Saturday night TV - The dream line-up

Once upon a time Saturday night TV used to a barrel of laughs and entertainment.  Nowadays, it is just pitiful and dismal.

Strictly Come Dancing is the only half-decent programme on a Saturday night now and watching Fix Factor on ITV1 is now something of the past.

While I have developed a real hatred for a programme of wannabees with a lack of talent and judges who are losing creditability with every passing week (I’m talking to you Gary and Nicole), this post is not going to turn into a panel bashing moan about the worst TV programme around now.

So, I wanted to take a trip down yesteryear to the 1990s and a time where the viewer was spoilt for choice. 

Starting from a regular 5pm slot until 10.30pm – this is my dream Saturday night line-up.

5pm – Catchphrase (ITV1)

You’ve just got in from a busy day trundling around the shops, or you’ve done a full day of housework or you come in from a tough day watching your side lose 15-0 at home to Barnet in the football. 

To start this evening off, a little bit of light-hearted entertainment to begin with in the form of Catchphrase.

5.30pm – Big Break (BBC One)

Snooker is not the most attractive sport.  In fact, it is pretty boring to watch but comedy shines through here with the trick shots and fast-paced games like Red Hot and Make or Break.  That’s what snooker should be all about.

Throw in comedian Jim Davidson and Big Break was an attractive pull in its day.

6pm – Gladiators (ITV1)

I miss these days of the super powerful Gladiators who used to be mine and most people’s superheroes.

The days of Wolf behaving badly all the time, the acrobatics from gorgeous girls Lightning and Jet, Mr. Nice Guy Saracen, the deadly Nightshade and the king of the Duel, Shadow.

The whole show was entertaining, competitive and compelling, made up by tackling the toughest assault course in its peak in the Eliminator. 

Now if you still don’t feel entertained, then what is wrong with you?

7pm – Noel’s House Party (BBC One)

Switching channels again can be a chore but it was worth it for some spectacular entertainment in the shape of Noel’s House Party.

Forget Mr. Blobby, Noel’s House Party was phenomenal and provided a bundle of laughs throughout.

Noel Edmonds has become a pale shadow of himself on Deal or No Deal but he did entertain the crowd, especially with games such as Gotcha and Grab a Grand!

8.15pm – Blind Date or You Bet! (ITV1)

Back to channel three on your remote control but Cilla Black was a regular presenter of a show on a Saturday night.

Blind Date was the perfect matchmaking show and it produced some couples who were a match made in heaven and others who simply didn’t work out.

Sometimes, You Bet! was also a brilliant show as teams had to try and get the better of a challenge in a time limit, with a studio audience helping the selection and charity proving to be the main winner.

Also, the loser in the celebrity panel had to a do a celebrity dare, which was the best part of the programme!  Matthew Kelly was a brilliant host, Darren Day less so!

9.30pm – Who wants to be a Millionaire? (ITV1)

Add some tension to your Saturday night and some drama too and I’m not talking about Casualty here!

In its prime, Who Wants to be a Millionaire could attract plenty of high audiences as Chris Tarrant asked the questions towards a £1million pounds.

Plus, there are the three lifelines, such as 50:50, the sometimes forgettable Ask the Audience and the occasional clueless Phone a Friend.

10.30pm – Match of the Day (BBC One)

Probably a predictable choice for me but while ITV show an old film from the 1980s, I’d prefer to watch the compelling highlights from the day’s action in the FA Premier League.

Match of the Day is the perfect finale to a perfect Saturday night.

So there you go, inside the mind of a perfect Saturday night on television.  If only we can move back in time to change schedules!

Categories: Big Break, Catchphrase, Gladiators, Jet, Jim Davidson, Lightning, Match of the Day, Nightshade, Noel Edmonds, Saracen, Saturday, TV, Wolf, You Bet!

Finding closure

The Uni experience is over for me - it is time to move on

My life has changed massively throughout 2012 and I knew that was going to happen at the start of the year.

When I left University and Northampton behind in June of this year, it felt sad.  A chapter full of colourful memories was being closed for good.

Recently, I went back to Uni to collect all the work that had been marked over the summer, leading to the confirmation of my 2:1 final classification grade for the BA Hons Journalism course I had been on.

Weird being back

It felt really weird being back inside the institution and the town that I had practically lived in since 2009.  Walking past my old address and seeing the curtains open at the room I used to rent for two years felt odd.

Strolling down the pathway, walking across the Racecourse (the day name for the park on St. George’s Avenue), and memories came flooding back of the Uni experience.

I have some great times to look back over and I’m sure that if I ever wrote an autobiography on my life (unlikely but never say never), this chapter might well be the easiest. 

It was nice to see some of the lecturers who had guided me through the challenges a degree throws at you and it does push you to the brink.  I experienced that feeling at least twice.

I updated them on the progress and the desire of trying to make that crucial breakthrough for my future.

Chances are slim

I hadn’t been back to Northampton after graduation day and that had been slightly frustrating.

The chances of going back there on a night out look slim to say the least and it felt like the long goodbye was finally over.  It was something that had started back in April when my dissertation was handed in and it WAS now over.

In a way, it was a good thing to finally find some closure.  I miss the Uni days a lot and although I have been keeping myself busy with lots of unpaid work, the comforts of dependable independence, student loans and clubbing nights with coursemates are areas that still were being missed, greatly in some quarters.

Now I know that it is all over.  It is difficult to let something go and in my view admittedly, it has taken longer to readjust to another life.

The life I had between September 2009 and May 2012 won’t ever be forgotten but time doesn’t stand still and it is definitely time to move on.

An unforgettable experience

UoN gave me some tough times but also some great memories

Collecting all my work (being the first student to do so apparently too…) felt like all my business in Northampton had been concluded.  No need to pester, beg or annoy people.  I probably had been doing that all summer and in some areas, throughout the journalism course.

11 days have passed since I was briefly back.  While it is difficult to say that I will definitely never return to Northampton – it did give me some great times and who knows what the future holds.

I might be back in the town in some capacity down the line, though that is likely to be flying visits than anything else.

So, it brings a conclusion to what was an unforgettable experience.  I am delighted I went to embrace the University culture and although I wasn’t the easiest person to understand or know, I hope I left my mark on some people and won’t be forgotten.

I have now found closure.  The Uni life is over but as one chapter comes to a satisfying and emotional conclusion, a new one will begin because that is what life is all about.

Categories: 2012, Dissertation, Graduation, Journalism, Lecturers, University, University of Northampton