TV Episodes You Have Just Watched

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Two episodes of Stingray, a mid-1960s puppet show. One of a number of such series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. They were made in the UK, but had a strong transatlantic flavour, with most of the characters speaking in American accents, no doubt with a view to selling the shows to TV channels in the USA.

'Stingray' is an advanced mini-submarine, part of the WASP (World Aquanaut Security Patrol) fleet. The main characters include Capt Troy Tempest, Commander Sam Shore, 'Phones' (the navigator), Atlanta Shore (Troy's fiancee) and Marina, a mysterious mute aquatic humanoid entity who seems to be Troy's secret fantasy. I think there's also an evil mastermind called X-Two-Zero, but he hasn't turned up so far...

Interview With The Vampire.

I binged the first season of The Gregory Horror Show.

The Vow: Season II.

A Star Is Gorn, Episode 7, Series 4 of 'Minder' (1984)

The title is a play on the working class London accent ('gorn' = 'gone'). A minor pop star, Zac Zola, is apparently found dead, and his back catalogue is suddenly in great demand, including a master tape which Arthur has come into possession of in unlikely circumstances. Unfortunately, Zola's ruthless and crooked manager (played by comedian Mel Smith) is also determined to get his hands on it, which spells trouble for all concerned. It turns out in the end that everything is not as it seems, including the tape.

The Ghost Of The Sea, Series 1, Episode 3 of 'Stingray'

A good episode, though the ending wasn't entirely satisfactory.

Dammit, I paid about £20 for a box set of these episodes, and now find that they're all on YouTube.

Andor.
Chucky.
American Horror Story: NYC.

Willesden Suite, Series 4, Episode 8 of 'Minder' (1984)

Arthur hires Terry out to the manageress of a small hotel, to act as security officer for a few days. There are quite a few things going on, including petty theft and more organized scams, but it was difficult to understand exactly how it all fitted together. The humour is as good as ever though. One of the hotel guests is clearly modelled on Margaret Thatcher's husband Dennis, lol.

Star Girl.
Family Guy.

Porridge, 'Prisoner and Escort'

A mid-1970s sitcom about prison life, starring Ronnie Barker. This is the pilot episode from 1973. I still found this pretty funny, despite the fact that it's so 'dated'.

Windows, Series 4, Episode 9 of 'Minder' (1984)

No, nothing to do with Microsoft, but an episode in which a very large greenhouse gets demolished. This occurs when a friend of Terry's runs into marital difficulties with his Italian wife, and Terry finds himself unwittingly involved in a feud between two families. Arthur gets into the health club business, but his cost-cutting, cowboy approach inevitably brings him problems. The two plots are quite well integrated as usual.

Alter. (Horror anthology)
Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell.

House Of The Dragon.
The Simpsons Tree House Of Terror.

Porridge, Series 1, Episodes 1 & 2 (1974)

Ronnie Barker is really good in this as the convicted inmate Fletcher, but in my view the funniest characters are the two prison warders, Mr MacKay (the strict one) and Mr Barraclough (the soft touch).