Ulster TV did start with 17 episodes of UFO on Friday nights until 2 February 1973 and in a good broadcast slot (7.30-8.30pm). Later though it disappeared for long periods, changed days & times & mixed repeats with new episodes but evening time slots were not as late as most regions.

Another excellent early story. Mark McManus really shows his potential here with his character electing to carry out his own defence.

A title sequence that perfectly sets up the unsettling events to follow. Roger Webb wrote a lot of excellent music for film and TV and like many of his kind his roots were in jazz. He composed a very similar piece to this called "Exotica", I'm not sure which came first but both are very fine.

I posted recently about John Flanagan appearing as a police officer or detective in Parkin's Patch, Thriller and The Sweeney; this programme has a clip from "Softly Softly" where one of the police officers is.... John Flanagan!

This is an excellent early story with Freda Dowie giving a memorable performance as the defendant. Ian Marter later re-appeared as a barrister in the show, William Simons was another who featured in an early story as a witness before coming back in many stories as a barrister.

Certainly in the TP serial the colour allocation was completely random but led to deep hatreds. Football club rivalry does have some similarity as the club you support is generally just chance depending on where you were born / raised and yet it can lead to these intense feelings.

There were certainly some striking visuals and the music by Dudley Simpson and Radiophonic composers excellent. Some clips there from "The Blue and the Green". On that theme a few years I got a book on the series and received (randomly) a green badge so I have no doubt which side I'm on!

In the listing he notes having his hair cut short for "Parkin's Patch" but by the time of his long-running role as one of Crown Court's early barristers he was back to long hair - perhaps surprising for someone playing that kind of role but maybe not out of keeping for the early 70s.

Lou Rawls did a very fine version of "Mama Told Me Not To Come" in his earlier jazzy days. "Storm in a Teacup" was an excellent Lynsey De Paul composition who said it was influenced by "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" by The Tams.

Telltale were very good and there is an album of their songs from early in the series that was released in 1973. In an unusual link their drummer Ted Richards also appeared as a taxi driver in the Thriller episode "An Echo of Theresa".

Growing up I had a vague memory that Rainbow was once presented by someone called David before Geoffrey arrived but suspected it was my memory playing tracks. Ultimately I discovered I was right! It was also pleasing to discover that David Cook (later the writer of "Walter") was from my home town.

The young Russell Lewis was in between appearing as the youngest child in "The Kids from 47A" and then the eldest one in "Come Back Lucy", both also ATV shows so one of the youngest members of the ATV repertory team! Dorothy White also guested in ATV's Hunters Walk around that time.

So dominant is the impact of his "Howard" character that it's easy to forget how good Stanley Lebor was at playing "heavies" and villains earlier in his career.