Friday, August 11, 2006

Sixties cult TV series

While we're on the subject of 6os lists, how about the 20 best TV series of the decade? It seems strange today, when the only things I watch regularly are the news, football and Coronation Street, that our lives revolved around TV in the 60s when there were only two, and later three, channels to choose from. There were, of course, a great many TV series and regular programmes at that time, but here, just for the hell of it, are my top 20 - again, not in any particular order:
1. The Prisoner (probably the biggest cult series of them all)
2. Danger Man (the Patrick McGoohan spy saga that led to The Prisoner)
3. The Saint (Roger Moore at his most quizzical)
4. Man in a Suitcase (Richard Bradford with his Hillman Imp and a ciggie in the side of his mouth as McGill)
5. A for Andromeda (TV sci-fi at its best, along with the Quatermass series)
6. The Four Just Men (Jack Hawkins, Vittorio de Sica, Dan Dailey and Richard Conte)
7. Dr Who ( William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton - and still going strong)
8. Human Jungle (Herbert Lom as psychiatrist Dr Roger Corder)
9. The Avengers (wonderful fantasy with Patrick McNee, Honor Blackman and of course Diana Rigg as the simply splendid Emma Peel)
10. Cluff (bluff northern detective played by Leslie Sands)
11. Oh Boy! (classic pop show bringing back memories of Eddie and Gene)
12. Ready Steady Go (the weekend really did start there)
13. Coronation Street (now a mere 46 years young and as popular as ever)
14. Star Trek (another true cult - beam me up Scotty)
15. Maverick (James Garner as Bret, Jack Kelly as Bart and, later Roger Moore as Beau - began in the 50s but lasted into the 60s and maybe the last of the great western series)
16. That was the week that was (cutting edge satire with David Frost)
17. Monty Python's Flying Circus (ground breaking comedy - unmissable)
18. Thunderbirds (Gerry Anderson's high point with Jeff Tracy and his five sons, not forgetting Lady Penelope)
19. Department S (and of course the spin-off Jason King with the flamboyant Peter Wyngarde)
20. The Champions (superhuman powers with Stuart Damon, William Gaunt and the gorgeous Alexandra Bastedo - who should have been in my 60s sex symbols list)
It was really hard choosing my top 20 - could easily have been a top 50 - but suggestions and comments again most welcome.

1 Comments:

At 12:30 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Department S? Do you also like Gladiator movies, boy?
Gaydar

 

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