TV dramas of yesteryear that were so bad they were good (iyswim)

[MardyBraWouldDoEddieRedmayne]

Following on from all the chat about the Thorn Birds on the fancying priests thread in AIBU, I was thinking about all those corny dramas from my youth.

Like Secret Army Me and my mum used to try and remember the order of the roads, canals and railways each week.

Or Tenko. One of the few programmes of the 70s or 80s to pass the Bechdel test.

[TorianaTollywobbles]

Late to this but anyone remember MacGyver?

He was an action hero who would regularly gets captured by the bad guys but would always be able to escape/blow up the building by using only random stuff he found in his pockets or in the vicinity like a piece of string a match and a safety pin or something.

Also LA Law, used to watch it with my mum loved it!

[MadameOvary]

I used to post on this discussion thread about Sunset Beach
I was Queen Bitch (warning - eyewatering wallpaper!)

[MadameOvary]

I bloody LOVED SUnset Beach!!!
I was at Uni at the time and bought a one of those portable mini-tellies so I didn't miss an episode even though there was an omnibus

Also loved Revelations Why does no-one remember it??? It was written by none other than Russell T Davies!!!

And it's out on DVD

[yoyo123]

Eldorado! Brilliant stuff

[WifeofPie]

Thanks Zukie. How terribly sad .

[LadyBeagleEyes]

Tenko was good.
So many strong women's parts.

[VoiceofUnreason]

Bit concerned that the original poster had a thread entitled "so bad they are good" and then proceeded to mention TENKO. You would have to be a moron to think that was a bad show. Fabulous then, still fabulous now and holds up surprisingly well for a 30-yr old show.

I'm inclined to say Maelstrom, a BBC thriller set in Norway that was on in (at a guess) 1983/4 was bad but enjoyable.

However, as it seems to have turned into a general 70s/80s thread, my votes for thoroughly enjoyable (some genuinely good, others not but still entertaining) would be:

St Elsewhere, Hill St Blues, Ever Decreasing Circles, Falcon Crest, Prisoner Cell Block H, Juliet Bravo, The Cedar Tree and, the best TV show of the 1970s Upstairs, Downstairs, which makes Downton Abbey look like a pile of vomit (and the latter nicked several plot elements from the former).

[MorrisZapp]

Have googled, the drama I meant was definitely Scully. It was written by Alan Bleasdale and set in Liverpool.

I do remember Shelley too though.

I was obsessed with the James Herriot books as a kid, very odd to learn later that he was called Alf, and grew up in Glasgow. Seigfried Farnon, now there's a character. Sadly he only appeared in the first couple of books, because the guy he was based upon IRL took huge exception to his portrayal, and brought legal proceedings.

[AlreadyScone]

oh and thank you also YoureMyOrangeGoldWifeNowDave

[AlreadyScone]

Thank you 70isalimitnotatarget it WAS the Sullivans :)

[milewalker]

i was a huge fan of prisoner cell block h and sons and daughters as well as the adventure game where at the end you had to get across a giant board without walking into the vortex and i loved space 1999 with maya who could change into other beings.

[WifeofPie]

I bloody LOVE All Creatures G & S. Haven't read that biography, Raaah; what happened?

[Clawdy]

70isalimit it was Shelley,not Sculley.Hywel Bennett was rather attractive in those days....

[TigerseyeMum]

I remember The Brett's, it was a bit dull and the scenery wobbled iirc.

[Raahh]

'All creatures great and small' was brilliant- I used to love it. And of course Christopher Timothy went on to do 'Doctors'....

[NulliusInBlurba]

Nobody's mentioned All Creatures Great and Small yet! Christopher Timothy, Peter Davidson and Robert Hardy attempting to act with an arm up a cow's arse. Carol Drinkwater swanning around Yorkshire dales going 'Oh James'. I watched the entire lot on YouTube recently (at least the first three series - it wasn't the same with Lynda Bellingham). I did a name change here for a while to DarrowbyEightFive (the telephone number at the vets' house) and I don't think anyone ever got the reference - most people shortened it to Darrow .

[OliviaMumsnet]

Oh I LOVED eldorado and Sunset Beach?
I particularly liked the love triangle with the foxy Latina and her DH and her BIL the PRIEST!
And then IIRC they were having an assignation in a cave or something and there was an Earth Quake!
Love torn by the San Andreas fault line
BRILLLIANT stuff

NB We will shortly be moving this thread to telly addicts to preserve the mediocrity for EVER.

[MardyBraWouldDoEddieRedmayne]

"MardyBra - there's so many interesting old TV shows mentioned here, and it would be a pity for the thread to eventually disappear. Maybe it could be moved to somewhere more permanent, such as Telly Addicts?"

Yes I'm happy for it to be moved. Have reported it to MNHQ.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Morris it was Sculley (Hewell Bennett.Educated lay about )

Anyone remember Holding the Fort ? Patricia Hodge,Matthew Kelly and Peter Davidson.