Thursday 20 November 2014

Tickle on the Tum

Specially requested by a fan of the BCC, we have the wonderfully titled Tickle on the Tum!



The series was set in a shop in the fictional village of Tickle-on-the-Tum (the humorous double-meaning of the title was explained obliquely in the theme song). The original presenters were folk-singer Ralph McTell and Danuschia Harwood. From about the middle of the second series, Harwood was replaced by Jacqueline Reddin. In the final series, Reddin became the show's lead presenter and sang the theme song, after McTell returned to his recording career.

Ralph and Danni (or Jacqui depending which series you were in) would be working in the shop when a local resident would come in and recount at length an incident in their week. A song, written and sung with guitar by McTell, would follow based around either the week's story or simply the visiting character. Pet-shop proprietor Bunny was played by Nerys Hughes, while favourite characters amongst children was bumbling odd-job man Barney Bodger, 'Jack The Lad' Mike The Milkman and filthy G.P, Dr Dimple (played by [{Bill Oddie]]), who famously sang the song; Don't mind my hands, they're just a bit cold.

Monday 17 November 2014

Macross - Do You Remember Love?

Today is the 1st anniversary of the BCC and as a special treat, I give you an animated movie that blew my mind as a kid and was a big catalyst into my love of anime, Macross - Do You Remember Love (aka Clash of the Bionoids)!



The plot revolves around Hikaru Ichijyo (a hotshot pilot) and his love triangle with the coquettish pop-star Lynn Minmay and the fortress' first mate Misa Hayase. This story is framed by a war between humans and the alien Zentradi over possession of the space fortress Macross, which harbors tens of thousands of human civilians after the aliens bombarded Earth. However, it is revealed that the all-male Zentradi are fighting a war against their female counterparts: the Meltlandi; both genders, bred for war, are stricken by their contact with Protoculture (human culture), most particularly music.