THE BEST OF LOOKS UNFAMILIAR - THE ACCEPTABLE MIKE REID

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

This is a collection of highlights featuring Mitch Benn on Matchbox Zoomy Balloonies, Catrin Lowe on Heartthrob - The Dream Date Game, Mic Wright on Army And Navy Sweets, Darrell Maclaine on Rutland Weekend Television, Mark Thompson on The Giftie, Will Maclean on The Fourth Pan Book Of Horror Stories, Stephen O'Brien on The Box Of Delights, Sophie Davies on The All Star Impressions Show and Tim talking to Ben Baker and Phil Catterall about A Christmas Lantern. Along the way we’ll be looking back the mercurial musical career of ‘Trevor’, disputing Peter Hitchens’ Hot Or Not rating, evaluating Ian Pick and Ian Mix’s retirement plan, discussing how to tackle an Out Of Control Eric Idle, finding out how ghosts answer the phone, hunting down television tie-in paperbacks in decidedly less than upmarket bookshops and rating celebrity impressions of the Jamaican Louis Walsh. Plus there’s something you may not have heard before – Tim on (Music For) The Head Ballet talking to Paul Abbott about Ringing On The Engine Bell by Bernard Cribbins.

You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.

Alternately, if you’re just feeling generous, you can buy me a coffee here. Please ignore The Bloke In The Bowler Hat saying don't buy it there, buy it elsewhere et cetera.

THE LOOKS UNFAMILIAR BOX OF DELIGHTS - STEPHEN O'BRIEN - WHETHER THEY HAD A MILLION POUNDS OR ONE POUND, THEY'D ALWAYS GIVE IT A GO

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

In this special Christmas edition, writer Stephen O'Brien joins Tim on a a trip back to 1984 for a look at how the BBC's acclaimed adaptation of The Box Of Delights was received at the time by its target audience - long before it started to find itself recognised as a 'Television Classic', and when in many ways it was just another children's programme. There are plenty of tales about the unexpected resonance that The Box Of Delights has taken on since then, taking in adventures in hunting down television tie-in paperbacks in somewhat less than upmarket bookshops, searching for the The Box Of Delights theme single and then in turn the album that the theme single was extracted from in even more bizarre surroundings, trying to impress dates with your intricate knowledge of John Masefield's more arcane historical references, and attempting to wrestle the soundtrack of an episode from a video cassette onto an audio cassette in the days when the chances of actually owning a copy of The Box Of Delights in any form seemed as remote as Arnold Of Todi's island hideaway. There's also room for discussion of many similar serials that the BBC broadcast in a similar timeslot around the same time including Aliens In The Family, The Moon Stallion, The Children Of Green Knowe and - uh-oh - Billy's Christmas Angels...

You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.

If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Not a bloody 'posset', thank you very much.

THE BEST OF LOOKS UNFAMILIAR 06 - TOP CAT WILL ALWAYS BE BOSS CAT

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

This is a collection of highlights from shows thirty one to thirty six, featuring Justin Lewis on Neither Fish Nor Flesh by Terence Trent D’Arby, Mark Thompson on Libby’s Moonshine, Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence on The Lone Ranger by Quantum Jump, Stephen O’Brien on Old Fashioned Christmas by Anne Charleston and Ian Smith, Garreth F. Hirons on The Ghosts Of Oxford Street, Vikki Gregorich and Jeff Lewis on The Secret Cabaret, Emma Burnell on Melody Radio and Paul Cornell on Terry Wogan’s insistence on playing records that resolutely refused to become hits. Along the way we’ll be finding out what happens when you continually ask a radio station that doesn’t have Ghostbusters to play Ghostbusters, revisiting the forgotten link between Rupert And The Frog Song and Cannibal Holocaust, debating the identity of ‘soft lad who stood on a pole’, celebrating the career of ‘DJ Ron’, revealing how to avoid getting mistaken for an extra on Neighbours, singing a medley of all two and a half records owned by Radio Merseyside, and trying not to think about what ‘Dog Of Finland’ might entail. Plus there’s some little-heard extra bits of chat with Emma, Stephen and Mark as well as something you might not have heard before – Tim on Perfect Night In talking to Neil Perryman about the BBC edits of The Monkees…

You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.

LOOKS UNFAMILIAR CHRISTMAS EXTRA: "THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS IS NO BORIS GARDINER"

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

Joining Tim for a special Christmas edition is writer Stephen O’Brien, who’s brought along some little-heard eighties Christmas Singles including Hokey Cokey by The Snowmen, Jingle Bells Laughing All The Way by The Hysterics, What Are We Gonna Get ‘Er Indoors by Dennis Waterman and George Cole, Oh Blimey It’s Christmas by Frank Sidebottom, Christmas In Hollis by Run DMC, Old Fashioned Christmas by Anne Charleston And Ian Smith, and Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid II, not to mention Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s stilted stately home natter, Boris Gardiner’s mercifully forgotten third single, and the thorny question of whether Keeping The Dream Alive by Freiheit is a Christmas Single or a load of old twaddle. Along the way we’ll be hearing the World’s Worst Jane Leeves Impression, revealing who wrote and sang the theme tune for The Quatermass Experiment, narrowly avoiding giving the actual official worst Christmas Present possible in the entirety of all history, and finding out how to get accidentally mistaken for an extra in Neighbours.

You can find Stephen’s previous appearance on Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. You can also find Stephen on Looks Unfamiliar talking about The Office (the Steven Moffat one), LM magazine, You Can Do The Cube, Brilliant (the band), The Beachcombers and other last-minute ITV emergency schedule replacement standbys and The Morecambe And Wise Board Game here, and what it was like to watch the original transmission of The Box Of Delights here. 

If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. If it helps, Arthur and Terry could also get one for 'Er Indoors.

THE BEST OF LOOKS UNFAMILIAR 01 - CAPTAIN PEACOCK IS POMPOUS, MOVE BACK THREE SPACES

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

This is a collection of highlights from the first six shows, featuring Stephen O’Brien on The Morecambe & Wise Game, Garreth F. Hirons on Food Fighters, Emma Burnell on The Patchwork Monkey, Phil Catterall on the ZX Spectrum tie-in game for Platoon, Mark Thompson on Night Shift, and Ben Baker on Fiendish Feet. Along the way we’ll be finding out when it’s appropriate to address Colin Bennett as ‘Vince Purity’, how many issues of ‘Razzle And Wise’ were published, and just which elements of The Untouchables were considered appropriate for a scrolling platform game aimed at children, not to mention recalling the classic horror film ‘Dracula Vs. The Skeleton’. Plus there’s also something you may not have heard before – Tim on the radio talking to Georgey Spanswick about ridiculous seventies board games.

You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.

Alternately, if you’re just feeling generous, you can buy me a coffee here. It will not be enjoyed at a Board Game Cafe whilst playing Pop Twenty.

004 - STEPHEN O'BRIEN - THE CLASSIC 'FOUR CALCULATORS' SKETCH

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

Joining Tim this time is writer Stephen O’Brien, who’s wondering why he gets blank looks all round whenever he mentions Steven Moffat sitcom The Office, early ‘lad mag’ LM, eighties puzzle cash-in paperback You Can Do The Cube, KLF-affiliated early Stock Aitken Waterman act Brilliant, The Beachcombers and other last-minute ITV emergency schedule replacement standbys, and The Morecambe And Wise Board Game. Along the way we’ll be finding out how many issues of ‘Razzle And Wise’ were published, how many characters Stefan Dennis can play on stage at once, and which seventies action serial is slightly less preferable to actually being at school.

You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.