Freddie "Parrot Face" Davies documentary; new series FOX comes to TPTV; The Cinema Museum needs our help & Noel hosts an event at The Sohemian Society
Freddie Davies: A Life in Show Business - Sunday 30 August at 2:30pm
Dear Supporters of Film and TV history,
Known to many of us as ‘Parrot Face’, stand-up comedian and actor Freddie Davies has been treading the boards since the 1950s – and thankfully is still going strong today! Beginning as an entertainer in Butlins and achieving fame on Opportunity Knocks in the 60s, he’s starred in shows as diverse as Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Heartbeat...and of course TPTV’s very own Festivals of Film and TV. And on Sunday 30 August at 2:30pm, we’re giving you the chance to learn lots more about this remarkable entertainer in the premiere of film-maker Martyn Tott’s documentary Freddie Davies: A Life in Show Business. Brimming with rare photos and clips from Freddie’s extraordinary career, this documentary offers a candid insight into the life of an exceptional entertainer and much-loved fixture of children’s TV. Bravo Mr Davies!
It’s just over a week until we stride into September, and we’ve got some splendid shows lined up for you including the 1980 series Fox which follows the lives of the Fox family and their gangland connections Unseen on British TV for years, and Executive Producer is Verity Lambert and cats is headed by Peter Vaughan (Billy Fox); Elizabeth Spriggs (Connie Fox); Bernard Hill (Vin Fox); Derrick O'connor (Ray Fox); Larry Lamb (Joey Fox) and Ray Winstone (Kenny Fox); Fox is quite a rarity on television, as it is unusual for a serial of the time and of such length to have one author and one director. Preston described it as "The Forsyte Saga in 13 episodes about somebody who lives in Clapham", and few series of this length have such an attention to character development. There are a number of storylines that include the criminal underworld familiar from earlier Euston productions, but they support the underlying themes of loyalty and trust within 'families', and avoid the familiar stereotypes. Fox, alongside Out, embodies the best of Euston, both in terms of popular appeal, and subsequent critical acclaim. MARK THE DATE ON YOUR TPTV CALENDARS – THE SERIES STARTS SUNDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER AT 9PM!
The Cinema Museum in London NEEDS YOU! This brilliant museum, housed in a building that was once the Lambeth Workhouse – where a young Charlie Chaplin lived when his mother faced destitution - is fighting to secure its future in this historic building. The museum is aiming to raise £500,000 by December and if you can spare a few pennies or pounds to help preserve this unique piece of Britain’s cinematic history, they’d be extremely grateful. More information about the appeal is HERE.
Mr Talking Pictures himself – Noel Cronin BEM – has always got a tale or two to tell! There’s so much more to Noel’s story than you know.. So, if you’d like to hear more about the man behind the channel – his extraordinary life, career and stories he’s picked up on the way - then you’re in luck! The Sohemian Society is hosting An Evening With Mr Talking Pictures TV on Wednesday 16 September at 7.00pm at the Horse & Groom pub, 128 Great Portland Street, London W1W 6PS. There are a very limited number of standing and seated tickets so if you fancy coming along to hear Noel’s tales first hand, you can buy them HERE. We’d love to see you there!
FULL SCHEDULE
For a printable schedule for the week ahead click HERE
To see more HIGHLIGHTS, click HERE
For those of you who would like to see a full list of this week’s programming WITH SUBTITLES AVAILABLE click HERE
For FOUR WEEKS of advance schedules click HERE
For those of you who like to plan your TV viewing and find out what new films and series are coming to TPTV, we have the schedules for the next few weeks up on our website. On the schedule page, click on the dates for your chosen week. The first week will be the current one, and you can select the next week on the tab.
OTHER PREMIERES SELECTED BY THE USHERETTE
The Footage Detectives - TODAY Sunday 23rd August 5pm
Roll up, roll up for the new Kinema Cup! Mike and Noel have some fantastic reels this week, including one that puts chimneys in the firing line and comes with startling facts about smog! Then, to clear the air, a delightful film from 1951 featuring one of the last original silent film accompanists, Bob Mitchell - and his choirboys. Mike and Noel are heading back to Crystal Palace in the '70s for stars, cars, and memories from afar! Plus, they need you to tell us about Blackpool Pier's Uncle Peter and help find lost ballroom favourites for a couple who met on the dance floor. The lads have a go at the Discbat cricket game- and you can guess who wins… And do you remember Lassar’s paste? Great case files from you – including a newspaper having a quiet news day, a future Corrie star taking a gamble in The Breaking Point, the Flaw, with a flaw of its own and a Hi-De-Hi favourite popping up in Sergeant Cork. And true story – someone’s complained our programme makes them fall asleep! So, if you can stay awake long enough, join us Sunday at 5 or Monday at 7 for… The Footage Detectives!
That’s My Boy - Monday 24th August 4pm
Live as Family. 1981. Stars Mollie Sugden, Christopher Blake & Jennifer Lonsdale. Ida Willis takes a job as housekeeper. Dr Robert Price wants to fire Ida, until he finds out who she really is.
- New Repeat Run, every weekday at 4pm
Van der Valk - Wednesday 26th August 8:05pm
One Herring's Not Enough. 1972. Stars Barry Foster, Michael Latimer & Susan Travers. Van der Valk's day gets worse when someone contacts the station to say that he has just killed his wife.
- New Repeat Run, every Wednesday
The Duchess of Duke Street - Thursday 27th August 1:30pm
A Present Sovereign. 1976. Stars Gemma Jones, Christopher Cazenove & Donald Burton. A determined and kind-hearted woman embarks on her career to be the best cook in England.
- New Repeat Run, every Thursday
Mark Saber - Thursday 27th August 8pm
The Girl from Rome. 1956. Stars Donald Gray, Josephine Barrington & Dorothy Gordon. Mark Saber discovers an ingenious plot when attempting to solve the murder of a young Italian girl.
Z-Cars - Friday 28th August 7pm
The Whole Truth. 1964. Stars Joseph Brady, Fred Haggerty & Brian Rawlinson. Detective Barlow must carefully unravel a boxer's memory in order to get to the bottom of a mind-boggling case.
Legend of the Hidden City - Saturday 29th August 7:50am
1997. Stars Brendan Pollecutt, Fezile Mpela & Robert Finlayson. Ram is out of control and demands that the queen belongs to him. Meanwhile an army is in training.
Whiplash - Saturday 29th August 3:35pm
The Secret of the Screaming Hills. 1961. Stars Peter Graves, Marion Johns & James Elliott. Cobb comes across a wounded man who asks him to deliver a map to his wife, a map that will bring trouble.
Dick Turpin - Saturday 29th August 6:25pm
The Jailbirds. 1979. Stars Richard O'Sullivan, Alfie Bass, Bryan Pringle. Dick and Swiftnick find themselves in jail with Glutton and Spiker. They seem to be done for until Isaac Rag joins them.
The Duchess of Duke Street - Saturday 29th August 8pm
Tea and a Wad. 1977. Stars Gemma Jones, Christopher Cazenove & Mary Healey. The Major persuades Louisa to set up a canteen for troops, but a rival do-gooder creates trouble for her.
EuroTrash - Saturday 29th August 10:50pm
1997. Tonight, EuroTrash meet the eccentric and bizarre Doughnut Girl. Jean Paul and Antoine talk politics and enjoy a visit from Valentina and Lolopops!
The Man from U.N.C.L.E - Sunday 30th August 4pm
The Arabian Affair. 1965. Stars Robert Vaughn, David McCallum & Tom Hatten. In the Arabian desert, Illya discovers a vaporising machine. Meanwhile, Solo protects a soon to be retired THRUSH agent.
SHORT FILMS, Glimpses and Look at Life
(THESE MAY NOT BE LISTED IN TV GUIDES)
These lovely little films are often missed out in the listings so be sure to make a note in your diaries – or set your recorder – so as you catch them!
Monday 24th August
12:50pm - Look at Life: Roses all the Way
1960. A look at the rose, which has been England's national emblem for more than 400 years and an increasingly popular flower within millions of gardens.
3:40pm - Window to the Sky 1967 (NEW)
1967. A fascinating short film about the dangers of air pollution including the effect that the London smog has had on the area.
6:35pm - The History of Shippams in Chichester 1954
A charming history of the famous Shippams Paste company established in Chichester in 1705. We travel from farm to factory all over the country. Narrated by MacDonald Hobley.
Tuesday 25th August
4:05am - Kent in the 1970s: Glimpses
Made in 1976 we look at the architecture of Kent along with its styles, shops, high streets. Featuring superb aerial shots and a very young Prince Charles himself stars in this fascinating documentary.
10:20am - The Better Milk Story 1962 (NEW)
A short film about JOBS Dairy. Meet the free-range cows and learn about the milking methods of 1962!
12:45pm - Look at Life: Everything Stops for Tea
1963. A look at tea, the national beverage of Britain. We look at how it is made and who drinks it, following it from the London Docks to our very own teapots!
6:20pm - Food Flash Dried Eggs 1942 (NEW)
Reminisce with this short Food Flash about dried eggs from 1942!
Wednesday 26th August
3:20am - Cinebox Memories: Solid Soldi Solid by Betty Curtis
Betty Curtis unlocks the vault to bring you a fabulous performance of Soldi Soldi Soldi.
3:15pm - Look at Life: Shopping for a Queen
1960. A look into what it takes to replenish an 83,000-ton liner, the Queen Elizabeth, before her next voyage.
6:15pm - The Last Day of the Trolley Bus 666 Edgware: Glimpses
A film by Wilf Watters made in 1961 documenting the last day in service of the 666 Edgware Trolley bus with brilliant shots of 60s
Thursday 27th August
3:55pm - Cinebox Memories: Clause Francois: Belles Belles Belles
1962. French pop singer Claude François sings the catchy 60s hit Belles, Belles, Belles.
Friday 28th August
3:50am - 1960s London: Glimpses
1960s Life in England we particularly look at London in this great montage of clips from more of our favourite 1960s films along with remembering the fashions the songs the cars and the music.
6:00am - Strike a Note 1946 (NEW)
1946. An intriguing short film about the history of the Piano and exploring the craftmanship that goes into making the instrument.
Saturday 29th August
7:05am - Bring on Bing
1932. Drama. Directed by Leslie Pearce. Stars Bing Crosby, Marjorie Kane & Dick Stewart. Bing and a buddy drive to the college town where Bing's pen-pal, a billboard model, goes to school.
3:30pm - The Tornados 'Robot'
1963. A Scopitone promo for this Joe Meek combo, English rock group The Tornados.
6:10pm - Look at Life: Eagle's Nest
1962. A look at Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' in the Bavarian Alps; a construction which survived World War II, that has now become a popular tourist attraction.
Sunday 30th August
4:45am - Camera Cameos
A beautifully shot amateur film featuring the Southport Flower Show, a trip to the coast, and some fascinating scenes of high streets.
5:25am - Cinebox Memories: Vince Taylor - Whole Lotta Twisting
It's time to move with Vince Taylor as he performs Whole Lotta Twisting.
Huge news! The TPTV Encore App is now available via the Google Play app store. If you've been waiting for an Android launch, you can now download and enjoy our app for your Android devices. That includes Samsung phones and tablets, Google phones and tablets, Lenovo phones and tablets, Motorola phones and tablets + loads more. It’s available on 100s of Android devices. Just search ‘TPTV Encore’ in Google Play to find us.
For non-Android users you can also still find the app on the Amazon Firestick, the Apple App Store, Apple TV, loads of brands of TV that use Fire TV or Android TV OS and the Red Button via Freeview 82.
Watching TPTV Encore, the channel’s catch up & on demand service has never been easier.
TPTV PODCAST
Please tune in to the popular podcast for news, views and reviews of upcoming films and shows on your favourite channel. Click below to listen, or search for us in your favourite podcast app.
https://talkingpicturestvpodcast.libsyn.com/
QUIZ TIME
We’ve a new repeat run of Van der Valk, every Wednesday starting on 26 August at 8:05pm and this week we want to know: what nationality is the fictional detective Piet Van der Valk? And for a bonus point, what city are most of his cases based in?
If you know the answer, please send it to theprojectionist@talkingpicturestv.co.uk with QUIZ 23/8 in the subject line – and please don’t forget to include your postal address.
Anyway, that’s all for now you fabulous lot – and remember what we say, “A dose of TPTV a day, keeps the doctor away!”
Have a wonderful week and see you next Sunday.
Best Wishes
Sarah, Noel and Neill
