Channel 4 at 25

[Interpol Shrimper]

So Channel 4 is about to celebrate 25 years of broadcasting and there has been some absolute crackers of TV gold broadcast in that time as well as some absolute car-crash tele. What are your best & worst things you've ever seen on C4?

For me: -
Best - the ground-breaking comedy (Comic Strip, Big Night Out, Phoenix Nights, Father Ted etc - my ultimate probably being a Comic Strip from 1985 Mr Jolly Lives Next Door with Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson & Peter Cook - probably Rik & Ade's finest TV hour & the embryo of what would become Bottom.

Worst - a combination of sitting through utter Arthouse dross as a teenager with a one-track mind, purely as the film had a red triangle warning as well as recently how they're ringing every single last ounce of programming out of Big Brother. The first couple of series were an interesting experiment, now it's just a platform for Z-list wannabes to try & get some notoriety!

 

[MK Shrimper]

Both love & hate C4.

Agree with your bests: Also like some car-crash TV (Wife Swap), Gordon Ramsay's shows....

But C4 is also responsible for some of the very lowlights of TV: Hollyoaks (I've been to Chester, it's not like that), Big Brother..... countless American teen tossfests......

 

[Mr. Benedict]

The worst definitely has to be big brother.... :p

 

[Uncle Leo]

Good - Father Ted. Channel 4 racing, epsecially their national hunt coverage. Fifteen To One. Big thumbs up for all the great US shows they have brought to our shores - Sopranos, ER, Scrubs, Frasier, Cheers (it was C4 wasn't it?), My Name Is Earl, etc etc

Bad - the surfeit of reality tv shows. The way that some of their shows are just soooooo right-on.

 

[TrueBlue]

Good thing about Channel 4 from BBC 1, 2 and ITV was that Channel 4 ALWAYS dared to go further! like Brookside always the soap that dared to go further!

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Cheers (it was C4 wasn't it

Yes, think it might have been on in the first week of C4 too!

 

[Mad Cyril]

Fifteen to one.
Countdown.
Football Italia.
Kabbadi.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Good thing about Channel 4 from BBC 1, 2 and ITV was that Channel 4 ALWAYS dared to go further! like Brookside always the soap that dared to go further!

Like this you mean Scott?

It seems quite tame now if you watch it back again!

 

[TrueBlue]

Like this you mean Scott?

It seems quite tame now if you watch it back again!

Yeah but at the time!!!!! everybody went loopy!!!

 

[Mr. Benedict]

Fifteen to one.
Countdown.

Great shows, both were particular favourites whilst I was at uni

 

[Uncle Leo]

Great shows, both were particular favourites whilst I was at uni

Compulosry viewing!

When I was a second year, everything stopped, no matter what you were doing or how important a piece of work you were on, so that those two classics of daytime tv could be given full attention :)

 

[Mr. Benedict]

Compulosry viewing!

When I was a second year, everything stopped, no matter what you were doing or how important a piece of work you were on, so that those two classics of daytime tv could be given full attention :)

I still fondly remember all-nighters at exam time, when we'd still be up to see the early morning edition of Countdown as well!

 

[fatshrimp]

For me: -
Best - the ground-breaking comedy (Comic Strip, Big Night Out, Phoenix Nights, Father Ted etc - my ultimate probably being a Comic Strip from 1985 Mr Jolly Lives Next Door with Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson & Peter Cook - probably Rik & Ade's finest TV hour & the embryo of what would become Bottom.

Best Comic Strip Presents must be A Fistfull of travellers Cheques.

Hilarious. I used to know it word for word. Probably still do, so that shows:

A) What an impression it made
B) What a sad git I am!

Also, don't forget Vic Reeves Big Night Out. Genius.

Does anyone else remember Naked Yoga? That was always a late night treat. Especially when you're 15 years old and have a brand new colour portable telly in your room!

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Best Comic Strip Presents must be A Fistfull of travellers Cheques.

Hilarious. I used to know it word for word. Probably still do, so that shows:

A) What an impression it made
B) What a sad git I am!

Ditto that for me in terms of Mr Jolly.
The one I can remember out of AFoTC: -

Which football team do you support?

Watford

Watford can't play to save their lives

I agree

[pauses] Well I disagree. Ok then amigo, you're going to diiiiiieeee!!!

[both fire their cap guns at each other]

The other thing I remember about that is Keith Allen as the mad Spanish hotelier and Danny Peacock as some nutter postie/train conductor!

Also, don't forget Vic Reeves Big Night Out. Genius.

Totally as I mentioned above, it's utter genius. I still say "you lying get" or "you woooouuuld not belieeeeeve, what's going on back there" to people now!

Does anyone else remember Naked Yoga? That was always a late night treat. Especially when you're 15 years old and have a brand new colour portable telly in your room!

Oh yes, probably got an E180 full of that in my Mum's loft :minger:

 

[blues_r_best]

Banzai!

...

 

[fatshrimp]

Told you I was sad...

Which football team do you support?

Watford

Watford can't play football to save their lives

I agree

[pauses] Well I disagree. I think they can play football, they just need a new Manager.

Anyway amigo, you're going to diiiiiieeee!!!

[both fire their cap guns at each other]


Sorry! Couldn't resist! Good to find a kindred spirit.

 

[TrueBlue]

Adam and Joe show!!!!

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Sorry! Couldn't resist! Good to find a kindred spirit.

I really need to source the Comic Strip boxset on DVD that was doing the rounds last year! Although for every great Comic Strip (Bad News, Mr Jolly, Dirty Movie, Fistful) there were dire ones (Strike & 4 Men in a Car spring to mind).

Seeing as the Mrs & Little Miss Shrimperette have left me for the evening, I think I might crack open my Big Night Out DVD!

 

[Mr. Benedict]

Adam and Joe show!!!!

:D

Genius program. They came up with that football song (Ball ball ball, footie footie footie...) which was always made me snigger.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Dont forget Eurotrash- hilarious!

Best thing ever on C4, arguably the best thing on tv in general was Father Ted. Three series' of pure comic genius.

Worst would have to be Big Brother and anything with Justin Lee Collins in