Friday 23 December 2016

He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas BTTE Special


IT'S CHRISTMAS! And here in BTTE we've decided to go all festive and watch an 80s Christmas Classic - it's 1985's He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special!

So grab yourself a mince pie and a glass of port, turn the fire up and settle down with Glenn, Paula and Sam to watch this Christmas classic cartoon!

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Saturday 17 December 2016

An 80s Christmas: Selection Boxes

Sometimes, there's an excitement you just can't truly explain, a feeling of joy and ecstasy that can only truly be explained with a whiff of nostalgia, a thought or a feeling, or even seeing a picture that transports you back to when you were a kid. Christmas does that to me, I love everything about Christmas, and Christmas in the 70s and 80s in particular.

One of the things I loved about Christmas back then was the lack of what you'd consider "good taste"; all of that went out of the window for a few weeks at the back end of the year, in favour of tinsel, coloured fairy lights (with the plastic collars around them to make them look like flowers, natch) and far too many sparkly things to list here.

One of the other things I loved were the selection boxes that the various confectionary companies would produce every year. It's something I'm pretty sure that, like annuals of our favourite TV and film franchises (and I'll get to them another time, trust me) was limited pretty much to the UK. But every year, companies like Rowntrees, Cadburys and so on would put all of your favourite sweeties in a festive box, and offer them up as tribute to Old St Nick and dentists around the country. They tended to look like this:

Of course, you could still buy all of the separate choccies in the shops, but for some reason, bunging them in a box and sticking a bit of holly on it seemed to do the trick for me and millions of other kids, and every year we'd all get that twang of excitement when Chrimblemas rolled around, wondering which of our faves that Rowntrees would be putting in their box this year, and even what form that would take. (Just for clarity, I always favoured Mars' habit of putting them in stockings, as seen at the bottom of this page.)

Do you remember selection boxes? Which were your favourites? And are you still getting them to this day? Let us know!



Friday 9 December 2016

Back to the Eighties - Episode 281: It's Christmas my dear Watson...


With Glenn away Becca takes the reins of the nostalgia tardis and guides Sam and Paula into the realms of the Sherlock Holmes Christmas special: The Blue Carbuncle, and there's a Christmas traditions quiz, because why wouldn't there be. Join us won't you?


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Saturday 3 December 2016

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi - Commentary


With the release of Rogue One closer than ever, it's time to watch the last film in the original trilogy, and ask ourselves honestly, were the Ewoks THAT bad? Really?

Spoiler - they're not. No matter what Simon Pegg said in Spaced.

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Wednesday 23 November 2016

When the Music Stops: Catra's Ice Palace


Back once again, we're taking you on a magical, mystical journey back to when cassettes were not only for music, but also for stories of our favourite 80's franchises!

This week, it's off to Etheria, for an adventure with She-Ra and the gang at Whispering Woods, where a winter festival is taking place, and Catra being the grinch that she is, can't help but want to ruin everyone's fun...

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Saturday 12 November 2016

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back - Commentary

It is a dark time for the Rebellion. 

With that in mind, it's time to watch The Empire Strikes Back, relax, and enjoy watching our favourite Rebel Alliance take on the evil Galactic Empire, and this time, lose.

Spoiler alert - Darth Vader turns out to be Luke's dad.

(Also, Paula had to duck out halfway through this one as she needed to sleep - she'll be back for Return of the Jedi though!)


Tuesday 1 November 2016

Episode 280: Halloween 3 - Season of the "Meh"


Oooooooooooooooooooooo! It's Halloween! And Glenn's made Becca, Sam and Paula watch a crappy moooooovie! Wooooooo!

Scary.

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Sunday 23 October 2016

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - Commentary


To celebrate the imminent release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in cinemas very soon, Back to the Eighties is going back to the original trilogy to add their very own DVD commentaries!
This time it's Episode IV: A New Hope, with Glenn, Paula and Becca!
We'll be using the Blu-Ray Special Edition release if you want to watch along!
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Tuesday 18 October 2016

Episode 279 - Wrestling With the Past


This week we've got ANOTHER special guest! This time around it's Manga Girl herself, Harriett Greene, joining Glenn, Sam and Paula to talk about wrestling, not just in the 80s, but through the New Generation, Attitude, Ruthless Agression and the New Era of wrestling that we have today!

So, lace up your boots, cut the snappiest promo you can, and make sure your entrance music hits right as we take on everything we love (and some things we hate) about wrestling in the 80s and beyond!

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Friday 7 October 2016

Episode 278 - Bored Games


Jenny from World of Crap is back with us this week, and along with Glenn, Becca and Paula, they'll be taking a look at the many varied, wild and wonderful board games that the 80s and early 90s had to offer. From Guess Who? to Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs, there's something for everyone!

Next week: It's seconds out for the first pinfall, as we talk to Harriett Greene about all things wrestling!

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Sunday 25 September 2016

Titans Return Wolfwire w/ Monxo Review

Review of Wolfwire and Monxo this is. Supposed to be Weirdwolf it was, lost the right to the name they have. Useless tosspieces they are.



Wednesday 21 September 2016

Episode 277 - Talkin' Toys


From Speak'n'Spell to 2XL, from Major Morgan to Teddy Ruxpin, Paula's going to take us down an aural memory lane this week with a spotlight on talking toys of the 1980's!
Becka and Glenn come along for the ride, and chip in their favourites - what are YOUR faves?
Next week: it's Morphin' time!
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Tuesday 20 September 2016

Masters of the Universe Trap Jaw (1982)

It's been a while since we last looked at anything Masters related, so here he is - Trap Jaw from the very first incarnation from 1982!


Saturday 17 September 2016

Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Collection Figures! - Cymru Nerd Cave

Heroes in a half shell - Turtle Power!

Let's have a retroactive look at the mutants from Manhattan in the form of their Playmates Classics Collection from 2012!



Wednesday 14 September 2016

Episode 276 - The Long Dark Teatime of Back to the Eighties


It's Becca's turn to spotlight this week, and she's chosen to look at a Douglas Adams endeavour you may not be familiar with - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency!

Of course we mention Hitchhiker's and his time on Doctor Who as well, because well, Douglas Adams.

So sit back, relax, have a cup of tea and enjoy the whimsy and Wodehousian dialogue, because next week, Paula spotlights something truly terrifying...

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Thursday 8 September 2016

Episode 275 - SPOOOOOOOON


Spoooooooooooooon! 

So goes the battle cry of Destiny, the call to arms of Eternity, the calling card of this week's subject, the nigh invulnerable guardian of The City, the Tick!

Join us won't you, as we delve into the history of the Superheroe's Superhero, and find all of his crunchy goodness!

Ooooo. SHINY!

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Saturday 27 August 2016

Episode 274 - Coming Out Of Their Shells


This week, it's time for a bit of a chat about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in all of their various forms, so who better to join Glenn and Sam than Stacey Taylor, co-host of the Podcast in a Half Shell and Mistress of Stacey's Pop Culture Parlour?

It's not just about the Turtles though, so expect some talk not only about the current state of the WWE, but also about the brand new Tick pilot starring Peter Serafinowicz!

Cowabunga, dudes!

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Monday 22 August 2016

Episode 273 - Dance Your Cares Away


It's a little bit late, but it's here! This week Glenn, Becca and Sam talk about one of Jim Henson's beloved 80's shows, Fraggle Rock! Whether you saw the Rock appear in Doc's inventing shed or the Captain's lighthouse, this one's for you!

Also, expect Doozers. Lots of Doozers.

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Tuesday 9 August 2016

Episode 272 - Sisters Are Bustin' Ghosts For Themselves


Glenn's back from holidays this week, so it's time for a bit of a nerdy catch-up - what have the gang been watching, doing and buying over the past few weeks that they haven't had the chance to discuss yet?

Certainly expect some talk about Ghostbusters 2016, Star Trek Beyond, and all of the SDCC trailers that caught our eyes, not to mention all of the major changes going on over at the WWE.

Next week: get ready to dance your cares away.

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Tuesday 2 August 2016

Episode 271 - Getting to know youuuuuuuu


With Glenn still away, Sam, Becca, Paula and a returning Andy decide to get a little more acquainted, so have a random inter-team Q&A session!

Ever wanted to know what our favourite foods are, or how often we use the toilet? Well, you won't find that here, but you will find out our most expensive purchases, favourite books and more!

Subscribe on iTunes!


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Saturday 23 July 2016

Back to the Eighties: Episode 270 - Big Fat Quiz of the... Moment...?


With Glenn away, the rest of the BTTE team celebrate the only way they know how, with a quiz!

So join host Sam, along with Becca, Paula and regular co-collaborater Andy as we take the most 80s quiz of all time (until the next one)!

Get your pen and paper ready and lets get quizzical!


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Sunday 10 July 2016

Episode 269 - Bustin' Makes Me Feel Good


Things are a bit different this week, with Phil making a triumphant return to BTTE Towers, along with Grufflock, and even Timey's here, all to talk about one of the best cartoons to not only come out of the 80's, but all time. It's relevant too, what with the new Ghostbusters movie on the way!

Of course we're going to be talking about The Real Ghostbusters, the spin-off cartoon from the original 1984 movie. We'll talk not only about the reasons it was called "Real", but also our favourite episodes, the Marvel UK and NOW! comics, and even the toys by Kenner will get a mention.

Warning: also contains Q5.

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Saturday 2 July 2016

Episode 268 - Trouble Again


This week sees the gang finally tackle Star Wars: Droids, the continuation of the Star Wars universe when there wasn't likely to BE any more Star Wars. Remember those days? Remember when there were no prequels, no Clone Wars or Rebels, not even any Timothy Zahn novels!

What a bleak universe that was. Ambassador, with all of your Star Wars, you are spoiling us!

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Saturday 25 June 2016

Episode 267 - Illusion is the Ultimate Weapon


After all that's gone on the UK this week, it's nice to be able to say we WON'T be talking about politics in this episode - well not for long, anyway. We WILL however be talking about an 80's property that's getting a bit of a makeover this year!

In an age of GI Joes and Transformers, Kenner decided in 1985 that they would basically combine the two and make a superconcept - that concept became the mighty M-m-m-MASK! They're the mighty power who will save the day, and Glenn, Paula, Sam and Becca are going to spotlight them! Hopefully they won't be working overtime, though. Overtime sucks.

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Monday 20 June 2016

Back to the Eighties: Episode 266 - MUSIC

With Glenn away, Sam, Becca and Paula decide to have a chat about music and musical influences! Learn about Paula's exploits at Glastonbury, Marvel at the fact Becca has never been to a concert and Laugh at Sam's musings about Sharon Corr being better than Iggy Pop, and we play a song that terrified Sam as a child. 

Its all here and its all nonsense! 

Enjoy!


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Saturday 4 June 2016

Episode 265 - Klingon Hamlet


It's Becca's turn to spotlight this week, and she's chosen a doozy from the early Nineties - the sixth and final outing for (most) of the original Starship Enterprise crew, Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country!

Find out how the movie came about, the reasons for the "end of the Cold War" storyline, and why Nichelle Nicholls and Brock Peters found their lines hard to say!

Glenn, Paula and Becca also have a bit of a reminisce about Star Trek in general, and we'd like you to do the same! Who's your favourite Star Terk Captain? Who's your favourite character? Which villain out of all the many do you loathe or fear the most? We must know!

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Wednesday 1 June 2016

Fantasmagoria Episode 1 - Andy W


Welcome to Fantasmagoria, the show all about fandom and the glory, pleasure and also pain that it can bring! On this first episode, Glenn talks to someone he's known for 27 years (older than a lot of our listeners, we'll bet) as they talk about his chosen fandom! (Spoiler alert - it's Transformers. Oh yeah.)

Also, apologies for the audio, it's not the best, but it IS the best that was available. We're working on better ways to record, but Microsoft isn't making it easy.

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Saturday 21 May 2016

Episode 264 - Right in the Blankety Blanks


It's time to spotlight another classic game show this week, and Paula's decide it's time to review the show that's going to be revived soon in the US, but was a Friday night staple in the UK for most of the 1980s - Blankety Blank!

So, join Paula, Becca, Sam and Glenn as they take a look at the show hosted by Sir Terry Wogan and Les Dawson in the 80s, and Lily Savage in the 90s, and see how they themselves do at the game! Here's hoping that they don't expose their BLANK or BLANKS...

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Friday 13 May 2016

Episode 263 - Grimdark Heresy


It's all about WAR this week, as Paula and Glenn take a look at the grim, dark 41st millenium that began all the way in 1987...Warhammer 40,000!

From the wargaming itself, to the "fluff", to the board games produced by MB that served as the gateway drug for many who are now obssessed with the games, we'll look at it all, and even try to find out who in fact the good guys ARE in this strange, dystopian universe. 

Of course though, that could all just be HERESY. *BLAM*

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Friday 6 May 2016

Episode 262 - Beyond Good, Beyond Evil


Grufflock from The Old Oilhouse joins us Glenn and Becca this week, as we take a look at a piece of Transformers fiction and lore that has informed pretty much everything since, from the season of the G1 cartoon that came directly after, to the toys, to the Marvel UK comics, even the Ladybird and Pickwick Tell-A-Tale books and tapes. We are, of course, referring to the mighty Transformers - The Movie.

So please, join us as we not only look at the effects on everything Transformers that the movie had, but also our thoughts and feelings, and also the replies that YOU gave to our homework question, which we thank you all for.

Till All Are One!

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Tuesday 3 May 2016

Homework for Episode 262

So gang, this week it's going to be Glenn and Becca spotlighting a TRUE 80s classic (and a movie that, let's be honest about this, has brought a lot of us together) -Transformers the Movie! There may also be talk of comic adaptations, and Transformers comic talk in general!
What we want to know is: what are YOUR memories of Transformers the Movie, and indeed, the season that came after it! Do you remember the Marvel comic adaptation? Do you remember the Marvel Transformers comics in general, and what do you think of the work Marvel UK did that linked directly with the movie (that the US comics largely ignored)?
Answers down below please!


Saturday 23 April 2016

Episode 261 - Saved By the Bell


It's alright, 'cause I'm saved by the be-ee-ell! And so on. Jenny from World of Crap is back with us this week, and she's spotlighting the none-more-nineties teencom that is Saved By the Bell. So expect lots of Kelly looking pretty, Zack lookin preppy, AC looking steroidy, Zack being a sociopath and taping the girls without their knowledge, Jessie being high as a kite on ProPlus, Zack being a psychopath and trying to hypnotise people into loving him, Lisa not doing much and Screech getting arrested for knife crime. Oh, and Belding acting inappropriately with his students.

Much hilarity. Lots of 40 year olds acting like teenagers.

Also, we ask Death to give it a rest. Seriously.

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Sunday 17 April 2016

Back to the Eighties episode 260: Gotta Catch 'Em All!


Welcome to Back to the Eighties, where today, the nineties have taken over! In the first of a series by our very own Becca, we take a gander at 90s super-phenomenon Pokemon!

So join Glenn, Sam, Paula and Becca as we take a trip into the 1990s...


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Sunday 10 April 2016

Episode 259 - 80's Comics Cavalcade


It's a throwback episode this time around, as none other than the Jer Bear himself is co-hosting this one! Yep, it's been a while, but Jeremy joins us for this one, along with longtime friend to the podcast Bekki, to talk about what comics and comic book heroes turned our collective heads in the 1980s.

Not only that, but we also discuss this year's Botcon (as Jer and Bekki were both there this year) and also what the Jer Bear's been up to since he was last on the podcast.

You want throwback? You GOT throwback!

(Also, apologies for the sound quality on this one. It would seem that the throwback extends to the quality of mine and Jer's Skype connection.)

80s Toy Collectors: facebook.com/groups/982494151816641/?fref=ts

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Saturday 2 April 2016

Episode 258: Batsy v Supes


It's the greatest gladiator match in history, with the Bat of Gotham taking on the Man of Steel. Who won? Did the movie which finally brought together two of the greatest comic book heroes of all time deserve the critical mauling it received, or did the paying millions who said they liked the movie win out?

Sam, Andrew and Glenn endeavour to find out, debate, and decide where on the spectrum they fall on the most polarizing movie of the year!

Also, where do YOU fall on the movie? Did you like it? Or was it not for you? 

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Saturday 19 March 2016

Episode 257 - Rain, Rain, Go Away


It's back to school for this week's episode, as Paula takes us to the world of NOT being allowed out into the playground, rather having to stay indoors and make do with whatever's lying in the Rainy Day Box. Did you have games in there? Comics? Books? Or did you just cover your hands in Gloy Glue and try to take the whole thing off like a glove? Join Paula, Sam and Glenn and find out today!

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Saturday 12 March 2016

Episode 256 - The House of Mouse


It's Sam's turn to spotlight this week, and he's chosen to examine the fortunes of Disney in the 1980s, a time of strife and misfortune and very, very bad business decisions for the House of Mouse, with films like The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron almost causing financial ruin for Disney. How did they turn things around to become the media juggernaught they currently are?

Speaking of things Disney related, we also talk about the current Civil War trailer, as well as all the other geeky things we always end up talking about! So join Sam, Becca, Paula and Glenn for another helping of 1980s nostalgia!

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Friday 4 March 2016

Episode 255 - Big Fat TV Theme Quiz of the 80's


It's finally time for the quiz everyone's been waiting for - how many of the 30 TV themes featured in this week's quiz do you think you can name?
Join Becca, Paula and Sam as they face the questions from Glenn, our very own Jim Bowen, Terry Wogan and Bob Monkhouse rolled into one, and see if you can do better than they did?
Definitely share your answers and scores with us, even post a picture of your answer sheet if you can, so we can see how well you did! Also, let us know if you enjoyed this quiz, so we can do this again!
Good luck!
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CASTLE GRAYSKULL (1982, Mattel) REVIEW! Cymru Nerd Cave



By the Power of Grayskull! Let's have a look at THE premier playset of the early 1980s, and see why it was such a success for Mattel.

Saturday 27 February 2016

Masters of the Universe Art #1: Earl Norem


Earl Norem (1923-2015) was a regular contributor to the visual world of MOTU for 30 years, starting with the classic brand in the 1980s, right through to the He-Man Classics line of the 2000s. His paintings and artwork for MOTU added to the world that we all known and love as that particular universe, without him oour memories of He-Man and Skeletor may be quite, quite different. This post is a tribute to the great man, and a thank you for all that he gave to our visions of the Masters of the Universe.

I mean, who else gave us He-Man and Skeletor fighting each other on lions and elephants?



Or He-Man and Skeletor fighting each other in the cold of space?


Certainly the most utterly, completely METAL that Hordak has ever looked.


Earl even made long distance shots look great, with all of your favourite characters in there, battling away. It gave you all sorts of ideas for play patterns, creating massive storylines and battles in your mind, making you think and create and imagine.




If you want to see more of Earl's MOTU artwork, his website is located HERE, it also has a lot of his artwork for other properties as well and is well worth checking out!

Thanks Earl. Your work shaped a lot of how we saw the toys and made up our stories. We're forever grateful.






Friday 26 February 2016

Episode 254 - Food Glorious Food


It's a feast of fun this week as Sam, Becca, Paula and Glenn take a look at the various foods they ate in the Eighties, as well as what they would have put them in - the mighty Eighties lunchboxes.

So prepare to be all Thermos'ed up for the next couple of hours, get the pineapple chunks and squares of cheese out of the cupboards, and have your flask of weak lemon drink at the ready as we raid the pantry of the 1980s and ask ourselves how we didn't all have horrendous indigestion ALL OF THE TIME.

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Wednesday 24 February 2016

Roland Rat - Superstar of Breakfast

In 1983, TV-am began broadcasting to the nation at a revolutionary time for the UK - TV in the MORNING. BBC had started their breakfast programming a couple of months before, so they'd got there slightly late, but still, they were broadcasting. Sadly, due to many reasons (mismanagement, failing to gague the audience they were broadcasting to, failing to get any adverts to put in their ad breaks, and so on) TV-am was doing badly. VERY badly. Something had to be done. So, they brought in a puppet rat. This was Roland Rat - Superstar.



On Friday, April 1st, 1983, Roland appeared. Launched by future Teletubbies creator Anne Wood, Roland was there to give children some Easter entertainment during the school holidays. But, as ever happens with these sort of things, Roland's take-no-prisoners style of interviewing famous people, manner when talking with the actual human presenters of TV-am (where he would give none of them any respect - most of the didn't deserve it anyway) and general belief that not only was he a superstar, but he was, in a move that would be echoed by Chris Moyles at Radio One in the future, the "saviour" of TV-am, come to turn the beleagured channel's fortunes and flagging ratings around. He may have been right. With him on board the ratings rose from a dismal 100,000 to just over 1.8 MILLION.


Roland's golden age on TV-am continued through 1983 to August 1985, Roland would appear during school holidays in half hour episodes, where his backstory was fully fleshed out, and new characters appeared in the mix, like Roland's very own superfan Kevin, a gerbil from Leeds obssessed not only with Roland but also the colour pink, Errol the Hamster, the Welsh VT operator who was so laid back he was almost horizontal, to Roland's brother Little Reggie, who seemed to serve no other function than to be extremely annoying and utter the phrase " Great ere, innit?" Hrm.


Roland even brought out a couple of singles during this period, the best (and most remembered) being "Rat Rapping". Whilst it didn't in any way set the charts alight, it's still fun, and a definite classic Eighties novelty record.



So much of a totem did Roland become for TV-am, that in August 1985 he was poached by the BBC themselves, although in retrospect, they didn't actually do that much with him. They gave him a series (imaginatively titled Roland Rat - The Series) which used the conceit of a chat show hosted by Roland to effectively rip off the Muppets (ironic, as Roland's puppeteer David Claridge had once workd for Jim Henson), but really, this was tame stuff. Eventually the BBC just stopped doing anything with Roland, almost as if the only intention was to stop TV-am being able to use him.



Roland still sometimes pops up to make the odd appearance, on The Big Breakfast and even Daybreak (offering to save that beleaguered breakfast show in the same way he had TV-am), but people seem to have largely forgotten him now. It might be just me, but that seems to be a real shame. Lots of today's celebs could use a grilling from Roland, I would think. Imagine Beiber or Beyonce getting a lesson in superstardom from Roland. Just imagine.





Tuesday 23 February 2016

Skeletor: Why We Love Him


It's no secret that we love Skeletor on Back to the Eighties. He's one of our favourite villains of all time, right up there with the Joker, Mumm-Ra and David Cameron. But why? It's not as if by the end of the Masters of the Universe series he was particularly threatening, indeed, they'd turned him into He-Man's whipping boy at that point. No, seriously. Go back and watch the end of the second season of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He's pretty much no more than a nusiance by that point, and it's sad to see.



It was all so different at the start. In "Diamond Ray of Disappearance" Skeletor was a true threat, taken seriously by all. Yes, his "big plan" involved a hook and rope taking down Castle Grayskull, but at least it was a plan, and not just an idea which may grow into a plan as long as He-Man (or even just Cringer, or kids with a puppy cyborg thingy) didn't immediately throw a spanner in the works.

But why do we love Skeletor? Why does he work as a villain? There's not just one reason. He's funny. Really funny. He's usually got a witty one liner, or major league putdown to throw not only in the direction of his underlings, ("Dolts! Halfwits! Brainless idiots, you couldn't even beat a motley group of gnomes!" is a particular favourite) but also at the heroes as well - now this happens a lot these days, but back in the early Eighties is wasn't so much of a regular occurence, villains would be exceedingly poe-faced and would usually call out the heroes on their demeanour, but wouldn't usually stoop to name calling like "flesh face". By the way, "flesh face"? One of my favourite insults, EVER.

He's also duplicitous and overbearing, bossy and needlessly cruel on occasion. Yes, even in the Filmation series. He has absolutely no qualms about sacrificing his own men, one time even leaving Mer Man to the mercies of Evilseed, with Mer Man declaring that even Skeletor should have at least one good bone in his body, Skeletor responds with "There isn't! Never has been, never will be." Even in that episode, the ONLY reason ol' skull-face sides with the heroes is out of complete self-interest.


Let's face it, his look is another reason we love him. He's just so completely distinctive looking, there really isn't another villain out there who looks like Skeletor. It took ages to get somewhat of a definitive answer for why he looks the way he does, too. The original explanation, given in the He-Man minicomics, is that he's one of many of his kind, from an alternate dimension of Infinita, come to Eternia to take over Castle Grayskull to allow others of his kind to TAKE OVER THE UNIVERSE. That gets retconned (sorta) when it turns out that he's desperate for King Randor NOT to find Randor's half-brother Keldor, who disappeared years ago. This is again picked up in the 2002 Mike Young Productions version of MOTU, but this time Keldor has no familial connection to Randor, he just gets blasted in the face with acid instead of Randor. Of course, absolutely none of this is ever mentioned in the Filmation cartoon, he's just got a skull for a face, deal with it, yeah?


As villains go, in the big picture, Skeletor didn't really get an awful lot done in the Filmation cartoon. The 200X Skeletor was a complete beast, but again, didn't accomplish much. Still, he will forever remain a complete boss in the eyes of Back to the Eighties because he's a wiseass, skull faced, blue-skinned legend. Who is absolutely, positively, definitely, NOT nice.

Amen to that, Skeletor. Amen to that.




Saturday 20 February 2016

Episode 253 - Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire


Jenny for World of Crap's back this week (yay!) and this time she's all about the state of bedrooms in the 80s, from the cabin beds, to the duvet covers, from the wall coverings to the carpets and curtains.

We also give you our opinions on a range of subjects from Snatch the Dog to Victoria Plum, so join the gang as we talk about all of this and much, much more.

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We've only gone and done it again...

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Episode 252 - Always Five, Acting As One


It's Glenn's turn to spotlight this week, and he's chosen to look at something that reminds him mainly of school holidays, sat in front of the television - it's the repurposed Ninja Science Team Gatchaman, sanitised and shortened for the benefit of Soccer Moms everywhere - Battle of the Planets!

We'll be taking a look at the adventures of the fearless young orphans of G Force, and their battles with the evil Spectra and ther leader Zoltar, who totally, completely had a sister. It wasn't him. No, really.

We'll also have some Toy Fair news, as well as all of the other things that held our interest over the last seven days, so join Glenn, Becca, Paula and Sam as they protect Earth's entire Galaxy.

Dedicated! Inseparable! Invincible!

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We've only gone and done it again...

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Episode 251 - Stephen King: The Maine Man


It's all about the horror this week (and some sci-fi and fantasy too) as Becca spotlights the legend that it Stephen King this week, with Glenn and horror novice Paula in attendence as well - there's also some HP Lovecraft and Poe thrown in as well, and a discussion on horror in general, including parodies such as the amazing Garth Marenghi's Darkplace!

Enjoy the podcast, people, just don't listen with the lights off...

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We've only gone and done it again...

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Back to the Eighties: Episode 250 - Playing games


With Glenn away, Sam, Becca and Paula decide to regress into childhood to talk about those playground games we used to play at school. Tig/Tag/It, Kiss Chase, Simon Says and more!

 

Plus, Sam decides to sell the concept of Super Sentai to Becca. Will it yield results?

 

 

 


We've only gone and done it again...

Saturday 23 January 2016

Episode 249


It's back to 1989 this week, as Sam spotlights one of the best (and best funded) cartoons of the 80s - Chip 'n Dale - Rescue Rangers! Find out how the whole thing came about, from being a Ducktales spinoff, to having our favourite chipmunks added, to how Michael Eisner saved the show!

There's also a good load of rambling about media in general, and the gang's opinions on the breaking news of Steven Moffatt's impending Doctor Who departure!

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We've only gone and done it again...

Monday 18 January 2016

Hulk SMASH! Slightly.

The Incredible Hulk from the late 70s/early 80s.
What do we think, gang? Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno still the best Banner/Hulk combo? Marvel sure seem intent on basing the current Ruffallo incarnation on them!


Saturday 16 January 2016

Episode 248 - Protect and Survive


This week it's all about the fear - fear of everything. We'll be taking a look at PIFs - Public Information Films - those mini horror films that were meant to instruct and help people not brain themselves on anything and everything, or not get fried by electricity susbstations, or be able to cross the road without getting turn over EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Join Glenn, Becca and Paula as they go through some of their favourites, and some that truly scarred them for life afterwards. Including the ones starring Dave Prowse.

SPLINK!

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We've only gone and done it again...

Friday 8 January 2016

Episode 248


Happy New Year, everyone!

In the great tradition of going back to work, we're easing into things here at BTTE Towers, so join Sam, Paula, Becca and Glenn as they tell us all what they got for Christmas, and then tell everyone what YOU got for Christmas.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, there's the small matter of talking about a certain Space Conflict movie that came out around the end of last year, they would have talked about it sooner, but everyone was losing their minds about spoilers...

...I wish I could remember the title of the movie. Something about the police force waking up, or something.

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We've only gone and done it again...