When Wagon Wheels Were Bigger

A wizard from the time of the Normans is magically transported to the present. Well, the past now.

But it was the present back then, and apparently perfectly acceptable for young boys to keep strange men a secret from their parents...

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W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

Heavily-edited regretful shenanigans this week as Mark and Martyn watch Tickle on the Tum, and Martyn learns the value of thinking before he speaks a little too late.

At least all the Tickle on the Tum fans will be happy though. That last part isn't true.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

A space adventurer, a jungle warrior, a sorcerer and a really strong guy team up with some kids to fight a less ethnically-troublesome version of a space dictator.

Only 206 episodes in and we're finally doing Defenders of the Earth ("Defenders!"), the cartoon that made shared universes cool before anyone was even thinking about shared universes.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

Us: "Any good podcast recommendations?"

Contestant No. 1: "I don't know about podcasts, but I'll whisper sweet nothings into your ears all night long..."

Contestant No. 2: "I have a true crime podcast, and I'll steal your heart tonight."

Contestant No. 3: "If you like podcasts where two sad men talk about shit old telly interspersed with stories about threadworms, you should listen to When Wagon Wheels Were Bigger."

It's Blind Date. ("BLIND-A DATE-A!")

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

In the early 90s, before we all had pocket computers with instant access to as much pornography as we liked, there was one reliable Saturday afternoon source of slow-motion boobs and bums and OH GOD IT'S HASSELHOFF MY EYES!

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

"Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be..." embarrassing myself on national TV.

It's part 2 of our "classic" Saturday night light entertainment lineup, as we watch Stars In Their Eyes; the show where ordinary members of the public walked into some smoke as themselves, and came out as their favourite singers. There is no possible way that could backfire on them 25 years later.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

"Do you feel the power... of the Gladiators? Do you have the will... and the skill?"

This week we watch Gladiators, a show that combined all the pantomime of British wrestling with all the sporting achievement of British wrestling.

Saturday evening TV never got better than this. A sad indictment of Saturday evening TV.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

"Ranger... Barbarian... Magician... Thief... Cavalier... and Acrobat!"

100 more episodes have gone by, so Mark and Martyn re-revisit the first episode of W4B by re-rewatching the first episode of Dungeons and Dragons. Again. Because they said they would. And they are stupid.

Re-reliving all the fun and adventure of a group of abandoned teenagers hampered in their quest to get home by a small mewling unicorn. For a third time. It's just as good as it sounded both times before.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

Before there was a Spider-Verse... Before the MCU... Before Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire... there was Nicholas Hammond. And he really needed those condensers!

Mark and Martyn celebrate 200 episodes of W4B with a bumper-sized special episode, as they re-watch the first ever live-action Spider-Man, testing '70s special effects (and Nicholas Hammond's trousers) to their limits.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.

All the "will they, won't they" tension of the old Popeye cartoons is destroyed in this sequel series, which reveals Popeye and Olive definitely end up together. Sorry Team Bluto.

EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @spreadthewhimsy FACEBOOK: facebook.com/whenwagonwheelswerebigger

W4B theme composed by John Croudy.