Warm glow of the Lime light

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• Publication: Daily Express
• Date: 1991-08-31
• Author:
• Page: 21
• Language: English

THE black and white world of television, as presented by BBC2's day of nostalgia, was notable for its thoroughly pleasant attitude and its jolly good manners.

Ladies in frocks were ever so nice and when they said "hello", speaking out of that bulging screen in its mahogany case, it was as if they saw you actually sitting in your armchair and that they expected a reply.

"Hello," they would say. "Hello," you would answer.

Chaps in dinner jackets, like Kenneth Allsop or Cliff Michelmore, would offer "goodnight", giving a lift to the last syllable. "Goodnight," you would say, turning off the set and padding up the stairs, reassured and clutching a cup of cocoa, to cosy slumber.

All those presenters were, so it occured to this viewer during the Beeb's pleasant ramble down the history of its now closed Lime Grove studios, figures who had "standards'.

The men were like housemasters and the women, many of whom were called Bunty, like housemasters' wives.

They were the sort of people, so one recalled from one's youth, who would have been heroes in war, who would have endured nobly the most ghastly torments and who would never have had sex except after seeing Gone With The Wind or Lassie.

Splendid

Dr Who, in the form of William Hartnell, was also quite splendid in black and white. The sets were wonderfully silly and when someone was punched in the jaw, the Houses of Parliament rocked in the background.

This Is Your Life was compered by Eamonn Andrews, who entertained such guests as "Dickie" Attenborough and "Johnnie" Mills. Delightfully, one of his 'surprised' stars was "Kenny" More. Kenny, who played Douglas Bader and other decent. Englishmen in movies, roared with laughter and slapped peoples backs. Everyone was a good chap.

In those days there was an agreeable diversion, when the television schedule had a moment's pause, called A Short Interlude.

Viewers would be entertained for a few moments by the peaceful sight of a windmill slowly turning in Essex; waves, maybe, crashing on Flamborough headland. Indeed, one particularly favourite piece of film was a sequence showing three men ploughing a field.

The BBC's gloriously entertaining programme the other night sent itself up by spoofing the item as a kind of horse-race with commentary from a Peter O'Sullevan character.

These were the incomparable days of black and white telly. Then along came colour. And vulgarity. Nothing was ever the same again.

It was another time. Another England.

Caption: SETTING STANDARDS: William Hartnell (right) as the original Dr Who

Caption: FRIENDLY FIGURES: Young Cliff Michelmore and Muffin The Mule enjoyed remarkable success

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• APA 6th ed.: (1991-08-31). Warm glow of the Lime light. Daily Express p. 21.
• MLA 7th ed.: "Warm glow of the Lime light." Daily Express [add city] 1991-08-31, 21. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: "Warm glow of the Lime light." Daily Express, edition, sec., 1991-08-31
• Turabian: "Warm glow of the Lime light." Daily Express, 1991-08-31, section, 21 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Warm glow of the Lime light | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Warm_glow_of_the_Lime_light | work=Daily Express | pages=21 | date=1991-08-31 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 May 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Warm glow of the Lime light | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Warm_glow_of_the_Lime_light | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 May 2025}}</ref>