Teletubbies-YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!

Woebot

Well-known member
A few people know that I was, at the early stages of Teletubbies and on the strength of a handful of my early comics, employed by R**doll to write some scripts for the show. The idea was that if it all went well then i'd be able shoulder the burden of wring the 200 or so episodes which at that time Andrew Davenport was going to have to do himself.

Anyway I was invited up to the set in Stratford (this was before anyone knew WTF) and was courted by them, before submitting my two scripts which were roundly dismissed as vastely inappropriate (smoking a lot of marijuana at the time y'unnerstan)

I had to witness the show, which I didnt really like, going mega-stellar. I felt like Pete Best the Beatles early drummer. And to this day whenever I see the show, it really pains me of my missed opprtunity. The best I got out of it at the time was being interviewed by The Face magazine.

Anyway, throughout Lulu's upbringing I had to watch the show every morning (I get up early with the babies and look after them from 5.30am while the missus recovers) and now again with baby Sam. Though with time (ha ha) the pain has receded... a bit. In fact the other day I managed to see this which YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST DOWNLOAD in which Lala plays Derek Bailey-styled Free guitar and Dipsy performs an interpretative dance. Its just splendid.
 

Rachel Verinder

Well-known member
Sometimes I feel like the Pete Best of the music blogosphere, even though historically I suppose I'm the Joe Meek (Blissblog = Elvis, WOEBOT = Beatles, Kpunk = Stones, Heronbone = Dylan) - but anyway, I remember this - and remember commenting on it with L - when it was first on.

I loved Teletubbies. Couldn't watch it now because it would make me feel suicidal what with associated memories and whatnot. But it was a lovely and astute programme (not a combination which many manage successfully).

Does anyone know who were the musicians on the programme (bearing in mind that the house band on Play Away was practically the Ray Russell Group, all the improv chappies who were on Mike Gibbs' soundtrack for The Goodies, etc.)?
 

Woebot

Well-known member
Rachel Verinder said:
Does anyone know who were the musicians on the programme (bearing in mind that the house band on Play Away was practically the Ray Russell Group, all the improv chappies who were on Mike Gibbs' soundtrack for The Goodies, etc.)?

You know I wonder too. I'll see if i can find out.

I always imagined it to be some Prog-ster holed up in a countryside studio funded by his brief success. Theres a cartoon character right there!
 
Anyone here a fan of Booh-bah, the psychedelic Teletubbies? And in all seriousness, was this show created with the ravers-coming-home as well as the kiddies-waking-up demographic in mind?
 

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
Terror Danjah Australis said:
And in all seriousness, was this show created with the ravers-coming-home as well as the kiddies-waking-up demographic in mind?
I'm given to understand that TT was scientifically designed for pre-verbal pre-schoolers. After all, the crossover market can take care of itself. BTW, my mother in law is a big fan. Felix loved it, Malachy seems less enamoured.

Matt seems to be talking a lot about drugs at the moment. Feeling like falling off the wagon again?

Ah, didn't think so :).

But it would be fun to read your TT scripts...
 

michael

Bring out the vacuum
That clip is great and your posting it came at a funny time. I'd just heard Derek Bailey for the first time this week and was commenting to a friend (a fan) that he sounded like an audacious 4 year-old to me. My friend agreed, saying that's exactly why he's so good. :D

The album I was listening to was David Sylvian's Blemish, btw...
 

Rachel Verinder

Well-known member
Of course DB was still doing session work up until about 1969. If you recall the old radio show I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again with its house band - Dave Lee and "The Boys" - that's DB on guitar, particularly noticeable when Bill Oddie called upon them to "do some psychedelic." In one episode, after the band has stopped, you can hear the guitar plinking on unmistakeably until someone says "That's enough, Derek!" It shows you the fall in standards these days when a mainstream radio comedy programme could do gags about "felonious monk" and "ornate coalman" and the audience would (a) immediately get it and (b) fall about in hysterics.

Oh, and did you know that back in 1967 it were all fields around here...? ;)
 
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