TV Heaven


TV Heaven is a series of 13 theme nights shown on Channel 4 in early 1992, celebrating the best of archive British television, which was hosted by Frank Muir. Twelve of the evenings each focused on programmes from a particular year from the 1960s or 1970s, with one evening focussing on programmes from the 1950s.

Broadcast form

Each evening featured three, four or five complete programmes, most of which were originally shown on ITV and which were repeated with their idents intact.
Several short features bookended the programmes; Opening Shots was a compilation of title sequences from the year concerned, A Choice of Viewing was a montage of clips from other programmes, and Where Were They Then? showcased a clip of a subsequently famous person early in their career. A selection of advertisements were shown; these would have been screened in the year in focus, but some did not necessarily originate from the years to which they were attributed, although most did.
The programmes and clips were linked by Frank Muir and the links between programmes produced by Illuminations Productions for Channel 4.

Programmes

The complete programmes shown were as follows:
8 February 1992 – 1967:
  • At Last the 1948 Show
  • Coronation Street - Elsie Tanner's Wedding
  • Armchair Theatre - "A Magnum for Schneider"
  • The Frost Programme - Emil Savundra
15 February 1992 – 1963:
  • This Week - Satire
  • The Lover
  • The Avengers - "Gilded Cage"
22 February 1992 – 1974:
29 February 1992 – 1965:
  • The Saint - "The Scorpion"
  • The Woody Allen Show
  • The Human Jungle - "Struggle for a Mind"
  • Tempo - "A Tale of Two Talents"
7 March 1992 – 1971:
  • Six Dates With Barker "The Odd Job"
  • Upstairs, Downstairs - "On Trial"
  • The Persuaders - "Overture"
14 March 1992 – 1978:
21 March 1992 – 1970:
  • On the Buses
  • The Tribe That Hides From Man
  • Manhunt - "Intent to Steal"
28 March 1992 – 1960:
4 April 1992 – 1969:
11 April 1992 – 1976:
  • The Fosters - "God's Business is Good Business"
  • Ready When You Are, Mr McGill
  • Bouquet of Barbed Wire - "Repercussions"
  • Aquarius - Reggae
18 April 1992 – 1950s:
25 April 1992 – 1966:
  • George and the Dragon - "George Meets the Dragon"
  • Dare I Weep, Dare I Mourn
  • Danger Man - "The Paper Chase"
2 May 1992 – 1968:
  • Please Sir!
  • The World of Whicker - "The Cats Eyes Man"
  • Do Not Adjust Your Set
  • The Prisoner - "The Girl Who Was Death"