Growing up in the Seventies, the battle for Saturday night always appeared an important one. THE GENERATION GAME was followed by ALL , CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, THE TWO RONNIES, KOJAK, MATCH OF THE DAY and PARKINSON. Viewers in the pre-commander days would be encouraged not to turn their channel buttons away from BBC One, which ensured huge ratings for all the programs.
One of the chief protagonists involved in this never-ending battle for viewers, Michael Grade, introduces this long documentary, charting the rise and fall of several shows from the early Seventies onwards. We hear from those involved in the commissioning and production of several immortal shows, notably GAME FOR A LAUGH, BLIND DATE, NOEL'S HOUSEPARTY, STRICTLY COME DANCING, BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT, and others. We also hear from some of the stars involved, including Sir Bruce Forsyth, Noel Edmonds, Matthew Kelly, and Ant and Dec.
The documentary is good at showing the cut-throat battle between the two main British channels, BBC One and ITV1, as they fought one another - even resorting to under-hand methods to achieve their aims. Grade was responsible for what was described at the time as "Snatch of the Day," when he went behind the BBC's back to secure exclusive rights to Saturday night soccer highlights in 1978. He looks back on the occasion now with a smile, but his rival at the time, the former BBC's Head of Sport Alan Hart, does not appear so happy. Old rivalries die hard.
In the end, however, we begin to wonder about what the interviewees are saying. Throughout each decade, they claimed that what they were producing or presenting represented a "new departure" for British television. History proves otherwise: STRICTLY COME DANCING is a reboot of a long-running series dating back to the Fifties; BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT is a reboot of OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS; while GAME FOR A LAUGH updated CANDID CAMERA. Such correspondences might prove that there's nothing more popular than repetition.
For nostalgics of television, THE FIGHT FOR Saturday NIGHT offers the chance to relive some of the popular shows of yore. But I am not sure it has much to say to younger viewers.
One of the chief protagonists involved in this never-ending battle for viewers, Michael Grade, introduces this long documentary, charting the rise and fall of several shows from the early Seventies onwards. We hear from those involved in the commissioning and production of several immortal shows, notably GAME FOR A LAUGH, BLIND DATE, NOEL'S HOUSEPARTY, STRICTLY COME DANCING, BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT, and others. We also hear from some of the stars involved, including Sir Bruce Forsyth, Noel Edmonds, Matthew Kelly, and Ant and Dec.
The documentary is good at showing the cut-throat battle between the two main British channels, BBC One and ITV1, as they fought one another - even resorting to under-hand methods to achieve their aims. Grade was responsible for what was described at the time as "Snatch of the Day," when he went behind the BBC's back to secure exclusive rights to Saturday night soccer highlights in 1978. He looks back on the occasion now with a smile, but his rival at the time, the former BBC's Head of Sport Alan Hart, does not appear so happy. Old rivalries die hard.
In the end, however, we begin to wonder about what the interviewees are saying. Throughout each decade, they claimed that what they were producing or presenting represented a "new departure" for British television. History proves otherwise: STRICTLY COME DANCING is a reboot of a long-running series dating back to the Fifties; BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT is a reboot of OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS; while GAME FOR A LAUGH updated CANDID CAMERA. Such correspondences might prove that there's nothing more popular than repetition.
For nostalgics of television, THE FIGHT FOR Saturday NIGHT offers the chance to relive some of the popular shows of yore. But I am not sure it has much to say to younger viewers.
