buckaroobanzai50

This is yet another of the Beeb's badly researched "documentaries", which I continue to moan about; Why can't the BBC, with it's vast archive of news and current affairs programming, get these things right?? Is it because they allow independent companies - usually in the north of England - to make them?? Is it because they allow people who are far too young to recall the era they are making a program about, to make them?? I really don't know. I do know however, that Joe Dolci was at number one during 1981, and not the following year as was stated in this show. And for such a very long programme about the charts, it left a lot out of its 90 minutes, and a lot to be desired. For example, not even a mention of the new forms of music which entered and enlivened the charts back in the 1960s, such as jazz and ska. Or the Glam Rock acts like Suzi Quatro, The Sweet, etc. who all but dominated the charts back in the early 1970s. But as usual with these lazy productions that they make, there was the tedious glorification of punk and brit-pop, which at the times they were around made scant and brief appearances in the charts, and left little if anything of a legacy to music in general, unlike the aforementioned black genres. Actually, near the end the show it even proved that Brit-pop record sales were pretty meagre and disappointing, to all concerned.

Also as a footnote, it has to be said that, Dr. Fox was not the first DJ to present a rival chart show on another station as in fact, the late great Roger Scott presented Capital Radio's chart shows during the week, and for a while back in the early 1980s, Capital even broadcast a chart at the same time as the BBC's Top 40 on Sunday afternoons.

Here are just a quick few words in order to correct irish23 above;

This series was NOT made by the BBC but by the ITV (Independant Television) company LWT (London Weekend Television). LWT was a regional independent TV company which was financed by advertising and sales of programmes such as Lillie abroad. It only catered to the London area, but other regional ITV companies provided shows for other parts of the UK, such as Grampian in Scotland, and Tyne Tees in Newcastle. Unfortunately, the Conservatives de-regulated TV in the 1990s, and now all regions come under the "ITV" name.

The BBC, which continues to leech off its licence fee payers for revenue, made a series called The Dutchess of Duke St, about a similar female character making her own fame and fortune, without the aid of the men in her life.

Another ITV series was the far superior Upstairs Downstairs, which I seem to recall being repeated on Sunday nights in place of Lillie.

I have vague memories about this series, which I think was set in some type of children's home, but certain things about it have stuck in my mind since I saw it in 1979; There was no music in the title sequence, just children shouting the name of the series. And also, a large group of children shot from above, came together to form the word "Kids". Each episode was named after the particular child that was featured in it. It was shown on Friday nights around 9pm, and featured some quite hard-hitting episodes; If I recall correctly, one youth who was in the "home" liked to start fires. I think James Hazeldine was the bearded boss of the establishment.

It was certainly something different, and its hard to imagine such a series being made these days. Personally, I preferred to watch the Professionals on a Friday evening, but that's just me.