Actors from the 78 Famous Five Series

[Petermax]

Thank you so much for putting this on YouTube !!!
I was absolutely thrilled to see behind the scenes footage. I never thought this would still exist today !!!

Both of the Famous Five Reunion-Thames Valley Tonight clips residing on Youtube have certainly attracted substantial viewing figures and favourable comments. Unfortunalely, they are both screen grabs with low picture and sound quality. I did attempt to use software in order to try and download the feature but all efforts failed, streaming news media is heavily protected.

The behind the scenes footage is a mystery, it was shot on a hand held camera which may suggest the presence of a Southern TV news team covering a filming session at Marchwood Military Base. This of course, is where many scenes for Five Go Off To Camp were shot. Most TV news was shot on 16mm film back then, which would account for its survival 30 years on.

[Jeffery Greyling]

the BBC remade Phoenix & the Carpet, another 70s show I was in

Oh, that was YOU! I loved that show, although I bet I'd cringe if I saw it today, with it's, er, special effects. I seem to remember cringing even when I watched it in the 70s. But it was a good show nevertheless!

In case anyone has no idea about this show, Gary Russell played Cyril and there are pictures of him here - The Phoenix & The Carpet.

Aww, bless!

I've found a video of it on youtube. It's the flying scene.

[lwindrush]

It's a great shame that children's original TV series with high production values ended in the late 70's. I guess that's why so many people are nostalgic for 70's TV.

Nowadays it's wall to wall reality TV, singing contests, antique, cookery or house hunting shows a complete lack of imagination or talent.

[FiveFanDownunder]

The behind the scenes footage is a mystery, it was shot on a hand held camera which may suggest the presence of a Southern TV news team covering a filming session at Marchwood Military Base. This of course, is where many scenes for Five Go Off To Camp were shot. Most TV news was shot on 16mm film back then, which would account for its survival 30 years on.

Well why not try to resurrect a conversation from 15 years ago? ??

I *think* it was Day by Day ( that was the Southern production, not Coast to Coast? ) that went down to film the production in action. As far as I know there is nothing else of this nature around. I would be very happy to be wrong about that though.

[FiveFanDownunder]

If only the Saturday Banana show had been archived, it was common practice back then for broadcast video tape to be re-used due to the fact that it was rather expensive. This fate also befell many early Dr Who episodes.

And again ... hardly any Saturday Banana is preserved. Hoping some one has a stash of video tapes somewhere ...

Found this list of airing dates from 1979, one of which featured the cast of the 1978 Southern Famous Five production. Has the actual date of that appearance been mentioned anywhere, or indeed is it still remembered?

03.11.1979 Episode No. 1 (missing)
10.11.1979 Episode No. 2 (missing)
17.11.1979 Episode No. 3 (missing)
24.11.1979 Episode No. 4 (missing)
01.12.1979 Episode No. 5 (missing)
08.12.1979 Episode No. 6 (missing)
15.12.1979 Episode No. 7 (missing)
22.12.1979 Episode No. 8 (missing)

[Gary Russell]

Saturday Banana was July 29th 1978

[FiveFanDownunder]

Thanks Gary. Somehow I had thought it was later, but I must have been thinking Australia time, with us seeing the series for the first time quite a bit later than over there. Not very smart of me really, as you had mentioned Marcus, complete with Saturday Banana badge, can be clearly spotted on the 1979 TV cover of Five Fall into Adventure. There's not a lot of Banana to be found, not that it's news to you.

That puts you out on only Episode 4, perhaps adding to the somewhat chaotic feel of the show you mentioned, with everyone still finding their feet. I would so love to see that episode.

[Morgan Jones]

I have just been watching a repeat of a Coronation Street episode from 2002, and the actor on the right here (in the police uniform) was credited as Gary Russell. Is this our Gary Russell?!

[Boatbuilder]

Not according to IMDB.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751152/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2

[Morgan Jones]

Well, the cast list for that episode of Coronation Street on IMBD is incomplete and PC King isn’t credited at all there:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1676362/

So the lack of a credit on Gary’s IMBD profile itself isn’t evidence on its own.

Hopefully the man himself will be along at some point to tell us one way or the other!

[FiveFanDownunder]

Doesn't look like 'our' Gary ... I imagine there might be a few namesakes out there?

[Moonraker]

Well, the cast list for that episode of Coronation Street on IMBD is incomplete and PC King isn’t credited at all there:

I imagine that if a programme that has been on-air for 60 years had all of the cast listed, it would be longer than the Bible!

[Boatbuilder]

A bit like this? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053494/fu ... _=tt_cl_sm

[Morgan Jones]

Yet still incomplete!!

[Jack400]

Moved from 'General Natter Room'.


Marcus Harris ,(1970s FF) is in the news. He's a councillor and the report is about a bridge that's been repaired.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23721 ... dge-steps/

Much better location, thanks.