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Obscure forgotten moments from telly history that maybe only you remember

Shardovan

One of these just popped into my head randomly after many years. 

It was a Saturday night, in 198[?] - early 1980s I think. possibly around 1983/4 as I think we hadn't moved house.  

Paul Daniels Magic Show.

Paul (for it was he) says something like  'OK, this next trick requires putting a thought into the mind of all the kids at home. But I need you to come closer to the screen.' I go a bit closer. My sister does too. 'No, closer than that.' We go closer. 'No, I mean - right up to to the screen, close as you can' 

We go right up to it, almost touching. So close you can see the pixels/lines. 

He goes 'Right, that's better. Now, listen quietly, look right at me, and really concentrate'

About two seconds later... massive loud blast of pure static. Result: we ran like hell from the screen. Some other kids must have wet themselves I'm sure. Maybe others had nightmares.

Must have got special permission to do that as it was effectively a simultaneous deliberate cut in transmission with a massive boost in volume.

He did come back on a few seconds later at normal volume to undercut the scare with some bants. Anyway, I have a feeling I might be one of a very few people who remembers that. 

Anyone got something similar? 

Parents

  • Every so often over the years my parents kept mentioning this puppet  thing with great clacking wooden jaws that I was supposedly terrified of as a child. I had no memory of this. They said he was called Duncan the Dragon and was on kids tv. When he appeared I’d run for cover. I must have been very young. 

    Anyway, every few years I’d go looking to see if this terrifying thing actually existed but no trace on YouTube or online generally existed. But then, not too long ago, I had another look on a rainy day and what do you know? There he was: and something of a repressed memory did indeed resurface. Oddly it was from a show called You and Me, which I hadn’t forgotten. But I’d erased Duncan from my memory of it! Must have been the trauma. Here he is, the swine…https://youtu.be/wkEj5RWUTkc

Reply

  • Every so often over the years my parents kept mentioning this puppet  thing with great clacking wooden jaws that I was supposedly terrified of as a child. I had no memory of this. They said he was called Duncan the Dragon and was on kids tv. When he appeared I’d run for cover. I must have been very young. 

    Anyway, every few years I’d go looking to see if this terrifying thing actually existed but no trace on YouTube or online generally existed. But then, not too long ago, I had another look on a rainy day and what do you know? There he was: and something of a repressed memory did indeed resurface. Oddly it was from a show called You and Me, which I hadn’t forgotten. But I’d erased Duncan from my memory of it! Must have been the trauma. Here he is, the swine…https://youtu.be/wkEj5RWUTkc

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