Channel 5 take a look back at 1970s television

Following last weekend’s romp through the 1960s this coming Saturday Channel 5 turns its attention to the 1970s…

In another two-hour celebration, this documentary features the very best and most popular TV from the 1970s. Remember fabulous comedians like Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise and The Two Ronnies to the standout sitcoms such as Fawlty Towers, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and The Good Life. The programme remembers the greatest dramas: a diverse range from I Claudius to Abigail’s Party via the gritty police drama The Sweeney.

Reflections on the glorious game shows of the decade thanks to The Generation Game and Sale of the Century, iconic live events such as the nail-biting Apollo 13 aborted mission to the moon – the re-entry of the space capsule had the whole world watching. We revisit the glory days of That’s Life, the best of kids TV, the very best from the world of soap and the iconic Abba appearance on Eurovision in 1974. They may have won the competition but the UK gave them nul points!

Crossroads: Roger Tonge as Sandy, John Bentley as Hugh Mortimer, Jane Rossington as Jill Harvey and Noele Gordon as Meg Mortimer.

Fawlty Towers: Basil Fawlty – John Cleese – didn’t provide the kind of hospitality that Meg Mortimer offered in Crossroads.

A host of stars share their memories of taking part in these shows or simply share their memories of watching them. Chris Tarrant shares his behind-the-scenes stories from Tiswas including the bitter rivalry with BBC’s Swap Shop. William Roache shares the story behind his iconic 1970s Coronation Street storylines. Christopher Biggins remembers the excitement of filming I Claudius and we have a host of behind-the-scenes crew to share their secrets of how these glorious shows were made. There’s also a visit to the most popular motel in Britain at the time as Noele Gordon welcomes viewers to Crossroads.

The show also features contributions from Jimmy Tarbuck, John Thomson, Cheryl Baker, Sheila Ferguson, Tony Blackburn, Anne Diamond, Michael Buerk, John Sargeant, Debbie McGee, Sherrie Hewson, Trudie Goodwin and many others.

Saturday was Tiswas day with Chris Tarrant