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Old British Telly

@oldbritishtelly.co.uk

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A celebration of old British telly from across the decades.

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 54m

[1975] Cracked Actor - Omnibus documentary about David Bowie. It was filmed in 1974 when Bowie was struggling with cocaine addiction, and the documentary has become notorious for showing his fragile mental state during this period. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnIBBkgkO5o

Cracked Actor - A film about David Bowie (FULL DOCUMENTARY)

In 1974, David Bowie embarked on an extensive tour of America. Performing over 70 concerts and taking 6 months, Bowie and his band stepped on stage each even...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 2h

[1967] Three Swings On A Pendulum - BBC documentary on whether London really deserved its reputation as being a 'swinging, switched on' city. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5SWZrkzcb0

Three Swings on a Pendulum 1967

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 2h

[1985] Bergerac - Intro to the series about recovering alcoholic Jim Bergerac, a sergeant in the Jersey police force.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 4h

[1985] Happy Families - Rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton recounting the tale of the dysfunctional Fuddle family. Starring Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Helen Lederer and Jim Broadbent. First episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=M47Rm0ZjM-8

Happy Families (Ben Elton Series 1985) Episode 1 "Edith" Jennifer Saunders & Adrian Edmondson

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 4h

[1985] Yellow Pages - Hornby railway signal box Yellow Pages advert, for the 'fun things in life'.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 6h

[1985] Database - Tony Bastable and Jane Ashton explain the world of computers. In this episode: The eye-control computer, specially adapted computers for the blind, digital photography and the latest in computer graphics featuring an F1 racing simulator. www.youtube.com/watch?v=16NwJwAmbcs

Vintage Computers - Database - 1985 - Thames TV

Thames TV's Tony Bastable and Jane Ashton explaining all you need to know about the world of computers in 1985 on ''Database' and Dr Mike demonstrates early ...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 7h

[1979] The Jam - Top of the Pops performance of The Eton Rifles, their first top ten hit in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 3. The lyrics of the song recount the difficulties faced by the unemployed and lower-paid working class, in protesting against a system stacked against them.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 7h

[1967] The Prisoner - Intro to the series about a former British secret agent who resigns, is abducted, and wakes in a strange seaside Village where everyone is a number. As Number Six, he resists interrogation and schemes to escape and learn who Number One is.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 8h

[1985] Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest - Kids’ drama series about the lives of Michael ‘Dodger’ Dolan and his sister Carol (Bonzo), who are part of a large foster family in London. First episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDuVx1wOo8A

Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest - Episode 1

Lee Ross and Jodie Gordon star in this 1986 TV Series about a group care home in London.

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 9h

[1990] TV-am - Interview with Pete Best, known as the drummer of the The Beatles immediately before the band achieved worldwide fame. Fired from the group in 1962 after playing drums as a Beatle for the previous two and a half years, he started his own band, the Pete Best Four.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 10h

[1985] Jonny Briggs - Jonny Briggs centres on the exploits of a young boy, the eponymous hero (played by Richard Holian), his pet dog, Razzle, and his eccentric family members.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 12h

[1974] Pebble Mill at One – Doctor Who – Designer Bernard Wilkie reveals the secrets of his special effects work, the son of Manfred Mann’s Paul Jones gives his verdict on the scariness of some Doctor Who monsters, and a rather awkward interview with Patrick Troughton. Part 1.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 13h

[1990] Tales of Aesop - Aesop's Fables retold with wooden animal puppets. This episode is "The Tortoise and the Hare". Narrated by Tom Baker.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 14h

Morning!

Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally from Worzel Gummidge, wearing theatrical makeup with heavily rouged cheeks, defined eyebrows, and an elaborate feathered hat, displaying an animated, wide-eyed expression.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 23h

[1974] The Dracula Business - An exploration by journalist Daniel Farson of how Dracula, a character created by his great-uncle Bram Stoker, had become big business at a time when travel agents were starting to offer package tours to Transylvania. www.youtube.com/watch?v=o93GikZHJXw

The Dracula Business (1974)

The Dracula Business.First transmitted in 1974, Daniel Farson, the great nephew of Bram Stoker, travels to Transylvania to investigate the facts, the legend ...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1986] Unnatural Causes - Series of seven psychological dramas concerning death by unnatural causes. This is the first episode, "Home Cooking", starring Prunella Scales and Brian Cox as bed-and-breakfast owners. www.youtube.com/watch?v=moZiEiSGx7Q

Unnatural Causes - Home Cooking (1986)

Episode 1 of the ITV murder anthology series, broadcast 8 November 1986. Written by Paula Milne, and starring Prunella Scales, Brian Cox, Jim Norton and Beli...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1986] Night Mail 2 - A documentary about Royal Mail operations including the Travelling Post Office, a sequel to the original 1936 film. English poet Blake Morrison was hired to write the poem for the ending. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzrrcfV-UWw

'Night Mail 2' Documentary - 1986.

'Night Mail 2' - A documentary about Royal Mail operations including the Travelling Post Office. It was shown immediately after the famous 1936 original duri...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1979] Sapphire & Steel - A special force of interdimensional operatives protect the universe from evil forces trying to gain a foothold by disrupting the timeline. Starring Joanna Lumley and David McCallum. First assignment. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nOIsbIZCxI

Sapphire and Steel - Series 1 Ep 1

Episode 1 of the Science Fiction Series

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1985] One Man And His Dog - BBC2 trailer featuring the amazing theme tune and clips from this Sunday night dog trials show.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1963] Tonight - Fyfe Robertson journeys to Mayo to learn about the origins of the word "boycott".

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1986] It's Not Just Zammo - A Newsround/Drugwatch Special. A follow-up to Grange Hill's story of Zammo McGuire and his serious problem with drugs. Presented by John Craven and Nick Ross. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODEQ_44TSfA

It's Not Just Zammo - Newsround/Drugwatch Special - 1st April 1986

A follow-up to Grange Hill's story of Zammo McGuire and his serious problem with drugs.Presented by John Craven and Nick Ross

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1968] Nice Time - Magazine type show presented by Kenny Everett, Germaine Greer and Jonathan Routh. The series was produced by John Birt, who would later go on to become Director General of the BBC. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywl0QrK3C68

Nice Time - Kenny Everett - Germaine Greer - Jonathan Routh - John Surtees - Sawchestra

Here's a rare comedy show from 1968 presented by the legendary Disc Jockey and Television comic Kenny Everett.Nice Time was Kenny Everett's 1968 television ...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1978] John le Mesurier - The actor discusses the importance of a good script in both comedy and drama, reflecting on experiences working on Dad's Army and the film Ben-Hur. The conversation explores preferences for stage versus screen acting and upcoming projects.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1954] Elizabethan Express - British Transport Film that follows The Elizabethan, a non-stop British Railways service from London King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley along the East Coast Main Line. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghkqGfUy4xs

British Transport Films: Elizabethan Express

This 1954 documentary is uploaded in a couple of places, but here it is without breaks and in the correct aspect ratio. One of the classic railway films.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1986] The Communards - Top of the Pops performance of Don't Leave Me This Way. Originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, this version topped the chart for four weeks becoming the best-selling single of the year. Featuring singer Sarah Jane Morris and Richard Coles on keyboards.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1986] Sky Channel Startup - The starting up routine of the Sky Channel on 30/06/86. Featuring the day's schedule, Sky idents and the beginning of Jump with Tony Blackburn.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1981] Stig of the Dump - Adaptation of the children's novel by Clive King, first published in the United Kingdom in 1963. A young boy discovers a teenaged caveman living in the local rubbish dump. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpHCBSQN-A

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

[1974] Bagpuss - The mice convince Bagpuss that Emily's latest find - a model of a watermill - takes in breadcrumbs and butter beans and produces chocolate biscuits. Yaffle isn't fooled and reveals it to be a joke. Narrated by Oliver Postgate.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Morning!

Lionel Blair smiling broadly with both hands raised in a cheerful gesture, wearing a white dress shirt, dark vest, and patterned tie against a warm beige background.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1991] S&M - Improv sketch show spinning off from Whose Line Is It Anyway and starring Tony Slattery and Mike McShane. Being without the formulae of Whose Line games, it was less disciplined but more ambitious. First episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC1lFq5t-dg

Slattery & McShane | S01E01

The premise behind S&M is very simple: Tony Slattery and Mike McShane improvise sketches based upon a simple premise. These premises are generated by the pro...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1992] Doctor Who: Resistance is Useless - Documentary that takes a witty and affectionate look at the show’s legacy up to the early 1990s, exploring the monsters, the madness, and the magic that made Doctor Who a cult phenomenon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VXQNSCIgyk

Doctor Who Resistance is Useless 1992

Doctor Who: Resistance is Useless (1992 Documentary)Travel back in time with this nostalgic 1992 BBC documentary celebrating Doctor Who, the world’s longest-...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1985] Oxford Road Show - Pop music magazine show broadcast between 1981 and 1985. With Timmy Mallett and guest presenter Jon Moss of Culture Club. Featuring Dead Or Alive and The Smiths. www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJ32RxcI1s

Oxford Road Show, 22nd February 1985

Oxford Road Show with Timmy Mallett and guest presenter Jon Moss of Culture ClubBroadcast 22nd February 1985 Oxford Road Show was a pop music magazine show b...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1958] The Invisible Man - British scientist Peter Brady, while working on an invisibility formula, suffers a tragic accident which turns himself invisible. Starring Tim Turner and Deborah Watling. First episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD0vopla6zg

The Invisible Man (1958) – Episode 1 | Classic Sci-Fi Series | Full Episode

Begin the classic science-fiction series The Invisible Man (1958) with Episode 1, where scientist Dr. Peter Brady becomes permanently invisible after a labor...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1989] This Is Your Life - Michael Aspel presents the big red book to William Shatner. Guests include Leonard Nimoy and Heather Locklear. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwncwOG8-HY

William Shatner - This is your life

Here's the great William Shatner aka Captain James T Kirk from Star Trek having the This is your Life Experience on Thames TV 27 December 1989. Alas the onl...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1977] The Other One - Two passengers meet at Gatwick airport. Unknown to each other, they're on the same flight and staying in the same hotel. They then have a series of misadventures on holiday in Spain. Starring Richard Briers and Michael Gambon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXEr5wq5tvo

The Other One s01e01

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1988] Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Actors and comedians improvise sketches in various "theatre-sports"-type games, based on audience suggestions. Hosted by Clive Anderson this episode features John Sessions, Peter Cook, Stephen Fry and Josie Lawrence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSyOPMQ3_q8

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK) - Series 1, Episode 3 (w/ VT Clock Slates)

An third episode of the 1st series of the British Whose Line series, originally broadcasted on Channel 4 on 7th October 1988.Presenter: Clive AndersonPerform...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1963] That Was The Week That Was - BBC satirical comedy series presented by David Frost. Script-writers included Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Peter Cook, Roald Dahl, Gerald Kaufman, Frank Muir, Denis Norden, Bill Oddie, Dennis Potter and Eric Sykes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e4R2038tfU

That Was The Week That Was (60 BBC Years)

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Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1973] The Tomorrow People - The Tomorrow People are British teens who have special powers. They can communicate to each other using telepathy. They can also transport themselves (they call it "Jaunting"). First episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4n_P1IlHY

The Tomorrow People S01E01 1973-1979

SEASON 1 EPISODE 1The Tomorrow People are British teens who have special powers. They can communicate to each other using telepathy. They can also transport ...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1977] The Upchat Line - Mike Upchat is an unsuccessful novelist who lives out of a railway station locker - he has the gift of the Gab and changes his life story every episode to impress different women. Starring John Alderton. First episode. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I2mWq-4al0

The Upchat Line - Series 1 - Episode 1 - Pulling - John Alderton

Writer Mike Upchat might be famous if he ever finished a novel. Instead, living from a locker at Marylebone station, he uses his natural charm, wit, and genu...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1963] The Mersey Sound - The Beatles perform She Loves You at the Little Theatre, Southport, 27th August 1963. The theatre was empty at the time and the crowd scenes and screaming were edited in later.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1963] The Sentimental Agent - Featuring import-export agent Carlos Varela. Impeccably dressed, cigar smoking; using his wit, ingenuity, and charm, which would often involve a damsel in distress. Starring Carlos Thompson, Carol Cleveland and Burt Kwouk. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XXnfZSoZZw

The Sentimental Agent - S01 E05

Special thanks to at thebox.bz for sharing this video and information.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1964] Time Out - "The guns of James Bond", Sean Connery, on the Pinewood set of Goldfinger, introduces a report about the influence gun expert Geoffrey Boothroyd has had on the character of James Bond.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1973] Milk - Milk Marketing Board advert shot on the set of Live and Let Die featuring Roger Moore.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1942] Song of the Clyde - A film of the Clyde, from its source at Elvanfoot to its mouth at Glasgow. Street scenes in Glasgow, shots of factories, docks and shipyards, of shipbuilding, of giant cranes. The film has a notable musical accompaniment. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlJwRfyX6bo

Song of the Clyde (1942) - British Film Council Archive

Original description: Glasgow and its river'A film of the Clyde, from its source at Elvanfoot to its mouth at Glasgow, from rivulet to mighty waterway. Stree...

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1979] Animal Magic - Tom Baker makes a surprise appearance.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

[1968] Dad's Army - "The Man and the Hour". All Dad's Army episodes are told in a flashback. In this opening scene an elderly Mainwaring gives a patriotic address recalling his time in the Home Guard as a way to endorse Harold Wilson's "I'm Backing Britain" campaign.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 28/09/2026

Morning!

Parker, the Thunderbirds chauffeur puppet character, wearing a black cap and brown uniform jacket. The puppet has a distinctive pale complexion, prominent nose, and stern expression, photographed against a blurred background with a vehicle visible behind him.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 27/09/2026

[1982] Arena - "The Private Life of the Ford Cortina", John Betjeman, Alexei Sayle, John McVicar, Magnus Magnusson and enthusiasts reflect on what was, in the 1980s, Britain's most popular, most stolen and most misunderstood car. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2wdYfRzy8

Arena - The Private Life of the Ford Cortina (BBC2 Documentary, 1982)

Channel: BBC4 (orig BBC2)TX: 5th Sep 2005 (orig 19th Jan 1982)Duration: 44:47

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 27/09/2026

[2006] Time Trumpet - Satirical series by Armando Iannucci, Roger Drew and Will Smith. Set in 2031, a retrospective on the first 30 years of the 21st century. Starring Richard Ayoade, Adam Buxton, Stewart Lee and Mark Watson. Episode 1. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTmibY3-1-A

Time Trumpet - S01E01

This episode was originally broadcast on BBC2 on 3rd August 2006.This video isn't monetised.

Old British Telly @oldbritishtelly.co.uk · 27/09/2026

[1989] You Bet! - Celebrities gamble on the outcome of a challenge performed by members of the public. Hosted by Bruce Forsyth and Ellis Ward with guests Melvyn Hayes, Bob Holness, John McCririck and Suzi Quatro. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbui1wd_Q90

You Bet! - Series 2 Episode 8 - 18th March 1989

Bruce Forsyth presenting You Bet! in 1989.