mostly david ephgrave

I cannot put into words the joy I feel since Challenge TV have started to repeat Les Dawson presenting Blankety Blank. I’m a bit of fan of quizzes and game shows, so will often head in the direction of Freeview Channel 46 when I’m at a loose end. These shows are a good way of killing time without expending many brain cells; perfect fodder for a man of tiny mind and empty diary. The vast proportion of the programmes broadcast by Challenge are game shows from the Eighties and Nineties; the sort of material that was never intended to be repeated after their first broadcast. They’re fascinating in their own way, offering a surprisingly detailed snapshot of the entertainment and fashions of our recent past. It’s frightening how dated even the more contemporary programmes have started to look: rediscovering these repeats (and remembering when they aired first time around) acts as a sobering reminder that I’ve been around longer than I’d like to ...