40 YEARS AGO TODAY: maybe the reason this isn't part of the televisual April Fools canon is Channel 4's big idea happened at closedown, not just after the traditional midday cut-off - after all, all of those above were too - but technically on the 2nd.

I fear my Letterboxd account started off quite respectable, and has rapidly dived downhill. Don't worry, I can rescue it with the DVD arriving today of *consults notes* The Ups and Downs of a Handyman.

Just watched a brilliant All in the Family about wife swapping which was, unbelievably, broadcast in 1972. It seems somehow impossible it was even made, let alone broadcast, and yet there it is.

Really enjoyed the Gladiators final, but - from a purely layman’s perspective - it didn’t quite feel like Phantom and Fury should have been competing. There really were a lot of injuries this series (including some never acknowledged, like Athena). Some of it just bad luck, of course.

Not saying I bear grudges, but I’m still annoyed at one of my friends as a teenager for slagging off Hi-de-Hi.

Cast and crew gathered on the set of One Foot In The Grave

If you are wondering what got cut from dress rehearsal and the live show of SNL UK ep2, this Reddit post is quite detailed. old.reddit.com/r/livefromlo...

A new blog post about the surprisingly complicated story of SEGA in the UK. whereweretheynow.blogspot.com/2026/03/sega... #RetroGaming #RetroComputing #SEGA

I have a new documentary coming out on BBC Sounds this week, about which I am very excited! Yes, I am serious - and don't call me Shirley... (poster by @andydrewz.bsky.social)

Fun fact: this scene was shot just the day before air, on the 28th March 1973. www.dirtyfeed.org/2022/09/mmmm...

Fans of clean handovers to overnight news on BBC One may enjoy the following from Friday night, which I may or may not have had something to do with. www.tvhome.co.uk/bbc-one/2026...

Tonight the Clocks go forward. However did you know there were 1000 clocks in Television centre, hope he can change them all before the morning, back in 1991.

Everyone here already knows about this, obviously, but for the stragglers just getting back from a month in Ulaanbaatar, please go to Mark McMillan's brilliant Project Pendulum NOW. Yes, put down that fork, leave the table and just *glory* in it. Thank you. www.mcmweb.co.uk/project_pend...

I love writing these reviews. letterboxd.com/dirtyfeed/fi...

I'M SURE GLAD I'VE DONE SO MANY AMAZING THINGS IN THE LAST 20 YEARS WAIT, I JUST NEED TO REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE I'M SAD NOW

One VERY IMPORTANT thing to note about Confessions of a Pop Performer: Jill Gascoine telling Askwith to “kiss me where it counts” and then forcing his head under the covers is one of the sexiest moments in any 70s British grot film.

My favourite bit about this is that the complainant is claiming that it’s both “not comedy” and a “sick joke” at the same time.

Watching Confessions of a Pop Performer. Bob Todd was a lucky fucking bastard.

OK, watching SNL UK. Generally agree with the consensus so far. The first sketch was diabolical, then it picks up for the Tina Fey monologue and hasn’t lost the ball yet.

One thing I have noticed is that some people vacillate between “you do not owe people a debate” and “cuh, that person clearly couldn’t justify their statement”, based purely on whether they like/agree with said person.

Struggling a bit with writing at the moment, but luckily, 2021 me has the answer: www.dirtyfeed.org/2021/03/your...

The internet is fine but nothing will ever be as cool as riding your bike to the library and printing out some microfiche to be able to prove to your sister that there were two Darren’s on bewitched.

The idea for this video has been in my head for many years. Not quite sure what that says about me, but Tom Adams DFS Supercut, I set you free... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-bO...

“What is the funniest thing in the world?”, I hear you ask, and the answer is, of course, Carol Cleveland saying “Oh shit” in Holy Grail.

There's something about printing out schedule changes and sellotaping them into the Radio Times which makes me really feel like my job has a legacy stretching back decades.

The image of Lady Gaga singing “Sometimes I feel I live in Acton Central Station” has just popped into my head.

That episode of Never The Twain in which Oliver Smallbridge took delivery of a woman's decapitated head

I did two weeks work experience. Week 1: Working in a computer company which mainly consisted of lugging around Wang computers in a warehouse and playing Championship Manager. Week 2: Working at a design company where the CEO was subsequently charged with fraud.

I know the 1982 Channel 4 idents are a DESIGN CLASSIC, but these days, I just watch them and think "Great, but because they're silent and still, there's no way of them soaking up any time to make your schedule timings work..."

BUMBLE: I do feel that Councillor Fiddler has a point there, considering our very high seasonal rainfall figure. PRODWORTHY: Oooh really, Mr Mayor? Personally, I think it is quite an average one. FIDDLER: If you think nine inches is an average one, you’ve been spoilt.

Forbidden Planet (1956): Id monster, original animation drawing

Never forget: 8 years ago a random person on Craigslist wrote the most effective ad for the Toyota Corolla, ever.

Just seen a video of Cyclone with purple hair and I need a lie down

The immensely talented artist Philip Castle died recently. He created the posters for A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket as well as album artwork for the many great bands. Retro gamers will know him for his work on the original Elite box artwork. RIP.

“Excuse me, are you going to Fircombe?” “This train’s going there, yes.”

Just remembered the time somebody tried to explain television scheduling to me on Twitter. Thank you, I'd never thought about it before or had literal direct experience of in my job for well over a decade or anything.

I really enjoyed Romesh breaking out his inner Anne Robinson on Comic Relief does The Weakest Link, and just insulting everyone for 40 minutes.

40 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wide Awake Club promotes the Young Ones Living Doll with Hank Marvin and, in a rare promo appearance, Christopher Ryan. As if that didn't seem odd enough for that time of morning Tim Healy joins both for Arabella Warner's cooking spot.

I watched Confessions of a Sex Maniac rather than Saturday Night Live UK, which might be the single worst decision anybody has ever made.

For an hour on Saturday watching Gladiators, television feels exactly like it should do again.

Not saying I’m in a rough McDonalds, but they’ve closed the toilets “for my safety”.

Sometimes I think the funniest thing in the world is that I know for a fact some people really did change the channel when Inside No. 9 did their fake breakdown.

Joel Dommett reacting to a joke dying on its arse on Comic Relief with "They'd love that on ITV" is extremely amusing.

New blog post: I'm OK being left behind, thanks! https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/03/im-ok-being-left-behind-thanks/ Many years ago, someone tried to get me into cryptocurrencies. "They're the future of money!" they said. I replied saying that I'd rather wait until they were more useful, less …

As part of my research on Mary Tyler Moore's 1978 variety series, I've just watched a YouTube video which: a) Portrays a monologue from an unbroadcast ep as something from the opening show, and b) Portrays a closing from an unbroadcast ep as from the final transmitted show. AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH

So, like, a really bad thing to do on Letterboxd is pick something you love, and then go and read all the half-star reviews. MORON

Gotta be this youtu.be/6nT1fBCcf4o