Edge Of Darkness

Troy Kennedy Martin

One of the most challenging, and the most thought provoking TV serials of the 1980s, nay of all time, was the BBC's Edge Of Darkness (1985).

Looking around the internet, I see some pretty inaccurate information about this brilliant show floating about (with the Net that's situation normal!), so I thought it might be a good idea to get the story about the show's origins, and journey to the screen, from the man who created it, Troy Kennedy Martin, and the show's producer, Michael Wearing.

This drama tapped into environmental concerns of the 1980s like no other, and was a strange but hugely compelling brew. It made me shiver. It made me laugh. It didn't only make me cry. I sobbed. This was television as I'd never known it could be. And sadly haven't seen since.

Interviewed for Magnox: The Secrets of Edge Of Edge of Darkness, an "extra" on the 2003 DVD release of the show, Troy Kennedy Martin recalled how the idea for the show came about in the early-to-mid 1980s UK...

"We had the Cold War. The Falklands. The Nuclear State. The prospect of a miners' strike. Greenham Common. It was Thatcher's Britain. At the BBC, there was no political dimension in their popular drama whatsoever. And I was really depressed about it, as indeed were other writers that I knew. And so, I said to my closest colleagues: 'The only thing one can do is actually write stuff that one knows is not going to get made, but at least we'll get it out of our system.' And that's how I started to write Edge Of Darkness. I didn't really think that it stood much of a chance of being produced.

"The interesting thing is that I'd written the first two episodes without an ending, but which were slightly to do with the miners. When it was commissioned by the BBC, surprisingly enough, Jonathan Powell had moved into a position of power there and I'd done an adaptation for him. And, as a result, he said: 'I've got this new job, it's starting next October. Could you have Edge Of Darkness ready by then? And I said 'yes', and he said: 'Well, I'll schedule it.'

"I was determined that it would have a real political element, and at the beginning I thought that the miners' strike might provide me with one. Unfortunately, that didn't really work out, so I became more interested in the nuclear option and the Nuclear State, on which there are half-a-dozen books, but that didn't really take off until I found the 'Star Wars' speech of Reagan."

Ronald Reagan, "Star Wars" speech, March, 1983: "What if free people could live secure in the knowledge that their security did not rest upon the threat of instant US retaliation to deter a Soviet attack? That we could intercept and destroy strategic ballistic missiles before they reached our own soil or that of our allies?

In Edge Of Darkness, the mystic and the mythic jostled with reality.

Troy Kennedy Martin again:

"I read the book by [James] Lovelock about Gaia hypothesis and the Gaia hypothesis really said that the earth was just one single organism and that every aspect in it was kind of planned or focused on creating the maximum conditions for life."

Michael Wearing

Producer Michael Wearing: "I was talking to Jonathan Powell, head of the [BBC] Series Department, who wanted me to go to work in serials and he offered me two possibilities: one was the Tom Sharpe thing, which was Blott On The Landscape, and he said: 'I've got this altogether more tricky proposition because I've commissioned Troy Kennedy Martin to write something' - which was then called Magnox.

"Troy was somebody whose originality and ideas needed to be treated with great respect, you didn't impose lip theories of how to resolve this story at all, and of course the more I understood from talking to him when we started the filming process about what was at stake, the more mind blowing it became."

Police officer Ronald Craven (Bob Peck) faces sudden tragedy when his daughter, Emma (Joanna Whalley) is shot dead. But has she really left his life? Are the visions of her he communicates with products of his imagination or Emma's ghost?

And why was she killed? Was it something to do with GAIA, the environmental organisation she was involved with?

Emma: "You've got to be strong like a tree - don't break! Please, Dad, don't break!" Bob Peck did not agree with the idea that his character should end up as a tree.

CIA agent Darius Jedburgh (Joe Don Baker): "Get it whilst it's hot!"

"Hey, wassamatter? You don't wanna be part of the new age of plutonium lunacy?"

Complete with a haunting musical score by Eric Clapton and Michael Kamen, Edge Of Darkness is a serial that, if you've never seen it before, you really should.

The '80s Archers Part 1: Mrs Antrobus And A Decade Of Change...

Mrs Marjorie Antrobus, played by Margot Boyd from 1984-2004.

Dum-di-dum-di-dum-di-dum...

When I mentioned to Pete, an old pal of mine, that I was going to be writing about the BBC radio serial The Archers on '80s Actual, he raised his eyebrows in surprise: surely, he suggested, the cutting edge elements of the decade - things such as Sir Alec Jeffreys discovering DNA fingerprinting in 1984, Sir Tim Berners-Lee inventing the World Wide Web in 1989, the Apple Mac, brick mobile phones, massive shoulder pads, Spitting Image, Greenham Common, and yuppies - were of far more interest than a radio programme which had first been given a trial run in 1950, and become a nightly regular in 1951?

I disagree. The 1980s were a pivotal and fascinating time for the Ambridge saga. And besides, I'd already written about the Apple Mac, etc!

Over in Borsetshire, the 1980s saw the end of some much-loved long running characters: Doris Archer (Gwen Berryman), Dan Archer (Frank Middlemass), Aunt Laura Archer (Betty McDowall), Jethro Larkin (George Hart), Polly Perks (Hilary Newcombe) and Walter Gabriel (Chris Gittens) all died.

A sad time indeed. But newcomers breezed in and established characters made new moves.

The 1980s saw Nelson Gabriel (Jack May) opening his now legendary wine bar; Sid Perks (Alan Devereux) finding a second wife in Kathy (Hedli Niklaus); Mark Hebden (Richard Derrington), soon to be Mr Shula Archer, putting in his first appearance; Nigel Pargetter (Graham Seed) arriving on the scene, dressed as a gorilla - and cooing "Oh, Shulie!" to the aforementioned Shula Archer (Judy Bennett); Eddie Grundy (Trevor Harrison) marrying Clarrie Larkin (Fiona Mathieson); Bert Fry (Roger Hume) - he of the famous rythming couplets - arriving and becoming an employee at Brookfield; the deliciously awful Lynda Snell (Carole Boyd) blasting in from Sunningdale to take over Ambridge Hall (for those of us who remembered Carole Boyd as the downtrodden, down-to-earth Shirley Edwards in the BBC Radio 2 saga Waggoners' Walk, Lynda Snell came as something of a surprise!); and Ruth Pritchard (Felicity Finch) becoming the latest incomer to the Archer clan, as David's wife.

It would have seemed absolutely impossible to imagine Ambridge without Doris, Dan and Walter at the start of 1980 - but in 1989, although each of these original Archers characters had sadly departed, Ambridge was still thriving - as full of colourful characters as ever, and perhaps a little more lively.

We missed the departed very much indeed, but The Archers in no way became a mournful whinge. Nor did it descend into a creaky old age.

The '80s incomers were a terrific crowd - Ruth Pritchard, with her glorious English regional accent, was a breath of fresh air to the rather poshly-spoken Archer clan; Lynda Snell was somebody you wanted to scream at, loud and often, but, underneath it all, thoroughly lovable; Bert Fry was... well... Bert Fry - 'nuff said! - and Nigel Pargetter was a tremendously good natured but thoroughly bungling upper class twit - a sort of Bertie Wooster for the 1980s.

But, despite the undoubted charms of the above mentioned, my absolute favourite 1980s Ambridge newcomer was a certain somebody who soon became known in the village as "The Dog Woman".

Arriving in Ambridge in 1984 to give a talk to the local Women's Institute on the subject of "The Colourful World Of The Afghan Hound", Mrs Marjorie Antrobus was a fascinating and colourful character herself!

A committed Christian, Marjorie was the widow of soldier and game hunter Teddy Antrobus and had been stationed with him in Palestine and later in Africa. On her return to England, she set up home in Waterley Cross, but it wasn't long before she decided to move to Ambridge. In 1985, Shula Archer, working for local estate agents Rodway & Watson, showed Mrs Antrobus around Nightingale Farm - a dilapidated property near Brookfield Farm, owned by Hugo Barnaby.

Marjorie was a keen breeder and exhibitor of Afghan hounds and was impressed with the fact that Nightingale Farm was set well back from the road - and that there were outbuildings which could be converted into kennels. Mrs A always put the interests of her beloved "girls" first and foremost, and so Nightingale Farm was restored and renovated to provide a home for herself and her charges.

One of the most enjoyable things about soap operas is being able to identify with certain characters and being able to liken other characters to people around us. We've all heard comments like: "I'd feel just the same if I was Jack Duckworth!", "I met a woman today and she was just like Amy Turtle..." or "Doesn't Pat Archer put you in mind of cousin Lorna?" Be they a barman, a charwoman or a farmer's wife, most soap characters are mirrors of ourselves and the people we see around us. Often exaggerated, but still recognisable.

But how many of us know - or have ever known - the wife of a soldier and game hunter who had spent years in several far-flung outposts of the British Empire, before coming back to England as a widow to breed and show Afghan hounds? Marjorie Antrobus was surely nobody's idea of a Mrs Average, yet it mattered not as actress Margot Boyd breathed such humanity and warmth into the character that we were enchanted by her and immediately took her to our hearts.

Her appearance at the WI in 1984 was intended to be a one-off, but she was soon back in Ambridge, opening the village fete. Then came her elevation to Ambridge resident.

As noted earlier in this text, some local residents dubbed Marjorie "The dog woman", but she soon made many friends.

Into the flat at Nightingale Farm moved various tenants for Marjorie to look after over the years - including Nigel Pargetter and Ruth Pritchard. Marjorie had a great affinity with young people, and Ruth in particular became great friends with her - Marjorie was the only one Ruth confided in about her feelings for David Archer (Timothy Bentinck).

Nigel Pargetter unwittingly wreaked havoc in 1986: in competition with Elizabeth Archer (Alison Dowling) as an ice cream vendor, Nigel's oft-heard Teddy Bear's Picnic jingle drove Marjorie's Afghans into a frenzy!

Mrs Antrobus soon settled down into Ambridge life, becoming editor of the village magazine. She represented Ambridge at the 1986 Women's Institute AGM at the Albert Hall and proved herself no prude - joining in discussions about AIDS and child abuse, amongst other contentious issues.

She was also an essential part of Ambridge's on-stage entertainments. Who could forget her winning the talent contest at the Ambridge 1989 Spring Festival, singing Nice People With Nice Manners alongside Ruth Archer? Who could forget her as Lady Bracknell in the village production of The Importance of Being Earnest in 1990? Girls just wanna have fun, or so Cyndi Lauper says, and if Marjorie was anything to go by, Cyndi is certainly to be believed. Always young at heart, Marjorie once accompanied Eddie Grundy (Trevor Harrison) and Radio One DJ John Peel in a rousing rendition of Yellow Submarine - seated in the back of Eddie's van!

But Marjorie wasn't just a confidante for those in distress, a village worthy or a character simply designed to make us smile between her good works and shoulder-to-cry-on moments. Eccentric though Mrs A was, she was utterly believable - and a very rounded character. Her voice absolutely throbbed with passion as she confided to Freddie Danby (Ballard Berkeley) that pregnant Afghan Portia's pups were going to be "works of art" after her mating with Little Croxley Owen Glendower in 1987.

And Marjorie's loneliness and great fondness for Colonel D were obvious as she asked him to be present at the birth and tried to ensure that he would be present by promising that the first-born pup would be named "Freddie" after him. Hear the scene at the BBC's 1980s Archers Timeline - scroll down to 1987.

As it happened, the birth of Portia's pups brought a great shock: Little Croxley Owen Glendower was not the Daddy, and Captain, Jack Woolley's much-loved Staffordshire bull terrier companion, was! Marjorie was shattered.

Even more dramatically, a few years later, Marjorie lost a large sum of money - falling victim to swindler Cameron Fraser (Delaval Astley), who arrived in Ambridge in 1990.

When it came to romance, Marjorie certainly didn't consider herself too old, but her excursions into the romantic arena were doomed to failure. Colonel Danby was not interested, and when she answered a small ad in The Borchester Echo ('gentleman farmer seeking companionship') she was startled when none other than Joe Grundy (Edward Kelsey) turned up at the rendezvous. Still, give her her due, she helped him write to another applicant and lent him one of Teddy's tweed jackets for the date that resulted.

While The Archers refused to decline into a creaky old age in the 1980s, it didn't become an imitation of the hugely popular American soaps of the era either. Today newspaper remarked in 1986:

In Denver there were two Krystle Carringtons, one kidnapped and one with a permanent headache to fend off husband Blake. In Dallas they were still mourning Bobby Ewing's death. In Ambridge, Jethro Larkin had his dog's photograph taken in a booth in Borchester and Mrs Antrobus became editor of the parish magazine.

Six years ago, the average Archers' fan was a woman over 50 who thought Shula Archer was a young tearaway. Now the latest goings-on in Ambridge are discussed by bright young things at posh dinner parties - perhaps the poshest, since the Queen, the Queen Mother and the Princess of Wales are known to be fans. At The Times there is talk of forming a Nelson Gabriel fan club.

I can tell you that many of us "commoners" were lapping up the show, too!

Old age forced Marjorie Antrobus to give up Nightingale Farm and move into The Laurels, a local nursing home, in 2004. Margot Boyd, a distinguished actress of great talent, style and humour, died in 2008 - at the age of 94.

Mrs Antrobus was a thoroughly "good egg" and had that special hint of Ambridge magic about her that ensures her a place in The Archers gallery of all-time greats. She was a tremendous character, who helped to ensure that the 1980s, a testing time for the show with the departures of so many old favourites, are remembered as a splendid decade in the show's long life.

They don't make 'em like Marjorie Antrobus anymore. Nor, indeed, Margot Boyd.

Sadly.

Mrs Antrobus with two of her "girls".

Some Actual 1980s Sticky-Back Vinyl

Bought this Storeys self adhesive contact vinyl c. 1983. Just used a bit to edge the bathroom cabinet and a battered old cupboard at my flat. In 2009, my wife came across the remaining roll at the back of the in-built wardrobe at our house.

I was really excited and greeted it like a long-lost friend - "It'll look great on the blog!"

Said she: "You're barmy, do you know that?"

Another found relic from the 1980s: "Ooh to be ah jet setter, be ah head start..." Limahl and the Kajagoogoo lads appearing on a lovely sew-on patch. At the time, I thought Limahl's rather unique hairdo was great.

Cadbury's Wispa Chocolate

After a trial run in the Tyne Tees TV area (north east of England), beginning in the autumn of 1981, Cadbury's launched their new Wispa chocolate bar nationally in 1983. Cadbury's reveal: "During the first week of national launch, a whopping 9.5 million bars were sold in Newcastle. The local Woolworths sold 10,000 in one day!"

And: "The name 'Wispa', which is a combination of 'wisp' and 'whisper', was chosen to reflect the 'textual experience'."

Apparently, the first Wispas were deemed too big for a 'lady' to fit in her mouth, so were scaled down!

A Wispa cost 16p back in 1983. And they were actually very yummy indeed as I remember.

I remember a funny Wispa TV ad with Ruth Madoc and Simon Cadell of Hi De Hi fame - in this instance Gladys Pugh and Jeffrey Fairbrother in character, though not in name. The newspaper article below, by News Of The World TV critic Nina Myskow, dates from November 11 1984 and indicates that the Ruth/Simon ad was new on screen at that time.

There was an irritating (I thought) bloke whispering about Wispa on each and every ad - saying "bite it and believe it".

Below is the (thankfully silent) newspaper version from December 1984, which carried a 3p off coupon.




Badges from Wispa's early days.

An early Wispa mug. These usually came with an Easter Egg.

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Note that the right side of the 'W' is higher than the left. This was the original Wispa logo design. The 'W' was later regularised.

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A YouTube glimpse of the 1984 Wispa ad featuring Ruth Madoc and Simon Cadell.

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Wispa disappeared from shop shelves in 2003, but was revived in 2007, a limited number of bars being produced after on-line interest and campaigning to bring back the product.

The interest was sparked by 1980s nostalgia and desire to re-experience this rather nice bar of chocolate. One of the advertising slogans for the relaunch was: "Some Things Are Best Left In The 80's... Others Aren't". The return of the Wispa proved so popular that Cadbury's brought it back permanently in October 2008.

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Here is a fondly remembered (?!) 1980s joke:

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Q: Why has George Michael got chocolate all over his face?

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A: Because he was careless with his Wispa!

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The 2007 limited relaunch...

A clever ad from the relaunch, name-checking many items of 1980s pop culture.

Get 'em whilst you can! But now Wispa is back for good.

More yum fun - the Cadbury's chocolate block mug was also new in 1983.

"Jenny Lives With Eric And Martin", Clause 28 and Militant Lesbians Invade The BBC News Studio...

"20,000 people, of all sexualities, marching through the streets of Manchester on a cold February afternoon is not something we are going to forget easily. Nor can we forget the close relationship which was forged between the Campaign and the gay scene. 1988 made us all finally realise that very powerful forces were out to get us."

Gay Life, January, 1989.

So what was Clause 28? How did it happen?

Many people will have you believe that the era before the 1980s was totally liberal, totally free of discrimination or malice. Then the 1980s arrived, slammed on the shoulder pads, stuck the cigarette in the holder, narrowed their eyes and went to work to undo everything and set the clock back.

Of course, that's not true. Some 1960s teenagers, mourning the loss of that decade and their youth since the start of 1970, have been very vocal (for such a kind, sharing and caring generation) in proclaiming just how superior they are to the generations that have followed. Meanwhile, the 1970s have been rewritten as a continuation of the "wonderful 60s". So heavily have the 70s been tweaked and repackaged, I hardly recognise them.

Let's look at the UK reality. In 1967, the decriminalisation of homosexual acts between consenting men in private was passed in England and Wales. Homosexual acts between women had never been illegal.

Although many gay men rejoiced at the news, there were sombre warnings that their new rights should not be "abused". Lord Arran, one of the major advocates for law reform, made the following speech in the House of Lords in 1967:

"I ask those who have, as it were, been in bondage and for whom the prison doors are now open, to show thanks by comporting themselves quietly and with dignity. This is no occasion for jubilations, certainly not for celebration. Any form of ostentatious behaviour now or in the future, any form of public flaunting, would be utterly distasteful and would, I believe, make the sponsors of the bill regret what they have done."

Fast forward to the late 1970s, and queer bashing was as much a sport as ever and gay men on TV were the traditional stereotypes. Accusations were made that much of the momentum behind the American "Disco Sucks" campaign came from racism and homophobia.

The decriminalisation of homosexual acts between men in Scotland took place in February 1981, and the London Weekend Television (LWT) series Gay Life was broadcast that year - although it was not networked.

The decriminalisation of homosexual acts between men in Northern Ireland took place in 1982.

In 1983, the 1981 book Jenny Lives With Eric & Martin, by Danish author Susanne Bosche, was published in England. The book was intended for primary school children and told the story of Jenny, a little girl who lived with her father and his male lover.

It was quickly banned from schools after protests from parents and politicians who feared that it might encourage children to "experiment with homosexuality". And yet parents were allowing their children to display posters of openly gay pop stars like Boy George on their bedroom walls, and indeed buying their children Boy George dollies! It really was an era of contrasts!

Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin is widely accepted as a major milestone on the road to Section (or Clause) 28, which came into effect on 24 May 1988. The emergence of AIDS as a growing epidemic, with gay men as a "high risk" group, was another.

Being well grotty, the "Clause" contained such gems as: A local authority shall not:

(a) Intentionally promote or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality.

(b) Promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality in a pretended family relationship.

The "Clause" has now gone. But have books like Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin come back, I wonder, and if so what has been the reaction of the "wonderfully liberal" people of the early 21st Century?

Published in England by the Gay Men's Press, December 1983.

Jenny has a strop. .

I was very interested in the launch of Jenny Lives With Eric & Martin and bought a copy of the book. It may seem trite, but a memory that remains with me to this day is how shocked some older members of my family were with the suggested nudity in a couple of photographs in the book. We can be terribly smug, superior and "21st Century" about that now (it happens a lot), but it's worth noting that this country was a very different place in 1983!

Grumpy Mrs Jones sticks her beak in.

23rd May 1988 - and militant lesbians, protesting about Clause 28, invade the BBC newsroom. 

Gay men attempting to gain admission to protest at various times were, of course, roughly expelled/blocked.

Equality!

Sue Lawley struggled on with the news, whilst Nicholas Witchell sat on one of the protesters. Sue said: "...I do apologise if you're hearing quite a lot of noise in the studio at the moment. I'm afraid that, um, we have been rather invaded by some people who we hope to be removing shortly."

Sue Lawley battles on with the news, as the studio technology goes rather wonky...

Country Life English Butter: "You'll Never Put A Better Bit Of Butter On Your Knife!"

"Oh we are the lads from Country Life, and you'll never put a better bit o' butter on your knife, if you 'aven't any in 'ave a word with the wife and spread it on your toast in the morning!"

The earliest newspaper Country Life yokels newspaper advertisement I have found so far dates back to late 1980. In 1981 the Country Life ditties (there was more than one) were on everybody's lips. Above an early 1980s badge; below, advertisement from the Daily Mirror, 26/3/1981.

1980: A Shooting At The Crossroads Motel

We all remember the shooting of JR Ewing in 1980 - it shook soap fans across the world. But, at the Crossroads Motel, David Hunter's ex-wife, Rosemary (played by Janet Hargreaves), was the first soap character of 1980 to pull a trigger. It shook... er... several soap fans across England.

Motel owner Meg Mortimer (Noele Gordon) was about to announce the engagement of her business partner David Hunter to novelist Barbara Brady at a party to celebrate the occasion. Rosemary, in the past known for her neurotic tendencies, had begun to behave strangely.

American psychiatrist, Lloyd Munroe (Alan Gifford), an old friend of Meg's, told Rosemary off, pointing out to her that she'd been: "...threatening me - and David and Barbara - with threats of suicide."

Lloyd was doing his best to help, but was trying to convince Rosemary that she didn't love David, she actually hated him, really the right thing to do?

Particularly as it seemed that Rosemary may have stolen a gun, and Lloyd was fully aware of that fact?

Everybody, including Rosemary's daughter-in-law Diane Hunter (Sue Hanson), was in a state of high tension and the night of David and Barbara's engagement party saw an anxious discussion in the reception area at the motel.

Old favourite Tish Hope (Joy Andrews) was larding it up behind the reception desk, and tried to speak sense to Rosemary, but Rosemary hung up on her.

Something horrible was about to happen.

Rosemary left the engagement party before Meg made the happy announcement. David (Ronald Allen) and Barbara (Sue Lloyd) were overjoyed, but there was an underlying anxiety about Rosemary.

Rosemary gave waitress Glenda Brownlow (Lynette McMorrough) a note for David - requesting his presence in the motel office...

When he arrived she asked him to say that he loved her, and turned quite sarky when he refused...

Suddenly, Rosemary pulled out A GUN!!

"David... say it... tell me you love me... SAY IT!" she whined menacingly. When he refused, she shot him.

Of course, all was well. David was discovered by Meg and made a full recovery, Rosemary underwent psychiatric treatment and was never seen again, and that was that.

According to legend, the reason for David's somewhat informal attire at his engagement party had its roots in a behind-the-scenes mishap. When Janet Hargreaves first pulled the trigger of the gun, it didn't go off. But Ronald Allen had already broken the bag of stage blood, ruining the suit he was wearing.

It seems that the Crossroads wardrobe allowance could not run to another suit!

1982 - Aerobics, Leg Warmers, Deelyboppers, Ra Ra Skirts, Pretty Colours, Zippy Shorts And Skimpy Undies...

A whistle-stop tour of 1982 fashions and cosmetics... beginning with three ads from Cosmopolitan, May 1982...

Boots No 7 - May, 1982 - "Announcing the arrival of the hottest Spring we've ever seen".

Trendy specs from Silhouette - they look lovely with shoulder pads.

Here's Jane Fonda, flashing her leg warmers about on her famous Workout video, which began the home video fitness trend. Aerobics Rules?

Little underwear - from the Daily Mirror, March 1982. Even today, I wouldn't be seen dead in a pair of boxers - although they are supposed to be much healthier for we members of the ... er... unfairer sex.


From The Sun, 4/5/1982:

It's no sweat to keep in trim these days.

Especially with the sort of exercise clothes that reveal loads of style.

Girls are taking to the tennis courts, running tracks and dance classes to keep their curves in shape.

There's no need to sweat it out in sticky vests, baggy shorts and nylon sox. There's enough fashionable gear around for sporting action to turn any girl into a surefire winner.

Zippy shorts and matching tops will give you a good run for your money.

And the latest mini ra-ra skirts will put your legs ahead of other girls.

If you want to take to the tracks in a serious way, choose a body-revealing leotard and fashionable tracksuit bottoms.

You don't have to be a record breaker to look like a champ, but you'll gladden the heart of every fella who likes to play the game.

Remember zippy shorts? Remember those horrible black lycra leggings, ending around the knee, under your ra-ra skirt? And what about these?

The Sun, 23 July, 1982 - the "Bonce Bouncers" are here!

We've had head-hunters and head-bangers. Now it's the turn of the bonce boppers.

In fact, it's the latest craze to bounce into Britain from America. And it's going to everyone's head.

So, hang up your hoola-hoop, scrap your skateboard and get a head start by wearing a bopper on your bonce.

It's a headband supporting two spiral wire antenna topped with hearts, bobbing balls or windmills.

When we took to the streets with luscious Linda Lusardi wearing a pair of boppers, headstrong young men came rushing up to look at her...

Page Three girl Linda Lusardi enjoys the boppers. Read our full deelyboppers feature here.

1987: "You Got An Ology?" Beattie Makes Her BT Debut...

Having been told by her grandson Anthony that he has failed most of his exams - only passing pottery and sociology, Beattie cries: "He gets an ology and he says he's failed... you get an ology you're a scientist..."

Beattie Bellman was created by Richard Phillips of the J Walter Thompson advertising agency in 1987. And she was originally to have been called Dora.

The BT Beattie ads were launched in late 1987. Maureen Lipman states in the 1989 script book You Got An Ology? that the recording of the first ten ads, accomplished in just over two weeks, took place either side of the great gale of October 1987!

Those first ten ads included the legendary "Ology".

Here's what a recent BT on-line history said about Mrs Bellman:

1987: A star is born and Beattie takes the nation by storm. Maureen Lipman's Jewish granny goes on to star in 32 TV commercials and contributes the word "ology" to the English language.

Beattie made her screen debut in December 1987.

Beattie's family, included husband Harry (Geoffrey Chiswick), son Melvyn (Linal Haft), and daughter Elaine (Caroline Quentin).

The phone Beattie used in the "ology" ad was a BT Tribune, released in 1987. This one is still in use on my hall extension. Nice design - it wasn't until the mid-to-late 1980s that push-button models really began to take over from the dial phone.

This ladies gown shop manager, played by Richard Wilson, is being driven to distraction by a telephone enquiry from Mrs Bellman.

Bernard Bresslaw and Miriam Margoyles played Gerald and Dolly, friends of Beattie and Harry.

During her screen appearances, Beattie met new technological marvels like cardphones, answerphones and car phones. Here she is on son Melvyn's car phone: "Over and out."

Elaine (Caroline Quentin), Beattie's daughter, with her daughter, Zara. Beattie was worried: "Look at that haircut! The poor child won't know whether she's Martha or Arthur!"

"You Got an Ology?" by Maureen Lipman and Richard Phillips, Robson Books, 1989. A fun read, containing twenty of the Beattie ad scripts and more!

The word "ology" became a major catchphrase and Beattie haunts Maureen Lipman to this day!

The ads won so many awards that Beattie must have had her mantelpiece reinforced with steel and concrete to support them all.

One of my all-time favourite ad series.

The 1987 BT "Ology" ad.