Explore TV Series

Damon and Debbie is a three-part 'soap bubble' from Brookside, broadcast across three November 1987 Wednesday evenings on Channel 4. Produced by Mersey Television, the three-part series is written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and directed by Bob Carlton. Teen sweethearts Damon Grant and Debbie McGrath flee their disapproving parents in Liverpool, only to end up on the lam and culminating in tragedy.

Prospects is a British television comedy drama series that was written by Alan Janes and originally shown on Channel 4 in 1986. Created by Euston Films who had a pedigree of producing successful, gritty drama such as The Sweeney and Minder, it followed the exploits of two East End 'geezer' characters - Jimmy 'Pincy' Pince played by Gary Olsen and Billy played by Brian Bovell and their trials and tribulations of making a living in London's Isle of Dogs. Comprising 12 episodes Prospects - with a comic slant, dealt with many of the major issues affecting British society at the height of the "Thatcherite" '80's including unemployment, crime, poverty, regeneration, social change and racism. Prospects gained a cult following and ratings wise it performed well above expectation for Channel 4. At that time Channel Four received a large subsidy from the rival commercial network ITV in exchange for the right to sell airtime; this gave ITV a significant input into the management of the station. The success of Prospects and the fact that it was produced by a subsidiary of the ITV network's largest station Thames Television meant it was moved to a 9pm prime-time repeat slot on ITV in the Spring/Summer of 1987. This fuelled rumours that the network wanted to develop Prospects into a long-running comedy drama series. However despite seeing potential ITV declined the opportunity to develop it beyond the original first series.

Michael Palin attempts to copy the exploits of fictional character Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world (without flying) in 80 days.

Edward Forester is a genetic researcher, intent on breeding primate hybrids. But his experiments take a strange turn when he succeeds in breeding a human/gorilla hybrid. He hides the results of the experiment, adopting the child, and helps Gor to speak and blend into society. But Gor can't help being what he is, and tragedy and revelations are the ultimate result.

Groundbreaking and influential British talk show hosted by Jonathan Ross.

The Fear is a five-part television drama produced by Thames Television subsidiary Euston Films for ITV. Broadcast from 17 February to 16 March 1988, the serial follows Carl Galton, the enterprising leader of a criminal gang running a protection racket in North London. Young and ambitious, Galton represents a new breed of criminal who seeks to expand his underworld empire and takes on the old East End firms. 1980s materialism clashes with old school London villainy as Galton rises to power, yet his ruthlessness carries a personal cost, especially on his wife Linda and best friend Marty.

Huckleberry Finn and His Friends was a 1979 television series documenting the exploits of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, based on the novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by American writer Mark Twain. The series was made up of 26 episodes and was a Canadian/German coproduction. Huckleberry Finn is played by Ian Tracey who is also the narrator. Tom Sawyer is played by Sammy Snyders. Directed by Jack B. Hively and Ken Jubenvill, this mini-series was broadcast in many countries such as Germany, UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Venezuela and many other Latin American nations. The series was re-shown many times during the 1980s to early 1990s and has grown somewhat of a cult following. Even though Mark Twain originally wrote the books The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as separate units, this mini-series conjures up both literary works as only one story. Therefore, it places greater importance on Huckleberry's character without putting aside Tom Sawyer's. In 2007, the complete series was released as a 4 DVD box set by Fabulous Films in the UK. It contains many extras including a 12 page color booklet and a 30 minute 'making of' documentary featuring interviews with many stars of the series including Sammy Snyders, Ian Tracey, and Blu Mankuma.

Teufels Großmutter is a German television series.

A sketch comedy show featuring some of Britain's great comedic talents of the 1980s and 1990s in one of their earliest TV appearances.

The story of conquerors and prophets - The series takes place in Celtic Britain of the fifth century. The 13 year old Merlin grows up at the Court of his grandfather, King Ostar. His mother Alviga is the daughter of the King, his father is the son of the Devil, who appears as Rufus in human form.

Cowboys is a British sitcom that aired on the ITV network during the early 1980s. The show was created by Peter Learmouth whom would go on to create Granada television sitcom Surgical Spirit and starred Lancastrian Character-actor Roy Kinnear as Joe Jones "whose small building firm hardly seems to do anything right at all" with co-stars David Kelly as 'Wobbly' Ron, "Oscar-Winning Writer" Colin Welland as Geyser and James Wardroper with Debbie Linden and Janine Duvitski. The show is based on the British colloquial use of "cowboy" to describe a workman of doubtful professionalism e.g. a "cowboy builder".

On Safari was a children's game show series set in the jungle that was produced by TVS, and aired on the ITV network for four series from 1982 until 1984. The show was hosted by Christopher Biggins and for the first season, was co-hosted by future EastEnders actress Gillian Taylforth. Her sister Kim Taylforth also appreaed in the early episodes of season 1. All four series were recorded at the TVS studios in Southampton; although the first series was recorded in 1981, when the studios were still owned by Southern Television. TVS rented the studio space from Southern for the first series and in several editions cameras are seen bearing a generic On Safari nameplate rather than that of the production company.

Enrico Borghini is an entertainer who finds himself becoming the director of a tourist village in crisis. Helped by the village staff, who are initially hostile to him, he manages to revive the fortunes of the structure.

Mr Pye travels to the Channel Island of Sark to spread the love of God. But doing good deeds means something strange starts to happen to him, he starts to grow wings.

A diaper-wearing toddler with a mohawk named Maxwell "Fantastic Max" Young has adventures in outer space with two of his toys: FX, a pull string alien doll from a planet called Twinkle-Twinkle, and A.B. Sitter, a C-3PO-like android made of blocks.

Every Second Counts was a game show which aired on BBC One between 8 February 1986 and 29 October 1993 and was hosted by Paul Daniels. It is based on the American game show of the same name. Produced in association with Talbot Television & Group W Productions.

Sorry! is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1981 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. Starring Ronnie Corbett, it was written by Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent, both of whom had previously written for The Two Ronnies, of whom Corbett was one half. The theme music was composed by Gaynor Colbourn and Hugh Wisdom, and arranged and conducted by Ronnie Hazelhurst. The outdoor scenes were filmed in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

Moselbrück is a German television series.

Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV is a British sketch comedy series created by and starring comedian Victoria Wood with Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, Susie Blake and Patricia Routledge. The show broadcast on BBC Two between 1985 and 1987, and included sketches that became famous in the United Kingdom; these included one-offs like Two Soups and regular features such as Acorn Antiques, as well as musical performances by Wood including her most well-known number, The Ballad of Barry and Freda.

John Barton holds a master class in how to play Shakespeare, using members of the RSC doing scenes, sonnets, and commentary as prime examples.

Anderland was a 45-part German children's mystery television series which aired for the first time on 4 March 1980 on ZDF. It starred Carlo Ianni, Dirk Zalm, Mira Gittner and Loni von Friedl.

Four girls share a flat together in London. Having nothing in common aside from their gender, they barely manage to co-exist.

An 8-part essay film chronicling the history of cinema, examining the history of the concept of cinema and how both relates to the 20th century.

Anthology show based off Playhouse

Saccard, ready to use all means, however immoral or illegal, tries to gain back the fortune he lost three years ago. All involving business and the exchange market. He has a loyal accomplice, an indifferent son, maybe-friends, partners and investors and of course, enemies.

Wisdom of the Gnomes is an animated series produced by Spanish company BRB Internacional about Gnomes. It was a spin-off of the series The World of David the Gnome. It was based on the books The Secret Book of Gnomes by Wil Huygen. Other sequels, both in serial and movie form, were The Great Adventure of the Gnomes, The Gnomes in the Snow and The Fantastic Adventures of the Gnomes.

Orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.

The Late, Late Breakfast Show was a BBC television light entertainment show broadcast live on Saturday evenings from 4 September 1982 to 8 November 1986. It was presented by Noel Edmonds, initially with co-host Leni Harper and also featured Mike Smith and John Peel. It is remembered for several accidents during its regular "Give It A Whirl" stunt slot; in particular, the 1986 death of Michael Lush.

Drama about love and intrigues in ancient Rome during the times of Nero.

Whoops Apocalypse is a six-part 1982 British sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 film of the same name from ITC Entertainment, with almost completely different characters and plot, although one or two of the original actors returned in different roles. As the Apocalypse nears, US President Johnny Cyclops tries to run a reelection campaign whilst also dealing with the Russians, a deposed Shah needing to be hidden, and a new weapon called a 'quark' bomb.

Game for a Laugh is a British light entertainment programme which ran for 56 editions and four specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network.

Jack Vincent, an aristocrat forced by circumstances to become a smuggler, is caught and transported on the IIMS Success to a penal colony on Norfolk Island, off the New Zealand coast. Unhappily for Vincent, the ship's captain is none other than his brother-in-law, Lt.Harry Anderson. The two men have quarreled violently in the past over Anderson's treatment of Vincent's sister, and now Anderson subjects him to particularly harsh and humiliating treatment. Vincent stages a successful mutiny, casting Anderson and those loyal to him adrift, and plans to sail to America. When the Success is shipwrecked, Vincent is one of three survivors; but Anderson also survives the storm, and vows to pursue Vincent until he sees him hanged at Execution Dock. So begins a fight for survival for Vincent and his crew, complete with hostile natives, unscrupulous sea-traders, crazed prophets and buried treasure.

The rise and fall of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Recounting his life with his wife, children and mistress, this biography (based on the recollections of Mussolini's eldest son, Vittorio) chronicles Il Duce's tyranny as he plunges Italy into the dark days of World War II.

Detective Inspector Sam Harvey investigates intricate murder cases while contemplating retirement to pursue his passion for writing children's books.

Hapless bank clerk Willie Melvin dreams of being a successful writer but is held back by his own incompetence, the dodgy dealings of his best friend Chancer, and lack of support from his mother, the bank's manager Adam McLelland and his obsequious fellow teller, Brian.

Black and white half-brothers Wesley and Cyril McGregor run an extremely dodgy secondhand car business out of Liverpool. A comedic spin-off from ITV's soap opera Coronation Street, the producers were unable to get Tony Osoba and Carl Chase to reprise the roles, so Paul Barber and Philip Whitchurch were cast instead. For two characters who appeared in a single May 1982 episode, The Brothers McGregor was very popular, running for four series.

Richie causes trouble in his pursuit of TV fame with Eddie, his alcoholic minder, and Filthy, his sponging agent.

An advertisement announcing the time and place of a forthcoming murder appears among the ads of the paper in the small village of Chipping Cleghorn.

Stalky & Co. is a faithful adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name (less one chapter and the afterstory chapter). Kipling was telling tales based on his own public school experiences as a boy (he is 'Beetle' in the book), and he did an excellent job of capturing the tenor of life in 'the Coll,' a school that catered to boys who would go on to govern and defend the British Empire in the Civil Service, Foreign Service and the military.

Maid Marian and her Merry Men is a British children's sitcom created and written by Tony Robinson and directed by David Bell. It began in 1989 on BBC One and ran for four series, with the last episode shown in 1994. The show was a partially musical comic retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, placing Maid Marian in the role of leader of the Merry Men, and reducing Robin to an incompetent ex-tailor. The programme was much appreciated by children and adults alike, and has been likened to Blackadder, not only for its historical setting and the presence of Tony Robinson, but also for its comic style. It is more surreal than Blackadder, however, and drops even more anachronisms. Many of the show's cast such as Howard Lew Lewis, Forbes Collins, Ramsay Gilderdale and Patsy Byrne had previously appeared in various episodes of Blackadder alongside Robinson. Like many British children's programmes, there is a lot of social commentary sneakily inserted, as well as witty asides about the Royal family, buses running on time, etc. Many of the plots spoofed or referenced film and television shows including other incarnations of Robin Hood in those mediums.

Bob's Full House was a popular quiz programme hosted by Bob Monkhouse which was based on the popular game 'Bingo' and aired on BBC1 from 1 September 1984 until 20 January 1990.

A 1980 documentary series exploring the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture.

Female private detectives Pearl Parker and Finn Gallagher operate within the bustling multicultural communities of South London.

Rivalen Der Rennbahn is a German serial.

World War II is about to end. Benito Mussolini, il Duce, supreme dictator of Fascist Italy, sees his totalitarian dream crumbling and his power slipping away as the terrible day of his ignominious death at the hands of those he so ruthlessly oppressed for more than two decades draws inexorably near.

Martin Bryce lives in a quiet suburban close with his wife Anne. He does his best to "organise" the leisure time of all of the other inhabitants of the close, running umpteen societies and doing "good works". He's is quite happy with his lot until Paul Ryman moves in next door.