Echoes of 1990/91. First two Tests, England holding 40+ run leads after the first innings, collapsing in the 2nd innings and Australia knocking off the runs comfortably.

It was mainly because, when she was holding the sword, she was dressed in something other than that perpetual set of trouser suits that she always wore. Her wardrobe must be like Jeff Goldblum’s was in The Fly.

I always associate it with the cold winter of 85/86, the one with all the decimated footballing weekends. I think it’s that icy trumpet solo, downbeat mood to the piece and “Sometimes, you’re better off dead….” to which the only reply at the time was, ‘In these temperatures, you may be right, Neil.’

It was the programme listings in Look-In that stood out for me in those early days: Countdown, MiniPops, The Munsters etc.

But it wasn’t until 1986, aged 10, when I got a telly in my bedroom that I conciously started to watch it. Both versions of Chateauvallon we’re appointment TV for me.

Praying Mantis was the Cherie Lunghi/Carmen du Sautoy film.

Never had them read out, but editions where he was paired with Iain Stirling or Judi Spiers were required viewing, as the operator would be doing everything in their power to make them laugh.

A book containing rare written praise for Dave Lee Travis.

Also, the chapter on Alfred Marks has me pondering whether he now counts as one of the forgotten comedians Monkhouse lamented on that clip from Face to Face about whether he would like to be remembered or forgotten.

Ah, very much one of those shows from the period that BBC 2 became TWO.

Edgar Wright’s directing that, isn’t he? Because it certainly sounds like an Edgar Wright casting.

Do you remember her playing Roy Kinnear’s girlfriend in The Clairvoyant?

Sandra Dickinson?

Urban pavement cyclists would be my first pick for Room 101. There’d be no jokes, just a vicious, seething excoriation. They deserve nothing less.

By a quirk of fate, she was born in Truro while her Mum was in Cornwall for a holiday.

“Round, round, get around.
It gets around,
Yeah! Rougemont Castle
It gets around!”

Didn’t they record The Memphis Sessions in 1986?

A compendium of Coren’s TV reviews is sorely missing.

The biggest surprise I’ve had this year while listening to files for the Peel blog was discovering that The Waitresses were a “proper“ band, with records released prior to Christmas Wrapping. I’d always assumed they were a novelty act fronted by two girls working in the CBS Records canteen.