'So Here It Is - Merry Christmas!'

Yes, I know that I probably used a line from the Slade classic to announce Christmas Day last year but what the hell - it is the best Crimbo song ever!

I'm feeling quite emotional this morning for a number of reasons. One is that I watched a Christmas version of the EXCELLENT, 'Back In Time For...' series last night and it brought back so many happy memories of my Christmases as a kid. For those of you unaware of the series it revolves around a modern family (The Robshaws) who agree to embark on a social experiment the aim of which being to place the family in a home that has been re-decorated to mimic this era or that. The whole family are given clothes to represent that era, have their hair done up in the popular styles of the day and are supplied with a manual telling them all about the 'social etiquette' of the period etc...
In effect, the experience is about as near to jumping into Doctor Who's Tardis and whisking yourself back in time as you can get!

Well, with a remit like that you can understand why an 'old fashioned dinosaur' like me loves the programme! Watching it is not only interesting to see how the family cope with life as it was back then (the things they discover that are now long gone they love, the modern things they miss, the lifestyle and how they cope with the social changes) each programme has LOADS of 'I remember that!' Or 'I had one of those!' Moments and as such can be a bit of an 'emotional battering ram'.

In last nights episode The Robshaws had to live through a 1970's, 80's and 90's Christmas and it was lovely to see some previously familiar  household 'old friends' on screen again. Each Christmas the family have tasks to do in keeping with the era and so in the 1970's they had a large Christmas tree to decorate with as much tinsel and stuff as possible! The tree was a real one that had been specially treated (by being dipped in a special liquid of some design) to ensure that it would not be a fire risk and that it would not drop pine needles all over the place. On Christmas Day of each year the family would unwrap Christmas presents popular from the time and so in the 1970's Mrs. Robshaw got a fur coat and the presenter of the show, Giles (he pops in and out of the show) received the Evel Knievel toy that I had as a kid that you wound up and then released.

Thanks to Glenn E Walker for use of this pic

 It was GREAT fun and BRILIANT for inspiring the imagination as it came with some cones, a couple of ramps and other accessories that you could use to create 'death defying' leaps for your Evel to master! In reality, of course the toy was pretty USELESS at even travelling in a straight line as the model of 'Evel' was rather 'top heavy' and thus the motorbike had a tendency to fall over more often than not shortly after you released it from the 'winding up ramp'. Whatever its failings, however, LOADS of kids of my age had lots of fuj lining up the ramps, using some of their Matchbox toy buses to give Evel something to jump over and then trying to get him to complete a successful jump! When you think about it? The real Evel Knievel was more famous for his spectacular crashes than for his successful stunts so I guess in that respect the toy was a pretty accurate representation of the man! (lol)

If you get a chance try to catch a re-run of the 'Back In Time For Christmas' series. I missed the first part myself covering the 1940's, 50's and 60's so I will be looking for that myself.

As for 2018? Well, I don't look forwards with much positivity these days but who knows? Each new year is a fresh start one way or another and so you can never discount something magical happening!

LOTS of love to all of my family and friends this Christmas and to all of you who subsequently find this post on the Internet xxx

'Good Game! Good Game! Didn't She Do Well!'

Of all of the programmes from my childhood 'The Generation Game' is the one I associate most with Christmas. Watching the Generation Game with old Brucie (or middle-aged Brucie as he was then!) was a real family thing. The show appealed to everyone whatever age you were because its mixture of slapstick humour, interesting games and Bruce's fantastically funny way of making fun of the whole thing - and taking the mickey out of the contestants - was simply television magic.

I am not one for hankering over the every word of  celebrities but Bruce Forsyth will always be someone very special to me. The ULTIMATE professional he has made so many shows over the years I associate with happy times and 'Strictly'  has a touch of The Generation Game about it somehow...

Take a look at the video above. If you haven't watched a whole episode of 'The Generation Game' for years (as I hadn't when I watched this yesterday) it is sure to bring back many happy memories. In my case, it inspired me to come up with a new Christmas song based on my love for my childhood Christmases would you believe! 'Christmas 73' is the working title for the song as yet but that's hardly full of excitement so I will let the lyrics percolate for a few days and then see if I can come up with something much more snazzy! 

For those of you new to my world, I have a habit of writing and recording a new Christmas song every year (as long as I can afford it!) and then 'release' them in early to mid Dec on my Youtube channel (Maybrick44). If my producer (and friend) Harvey Summers likes 'Christmas 73' it could be my 'release' this year! 

Anyway, back to Bruce and the Christmas edition of 'The Generation Game'...

'Nice to see you, to see you....NICE!' Has to be one of the best catchphrases any entertainer could have to start a show, don't you think? I mean, straight away he or she is interacting with the audience and making them feel a real part of the show, welcomed and at home. I know Brucies jokes are all a bit out dated in 2013 but I much prefer 'gentle leg pulling' that the more graphic stuff of today. The prizes that get dished out here to losing contestants are also hilarious! Walking off screen with a drill (no box - with the wires dangling and all!) after losing out must really have made men feel better about their lives. Its a bit like saying "Well, loser, back to your D.I.Y. chores for the missus!" HA HA

Oh and where would we have been in those days without one of Anthea Redfern's twirls?

To be honest, she is as wooden a presenter as Pinocchio but it doesn't really matter as Brucie is such a large personality there simply wouldn't have been room on screen for another! That's why the scenes here with the equally awesome, Frankie Howerd are nothing short of T.V. heaven. Frank comes across as a nice guy during his chat to the losing contestants in the semi final and he is sorely missed today.

Oh well, enough chat, get watching and don't forget to let me know your thoughts on the subject.