S24 Contemporary TV

What else were you watching on TV as Sylvester McCoy made his debut? In the 6 years we've moved on since S18, we've gained a fourth national channel and the twice-weekly EastEnders is the most watched show on BBC1. Daytime TV is now well established, including Neighbours although at this time it's not on at teatime, so is becoming a cult, but not yet mainstream, smash.

To jog your memories, here's the Top 20 for September 1987 :

1) EastEnders - 18.4m
2) EastEnders - 17.9m
3) Romancing The Stone - 14.2m
4) Coronation Street - 14.2m
5) Coronation Street - 14.1m
6) Beyond Bermuda Triangle - 13.4m
7) News (ITV) - 12.9m
8) Blind Date - 12.5m
9) Taggart - 11.8m
10) The Last Frontier - 11.8m
11) News (ITV) - 11.3m
12) The Two of Us - 11.2m
13) Bread - 11.1m
14) Sins - 10.9m
15) New Faces of '87 - 10.8m
16) Bust - 10.6m
17) Beadle's About - 10.6m
18) Three Up, Two Down - 10.6m
19) 3-2-1 - 10.0m
20) Russ Abbot Show - 9.9m

ITV is still dominating with 15 of those positions, and I believe EE's figures include the omnibus repeat which always gave it an artificial boost. I ddin't realise 3-2-1 was still going in 87 - what with that, Beadle and Cilla ITV certainly ruled the roost on Saturday evenings!

I think you're right about EE's Omnibus figures being included, Jonno - and of course, both the two main soaps were only twice-weekly back then weren't they. I used to be a big fan of EE, so I'm just trying to remember what was happening in the Square in 1987 - anyone know?

Nice to see Russ Abbot and Three up Two Down on there. The latter wasn't actually the greatest sitcom ever written, but somehow the Michael Elphick/Angela Thorne combination gave it a real lift - I'm not saying the actors saved the show, but they definitely helped make it SO big.

Yes, two episodes each - Corrie went to 3 in 1989 but EE not until 1994.

EE in 1987 - Arthur spent 4 weeks in prison (remember him stealing the Xmas money the previous year?); Angie manager of the Dagmar (introduction of James Wilmott-Brown); Den and Mags and Jan; Colin and Barry - the gay "kiss"- peck on the forehead, wasn't it?!

Wasn't it this season that was followed by Rockcliffe's Follies?

I think that was the following year. Funnily enough we had a lodger while S24 was on who later got a part in Rockcliffe's Follies. It's a small world.

Si xx

Yeah - they took a very rough format of Rockcliffe's Babies - which was all about tough urban policework (kind of an 80s Sweeney) ... and turned it all Midsummer Murders.

Here's the Top 20 for October 87 :

1) EastEnders - 20.7m
2) EastEnders - 17.8m
3) Coronation Street - 15.7m
4) Coronation Street - 15.4m
5) Blind Date - 14.6m
6) Raiders of the Lost Ark - 14.0m
7) Bread - 13.6m
8) Only Fools and Horses - 13.6m
9) Dear John - 12.5m
10) Beadle's About - 12.4m
11) The Bill - 12.1m
12) Three Up, Two Down - 11.8m
13) News (ITV) - 11.8m
14) Strike It Lucky - 11.6m
15) Howard's Way - 11.5m
16) Russ Abbot Show - 11.4m
17) Bullseye - 11.2m
18) The Krypton Factor - 11.2m
19) Live From The Palladium - 11.1m
20) Clive James On TV - 10.9m

BBC fights back in the Autumn schedules with 8 in the 20 including 5 in the Top 10. Raiders did extremely well, especially as it wasn't even its premiere showing. And Only Fools must have been a repeat as there was no new series in either 87 or 88. And I didn't realise Bullseye was quite so popular - I guess I thought of it as more of a cult type thing!

Television in general wasn't as good at that time as it was 6 years earlier. Out of both those lists, Taggart and OFAH are the only series I've been a regular viewer of through the good times and bad. I only watched the likes of Russ Abbott, Beadle and Clive James occasionally, and I was never a big soap fan and avaoided Cilla like the plague...I always found her to be one of the most annoying personalities on tv!

I remember enjoying My Family and Other Animals which was shown throughout that autumn. It's not on any of the charts here, but it was really good stuff.

Si xx

Searching for a schedule, I've found that a pilot episode for A Bit of Fry and Laurie was broadcast on Sat 26 Dec 1987 at 23:55!

I'd have certainly been watching 'Going Live' every Saturday morning at this time. I also seem to remember Hi-De-Hi being on after Doctor Who - is this right?

I'm fairly sure it was, but must have been repeats as the final series ran from Boxing Day 87 - January 88.

Here's the Top 20 for November 87 :

1) EastEnders - 22.8m
2) EastEnders - 20.0m
3) Coronation Street - 16.3m
4) Bread - 15.8m
5) Coronation Street - 15.7m
6) 21 Years of the Two Ronnies - 13.7m
7) This Is Your Life - 13.4m
8) Blind Date - 13.4m
9) The Bill - 13.1m
10) The Charmer - 12.8m
11) Boon 12.5m
12) Howard's Way - 12.3m
13 News, Sport, Weather (BBC) - 12.0m
14) Just Good Friends - 11.6m
15) Whatever Next - 11.4m
16) 3-2-1 - 11.4m
17) Home To Roost - 11.3m
18) Crossroads - 11.2m
19) In Sickness And In Health - 11.2m
20) The Krypton Factor - 11.0m

I do remember enjoying 21 Years of the Two Ronnies, and indeed 22 Years... the following year. One of them featured The Worm That Turned, that I did remember from 1980 - I believe it was set in 2010!