The '90s Was The Golden Age Of Television, And Has Filled My 2020 So Far

The '90s was the golden age of television. Nothing will sway me from this opinion. Could I be slightly biased in that the '90s were my formative years? Absolutely. Were my years from the age of 1 to 11 based solely around that box in the corner and whatever was projected on the screen? Definitely. Did I learn to read age 3-ish by using the TV guide so I knew when my shows were on? Odd but true. It worked and I could read to a level where my nursery school ran out of books for me, all because I needed to know when The Crystal Maze and Fun House were on. However, it doesn't alter the fact that all the best TV was around during the '90s.

One of the perks of living in the here and now is that everything is online somewhere. Whether officially available through services like iPlayer and All4, or if it's a forgotten series that's just been uploaded by a YouTube user who enjoyed a show, had it recorded on VHS and wanted to share. 

With the recent situation seeing a lot of increased TV time, I've found myself trawling a lot of older TV shows. Sitcoms like 'Drop the Dead Donkey', 'Red Dwarf', 'Bottom' and 'Absolutely Fabulous' have kept me amused and dramas such as 'Crime Traveller' and 'Jonathan Creek' have filled a few hours. I found a show I'd forgotten existed called 'Harry' which was a BBC One drama set in and around Darlington, a town I'm very familiar with. I spent most of it infuriated by moments where I found myself saying "...and that street doesn't lead into there" far more often than I'd have liked to.

Kids TV was, by far, superior in the '90s. Things like Get Your Own Back with the godfather of gunge Dave Benson Phillips, the unforgettable Demon Headmaster, and Wizadora and its annoyingly catchy theme. OK, being catchy isn't always a positive. Covid-19 is catchy. That being said I challenge you to watch Wizardora and not have the theme in your head afterwards, the same can be said for Mike and Angelo. That's something that the '90s had endless supplies of, catchy theme tunes. I'll even be controversial here and say that the 90's theme for Grange Hill was better than the original theme tune. Nowadays Kids TV has the challenge of competing for attention with the likes of Fortnite, which I'll admit isn't easy. Truth be told I've played about 4 minutes of Fortnite. It's hardly Wolfenstein or Mortal Kombat in the fun stakes, but then again don't be letting your kids play Wolfenstein or Mortal Kombat, they aren't made for younger eyes.

Back to the matter at hand, Saturday morning was a staple of kids viewing in the 90s. Shows like Live and Kicking, SMTV Live and What's Up Doc? were a highlight of every kid's weekend, because they knew they had the best part of two days before they had to trudge back to servitude and misery school. Showcasing new songs from bands in a day where they couldn't get the on-demand attention and marketing the internet allows now. Artists couldn't just be listened to at the press of a button on Spotify. Shows like SMTV and Live and Kicking were important for singers to promote their next single, which we would have had to go and buy a physical copy of the next Monday. It's the same reason Top of the Pops was so important and lasted as long as it did, it was vital to marketing the next big pop single. Whereas now everything is at our fingertips and being injected into our eyes via endless ads on our numerous screens at home.

That need for live music on TV carried over onto Channel 4's TFI Friday, aka the show that Shaun Ryder got himself banned from Channel 4 on. Chris Evans, love him or hate him, was involved in some of the most entertaining television ever made. From the Big Breakfast every weekday morning (I still know the address off by heart), to Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, then TFI. The man knew entertainment inside out. TFI got a one-off revival series a few years ago and I'd love for more because it was great seeing music performed live on TV again.

I love YouTube, and not for its endless numbers of content creators being unfathomably enthusiastic and a little bit deceptive. Every time I hear someone say "Let's get this to fifty thousand likes, I know we can do it", I can't help but pick it apart and translate it as "I need you all to feel like we're on a team, and not notice that I'm the only member of the team that'll make any money out of it". No, I love YouTube for its use as an archive of shows that are long forgotten. The shows that aren't getting uploaded to a paid streaming service anytime soon. There are so many '90s shows that people vaguely remember, but without having been recorded on VHS at the time, probably wouldn't be seen again. As I named before, 'Harry' and 'Crime Traveller' are two forgotten shows I don't recall having been repeated on TV since, never mind being available for streaming. I don't recall seeing 'Gamesmaster' with Dominik "I'm back and I'm grumpy" Diamond repeated on any satellite or digital channels and it's not on any streaming services such as All4. But thanks to YouTube it's all there to watch. Without it, there wouldn't be all these links for shows to watch.

Another thing that was better was Saturday night entertainment shows. Whilst people enjoy Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, the pair admit they borrow more than a little from Noel's House Party. A show they guested on along with some questionable, of-their-time hairstyles. We've got Britains Got Talent now but if you want to see some real unusual skills and talents, watch 'You Bet!'. People all seem to dance and do magic on BGT, but I want to see someone really showing off, driving across a couple of balance beams in a skid steer loader, doing a wheelie the whole time. And speaking of ITV, I can't mention Saturday night TV without mentioning the all-time classic that was Scavengers Gladiators. Things would not have been the same without Jet, Lightning, Cobra, Wolf and Ulrika. And it's thanks to the 90's I can't say Ulrika without also saying Ulrika-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka. 

Where would comedy be without Vic and Bob's surreal brand of humour. Even 1998's Families at War, which wasn't the best Saturday night show, still had moments of brilliance that have never been repeated since. Seeing Bob struggle whilst being the business end of a human claw machine may well have contributed to heart problems later in life but it's still hilarious. Then I can't mention Vic, Bob and Ulrika without namechecking 'Shooting Stars'. The panel show that combined surreal humour and confused celebrities (Larry Hagman being a prime example), nothing really comes close to a show that could take the dark, straight-laced, serious writer Will Self and turn him into a sketch comedian. 

The last couple of months have been a struggle but thanks to a wealth of old telly shows to keep me occupied, in between prolonged bouts on the PlayStation, I'd say I've coped pretty well. To me, going back to 90's TV is like listening to a favourite song but instead, it's visual, fills more time, and more often than not someone gets creatively gunged for a baying crowd.