Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want this as my Xmas TV schedule?

51 replies

SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 13:23

Terry and June Xmas Special
Cannon and Ball Xmas Special
Little and Large Xmas Special
2 Ronnies Xmas Special
3-2-1
Crackerjack Xmas Special
Punchlines
Winner Takes All
Krypton Factor
Blankety Blank

Larry Grayson’s Generation Game Xmas Special

Play Your Cards Right Xmas Special

A Fine Romance

Krankies Xmas Special

Pebble Mill

Nationwide

Top of the Pops at 2pm

So come and join me to watch my Xmas TV!!

I’ve bought a big selection box for us all !!

OP posts:
ThatVividReader · 10/12/2025 13:54

GasPanic · 10/12/2025 13:48

I presume you'll be watching that on a 12" telly from about 50ft away while drinking babysham.

Programs could be crap in the 80s because no one could see or hear what the hell they were saying. Just two blobs moving on the screen and some garbled grunting.

It would maybe be fun though if say one of the alternate channels did a complete 1985 Christmas Schedule.

You'd be hard pressed to avoid Jimmy Saville though.

While also hearing the tsss sound as someone brushed against the tree and branches of pine needles fell on to the floor.

Or the sound when one side of the concertina ceiling decorations fell down. Then worrying if the drawing pin had fallen into the carpet so be careful where you stood.

And whether anyone could be assed to get on a chair and try to put them back up.

Original poster
SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 13:54

GasPanic · 10/12/2025 13:48

I presume you'll be watching that on a 12" telly from about 50ft away while drinking babysham.

Programs could be crap in the 80s because no one could see or hear what the hell they were saying. Just two blobs moving on the screen and some garbled grunting.

It would maybe be fun though if say one of the alternate channels did a complete 1985 Christmas Schedule.

You'd be hard pressed to avoid Jimmy Saville though.

I love that idea of the 1985 Xmas schedule!

OP posts:
Original poster
SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 13:59

ThatVividReader · 10/12/2025 13:49

I'm the same.

I loved Bobby Ball as an 80s child and even wrote to Jim'll fix it trying to meet him!

I maintained the affection all through my life and now watching back, I do think he was funny in comparison to all the others like Little and Large who were not!

But a lot of the humour like 'you got me skin then Tommy' wore thin after he'd said it more than 3 times and an inordinate amount of 'humour' was him verbally attacking an imagined woman in the audience "stop looking at me lady I'll have you" and pretending to throw punches or headbutts which just doesn't seem very funny now and it's weird that it ever was to be honest.

And watching the generation game, bullseye, 321 etc - a huge amount of the 'humour' at that time was taking the piss out of the appearance of the contestants - their weight, wearing glasses or making fun of their marriage for example.

When you watch it back now with adult eyes it doesn't age well.

Show quote history

I love Bullseye / 321 / and Cannon and Ball etc but then my ideal Saturday night is unashamedly

in a working men’s club drinking brown ale!!

OP posts:
Original poster
SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 14:03

More programmes I’ve missed out -

in Loving Memory
Cuckoo Waltz
Ever Decreasing Circles

OP posts:
ThatVividReader · 10/12/2025 14:17

SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 13:59

I love Bullseye / 321 / and Cannon and Ball etc but then my ideal Saturday night is unashamedly

in a working men’s club drinking brown ale!!

Show quote history

Yeah, but that's the nostalgia factor. Not the reality

The reality is you wouldn't have been able to sit anywhere else but 'the lounge' in the working mens club. You couldn't go into the bar.

And the entertainment would be a lot of racist and misogynistic bullshit that no woman would ever find funny now.

I watch a lot of old Coronation Street episodes for the nostalgia and because there were good storylines but the casual racism and misogyny was insane.

It led me to watch a programme about Julie Goodyear on YouTube which was only made in the early 2000s and she was fondly talking about how the cameramen on Corrie named her tits Newton and Ridley.

Just awful, misogynistic and sexually harrasing/abusive shit that she had been so conditioned to think was fun and evidence she was sexy when it was in reality her being harassed.

That's the reality of working mens clubs.

I read a biography of Peter Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper which identified how many working mens clubs had strippers.

Not on the nights when wives would visit and sit in the lounge but the rest of the time.

It was common that men went to see a stripper and had a couple of pints at lunchtime! Before going back to work, even more in the evenings.

There's nothing nostalgic about working mens clubs unless you're a misogynistic racist man.

Laserwho · 10/12/2025 14:20

Only fools and horses Christmas special. Especially the one with batman and robin .

PotassiumPermanganate · 10/12/2025 14:25

I'd take Pebble Mill on repeat over and over again 😅 My childhood comfort programme when I was off school 😊
Oh, and I loved A Fine Romance! Got the theme tune in my head now!

Talltreesbythelake · 10/12/2025 14:27

Make some room in the schedule for Strange but True. I am watching the episodes on YouTube. No one can intone ominously like Mike Aspel.

Nameinspirationneeded · 10/12/2025 14:42

Of your list I’d watch bits of the Two Ronnies, a fine romance and the krypton factor and I’d add Morcambe and Wise.

other than that I remember there were a lot of films of varying quality.

tobee · 10/12/2025 15:05

Good grief there are some bad ones on that list.

Original poster
SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 15:16

Ok more I’ve missed out are -

Sorry!

Family Fortunes Xmas Special

OP posts:
Original poster
SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 15:16

Ok more I’ve missed out are -

Sorry!

Family Fortunes Xmas Special

OP posts:
Original poster
SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 15:17

tobee · 10/12/2025 15:05

Good grief there are some bad ones on that list.

Not many!! 🤣

although I can understand the Krankies are a bit Marmite!!

OP posts:
ednaclouda · 10/12/2025 15:17

SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 13:23

Terry and June Xmas Special
Cannon and Ball Xmas Special
Little and Large Xmas Special
2 Ronnies Xmas Special
3-2-1
Crackerjack Xmas Special
Punchlines
Winner Takes All
Krypton Factor
Blankety Blank

Larry Grayson’s Generation Game Xmas Special

Play Your Cards Right Xmas Special

A Fine Romance

Krankies Xmas Special

Pebble Mill

Nationwide

Top of the Pops at 2pm

So come and join me to watch my Xmas TV!!

I’ve bought a big selection box for us all !!

blimey
wouldn’t want to come to your house

justasking111 · 10/12/2025 15:20

Dave Allen is the only one I'd still watch.

HorribleHisTories15 · 11/12/2025 17:07

You’re missing:

The Real McCoy
A Pint of Lager
The Royale Family
Bottom
Hyacinth Bucket / Keeping up appearances
3 Non Blondes
Little Britain
Goodness Gracious Me
Absolutely Fabulous

on second thoughts, I’ll stay at home. Merry Christmas 🎄

Netcurtainnelly · 11/12/2025 17:10

The old ones at the best.

Really miss the Christmas Royle Family.
Preferred Bruce to Larryon on the Gen game.

Netcurtainnelly · 11/12/2025 17:20

SaintlyLady · 10/12/2025 13:37

Yes that’s the thing - I LOVED Terry & June in the 80s but watched it on YouTube around 2010 and tbh I struggled a bit to get through the episodes !

Show quote history

Its on every night at 6pm.at the moment on Sky.

notatinydancer · 11/12/2025 17:21

Out of those I’d watch Two Ronnies , Top of the Pops all the rest rubbish 😬 sorry.

Maddy70 · 11/12/2025 17:23

Good god. Most of those were horrific but we only had three channels to choose from so we thought they were great :)
For me you cannot beat , royal family Christmas special
Gavin and Stacy Christmas special
I will definitely accept your a fine romance

Catpiece · 11/12/2025 17:25

Billy Smart’s Circus and it has to be Brucie for the Generation Game

notcomfortable · 11/12/2025 17:30

I'm glad I'm not invited as I have no idea what any of these programmes are 😂

PuppyMonkey · 11/12/2025 17:36

It’s not Christmas in our house till we’ve watched the festive special of The Good Life. Where Margo’s Christmas doesn’t get delivered. So they go next door to Tom and Barbara’s and get pissed. Just brilliant.

Your list is a bit too quiz show oriented OP. You need a big film too - Wizard of Oz or Sound of Music.

And where is Val Doonican? Grin

Brendahollowayjustlookwhatyouhavedone · 11/12/2025 20:03

The krankies (utter crap)hated them as a child)
Cannon and ball..as above
Morecambe and wise ..nope
Pins and eyes spring to mind.

Brendahollowayjustlookwhatyouhavedone · 11/12/2025 20:04

notcomfortable · 11/12/2025 17:30

I'm glad I'm not invited as I have no idea what any of these programmes are 😂

You're lucky,some of us lived through this.
Not all are terrible but some are dire.

Swipe left for the next trending thread