top of the Pops - presented by Simon Bates, with: • Living By Numbers New Musik • With You I’m Born Again Billy Preston & Syreeta • Strange Little Girl Sad Cafe • Got To Love Somebody Sister Sledge • My Girl Madness • We Got the Funk Positive Force • Dance Stance Dexy’s Midnight Runners • Better Love Next Time Dr Hook • Paradise Bird Amii Stewart • Babe Styx • Green Onions Booker T & The M.G.s (via Legs & Co) • Escape Rupert Holmes • Brass in Pocket Pretenders • I Hear You Now Jon & Vangelis (playout) Friday January 18th BBC 1, 5.10 pm: Grange Hill: Series 3, Episode 4 - in which Trisha, Doyley and Penny Lewis compete to win a place on the school council. BBC 2, 6.10 pm: Monkey - The Beginning of Wisdom Saturday January 19th My parents take me to see a performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Civic Centre in Castleford. After a brief tonsillitis alarm (which turns out to be nothing when my Dad threatens me with an early bedtime), I am taken back to Castleford to stay overnight with my Gran (as documented in my English book the following Monday). 2000 AD Prog 149: the first appearance of the iconically terrifying Judge Death - an unforgettable strip, written by John Howard (with stunning artwork by Brian Bolland), that has a deep and lasting impact on me. ITN News: Barbara Windsor visits her husband Ronnie Knight in Brixton Prison for the first time, after he is charged with the murder of Alfredo Zomparelli. Knight is acquitted at the trial, but eventually convicted in 1995 of receiving stolen goods. By which time they were divorced.

Monday January 14th - Sunday January 20th, 1980

TERM 2: Week 2

TERM 2 (Jan - Apr 1980) New Year (Jan 1 - Jan 6, 1980) Week 1 (Jan 7 - Jan 13, 1980) Week 2 (Jan 14 - Jan 20, 1980) Week 3 (Jan 21 - Jan 27, 1980) Week 4 (Jan 28 - Feb 3, 1980) Week 5 (Feb 4 - Feb 10, 1980) Week 6 (Feb 11 - Feb 17, 1980) Half Term (Feb 18 - Feb 24, 1980) Week 7 (Feb 25 - Mar 2, 1980) Week 8 (Mar 3 - Mar 9, 1980) Week 9 (Mar 10 - Mar 16, 1980) Week 10 (Mar 17 - Mar 23, 1980) Week 11 (Mar 24 - Mar 30, 1980) Easter 1 (Mar 31 - Apr 6, 1980) Easter 2 (Apr 7 - Apr 13, 1980)

TERM 2 IN LINK FORM

Sunday January 20th I visit Wayne Old, who lives next door to my Gran, but he can’t play out because he is ill. ITV’s fortunes are slightly restored after their recent troubles when a screening of the James Bond film Live and Let Die achieves the highest ever viewing figures for a film screened on UK television (23.5m) - a record it still holds to this day. Worzel Gummidge: A Fishy Tale UK SINGLES CHART No 1: Brass in Pocket Pretenders No 15: Too Much Too Young (The Special AKA Live!) The Specials No 33: Coward of the County Kenny Rogers No 45: Someone’s Looking At You Boomtown Rats No 49: Jane Jefferson Starship No 54: The Plastic Age The Buggles No 60: Baby I Love You The Ramones No 63: Riders in the Sky The Shadows No 67: Underpass John Foxx No 70: Love on the Line Barclay James Harvest No 71: Motorbike Beat The Revillos No 72: Black Orchid Stevie Wonder No 75: Captain Beaky Keith Michell UK ALBUMS CHART No 1: Pretenders Pretenders No 14: Permanent Waves Rush No 31: Short Stories Jon & Vangelis

MEANWHILE, IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE… Doctor Who: Shada - Part One • Without Shada, Season 17 of Doctor Who seems cheap, scrappy and incomplete, making the show look shoddy and unloved. With Shada, it has a chance to be looked at as one of Doctor Who’s most notable seasons. This final six-part story crystallises Douglas Adams’ vision for the show - a refreshingly clever take on a format that shows no sign of tiring.

TERM 2 WEEK 3 >

Hi-de-Hi! Jan 1, 1980

Steelworkers Strike Jan 2, 1980

St Paul’s Riots Apr 2, 1980

State of the Union Jan 23, 1980

My Girl Madness

Blake’s 7 Returns Jan 7, 1980

Barbara Woodhouse Jan 7, 1980

Grange Hill Roof Death Feb 25, 1980

Mugabe Elected Zimbabwe PM Mar 4, 1980

Atomic Blondie

Echo Beach Martha and the Muffins

Games Without Frontiers Peter Gabriel

Robin Cousins at the Olympics Feb 21, 1980

Underpass John Foxx

Judge Death Jan 19, 1980

TERM 1 (Sep - Dec 1979)