First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on February 21st 2021

We try a whole new recoding technique for this edition of VISION ON SOUND in the sense that we bring together LISA & ANDREW from the ROUND THE ARCHIVES podcast and PAUL CHANDLER, THE SHY YETI from THE SHY LIFE podcast for a three-way online streamed meeting to talk - at least initially - about the children's television classic RENTAGHOST, before moving on to discuss children's television in general, and then the conversation moves on to the trials and tribulations of watching and enjoying archive TV in general.

Well, when you don't consider yourself an expert of a particular aspect of television, it's best to get in touch with some people who actually do know what they're talking about, and I think it makes for an interesting hour to tickle your earholes.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on February 14th 2021

Regular co-host SANDY McGREGOR returns with a suggestion that we might talk about THE FIFTY BEST SHOWS OF 2020 as published in THE GUARDIAN newspaper towards the end of last year and so, after I make a few brief reflections on the need to make lists generally, that's what we do.

It turns out that, as a fan of older television usually watched on shiny discs, I've not seen an awful lot of the best of that year's new television, but it still makes - I hope - for an interesting conversation, and certainly leaves me with another huge list of stuff to watch.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on February 7th 2021

PAUL CHANDLER, THE SHY YETI from THE SHY LIFE PODCAST returns to natter about TV comedy and, to a lesser extent, horror shows, in a conversation briefly covering his recent viewing including DEATH TO 2020, SWEET HOME, POSE, THE OFFICE (US), GHOSTS, PAUL MERTON, and HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR.

Then HAYDEN GRIBBLE from the DIDDLY DUM PODCAST returns for his Earliest Memories chat which covers shows as diverse as  I, CLAUDIUS, THE SIMPSONS, the BBC's early evening CULT TV strand, and US TV, as well as almost inevitably returning to DOCTOR WHO and the recent animated recreations of missing episodes, and the Blu-Ray releases.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on January 31st 2021

Sometimes, television can actually be a force for good, and so it means that it's actually a bit of a charity event on VISION ON SOUND this week as our main guest is MATTHEW RIMMER who is the creator, editor, and driving force behind the TIMESCOPE publications which have been produced in aid of the disability support charity SCOPE. In our interview he talks about producing both the first edition of TIMESCOPE last summer, and its festive follow up TWICE UPON A TIMESCOPE as an attempt to make something positive result from the various COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, and, in doing so, managed to demonstrate the kind of good things that fans of any television show can and do achieve when they are inspired to do so.

In the preamble, SANDY and I have a brief chat about charity events on television such as LIVE AID and COMIC RELIEF.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on January 24th 2021

It's an episode of two halves this week in which SANDY and I have a natter about SCANDI NOIR, prompted by watching THE VALHALLA MURDERS recently, but we touch upon series like WALLANDER, THE BRIDGE, and THE KILLING, as well as many others.

After this, the second half features a new contributor to the show, but he's someone I'm hoping will become a VISION ON SOUND regular. PAUL CHANDLER (a.k.a. THE SHY YETI, prolific creator and host of THE SHY LIFE PODCAST) talks about his earliest television memories.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on January 17th 2021

The main guest this week is LISA PARKER who is one half of the team behind the popular ROUND THE ARCHIVES archive television podcast, which is one of the reasons VISION ON SOUND exists at all. As she is here mostly to discuss her television memories, SANDY and I have a brief chat about our more recent viewing which involves modern historical dramas like THE CROWN, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT and THE TRIAL OF CHRISTINE KEELER.

In her interview, LISA talks about topics as diverse as her life as a young DOCTOR WHO FAN, spotting the difference between video and film on screen, FRAGGLE ROCK, THE BOX OF DELIGHTS, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, childrens TV, horror films, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED,  THE GENERATION GAME and Z CARS, as well as lots of other adventures in the life of a young telly viewer at the dawn of the VHS age.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on January 10th 2021

This episode is made up of one long interview with the writer PAUL EBBS in which he talks about the life of a writer generally, television in general, and he also shares a lot of his advice and theories on structure and writing realistic characters.  As well as all that, he spends some time sharing some of his experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly  - of writing for television on such shows as DOCTORS, CASUALTY, and EASTENDERS.

We also talk about his new work of fiction, the book  TREE FACE AND THE CRIPPLE of which he is very proud and which he'd love you to read - this may have you thinking you've tuned in  to BOOK OF THE WEEK, but, heck, if we do want to take VISION ON SOUND in such an entertaining direction from time-to-time, I don't see why we shouldn't.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on January 3rd 2021

SANDY McGREGOR and I have a natter that reflects briefly on watching TV during the Festive Season before moving on to the main topic of the day which involves us reflecting - in no particular order and with no sense of precedence - upon the sad passing of several of the iconic TV performers who we lost over the course of the year just ended. So we cover - perhaps with an astonishing lack of detail - an eclectic list of names such as Terry Jones, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Roy Hudd, Sean Connery, Nicholas Parsons, Michael Angelis, John Sessions, Jill Gascoigne, Heather Couper, Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Geoffrey Palmer, Bobby Ball, Eddie Large, Earl Cameron, Derek Fowldes, and Dave Prowse.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on December 27 2020

Things are a little quiet round at FAB RADIO TOWERS in the day after Boxing Day, and so, as I spent yesterday deep inside the cellars churning a few of out many storage boxes around, it seemed like as good an opportunity for me to simply talk about QUATERMASS for a while. So, if you grab a leftover mince pie, and perhaps something tasty from the drinks trolley, you can snuggle up within earshot of your radiogram, and have a nice cosy listen.

Happily, there is some method in VISION ON SOUND's madness here, as this also gives me a good excuse to  share with you that oft-promised (but until now undelivered) last extract from that long conversation I had with TOBY HADOKE back in October in which we, well, nattered for quite a while about QUATERMASS in all of its forms, which I hope you will find as fascinating as I did.

Happy New Year when it comes from all of us at VISION ON SOUND.

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.

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on December 20 2020

The eleventh edition of VISION ON SOUND attempts to be a vaguely festive edition, so I start off in a strangely poetic mood, rather grumpily examine the American Television version of the festive seasonal episode of long-running dramas in my opening monologue, and then SANDY joins me for a long chat that attempts to be an in-depth examination of BLACKADDER'S CHRISTMAS CAROL, but soon veers off into all manner of other Christmas Television thoughts and never quite gets back there. Some of this chatter had to be nipped out for the broadcast edition, but I've included the "uncut" version in the podcast edition ("You lucky, lucky people...") to give you the Christmas gift of BONUS CONTENT.

Ahem.

Happy Christmas.

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.