It's pissing down. I got soaked at lunchtime and now I'm cold and shivery. It's the sort of day that you want to snuggle down with your favourite Tv programmes.
Now I don't have the tv on during the day. It's a throwback to my mother who said it was " dreadfully common "......
But if I could pick 10 tv programmes to watch back to back on a cold wet afternoon ....what would they be?
Here is my list
Number 1 ....what a surprise!
Now what does any self confessed gay man loves above all other things on tv?
Yes ......sassy women suffering hardship and winning through
In Tenko we had more gay icons crammed together than in any fancy dress birthday party thrown by
Elton John
An elderly dutch nun, ( Sister Ulrica) Plucky Leader Marion Jefferson, bulldog faced Dr Mason
Tart with a heart Blanche and the snobby Mrs Van Mayer were just five of the massive female cast of
Japanese POWs interned in wartime Sumatra
Wonderful 1980 tv viewing
My 3rd place winner is a precursor to the disaster movies of the 1970s
a science fiction tv series by Irwin Allen
When I was ten years old I was totally obsessed with " LAND OF THE GIANTS"
I lived, breathed and loved it with a passion.
And ( how gay is this) my favourite character was the stewardess Betty Hamilton
" Betty? What a cracking name)
Now number 4 on my list is a sentimental choice
It's the dreadful " Dickenson's Real Deal"
Now for those that have never seen this orange faced antique dealer programme - I shall try to
explain ......members of the public drag in their old nic nacks and haggle their sale with a selection of
Odd looking antique dealers
Its a pile of shit.....but shit that me and my brother used to watch and kind of enjoy every thursday when I used to go up and " babysit" him when he was dying.
Halfway through, and number five is the quiz show ONLY CONNECT fronted ( and what a massive front she has) by Victoria Coren Mitchell
I love it.
I love Coren's wit
I love the fact that most of the teams are painfully enept in social situations
And I love that no one wins anything
Number 6 is what The Prof refers to as my " tv porn"
I am a sucker for tv reality cop shows
Road Wars, Chopper Coppers, 24 hours in Police Custody
I watch them all!
I love a man in uniform
Number 7 Has to be " Bake Off" but a very specific Bake off episode. My favourite was back in series four when the mousey Deborah accidently nicked Howard's custard before he could construct his trifle.
Television has never been as cutting edge as this
In 1974 a well spoken and groomed to the hilt Faye Boswell ran a tight ship
The ship in question was a women's prison called Stone Park and Mrs Boswell
Was played by the veteran film star Googie Withers
My 8th choice was camp as christmas " Within These Walls"
My 9th choice is a blast from the 1970s and that is the international " It's a knock out"
jeux Sans Frontières
It was ideal family entertainment made even better by the hysterical giggling of front man Stuart Hall
Pity where he ended up eh?
10. Thunderbirds must be my final choice and my very favourite episode was " Attack of the Alligators" where our heros had to save a group of scientists ( and their mysterious housekeeper Mrs Files) from mutent Alligators .....for a kids show it remains rather " dark" given the fact that certain characters are killed and eaten and the reptiles are machine gunned to death at the end!