Televised phone voting contests are just a natural part of the British viewing landscape now. But 20 years ago, the Eurovision Song Contest excluded, they weren't. That was, however, until the very channel who's been the home of so many of them, launched a brand new annual music show. Created and devised by the same … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: The Record of the Year
I write this special #BlastfromthePast blog about possibly one of my favourite TV shows as a kid on two notes this week. Firstly, on the note of sadness, due to the news that it's much loved central host passed away at the age of 76 this week. But also on a note of trepidation, largely … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: Rainbow
You may notice that there's a bit of a girl power theme to some of the blogs this weekend, viewers. You'll find out why in the case of tomorrow's blog, but for this week's #BlastfromthePast, it's a six times whammy of it. For every Spice Girls or Little Mix, for every Girls Aloud or The … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: The Girl Groups That Pop Forgot
It's another televisual #BlastfromthePast we're offering up for you this week, and one that requires us to set the way back machine to 22 years ago. In a time before Homes Under The Hammer and Grand Designs, came a show that offered up DIY, home improvements - and a hefty amount of MDF and tie-dying - to … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: Changing Rooms
We have someone special to thank for this week's #BlastfromthePast blog. You see, there is a quite brilliant Twitter account we started following a few months ago. I don't doubt that some of you readers of this here blog of a certain age may have already heard of it. In a time when intense online campaigning … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: Lolly
It's another televisual legend we bring you for this weekend's #BlastfromthePast, so without further ado, let's begin our story back over two decades ago... As the 80s gave way to the 90s, British children's TV was changing. One of the most prominent new names of the time was Anne Wood. After leaving TV-am on ITV … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: Brum
With TV shows like The X Factor and The Voice now the most commonplace location from which to launch a pop career via a TV show, it's easy to forget that back in the distant past, there was another way. Such was the case for the band we meet on today's DeLorean hop with the … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: North and South
I firstly have to apologise. There's been a distinct lack of #SongoftheWeek, #TweetHeeHee and indeed, any of the regular blog series these last couple of weeks. I can place the blame safely on recovering from this awful virus/cold doing the rounds that I have only just shifted, but which has left me rather low on energy to … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: The Queen’s Nose
A comedic DeLorean hop for this week's #BlastfromthePast this week. In the last two decades, few sketch shows have tickled us quite like Channel 4's Smack the Pony. Arriving on screens in 1999 - a whole eighteen years ago - and picking up an International Emmy award along the way - Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: Smack the Pony
Now here's a blogging DeLorean hop this weekend that will make certain readers - namely around my age - feel old. Can you believe it's 20 years to the week that a certain group of Danish Europop legends topped the charts with an ode to the world's most plastic fantastic doll? The story of Aqua … Continue reading #BlastfromthePast: Aqua
Alex's Blog (still Crazy, still Stupid)... 