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Do you remember the so-called TV personalities of the 80s and 90s?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 499
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in UK TV Shows #1
Does anyone remember growing when watching TV in the 1980s and 1990s, there were certain people on breakfast TV, light entertainment and late-night TV that you had no idea what they were doing there, except they were flavour of the month?

Often their only talent was to dress wackily, or imitate people or perform simple tricks. People such as:
Bob Carolgees & Spit The Dog
Mr Motivator
Normski
Lauren/James Harries
Tara Palmer Tomkinson

It's just a sample, but there were lots of them - people who could only be on telly because the producer was s******g them, they were related to them or owed them a favour.

Comments

  • edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    #2
    How was this any different to how TV is now?
  • ftvftv Posts: 31,668
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    #3
    The producer was s******g Spit the Dog:o
  • edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    #4
    ftv wrote: »
    The producer was s******g Spit the Dog:o
    No. Bob used to Norman Lamont him though.

    (EDIT: LOL. Spit the Dog I mean, not the producer!! :D)
  • gasheadgashead Posts: 13,815
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    #5
    That's quite an odd list there OP. Carolgees, for example, was simply a light entertainer. If you include him, there's another 100 similar light-entertainment acts you have to include; Clifton, Hull, De Courcey, Harris, Alan. And that's just the ones with puppets ! And why Mr Motivatior, but not 'Mad' Lizzie Webb, or The Green Goddess? They were on TV because early morning telly was a novelty in the 80s and a fitness segment was a popular feature. What was TPT doing on TV in the 90's? Genuinely. What was she popping up on for you to ask why was she there?

    As edEX says, I'm sure there's a lot more of what you're talking about on TV today than there was 20 or 30 years ago.
  • TiwttmosTiwttmos Posts: 2,573
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    #6
    Does anyone else remember a kids tv presenter called Christopher Lillicrap!
    He use to be on tv in the 80's but since then his career's hit the skids!

    http://youtu.be/AdJfDPpyLy8
  • Face Of JackFace Of Jack Posts: 7,181
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    #7
    I seem to remember Michael Barrymore, Bruce Forsythe, Jim Davidson, Cilla Black and Jeremy Beadle taking over in the 80's !
    The 90's...a bit mixed-up. But I'm sure it was the birth of Ant &Dec on CITV!
  • woot_whoowoot_whoo Posts: 18,030
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    #8
    Margarita Pracatan.
    Lloyd Grossman.
    Paul Daniels.
    Madge Allsop (Dame Edna's downtrodden friend)
    Gail Porter.
    Denise van Outen.
  • edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    #9
    Face Of Jack wrote: »
    I seem to remember Michael Barrymore, Bruce Forsythe, Jim Davidson, Cilla Black and Jeremy Beadle taking over in the 80's !
    The 90's...a bit mixed-up. But I'm sure it was the birth of Ant &Dec on CITV!
    The 90s had The Word and the Big Breakfast amongst other things. Terry Christian, Dani Behr, Mark Lamarr, Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin, Joe Mangle (:D) etc.
  • gasheadgashead Posts: 13,815
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    #10
    edEx wrote: »
    The 90s had The Word and the Big Breakfast amongst other things. Terry Christian, Dani Behr, Mark Lamarr, Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin, Joe Mangle (:D) etc.
    Which reminds me of Katie Puckrik, Amanda De Cadenet (think I read she's on US TV these days), Huffty (dear God), Zig n' Zag, Roland Rat, Wincey Willis....
  • maycontainnutsmaycontainnuts Posts: 1,488
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    #11
    Magenta Devine , Max Headroom, Penny Junor, Judith Chalmers, Frank and Nesta Bough
  • pearlsandplumspearlsandplums Posts: 29,550
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    #12
    Kevin Day only ever seemed to be a guest on thats showbuisness. I still dont think Ive seen him on anything else.
  • Mitten KittenMitten Kitten Posts: 1,185
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    #13
    Tiwttmos wrote: »
    Does anyone else remember a kids tv presenter called Christopher Lillicrap!
    He use to be on tv in the 80's but since then his career's hit the skids!

    http://youtu.be/AdJfDPpyLy8

    Just because he hasn't been on TV doesn't mean his career hit the skids. I googled him a few years ago and if I remember, at the time, he was producing shows. According to the link, he has been a media consultant for years and is now semi-retired.
    http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-born-children-s-TV-star-Chris-Lillicrap/story-19485460-detail/story.html
  • Scarlett BerryScarlett Berry Posts: 21,135
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    #14
    OP, I'm not familiar with all you have mentioned in your thread, however I'll hazard a guess they had some talent to warrant their stint on tv as opposed to the "reality" numpties we have masqueriding (sic) as celebrites these days.
  • davadsdavads Posts: 8,640
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    #15
    Mitten Kitten wrote: »
    Just because he hasn't been on TV doesn't mean his career hit the skids. I googled him a few years ago and if I remember, at the time, he was producing shows. According to the link, he has been a media consultant for years and is now semi-retired.
    http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-born-children-s-TV-star-Chris-Lillicrap/story-19485460-detail/story.html

    From the above article: "He also wrote for and occasionally appeared in Rainbow, ITV's answer to the Muppet Show"

    What a bizarre comparison to make! (Not least because The Muppet Show already was on ITV)
  • edExedEx Posts: 13,460
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    #16
    davads wrote: »
    From the above article: "He also wrote for and occasionally appeared in Rainbow, ITV's answer to the Muppet Show"

    What a bizarre comparison to make! (Not least because The Muppet Show already was on ITV)
    Not just on ITV. The Muppet Show was commissioned and made by Henson specifically for ATV, one of the ITV franchisees.
  • jazzydrury3jazzydrury3 Posts: 27,064
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    #17
    Wouldn't Class Rainbow which had a Pink Hippo, A character with a zip across his mouth, and a big scary brown bear, it who lived in a house with a guy called Geoffrey, did Geoffrey live with them, or visit them.

    But my main point is, it was nowhere near the standards of the Muppet show, whose characters still have fans across the world
  • boksboxboksbox Posts: 4,572
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    #18
    mprince wrote: »
    Does anyone remember growing when watching TV in the 1980s and 1990s, there were certain people on breakfast TV, light entertainment and late-night TV that you had no idea what they were doing there, except they were flavour of the month?

    Often their only talent was to dress wackily, or imitate people or perform simple tricks. People such as:
    Bob Carolgees & Spit The Dog
    Mr Motivator
    Normski
    Lauren/James Harries
    Tara Palmer Tomkinson

    It's just a sample, but there were lots of them - people who could only be on telly because the producer was s******g them, they were related to them or owed them a favour.

    Lauren/James Harries, don't recall him being flavour of the month at all, was on Wogan once or twice and that was it.
  • dd68dd68 Posts: 17,837
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    #19
    Whatever happened to Wincey (?) Willis, with her highlighted mullet and incredible jumpers
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