Anyone remember the chat show starring (loose use of the word) Joan Rivers commissioned by the BBC in the early 80s?
It was truly awful (but surely involving Joan Rivers was a clue that it would be).
The only thing above the dire in the first episode was the brilliant Peter Cook. At one point Rivers announced "oh darling you're so wonderful you must come back every week."
He did.
He would sit at the end of the couch, often out of shot, and say nothing for long periods but then come uwith a comment that was often biting but always hilarious as the car wreck rolled on.
It lasted one series, I'm certain purely because of Peter, and I would lay odds that there was no suggestion on the part of the BBC of a second one.
there was also a show on a couple of years back i enjoyed, it was on ITV and about people who worked in a bus depot, can't remember the name of the show though but it was gooood.
One was a gameshow (I think on C4 as a type of sequel to Treasure Hunt) in which a character dressed as an assassin had to run around after a team of people trying to kill them by setting off an electronic device on their backs. Can't remember the name.
There was also a type of Crystal Maze gameshow set on one of those old floating concrete forts in the middle of the English Channel. I watched part of one episode and it was absolutely dire. (No wonder I can't remember its name)
The last was a gameshow on Five (I think) that I actually really enjoyed called "The Mole" in which a group of people was gradually whittled down week by week with the help of a saboteur (the mole) in their midst. They all engaged in various activities to win money each week with the undercover mole trying to stop them without being caught. I enjoyed it - pity it only lasted one series. Based on a french gameshow I think.
there was also a show on a couple of years back i enjoyed, it was on ITV and about people who worked in a bus depot, can't remember the name of the show though but it was gooood.
One was a gameshow (I think on C4 as a type of sequel to Treasure Hunt) in which a character dressed as an assassin had to run around after a team of people trying to kill them by setting off an electronic device on their backs. Can't remember the name.
There was also a type of Crystal Maze gameshow set on one of those old floating concrete forts in the middle of the English Channel. I watched part of one episode and it was absolutely dire. (No wonder I can't remember its name)
The last was a gameshow on Five (I think) that I actually really enjoyed called "The Mole" in which a group of people was gradually whittled down week by week with the help of a saboteur (the mole) in their midst. They all engaged in various activities to win money each week with the undercover mole trying to stop them without being caught. I enjoyed it - pity it only lasted one series. Based on a french gameshow I think.
Sounds like Fort Boyard (which is actually a real place and in France, not the English channel), hosted by Melinda Messenger and Leslie Grantham before both being replaced in the final series by even worse presenters!
Jane Hall was yet another programme affected by terrorism. It was originally supposed to be shown in 2005, but it ended up being left on the shelf for a year after the 7/7 bombings.
The Magnificent Evans, starring Ronnie Barker as a Welsh photographer. I saw the DVD of this a few months ago, and could understand why they never made a second series.
Models Inc
Twin Peaks
Baywatch Nights
Jack And Jill
I've never heard of any of those other shows that you mentioned apart from these ones (were all those other shows aired in the UK?). And I would hardly call Twin Peaks a flop, it was a cult hit and very much talked about at the time.
A flop TV show that springs to my mind is Filthy, Rich & Catflap, a kind of less 'immature' version of The Young Ones with most of the same cast which was shown around 1986/87 but it never took off.
ETA. Did I imagine Bruce Forsyth starring in a sitcom where he played a supermarket manager. It was on around the mid 80's. If I remember he took over the role from another actor but soon after it was axed.
ETA. Did I imagine Bruce Forsyth starring in a sitcom where he played a supermarket manager. It was on around the mid 80's. If I remember he took over the role from another actor but soon after it was axed.
That was 'Slinger's Day' (he replaced Leonard Rossiter).
It was awful with Leonard but even worse with Bruce.
Did I imagine Bruce Forsyth starring in a sitcom where he played a supermarket manager. It was on around the mid 80's. If I remember he took over the role from another actor but soon after it was axed.
As Churchill (the dog in the advert) would say "Oh Yes !!!"
As kids we would stop playing footie and go in and watch this (for a couple of weeks any how) and even then we would wonder why it seemed odd, it had all the ingredients for a 10 year olds favorite show but we were all baffled
There was a black soap opera in the early 80s called Empire Road, I realise that I was getting it mixed up with "Worlds End" until someone mentioned that earlier. Neither of them lasted long but I used to enjoy them.
Thompson: A truly dreadful "showcase" for the "talents" of Emma Thompson. It was one of the crappest things ever shown on television and rightly dumped after one series.
There was a US comedy called Franks Place which was set in New Orleans, I loved it but it disappeared after 1 series and the fantastic Dream On as well.
Comments
Series 1 was actually reasonably good - sadly season 2 became (as my other half puts it) 'Vampire Hollyoaks'
I've a vague memory of an 80's show 'Space Cops' or something similar, which I kinda liked - but I was about 10!
Paradise Hotel? Wierd reality TV thing that kept changing its own rules and never actually ended.
Sleek
Time Gentlemen Please was on a 'minority' channel at the time so it can't really be considered a flop. Similar with Nightingales.
Sunnyside Farm anybody?
It was truly awful (but surely involving Joan Rivers was a clue that it would be).
The only thing above the dire in the first episode was the brilliant Peter Cook. At one point Rivers announced "oh darling you're so wonderful you must come back every week."
He did.
He would sit at the end of the couch, often out of shot, and say nothing for long periods but then come uwith a comment that was often biting but always hilarious as the car wreck rolled on.
It lasted one series, I'm certain purely because of Peter, and I would lay odds that there was no suggestion on the part of the BBC of a second one.
Sleek
One was a gameshow (I think on C4 as a type of sequel to Treasure Hunt) in which a character dressed as an assassin had to run around after a team of people trying to kill them by setting off an electronic device on their backs. Can't remember the name.
There was also a type of Crystal Maze gameshow set on one of those old floating concrete forts in the middle of the English Channel. I watched part of one episode and it was absolutely dire. (No wonder I can't remember its name)
The last was a gameshow on Five (I think) that I actually really enjoyed called "The Mole" in which a group of people was gradually whittled down week by week with the help of a saboteur (the mole) in their midst. They all engaged in various activities to win money each week with the undercover mole trying to stop them without being caught. I enjoyed it - pity it only lasted one series. Based on a french gameshow I think.
nah, it was a recent show, a drama and had a fairly big name star in it but can't for the life of me remember who.
also loved Mulberry starring Jacko from Brush Strokes.
Sleek
Think it was Dutch certainly not French!
ahh yeah thats the one, thanks mate.
Sleek
Sounds like Fort Boyard (which is actually a real place and in France, not the English channel), hosted by Melinda Messenger and Leslie Grantham before both being replaced in the final series by even worse presenters!
The first series of Randall & Hopkirk was 26 episodes.
The Reeves & Mortimer version had less than half of that over its two series. They started with 11 million viewers and finished with 3 million.
The remake might have been a success if they had not cast two people who could not act in the lead roles.
How about the sitcom Davina did on ITV, Sam's Game. I think it had Ed Byrne in it as her love sick flat mate.
I have thankfully never seen the show only clips on compilations shows of truly awful TV.
Mind Your language I did see but it probably wasn't a flop at the time.
Truly dreadful.
I've never heard of any of those other shows that you mentioned apart from these ones (were all those other shows aired in the UK?). And I would hardly call Twin Peaks a flop, it was a cult hit and very much talked about at the time.
A flop TV show that springs to my mind is Filthy, Rich & Catflap, a kind of less 'immature' version of The Young Ones with most of the same cast which was shown around 1986/87 but it never took off.
ETA. Did I imagine Bruce Forsyth starring in a sitcom where he played a supermarket manager. It was on around the mid 80's. If I remember he took over the role from another actor but soon after it was axed.
That was 'Slinger's Day' (he replaced Leonard Rossiter).
It was awful with Leonard but even worse with Bruce.
It was pretty awful, but I'm not sure it counts as a flop because three series were made between 1984 and 1987.
Yes, I knew that.
I must have watched it with both of them involved - can't think why though......
As Churchill (the dog in the advert) would say "Oh Yes !!!"
As kids we would stop playing footie and go in and watch this (for a couple of weeks any how) and even then we would wonder why it seemed odd, it had all the ingredients for a 10 year olds favorite show but we were all baffled
Raven
Thompson: A truly dreadful "showcase" for the "talents" of Emma Thompson. It was one of the crappest things ever shown on television and rightly dumped after one series.
There was a US comedy called Franks Place which was set in New Orleans, I loved it but it disappeared after 1 series and the fantastic Dream On as well.