First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on July 11th 2021

Our Canadian Correspondent RICK LAWLOR returns to have a bit of a natter about the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of British Sitcoms, and, whilst he starts off with a long list of around ninety shows cross-indexed across several decades, over the course of our hour-long chat, we don't even manage to escape from the 1970s. If you're a fan of these shows, you may not learn much that you didn't already know, but I hope you'll enjoy our amiable nostalgic meander.

This obviously means that we'll be returning to the topic in at least one other future edition to cover the rest, but I hope that you'll enjoy our conversation, as we tiptoe around some uncomfortable content in certain shows, but also cover some of the greats like WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE LIKELY LADS, DAD'S ARMY, FAWLTY TOWERS, and LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

The original POLITICAL DYSTOPIAS ON TELEVISION episode 39 was first broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on July 4th 2021.

For timing reasons, the original interview with STEVE HATCHER had to be trimmed to fit our weekly VISION ON SOUND hour-long timeslot.

The first edit of our original almost two-hour conversation came out at around 1hr 16min, and features a lot more background from Steve on the politics of the times the shows THE GUARDIANS, THE DONATI CONSPIRACY, and 1990 were being made, but, as I thought we should concentrate more on the television series themselves for a radio show about television, much of that didn't make the final cut, but I'm publishing it here as BONUS MATERIAL which I hope will prove of interest.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on July 4th 2021

In a very early edition of VISION ON SOUND, we discussed DYSTOPIAN TELEVISION and our guest in another episode got in touch to point out that we hadn't addressed the sub-genre of POLITICAL DYSTOPIAS. To rectify this omission, episode thirty nine of VISION ON SOUND finds STEVE HATCHER returning to talk about POLITICAL DYSTOPIAS ON TELEVISION.

After we touch upon the BBC's 1954 version of George Orwell's NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR, and the alternative history sub-genre of "What would have happened if..." with AN ENGLISHMAN'S CASTLE, we mostly look in detail at three series: THE GUARDIANS, THE DONATI CONSPIRACY (and its linked sequel STATE OF EMERGENCY), and 1990, as well as putting a certain amount of these productions in the political context of the times in which they were made, and we do mention other shows like A VERY BRITISH COUP.

For reasons of timing (and not because I'd been "got at" by the Powers That Be) the conversation had to be cut to length to fit our time slot. This means that a longer cut of this episode (which runs about twenty minutes longer) will also be available hereabouts should you wish to hear it.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on June 27th 2021

Episode thirty eight of VISION ON SOUND finds regular guest contributor PAUL CHANDLER returning to talk about his passion for quiz and game shows on television.

Starting, rather naturally, with TELLY ADDICTS, we consider the shows featuring such hosts as Bob Monkhouse and Paul Daniels before moving on to the extraordinary adventures of TREASURE HUNT, and Paul's own very personal connection with BLOCKBUSTERS.

Games shows like RUNAROUND are name-checked, and Crackerjack [CRACKERJACK!!!] makes another fleeting appearance, as well as wallowing in the general nostagia of SCREEN TEST and PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT. We also take the time to ponder upon the viewers' relationship with the game show on television, and the general difficulty of coming up with yet another brand new concept designed to give people the opportunity to win prizes, points, and pounds in the modern era.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on June 20th 2021

Episode thirty seven of VISION ON SOUND finds that "Man Of The Theatre" SANDY McGREGOR returning (Huzzah!!!) to discuss all things about theatre on television.

This means that we take a long look at the version of THE BBC TELEVISION SHAKESPEARE which debuted in 1979, as well as taking our seats for THEATRE NIGHT, and a couple of AYCKBOURN and PINTER productions as seen on TV. There's also a certain amount of discourse on the experience of watching theatrical productions on television, the obligatory mention of QUATERMASS comes from a brief discussion of live television generally, and we mull over the career of the greatest actor of his generation, and whether he was or not.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on June 13th 2021

Episode thirty six of VISION ON SOUND finds WARREN CUMMINGS returning to have an extended natter about one of his television favourites, The Sweeney.

In preparation I did rewatch the Armchair Cinema sort-off pilot, "REGAN", and the opening episode of the series proper "RINGER", but our off-the-cuff conversation is fairly wide ranging, and includes some of Warren's real-world tales of dealing with the actual Sweeney, and a little bit of the history of the Flying Squad, but we also discuss seedy villains, wonderful dialogue, the various guest stars, some atrocious accents, crockery, and 1970s motor cars, as well as giving a little attention to the episode featuring Morecambe & Wise.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on June 6th 2021

Episode thirty five of VISION ON SOUND finds regular guest contributor PAUL CHANDLER returning to talk about his passion for those pop bands who were primarily manufactured for television programmes.

So we talk about cartoon bands such as The Archies, and Josie and the Pussycats (In Outer Space!) - as well as briefly considering the cartoon variants of The Jackson Five and The Beatles - and briefly ponder upon those puppety television icons Pinky and Perky. We discuss the whole strange phenomenon of costumed bands such as Animal Kwackers, The Banana Splits (including their appearance in a Horror Movie), and The Wombles - adding a slight touch of credibility by segueing into memories of Gorillaz, KISS, and, um, Lordi.

The more human end of the scale is covered by our conversation moving on to The Monkees, The Partridge Family, and Flintlock, alongside S-Club-7 and the Spielbergian possibilities of Supergrass, before we move on to the more recent era and shows like The X Factor and its ilk.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on May 30th 2021

Episode thirty four of VISION ON SOUND finds the writer PAUL EBBS returning. Since we last spoke, way back in episode fourteen of the programme, PAUL has created the #SLEDGEHAMMER podcast in which he talks to various professional DOCTOR WHO writers about their individual writing processes, as well as deconstructing a favourite story from the point of view of just the writing. Good stuff, by the way, and well worth seeking out.

Not being one to let a good idea go uncopied, I got in touch with PAUL and wondered if he might like to try and do a bit of deconstruction on some other TV shows as well, which is basically how we ended up having an episode-long chat about the PILOT episode of the American political drama, THE WEST WING, which I think made for quite an entertaining hour of radio, which I hope you'll enjoy.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on May 23rd 2021

Episode thirty three of VISION ON SOUND finds regular co-host SANDY McGREGOR returning for possibly the most annoying episode of the programme yet, from a particular eardrum-bashing point of view.

After I share my own memories of growing up watching children's TV programmes far longer than might have seemed appropriate for a gentleman of my advancing years, (and obliquely musing upon the cult of BLUE PETER), SANDY and I spend the rest of the episode nattering about his memories of watching CRACKERJACK (CRACKERJACK!) with far, far too many interruptions of a very predictable nature*.

But I like to think that, despite this, it is a warm and affectionate look at a fondly remembered television perennial, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.

* Although the playback shows that I did miss at least one, which is fun to listen out for.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on May 16th 2021

Episode thirty two of VISION ON SOUND finds LISA PARKER from the ROUND THE ARCHIVES podcast returning to share her insight into three early 1970s BBC HISTORICAL DRAMAS set in the Tudor era.

The three series we concentrate on are THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII, ELIZABETH R, and THE SHADOW OF THE TOWER, although we touch upon AN AGE OF KINGS and several other series, including some of the television SHAKESPEARE adaptations, and I do get more than one or two proper history lessons - which basically prove how little I listened to Mr Williams at school.

PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.