This week I’m exploring what was on television on Sunday, October 21st, 1979, using the original Radio Times and TV Times from that exact date. This fascinating journey reveals a television landscape dramatically affected by industrial action, showcasing how strikes could reshape what British families watched on their most important viewing day.
The ITV technicians’ strike, which ended just three days later, created makeshift programming schedules that relied heavily on American imports and pre-recorded shows. Meanwhile, the BBC delivered comprehensive public service broadcasting that demonstrated television’s educational and community role in ways rarely seen today.
ITV’s limited offerings included The Muppet Show with Dudley Moore, the sinister Quatermass series starring John Mills, and various American sitcoms like Alice and Eight is Enough that filled scheduling gaps. The contrast with BBC’s full programming schedule was stark and telling.
BBC1 provided something truly special: Scott of the Antarctic for Sunday afternoon viewing, Go with Noakes featuring John Noakes and Shep’s coastal adventures, the groundbreaking Roots: The Next Generation, Penelope Keith’s aristocratic comedy in To The Manor Born, and Trevor Eve’s detective work in Shoestring. This represented the golden age of Sunday evening television.
What strikes me most is the BBC’s commitment to community programming: business advice shows, language learning with Georges Brassens, disability programming with Brian Rix, and educational content that served genuine public needs. From “Your Own Business” to “Write Away!” helping adults with literacy, television truly served its public service remit.
BBC2 offered cultural programming including Open University courses, rugby with legendary commentator Bill McLaren, art programmes exploring drawing techniques, international snooker, and the complex drama of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – sophisticated viewing that trusted audiences to engage with challenging content.
This snapshot of October 1979 reminds us how television once brought families together around shared viewing experiences, creating cultural touchstones that defined generational memories. Sunday programming wasn’t just entertainment; it was a ritual that shaped how we spent our weekends and connected with each other.
Whether revisiting old memories or discovering these programmes for the first time, I hope this episode sparks curiosity about how television once served communities in ways that seem almost revolutionary by today’s standards.
Take care,
Oliver
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Hi Oliver, I’m a bit confused about tv times magazine as I thought publication was halted during the itv strike as they were not broadcasting any programmes at all until the “welcome home to itv” song arrived on 24 October 1979. Did they actually broadcast anything on that Sunday you picked?
Hi Stephen, thanks for the comment.You’ve caught me out on this. Of course there wouldn’t have been anything broadcast before the big switch on a few days later which I should have worked out (🎶 “Welcome home, welcome home to ITV!” 🎶). I was cheating a bit as I wasn’t using TV Times but an archive schedule of proposed programming for that date which presumably was put together in anticipation of the strike being over.
Well spotted and hope you’ll put up with my artistic licence on this occasion!