31 Days In May: part 31

One final set of questions.

Who uttered the last words to be broadcast on:
1) TV-am
2) Thames Television
3) The Big Breakfast
4) Mark Radcliffe's Radio 1 graveyard shift
5) Eldorado?

Thanks to everyone who's joined in this bit of nonsense during the month.

31 Days In May: part 30

Which of these is not a song by Paul McCartney?

a) Oo You
b) Bogey Music
c) Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae
d) Bip Bop
e) Electricity Man

31 Days In May: part 29

Three quick questions today:

Who was the first voice to be heard on
a) Radio 1
b) Radio 5
c) Radio 5 Live?

31 Days In May: part 28

Here's Mary Whitehouse in 1967 talking about her favourite programme. But what is it?

"Already there are some programmes serving a very real social purpose. Week after week that popular programme xxxx has brought to us the tragic side of life, but always with humour and drama and with a responsible objective in mind. It shows that the BBC can do it if it wants to."

31 Days In May: part 27

What's the odd one out in this list - and why?

Window cleaner
Milliner
Billsticker
Costermonger
Post Office engineer

31 Days In May: part 26

One last batch of Radio Times billings to identify, this time from May 1988:

1) Tonight's contest is between Sandbach School from Chesire and All Saints High School from Huddersfield.

2) Imported animals are found slaughtered and with the use of a metal detector and surgery, Taylor finds out why.

3) From the casino in xxx, introduced by Gary Davies. Some of the artists in today's programme include Bananarama, Climie Fisher, Taylor Dayne, Was (Not Was) and Donny Osmond.

4) Real-life stories about children today, told by children themselves.

5) "It's all about you, the Great British public", says Derek Jameson. For the next 13 weeks he'll be joined by reporters Jeni Barnett, Lucy Pilkington and Chris Serle.

31 Days In May: part 25

Whose nose do you suppose?

And the answer is...

31 Days In May: part 24

Which of these are not episode titles from This Life?

a) Milly Liar
b) You Can't Make An Omelette Without Breaking Egg
c) Apocalypse Wow
d) I Can See Four, Miles
e) One Bedding And A Funeral

31 Days In May: part 23

The production team for This Is Your Life used to have a code-name system in operation, to help disguise the identity of forthcoming subjects. Which celebrities were given the following, not entirely unrelated, handles? Each one refers to an aspect of that person's career (a programme, an advert, etc.) or a play on one of their names.

1) Cube
2) Legend
3) Yeast
4) House
5) Abbot

31 Days In May: part 22

Match up the Eurovision winning song with the correct country:

1) Diggy-Loo Diggy-Ley
2) Ding-Dinge-Dong
3) A Ba Ni Bi
4) La, La, La
5) Insieme: 1992

a) Italy
b) Spain
c) Sweden
d) Israel
e) Netherlands

31 Days In May: part 21

More sequel-itis:

What was Margaret Thatcher's favourite pop song?

31 Days In May: part 20

Another literary effort today. Who penned these memoirs?

1) Let's Get Through Wednesday
2) It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
3) The Harder Path
4) Jacobs' Ladder
5) A Clown Too Many

Not to crow or anything but...

...this is old news.

31 Days In May: part 19

A theme scene today. Which programmes boasted (or in some cases, still boast) these pieces of music as their signature tune?

1) By The Sleepy Lagoon
2) The Good Word
3) An Ordinary Copper
4) Johnny Todd
5) Offside
6) Old Ned
7) Barwick Green
8) With A Song In My Heart

31 Days In May: part 18

More Radio Times billings to identify, this time from March 1989:

1) Consumer advice, misprints, mishaps and real-life humour drawn from your letters.

2) As a hippie community come to the outback to commune with nature, Geoff finds the city isn't all he remembered, while Chris has to deal with a difficult patient dying of emphysema.

3) With the aid of international experts and personalities on the satellite link, xxx goes world-wide to test the trends, plunder the programmes, and take a look at what's on everywhere, right now.

4) "I want some straight answers Sally - I want to know what's going on."

5) Rock for grown-ups, including Brian Wilson, Robert Cray, Malcolm McLaren and Huey Lewis.

31 Days In May: part 17

Re-arrange this list of artistes into the order they appeared on stage at Live Aid (earliest first):

U2
Paul McCartney
Elvis Costello
Queen
Sade
Noel Edmonds

31 Days In May: part 16

Halfway through these now; to everyone who's contributed so far, many thanks.

Today: what's happening here?

31 Days In May: part 15

Match the household junk to the Blue Peter Appeal:

1) Used stamps
2) Pre-decimal coins
3) Silver paper
4) Buttons, buckles and badges
5) Scrap metal

a) The 3Bs Appeal (1974)
b) Guide Dogs For The Blind (1964)
c) Lifeline Lebanon (1976)
d) Lend An Ear (1985)
e) Operation Pipeline (1981)

31 Days In May: part 14

Which of these albums had the most number of tracks also released as singles?

Madonna LIKE A PRAYER
Pet Shop Boys INTROSPECTIVE
Michael Jackson DANGEROUS
REM AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE

This week's Digi-Cream Times

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31 Days In May: part 13

More morbid stuff today.

Which BBC programme was interrupted to announce the death of:

1) The Queen Mother
2) Pope John Paul II
3) Princess Diana?

31 Days In May: part 12

Last lines of autobiographies, this one. Can you match up the five sign-offs with the correct author?

a) Cue Frank FRANK BOUGH
b) Last Of The Hot Metal Men DEREK JAMESON
c) Grand Inquisitor ROBIN DAY
d) As It Happens JIMMY SAVILE
e) Crying With Laughter BOB MONKHOUSE

1) "And that's about it folks. We can all do good things on our own, but great things when we enjoy Good Company Of. So, God be with you all. P.S. I hope He really does take it easy on sinners!!"

2) "Whatever television touches, it can magnify, inflate, project and spread. Such power should be put on the side of reason and civilised behaviour. Television should be biased in favour of reason."

3) "Perhaps the man on the radio was right. Perhaps there is another challenge, something I can do better. This year, 1980, I'm forty-seven. Tell me: is it too late? What should we all do next?"

4) "I'll settle for the epitaph given by Marlene Dietrich's Gypsy to Orson Welles's cop in Touch Of Evil: He was some kind of man. What does it matter what you say about people?"

5) "I leave you with my epitaph - it sums up what this crazy ride on life's merry-go-round has been all about: In memory of xxxx, the editor who found the oldest budgie in Britain."

31 Days In May: part 11

Suggestions, please, as to what's occurring here:

31 Days In May: part 10

Another mix'n'match today.

Can you correctly pair up the song with the album on which it appears (in position Track 1, Side 1)?

1) No More Lonely Nights (Special Dance Mix) PAUL MCCARTNEY
2) The Only Way Is Up YAZZ AND THE PLASTIC POPULATION
3) Reet Petite JACKIE WILSON
4) I Want It All QUEEN
5) Notorious DURAN DURAN

a) Now That's What I Call Music 4
b) Now That's What I Call Music 8
c) Now That's What I Call Music 9
d) Now That's What I Call Music 13
e) Now That's What I Call Music 15

31 Days In May: part 9

Simple one today:

When did New Doctor Who jump the shark?

1) The first time David Tennant went "Hoh yessss!"
2) The first time the Daleks stopped being scary
3) The first time Catherine Tate pulled a 'durrrr' face and shouted something
4) The time David Tennant turned into a Fraggle
5) About two hours ago (Martha falls into a giant puddle, an grizzled old man spouts off like one of those preachers in Life Of Brian, David Tennant holds a gun to someone's head etc.)

31 Days In May: part 8

What perpetually ill-advised thing is about to happen here?

31 Days In May: part 7

True or false?

1) LL Cool J's real name is Archibald Foster-Ffitzsimmons and he is heir to the Foster-Ffitzsimmons biscuity dynasty.

2) Tiffany once dropped her two goldfish, Emily and Eugene, down the drain.

3) The first song Deniece from Five Star ever wrote included the couplet "Everywhere I look there are trees/Lots of trees, lots of trees."

31 Days In May: part 6

Here's fun. Can you identify the programmes hiding behind these Radio Times billings, all hailing from July 1986:

1) "Time for another visit live to the Television Theatre set amid the bucolic boskiness of Shepherd's Bush Green, ablaze with colour and vivacity. The sidewalk cafes with their gay striped awnings, the young people in pink and blue and purple - and that's only the hair..."

2) "...featuring this week a special appearance by veteran American funny lady Phyllis Diller, the crazy conjuring of France's original comedy magic star Mac Ronay, and the hilarious miming skills of Britain's Derek Griffiths."

3) "Noel has looked after the house since his mother died and everything was just fine until his father decided to remarry. Noel isn't at all sure about his new stepmother and even less sure about wearing a new suit for the wedding."

4) "Charles Nove has all the facts and figures and, this week, Bert Kaempfert is highlighted by resident maestro Andy Ross and the World Latin Champions Donnie Burns and Gordon Fairweather."

5) "OK, Sharon, it's us or the dog."

31 Days In May: part 5

Everyone can remember what Mrs Thatcher's favourite bands were*, but today's questions invites you to cast your mind even further back:

What was Harold Wilson's favourite pop song?


*The Police and The Flying Pickets. At least according to school playgrounds in 1984.

31 Days In May: part 4

Straightforward one, this:

What has just happened here?

31 Days In May: part 3

Slightly more tricky, perhaps: what was unusual about the closing titles from the final ever episodes of:

a) Seaview
b) Jossy's Giants
c) That's Life!

31 Days In May: part 2

A quick one today.

Here, in alphabetical order, are the guests on an edition of Blankety Blank broadcast in September 1983. Who, however, sat where in those all important gantries (e.g. top left, bottom middle)?

Windsor Davies
Sandra Dickinson
Kenny Everett
Larry Grayson
Beryl Reid
Anneka Rice

31 Days In May: part 1

OK, so it's not strictly the first of the month, but there'll still be 31 days in May come what, er, may.

In the creepily decadent manner of fading-pomp era DLT or Simon Bates, there'll be 31 never-very-far-from-being-interesting teasers and riddles up here between now and June. Prizes may include a facsimile satin Radio 1 Roadshow bomber jacket, a copy of 'Roy's Keen' by Morrissey on CD single, and a gingerbread man in the shape of Russell Harty.

Here's question 1:

Listed below are the programmes that made up BBC1's Saturday night schedule on 5th October 1985. Can you re-arrange them into the order they were transmitted?

Juliet Bravo
The Noel Edmonds Late Late Breakfast Show
News, Sport, Weather
Bob's Full House
Film: I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang
Terry And June
The Paul Daniels Magic Show
Film: The Blue Lagoon
The Tripods

For those of you reading in black and white...

...this one is in Technicolour.

In the unlikely event of anyone not having been able to see the images that made up this week's Digi-Cream Times mailout *and actually noticed something was wrong*, here's what you should have read.

You can click on each of the pictures to see a larger version.