My Top 13 Christmas Movies

These are the ones I watch every year - usually while writing cards, wrapping pressies etc.

1. Love Actually 2003
2. The Holiday 2006
3. Jack Frost 1998
4. Die Hard 1988
5. Scrooged 1988
6. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol 1988
7. A Christmas Prince 2017 (#2 2018, #3 2019)
8. The Christmas Chronicles 2018 (#2 2020)
9. Home Alone 1990 (#2 1992)
10. The Knight Before Christmas 2019
11. The Princess Switch 2018 (#2 2020, #3 2021)
12. Trading Places 1983
13. Deck the Halls 2006

And these get a look-in, too:
Your Christmas or Mine? 2022 (#2 2023)
Father Christmas is Back 2021
Klaus 2019
Jingle All the Way 1996
A Castle for Christmas 2021
Operation Christmas Drop 2020
Holidate 2020
The Family Stone 2005
Surviving Christmas 2004
Noelle 2019
Last Christmas 2019
White Christmas 1954


When I researched this, I was shocked by the total ramp-up in production of Christmas(ish) movies this millenium. This selection is only a very small sample, based on the ones I've actually heard of/watched. In particular, since 2014 when Hallmark, Netflix and Lifetime etc got in on the act producing dozens of "original" movies each year. Is it just me or is that the very last thing they are???
There are many more out there and if you want a more exhaustive list, I suggest you try these excellent sites: https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-christmas-movies/
https://www.countdownuntilchristmas.com/category/christmas-movies-a-to-z/
Although you will have to spend most of your time scrolling past adverts - but hey, these good folks gotta get some ROI for the hours they've devoted to setting up the sites.

2020s

A California Christmas 2020
Operation Christmas Drop 2020
Holidate 2020
Love Hard 2021
A Castle for Christmas 2021
Father Christmas is Back 2021
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special 2022
Violent Night 2022
Falling for Christmas 2022
A Brush with Christmas 2022
Your Christmas or Mine? 2022 (#2 2023)

2010s

Arthur Christmas 2011
Get Santa 2014
The Man Who Invented Christmas 2017
Christmas in Angel Falls 2017
A Christmas Prince 2017 (#2 2018, #3 2019)
The Christmas Chronicles 2018 (#2 2020)
The Princess Switch 2018 (#2 2020, #3 2021)
Dr Seuss’ The Grinch 2018
Klaus 2019
Noelle 2019
Last Christmas 2019
The Knight Before Christmas 2019

2000s

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2000
Elf 2003
Love Actually 2003
Surviving Christmas 2004
The Family Stone 2005
Deck the Halls 2006
The Holiday 2006
Four Christmases 2008
Nativity 2009 (#2 2012)

1990s

Home Alone 1990 (#2 1992)
The Muppet Christmas Carol 1992
The Nightmare Before Christmas 1993
Miracle on 34th Street 1994
The Santa Clause 1994
Jingle All the Way 1996
Beauty & the Beast Enchanted Christmas 1997
Jack Frost 1998

1980s

The Snowman 1982
Trading Places 1983
Gremlins 1984
A Muppet Family Christmas 1987
Die Hard 1988
Scrooged 1988
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol 1988
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 1989

1970s

Scrooge 1970
Miracle on 34th Street 1973

1960s

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 1967

1950s

A Christmas Carol 1951
White Christmas 1954

1940s

Holiday Inn 1942
Meet me in St Louis 1944
It’s a Wonderful Life 1946
Miracle on 34th Street 1947

Top 13 Christmas Toys

This list is a combination of my favourites from when I was young (60s/70s), and from when my kids were young (90s).
Funny how much crossover there was.
1. Lego
2. Spirograph
3. Connect Four
4. Etch-a-sketch
5. Trivial Pursuit/Monopoly
6. Twister
7. Rubik's Cube
8. Thunderbirds Tracy Island
9. Barbie/Action Man
10. Spacehopper
11. Power Rangers
12. Matchbox cars/vehicles
13. Polly Pocket


And here's a breakdown by year for 3 decades.
1990s
1990 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, Mouse Trap, Polly Pocket
1991 – Sega Game Gear, Nintendo Gameboy, Super soaker 50
1992 – Thunderbirds Tracy Island, Weekend Barbie, WWF Action Figures
1993 – Talkboy, Action Man, Play-doh
1994 – Power Rangers Action figures, Biker Mice from Mars, Cabbage Patch Kids
1995 – Playstation, POGs, Beanie Babies
1996 – Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Action Figure, Tickle Me Elmo, Doodle Bear
1997 – Nintendo 64, Tamigotchi, Blue and Pink Model, Teletubbies
1998 – Furby, Bop It, Gameboy colour, (Teksta Robot Dog)
1999 – Pokemon (Red and Blue), Who Wants to be a Millionaire Game, Bob the Builder


1980s
1980 – Hungry Hippos board game, Lego Train set, Mr Frosty
1981 – Rubik’s Cube, He-Man, Donkey Kong
1982 – Lego 255 train set, BMX bike, Stompers Truck
1983 – Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, My Little Pony
1984 – Cabbage Patch Kids, Transformers Optimus Prime, Pound Puppies
1985 – Trivial Pursuit, Wuzzles, Pillow People
1986 – Lazer Tag, Lego Airport, My Pet Monster
1987 – Sylvanian Families, Jenga, Koosh balls
1988 – Ghostbusters Proton Park, NES Action Set, Playskool Kitchen
1989 – Batmobile, Disney Sno-Cone Castle, Talking Alf

1970s
1970 – Nerfball, Sindy, Apollo Moon Rocket
1971 – Space Hopper, Mastermind board game, Weebles
1972 – Skateboard, Uno card game, Plasticraft modelling kit
1973 – Shrinky Dinks, Evel Knievel stunt cycle, Walkie Talkie sets
1974 – Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots, Spirograph, Twister
1975 – Pet Rock, Pong, Othello board game
1976 – Magna Doodle, Pogo Stick, Stretch Armstrong
1977 – Atari 2600, Star Wars toys, including figurines of Luke, Darth and R2D
1978 – Connect Four, Dungeons & Dragons, Matchbox Powertrack, (Simon Says)
1979 – Strawberry Shortcake, Millenium Falcon, Sony Walkman

1960s and earlier
Lego/Meccano Construction Set
Action Man/G.I. Joe
Hot Wheels (matchbox cars)
Barbie/Sindy
Etch-a-Sketch

Monopoly 

My Top 13 Christmas Songs

Something a bit different - or is it?

1. "I Believe in Father Christmas" Greg Lake 1975
2. "Fairytale of New York" The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl 1987
3. "Driving Home for Christmas" Chris Rea 1988
4. "Carol of the Bells" John Williams 1990
5. "A Spaceman Came Travelling" Chris de Burgh 1975
6. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews 1999
7. "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" Michael Bublé 2003
8. "Merry Xmas Everybody" Slade 1973
9. "Last Christmas" Wham! 1984
10. "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" David Bowie and Bing Crosby 1982
11. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey 1994
12. "A Winter's Tale" David Essex 1982
13. "Stop the Cavalry" Jona Lewie 1980

And because I can never contain myself in 13 (let alone 10):
"Thank God It's Christmas" Queen 1984
"Keeping the Dream Alive" Freiheit 1988
"Wonderful Christmastime" Paul McCartney 1979
"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" Wizzard 1973
"Step Into Christmas" Elton John 1973
"When a Child Is Born" Johnny Mathis 1976
"Mistletoe and Wine" Cliff Richard 1988
"The Power of Love" Frankie Goes to Hollywood 1984
"Merry Christmas Everyone" Shakin' Stevens 1985
"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" Bruce Springsteen 1985
"Saviour's Day" Cliff Richard 1990
"Christmas Time" Bryan Adams 1985


So while I was researching, I came across this list. Interesting how often the #1 had nothing to do with Christmas, or was an out and out novelty offering.

1990s

1990	CliffRichard	Saviour's Day
1991	Queen	Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives
1992	Whitney Houston	I Will Always Love You
1993	Mr Blobby	Mr Blobby
1994	East 17	Stay Another Day
1995	Michael Jackson	Earth Song
1996	Spice Girls	2 Become 1
1997	Spice Girls	Too Much
1998	Spice Girls	Goodbye
1999	Westlife	I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun

1980s

1980	St Winifred's School Choir	There's No One Quite Like Grandma
1981	The Human League	Don’t You Want Me?
1982	Renée and Renato	Save Your Love
1983	The Flying Pickets	Only You
1984	Band Aid	Do They Know it’s Christmas?
1985	Shakin’ Stevens	Merry Christmas Everyone
1986	Jackie Wilson	Reet Petite
1987	Pet Shop Boys	Always on My Mind
1988	Cliff Richard	Mistletoe and Wine
1989	Band Aid II	Do They Know it’s Christmas?

1970s

1970	Dave Edmunds	I Hear you Knocking
1971	Benny Hill	Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West
1972	Jimmy Osmond	Long-Haired Lover from Liverpool
1973	Slade	Merry Xmas Everybody
1974	Mud	Lonely This Christmas
1975	Queen	Bohemian Rhapsody
1976	Johnny Mathis	When a Child is Born
1977	Wings	Mull of Kintyre/Girls’ School
1978	Boney M.	Mary’s Boy Child – Oh My Lord
1979	Pink Floyd	Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)

1960s

1960	Cliff Richard & the Shadows	I Love You
1961	Danny Williams	Moon River
1962	Evis Presley	Return to Sender
1963	The Beatles	I Want to Hold you Hand
1964	The Beatles	I Feel Fine
1965	The Beatles	Day Tripper/We Can Work it Out
1966	Tom Jones	Green, Green Grass of Home
1967	The Beatles	Hello, Goodbye
1968	The Scaffold	Lily the Pink
1969	Rolf Harris	Two Little Boys

1950s

1952	Al Martino	Here in My Heart
1953	Frankie Laine	Answer Me
1954	Winifred Atwell	Let’s Have Another Party
1955	Dickie Valentine	Christmas Alphabet
1956	Johnnie Ray	Just Walkin’ in the Rain
1957	Harry Belafonte	Mary’s Boy Child
1958	Conway Twitty	It’s Only Make Believe
1959	Emile Ford	What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?

 

2023 Advent Deals

Huge apologies for starting this late, but there's plenty of opportunity for you to stuff your kindle full of great reads for those cold, wintry nights. With so many books in my back catalogue, you can pick up several bargains every day in December, and this will run well into the New Year. Merry Christmas everyone.
Here's a sample of what's out there:

Dec 16:    FREE - The Day the Earth Caught Fire - Ro Green
                 FREE - Linda (CC#3) - Jacky Gray   

Dec 15: FREE - Catalyst (CoL #4) - Jacky Gray 
              FREE - Big Bad Wolf  (Hostage #3) - Ro Green 

Dec 14: FREE - Captive (CoL #3) - Jacky Gray
              FREE - Young Men Gone West - Ro Green 

Dec13: FREE - Chrysalis (CoL #2) - Jacky Gray   
             FREE - Chloe (CC#2) - Jacky Gray   

Dec 12: FREE - Stand By Me (BR #6) - Jacky Gray
              FREE - Geraint (Hengist #5) - Jacky Gray
              FREE - Don't Stop Believing - Ro Green

Dec 11: FREE - Music was my First Love (BR #5) - Jacky Gray
              FREE - Slater (Hengist #4) - Jacky Gray  
             FREE - Final Jeopardy (Jeopardy #3) - Ro Green
           
Dec 10: FREE - Edge of the Blade (BR #4) - Jacky Gray 
              FREE - Reagan (Hengist #3) - Jacky Gray  
    &9nbsp;         FREE -  Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Hostage #2) - Ro Green   

Dec 9: FREE - Leader of the Pack (BR #3) - Jacky Gray
             FREE - Rory (Hengist #2) - Jacky Gray
             FREE - More Jeopardy (Jeopardy #2) - Ro Green         
        
Dec 8: FREE - Show Must Go On (BR #2) - Jacky Gray
            FREE - Tina (CC#1) - Jacky Gray   
            FREE - Death Wishes - Ro Green

My top 13 from 1981 & 1982 (revisited)

You just couldn't write it. When I voted for my #1 hit of the 70s, 80s and 90s in the Greatest Hits poll a few weeks ago, I realised I hadn't included this song in my list from that year. Egg all over my face. 
So I've gone back and redone the 80s charts after trawling through all their suggestions for each year. it wasn't as bad as I thought - so far there were only 3 or 4 missing.
So, for the detectives among you - can you work out which song it is? There's a bit of a hint later on.

1981 – Top13

1. Journey - Don’t Stop Believing - 10-1981
2. Ultravox - Vienna - 02-1981
3. The Jacksons - Can You Feel It - 04-1981
4. Kim Carnes - Bette Davies Eyes - 05-1981
5. Rainbow - I Surrender - 02-1981
6. The Police - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - 10-1981
7. Randy Crawford - You Might Need Somebody - 07-1981
8. Elvis Costello - A Good Year For The Roses - 10-1981
9. Godley & Creme - Under Your Thumb - 10-1981
10. The Look - I Am The Beat - 01-1981
11. Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure - 11-1981
12. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight - 01-1981
13. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You - 05-1981

And the bubbling unders:
Squeeze - Labelled With Love - 11-1981
Kiki Dee - Star - 03-1981 (Ariola)
Dire Straits - Romeo And Juliet - 02-1981 (Vertigo)
Quincy Jones - Razzamatazz - 07-1981 (A&M)
Madness - It Must Be Love - 12-1981 (Stiff)
John Lennon - Imagine - 01-1981 (Apple)
Diana Ross & Lionel Richie - Endless Love - 09-1981 (Motown)
Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry - 07-1981 (Island)
Sugar Minott - Good Thing Going (We've Got A Good Thing Going) - 04-1981 (RCA)
Julio Iglesias - Begin The Beguine (Volver A Empezar) - 11-1981 (CBS)
Imagination - Body Talk - 07-1981 (R&B)
The Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand - 09-1981 (Planet)
Cliff Richard - Wired For Sound - 09-1981 (EMI)
The Human League - Don't You Want Me - 12-1981 (Virgin)

1982 – Top13

I would hazard a guess that my 80s memories are not the same as the true aficionados of that era - I really wasn't into the whole New Romantic scene at the time, however compared to the last couple of decades, their songs did have some merit, and quite a few are creeping in as the decade progresses. I dare say that if I'd done this at the time, the songs would all be there, but maybe in a different order because I wasn't making it to anything like as many discos/nightclubs back then.

1. PhD - I Won't Let You Down - 05-1982 (WEA)
2. Toni Basil - Mickey - 03-1982 (Radialchoice)
3. Foreigner - Waiting For A Girl Like You - 01-1982 (Atlantic)
4. The Stranglers - Golden Brown - 01-1982 (Liberty)
5. Irene Cara - Fame - 07-1982 (RSO)
6. Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry - 10-1982 (Full Moon)
7. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen - 07-1982 (Mercury)
8. Dire Straits - Private Investigations - 09-1982 (Vertigo)
9. Marvin Gaye - (Sexual) Healing - 11-1982 (CBS)
10. Fat Larry's Band - Zoom - 10-1982 (Virgin)
11. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Maneater - 11-1982 (RCA)
12. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'n' Roll - 05-1982 (Epic)
13. XTC - Senses Working Overtime - 02-1982 (Virgin)

The J. Geils Band - Centrefold - 02-1982 (EMI America)
Madness - Our House - 12-1982 (Stiff)
David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy - 12-1982 (RCA)
Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love - 12-1982 (Virgin)
Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger - 08-1982 (Scotti Brothers)
Clannad - Theme From Harry's Game - 11-1982 (RCA)
Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf - 06-1982 (EMI)
Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Annie I'm Not Your Daddy - 10-1982 (Ze)
Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home - 01-1982 (Polydor)
Shakatak - Easier Said Than Done - 02-1982 (Polydor)
Charlene - I've Never Been To Me - 06-1982 (Motown)
Kids From 'Fame' - Starmaker - 10-1982 (RCA)
The Jam - Town Called Malice/Precious - 02-1982 (Polydor)
Kool & The Gang - Get Down On It - 01-1982 (De-Lite)
Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony And Ivory - 04-1982 (Parlophone)
Tears For Fears - Mad World - 10-1982 (Mercury)
Bucks Fizz - My Camera Never Lies - 04-1982 (RCA)
Chas & Dave - Ain't No Pleasing You - 04-1982 (Rockney)

And finally, the song I missed was in the earlier version of these 80s posts which you can find here: https://hengistpeoplehorse.blogspot.com/2022/10/

Back to the 80s

Again, Nanowrimo is eating up every spare second of my days, so here's a cheeky recap of the 80s which I first put up here last October.

Here's the first one in a new decade when disco and funk are replaced with rock and punk:
1. Styx - Babe - 01-1980
2. Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away - 09-1980
3. Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach - 04-1980
4. Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me - 09-1980
5. Billy Joel - It's Still Rock And Roll To Me - 09-1980
6. David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes - 08-1980
7. Billy Preston & Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again - 01-1980
8. The Pretenders - Talk Of The Town - 04-1980
9. Queen - Another One Bites The Dust - 09-1980
10. Rainbow - All Night Long - 03-1980
11. Cliff Richard - Carrie - 02-1980
12. Dennis Waterman - I Could Be So Good For You - 11-1980
13. Marti Webb - Take That Look Off Your Face - 03-1980

And a few which deserve an honorary mention:
Sheena Easton - 9 to 5 (Morning Train) - 08-1980
Michael Jackson - She's Out Of My Life - 05-1980
Judas Priest - Breaking The Law - 06-1980
Liquid Gold - Dance Yourself Dizzy - 03-1980
Don McLean - Crying - 06-1980
New Muzik - Living By Numbers - 02-1980
Olivia Newton-John/The Electric Light Orchestra - Xanadu - 07-1980
The Nolans - I'm In The Mood For Dancing - 01-1980
Odyssey - Use It Up And Wear It Out - 07-1980
Saxon - 747 (Strangers In The Night) - 07-1980
Barbra Streisand - Woman In Love - 10-1980
Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry - 12-1980
John & Yoko & The Plastic Ono Band - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - 12-1980

My 1980s

I’ve always maintained the 80s was one of the busiest decades of my life, chock-a-bloc full of major events every two years. These are some highlights:

1980 - Finally left the family home to live in a tiny bedsit in Cov. Independence: Yay! Lack of creature comforts: Boo!
One of my strongest memories of my first foray into adulthood was how much all the "sundries" cost. Washing up liquid, loo roll and bin liners - who knew these things didn't grow on trees? But the biggest shock was having to buy a broom and dustpan and brush.

1982 – Graduated from what is now Coventry University with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering – the first local female to do so. Although it was a hardware degree, my first job writing telecoms software showed me how much more I preferred this, and I spent a total of 23 years working for GEC Telecoms, which eventually became Marconi.

1984 – Having returned to my childhood town, Warwick, the terraced house I bought last year for £21K, went up for sale. It sold quickly for 22K, but the real kicker was six months later, the identical house next door sold for 65k. Bummer!

1986 – A magical year when my man and I travelled to Crete in May where he proposed. Four months later, we got married and honeymooned in Corfu. Something about a Greek island …

1988 – I’ll never forget 23/7/88, sending my hubby in to work the Saturday morning overtime at 8am, then spending most of the morning howling like a dog as the contractions grew stronger. By 11am, I’d had enough and called him back. We got to the hospital with minutes to spare as I was 10cm dilated, and our firstborn, Chris, popped out half an hour later at 12:30 on his due date. Utterly charmed, and he definitely lived up to the adage “Saturday’s child works hard for a living.”

1989 – In theory, the “every 2 years” thing should have meant 1990, but Joanna didn’t quite go the distance, popping out a month early on November 30th. As I remember, she took her time, waiting to make her grand appearance while Mike Baldwin did the dirty on Deidre Barlow. Being born on a Thursday (and being a Sagi) gave a bit of a clue to her wanderlust. She spent several years in France (where she met and married a marvellous Ukrainian, Artem) and has moved four times since returning to the UK.

These are some of my iconic memories of the 80s - what are yours? I'd love to hear what this era of big shoulderpads, even bigger hair and legwarmers meant to you.

A sneaky peek at Kev's sneaky peek

NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is taking up all my time this month as I try to do 2000 words a day - average so far is 1948.
So as a bit of a cheat, here's an extract from Time After Time to give a flavour of Kev's continuing sleuthing efforts - only this time it's a tad more personal.
Enjoy!


Star-date: 6/6/88
Mission: Secondary recon
Objective: Verify
Thanks to the sheer brilliance of an inspiration which had Kev checking the calendar in the nursery before rolling the dice for his second sojourn, he had complete confidence in several hours of uninterrupted sleuthing. Nevertheless, inbuilt caution had him checking the front drive to confirm the lack of vehicles and pausing on the landing, listening for any signs of other people in the house. After a few minutes he reckoned the calendar entry was valid and his folks were indeed at the hospital as it indicated. It all stacked up with what he remembered of his ma – she definitely had health problems, so severe no one ever mentioned it. Possibly as a result of her misuse of drugs in her teens. As he retrieved the hook and pulled down the attic hatch, he speculated about the likelihood that his anger issues might have been triggered or even caused by this. From what Georgie said, Isaac’s stunned growth was the direct result of his parent’s drug-misuse.
His first thought on entering was how dark his folks’ attic was – and much smaller than he remembered. But then he only had Isaac’s enormous space to compare it to. Memories flooded back of many years providing the muscle for his ma, usually in retrieving the Christmas tree and decorations on November 30th and returning them on January 6th. A single, low-wattage lightbulb made a half-hearted job of piercing the blackness, so he used his phone torch to read the labelled boxes.
As the low battery warning beeped, he cursed, trying to remember which direction hid the most-likely stack of personal memorabilia. Despite Ma’s infrequent attempts to bring some sense of order to the space, too many things barely made it more than a step from the top of the ladder before being dumped. He’d probably been the worst offender when he lived there, and now he understood the implications of his laziness as he stumbled over things cluttering his path. No doubt a result of his da’s similar failure to do the job properly.

Right now, two decades prior to his excursions into the attic, he saw no evidence of areas reserved for suitcases and camping gear, obsolete furnishings or outgrown toys and games. Even the Christmas stuff was scattered around – the boxes instantly recognisable due to the square of his ma’s favourite wrapping paper taped to the outside. The purple and silver baubles on a pink background had always seemed incongruous – not a holly leaf in sight, let alone the traditional red, gold and green.
But Ma had never been one to conform – probably where he got it from. Although she did have the same logical reasoning. The thought did the trick, leading him to the furthest corner from the ladder – the most obvious place for her to store something she didn’t reckon on accessing often.
With time – or at least his ability to search – running out, he wasted no effort on the boxes labelled school and uni stuff. His instincts said they probably did what it said on the can. Then his torch picked out exactly what he expected: the equivalent of his memorabilia box, larger than a shoebox and covered in girly wrapping paper. The lid sported a picture of some obscure 70s band he didn’t recognise, lovingly covered in once clear plastic, now slightly opaque after so many years.
He paused before opening the lid; this was a massive invasion of his ma’s privacy. A female voice – not quite Georgie’s or Jen’s, but somewhere in between – asked how he would feel if someone rifled through his private stuff. His knee-jerk reaction was that he had nothing to hide; his life was an open book. Another, much more honest, voice, reminded him it hadn’t always been that way. Maybe back then, when he had things he wasn’t proud of, he’d have minded. But he certainly wasn’t daft enough to keep barely-concealed evidence. And neither was his ma.

This thought spurred him to lift the lid and, as he might have expected from her superior organisational skills, the thing was full to bursting with neatly-packed bundles. Switching off the battery-hungry torch on his phone, he took the box over to the lightbulb.
Using memory tricks, he memorised the position of the inevitable stash of mix tapes, bundle of heart-strewn valentine’s cards tied with a red ribbon, and a small pile of letters. How many of these bore German stamps on the thin, pale-blue paper? The return address, in strong, neat handwriting he recognised as male, belonged to a lad who signed himself Helmut with a Munich address. He never knew she had a German pen pal. Why would he? Underneath these were a couple of diaries from 1973, and 76, and an A5 scrapbook, the front of which had a crazy montage of pictures of two girls, one skinny scarecrow with a cheeky grin, the other a dark haired beauty in a leotard.
The sound of the front door slamming made him jump, and he nearly lost his grip on the box. Wtf?
“Only me.” The distinctive voice of his grandma Edie had him choking back a gasp. She mustn’t find him here. Peering out of the opening, he couldn’t see enough of the staircase to pin-point her exact whereabouts, but he knew enough to figure she’d not come empty-handed, and her first destination would be the kitchen. Sure enough, the noises coming from that direction suggested cupboards being opened and goodies being stashed. When she finished that, she had only to glance up the stairs to see the loft-hatch open and the ladder hanging down. That would be game over; she’d know someone else was in the house.
He had two choices: try to return the box and scramble down the ladder before she came out of the kitchen, or pull up the ladder and wait it out till she’d gone. Either way would result in the risk of her hearing the dreadful graunching sound the loft ladder made when it was stowed. And the second option would result in the hook hanging down in plain sight. Unless he ran down and got it before hauling the ladder up. He knew the racket increased the further it was from its regular lubrication – could he take a chance on it being recently oiled? His memory refused to supply the information about how loud it had been when he pulled it down.

A startling din from the kitchen had him revising his options. Edie had obviously decided she was on her own and had put the radio on full blast, singing away to a tune he recognised: Come on Eileen. With a scoff, he remembered it as one she’d always dance to at weddings or any other family get-together.
The gulp past the blockage in his throat reminded him it was the song they played as the curtains enclosed the casket at her funeral. A total rebel, she’d have been around 50-something in 1988, but the energy emanating from the closed kitchen door, said there was plenty of life in the old girl. Hopefully, she’d have made herself a cup of tea – or something – so he’d have a short stay of execution.
A sniff had his mouth watering at the unmistakable aroma of frying onions. Do what? It could only mean one thing – she’d come round to prepare something yummy for his parents’ dinner. A host of memories flooded his mind: his gran’s home-made cottage pie, spag bol and chilli con carne. Staples of his childhood, along with succulent steak and ale pies. In fact, any sort of pie – her melt-in-your-mouth pastry was to die for. Ditto the thick, dark gravy enriched with her own secret recipe of onion and herbs. And yet none of them ever got fat on her generous portion sizes, mainly because nothing artificial had been used in the making of their food. Each dish had fresh ingredients, cooked from scratch. Bygone days indeed.
He padded down the ladder, box in hand, putting it on the landing windowsill where it wouldn’t be obvious to a casual glance from downstairs. Gingerly, he folded the ladder up a couple of rungs, listening for the tell-tale graunch of metal against metal. As he’d hoped, it had been recently oiled, giving him better options. He stowed the ladder and detached the hook, returning it to the restraining clips next to the bathroom door.
Creeping down, he paused as the song finished, to be replaced by the equally raucous Girls Just Want to Have Fun. The kitchen door was open a crack, and he peered through to see his gran topping up a glass with red wine before adding a generous slosh to the pan sizzling on the hob. The not-so-secret ingredient of all her delicious dishes. With a grin, he retraced his steps.
After Georgie had nagged about making as few ripples as possible, he decided the best course of action was to return everything to the state in which he found it. But with Edie suitably engaged in her culinary arts, he reckoned he’d have more than a couple of moments to peek inside the diaries and scrapbook. What he found had him desperate to take at least one of them back to his present day to study further, but he had no idea if that was even possible, and preferred not to take a chance on it not working.

If you want to read more, checkout Time After Time, the fourth Time Doctors story.

The Importance of being Honest

Subtitle – How to help your Indie Author.

Apologies if this post is a tad self-indulgent, but an incident today brought it home to me about how the livelihood of an indie author can be totally de-railed by the cruel vituperation of one or two harsh critics. Even more so when their comments are inaccurate and pay no attention to the blurb description. But enough about me.

If you’re an avid reader, the best possible help you can be for your favourite author (indie or otherwise) is do as many of these steps as possible for each new release:
1. Buy the book. This is particularly important if you do leave a review as it gives it the kudos of a “Verified Purchase.”

2. Read the book. Obvious, right? But with so many pulls on your time, it’s easy to forget.

3. Leave a rating – between 1 and 5. Even if you bug out halfway through and only give it 3 out of 5, it’s better than nothing.

4. Post a review telling potential readers your opinion. If you find this a tad tricky, see below.

5. Spread the word on social media – tell all your friends why they should be buying a copy of the book.
This last one is often overlooked by many - nothing helps more than the oxygen of publicity.

How to write an awesome review.

If I had a pound for every time someone told me they were rubbish at writing reviews ...
I get it, really I do - if you're not naturally confident with words it can be daunting.
So here's some questions to help you focus your thoughts and give a really good flavour of the book.
1. Who were your favourite characters in the book and why? If applicable, who did you hate and why?

2. What most attracted you about the author’s style (and why)? e.g. pace, characterisation, dialogue, plot, wit/humour, originality, descriptions, narrative style, quirks.

3. Did the story fit with the genre – which Films/TV shows was it most like, or what other authors is it similar to? e.g like Stranger Things meets Big Bang Theory or Stephen King meets Jason Ayres.

4. What (if anything) surprised you/what did you learn?

5. Any other general comment about how it fitted with rest of series/could be read as stand-alone, how it related to your personal experiences etc.

Release of Time After Time

Finally, after months of immersing myself in the whole Dungeons and Dragons world, I get to create a scenario with actual dragons – via Georgie, of course. This is the fourth in the Time Doctors series, and I can’t tell you how many hundreds of pages of rules and all the associated paraphernalia I’ve trawled through since getting the idea last June.
This was less than a week after releasing the third book in the Calamity Chicks series. I still hope to write the 4th book, Helen’s Hazard, but not for a while. Watch this space!

The best bit for me was binge-watching Stranger Things and Big Bang Theory (especially the episodes featuring D&D). And I even found a couple of episodes in iZombie where the nerds played – Genius. Hope my quirky spin on dragons will not piss too many people off, but those who know me understand how everything in Jacky-world is very slightly skewed. Never one to churn handles, me.

This will give you a hint of Georgie's unconventional upbringing:
Dragons plagued Georgie her whole life. The clue’s in the name.
She’s no saint, so when it’s her turn to be dungeon master, she takes her revenge with a good old-fashioned Dragon-slaying adventure. Well, they do say stick with what you know, huh? But her scenario has startling effects on more than one player in their party.
Secrets plagued Kev’s childhood. The kind his parents still don’t talk about for fear of the consequences. After his jaunts to the past unlock long-suppressed dark memories, he has to return to 1988 to solve the mystery surrounding his conception. A little digging leads to some seriously shocking possibilities. Is he strong enough to face the disturbing truth?

You can pick up your copy of Time After Time by clicking the link - a steal at £2.99/$3.49 or read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Continue the fun adventures of a bunch of 30-something geeks as they explore their familys’ pasts with the aid of a temperamental time capsule in the attic. Although it can be read as a standalone, reading the other three first will give insight into the complicated relationships between them.

1969 Top Thirteen

1. The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother- 10-69
2. The Righteous Brothers- You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - 03-69
3. Martha & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street - 02-69
4. Noel Harrison - Windmills Of Your Mind- 04-69
5. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears - 06-69
6. Blue Mink - Melting Pot - 12-69
7. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - 03-69
8. Simon & Garfunkel - The Boxer - 05-69
9. Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air - 06-69
10. Jethro Tull - Living In The Past - 06-69
11. The Who - Pinball Wizard- 04-69
12. David Bowie - Space Oddity- 10-69
13. The Archies - Sugar Sugar - 10-69


And here are the ones which didn't make the cut.
Amen Corner - (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice - 02-69
The Beach Boys - I Can Hear Music - 04-69
The Beatles - Something / Come Together - 11-69
Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus - 09-69
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman - 03-69
Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue - 09-69
Jimmy Cliff - Wonderful World Beautiful People - 11-69
Joe Cocker - Delta Lady - 11-69
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary - 07-69
Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites - 04-69
Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay - 10-69
The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day - 06-69
The Fifth Dimension - Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (Medley) - 05-69
Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well - 10-59
Rolf Harris - Two Little Boys - 12-69
The Isley Brothers - Behind A Painted Smile - 05-69
The Love Affair - Bringing On Back The Good Times - 08-69
Lulu - Boom Bang-A-Bang - 04-69
Dean Martin - Gentle On My Mind - 03-69
The Move - Blackberry Way - 01-69
Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town - 11-69
The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women - 07-69
Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - 02-69
Peter Sarstedt - Where Do You Go To My Lovely - 02-69
Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher - 06-69
Stevie Wonder - Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday - 11-69
Zager & Evans - In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) - 08-69
Roger Whittaker - Durham Town (The Leavin') - 12-69

Top Time-Travellers Trip

Why is my post a day late this week? This should give you a clue.

My mate Caroline and I had been planning the day for ages, it involved her driving to my place for a scrummy meal, then we'd get a train to New Street, and a tram to Edgbaston which should have been a short walk away from the Midland Arts Centre. It seems the universe had other plans involving a couple of dodgy tyres, a babysitting malfunction, my abhorrance of driving around Birmingham and - well, I don't have to explain about how easy it is to misread a map, do I?
Anyway, I turned up late and missed nearly all of the introductions, but I got there in time for some fun stuff - each author had spoken of various favourite things, and they put the vote to the audience about which was our favourite biscuit. The four choices were: Custard Creams, Chocolate digestive, Garibaldi and Jammie Dodgers - which way would you vote? Can you match the biscuit to the author? At the end of this post, there's a little more about each of these awesome guys to help you make your decision.

But after that ignominious start, the whole thing turned into simply the best author event I've ever been to (and I've been to quite a few), with four genuinely nice guys sharing a bunch of good stuff about their writing journeys. They gave stacks of rock-solid advice to the many aspiring writers in the audience, and there were absolutely no dull bits where you just wanted people to get on with it. I was thrilled to speak to all four during the break and confess to fan-girling when I got a couple of hugs. Just wish I could have stayed for the after-show party, but the last train wasn't gonna wait.
Here's a little bit about each of them.

Keith A Pearson

A self-professed writer of vaguely believable novels with his mix of humour, intrigue, and general weirdness. His most popular character is the politically-incorrect Clement - a double-denim wearing gangland fixer who claims he died in 1975, and now spends his days seeking redemption whilst struggling to cope with twenty-first-century life. But for me, The Strange Appeal of Dougie Neil is one I'll be reading at least once a year from now on. Check out his website - www.keithapearson.co.uk


Adam Eccles

A cynical tech-nerd hermit, Adam's lived in the west of Ireland for the last twenty five years. With long career in technology, he's an avid time-travel fan as well as having a life-long love of comedy, and you can find elements of all these things in his stories.
All of his novels are winners, especially the fabulous game-based System Restored, but the most recent release, Frequency Shift, involving Bletchley Park, is definitely in my top ten books of all time. Check out his website - www.adamecclesbooks.com


Adrian Cousins

Having served his time in retail management (Sainburys proper lost out when he retired), Adrian is now the author of believable, witty time travel novels - with dollops of humour, a smattering of romance, and liberally sprinkled with mystery. The popular Jason Apsley series is currently awaiting the fifth release, but my favourite is definitely the fabulous force of nature that is Deanna - in a fun-packed trilogy featuring a ghostly duo righting wrongs. Check out his website - www.adriancousins.co.uk


Jason Ayres

He left a career in market research to be a journalist, and has subsequently written a stack of humorous novels with science fiction elements, including time travel and alternate realities. The thirteen books in the popular Time Bubble series include travelling both forwards and backwards, exploring changes in the timeline via the multiverse, and offering people second chances in life. My personal favourite was Rock Bottom - it was good to finally read the circumstances leading to Kay's predicament, and who doesn't love a redemption story or a strong female character? This one had both. A podcaster and ex-DJ, his love of food led to a stint as Britain's official sausage taster a decade ago. Check out his website - www.jasonayres.co.uk


And now, a shameless plug (as my mate JA Andrews would say) for my own TT series. Because I can never stick to one genre (blame being borderline on the spectrum!) I've mashed it up with Big Bang Theory, Dungeons & Dragons and a hint of Stranger Things. Anyway, from now till the end of October when book 4 comes out, the first three are all offered at discounts - more in the next post. The first book, Time and Time Again, is only on offer for a couple of days before returning to full price.

1968 Top Thirteen

1. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Legend Of Xanadu - 03-68
2. Fleetwood Mac - Albatross - 12-68
3. Richard Harris - MacArthur Park - 07-68
4. Barry Ryan - Eloise - 11-68
5. Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer - 08-68
6. Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends - 11-68
7. Tom Jones - Delilah - 03-68
8. Mama Cass - Dream A Little Dream Of Me - 09-68
9. The Small Faces - Lazy Sunday - 05-68
10. Scott Walker - Joanna - 05-68
11. Andy Williams - Can't Take My Eyes Off You - 04-68
12. Mason Williams - Classical Gas - 09-68
13. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - Young Girl - 05-68


And the ones which didn't quite make the cut:
Dionne Warwick - Do You Know The Way To San José - 06-68
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower - 11-68
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup -12-68
O.C. Smith - Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp - 06-68
Dusty Springfield - I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten - 07-68
Status Quo - Pictures Of Matchstick Men - 02-68
The Move - Fire Brigade - 02-68
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson - 07-68
Esther & Abi Ofarim - Cinderella Rockafella - 02-68
Bobby Goldsboro - Honey - 05-68
Scaffold - Lily The Pink - 11-68
The Tremeloes - Suddenly You Love Me - 02-68
The Kinks - Days - 08-68
The Four Tops - If I Were A Carpenter - 03-68
John Fred & His Playboy Band - Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) - 01-68
Herman's Hermits - Sunshine Girl - 08-68
The Hollies - Jennifer Eccles - 04-68
The Honeybus - I Can't Let Maggie Go - 04-68
Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days - 09-68
Jacky - White Horses - 05-68
Manfred Mann - My Name Is Jack - 07-68

1960s Prices

One pound in 1960 was quite a bit of money. The average manual worker made £14 in a week. 30 shillings (£1.50) would feed the average person for a week. In today's money one pound in 1960 is about £29.
People were a lot poorer in the 1960s. The average weekly pay packet was less than £10 per week. Allowing for inflation that is £150 in today's money. Today average weekly earnings are more than £600.

Houses were a lot cheaper in the 1960s than today. In the first quarter of 1960, an average house cost £2,189 (£33,000 in today’s money).
In the last quarter of 1969, an average house cost £24,312 (£47,500 in today’s money). House prices rose faster than inflation in the 1960s. They were still much more affordable than today. Lenders were more cautious. Banks and building societies lent smaller multiples of income and would only consider a husband's income, not his wife's. The average UK house price was £288,000 in June 2023

The Daily Mirror was Britain's most popular paper in the 1960s. The Daily Express came second and the Daily Telegraph third.
The UK Government's Prices and Incomes Board controlled the prices of newspapers in the 1960s.
Newspaper circulation has halved since the 1960s. Newspapers have to compete with online sources of news.

• Daily Mirror - 1960 (2½d) 1969 (5d) 2019 (75p) 2023 (£1.40)
• Daily Express - 1960 (2½d) 1969 (5d) 2019 (90p) 2023 (£1.30)
• Daily Telegraph - 1960 (2½d) 1969 (5d) 2019 (£2) 2023 (£3.20)

Typical groceries people bought in the 1960s were:

Item	Cost 1965	In today's money	Typical price today
Bread (large loaf)	1s 2½d	£1	59p to £1.10
Butter (1lb)	1s 3d to 2s 10d	80p to £1.81	£3.45 (500g)
Margarine (1lb)	1s 3d to 2s 10d	80p to £1.81	£1.80 (500g Flora Spreadable)
Back bacon (pre-packed, smoked per lb)	4s 10d to 7s 10d	£3.09 to £5	£2.39 to £4.50 (500g)
Eggs - 1 dozen	3s 8d to 4s 6d	£1.22 to £2.87	£1.80 to £3.00
Evaporated milk	1s to 1s 4d	63p to 85p	70p to £1.20
Baked beans (16oz tin)	9d to 1s 3d	48p to 80p	75p
Corned beef (12 oz tin)	1s 11d to 4s 1d	69p to £1.12	£2.60 (340g)
Cornflakes (12 oz)	1s 4d to 1s 10d	85p to £1.17	£1.30 (375g Sainsbury's SO)
Sugar (2lb)	1s 3d to 1s 9d	80p to £1.12	75p (1kg Sainsbury's)
Tea (loose leaf PG Tips ¼lb	1s 4½d to 1s 9d	85p to £1.23	£2 for 250g (approx ½1b

1967 Top Thirteen

Although I was only seven, music was very firmly a part of my life, and I have really strong memories of so many songs, particularly the almost-novelty ones like Excerpt From A Teenage Opera, Happy Jack, Ha Ha Said The Clown and especially Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear. But there were several more conventional hits which still stand up today.

1. The Move - Flowers In The Rain - 09-67
2. The Monkees - I'm A Believer - 01-67
3. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale - 06-67
4. Aretha Franklin - Respect - 07-67
5. The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park - 09-67
6. Traffic - Hole In My Shoe - 09-67
7. The Supremes - The Happening - 06-67
8. The Four Tops - Walk Away Renee - 12-67
9. Nancy & Frank Sinatra - Somethin' Stupid - 04-67
10. Cliff Richard - The Day I Met Marie - 09-67
11. Petula Clark - Don't Sleep In The Subway - 07-67
12. Sandie Shaw - Puppet On A String - 04-67
13. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Zabadak - 10-67

And so, so many which nearly made the cut.
Keith West - Excerpt From A Teenage Opera - 09-67
The Who - Happy Jack - 01-67
Manfred Mann - Ha Ha Said The Clown - 04-67
The Alan Price Set - Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear - 03-67
Jeff Beck - Hi-Ho Silver Lining - 05-67
The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset - 05-67
The Bee Gees - Massachusetts - 10-67
The Beatles - Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever - 02-67
The Flowerpot Men - Let's Go To San Francisco - 09-67
Engelbert Humperdinck - Release Me - 02-67
Paul Jones - I've Been A Bad Bad Boy - 02-67
The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love - 05-67
Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) - 07-67
The Tremeloes - Even The Bad Times Are Good - 08-67
Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her - 08-67
The Young Rascals - Groovin' - 06-67
The Troggs - Love Is All Around - 11-67
The Spencer Davis Group - I'm A Man - 02-67
Cat Stevens - Matthew And Son - 01-67
The Tremeloes - Silence Is Golden - 05-67
The Monkees - Daydream Believer - 12-67
The Seekers - Georgy Girl - 03-67
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze - 04-67
Bobby Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe - 10-67
The Turtles - Happy Together - 04-67
The Four Tops - Bernadette - 04-67
The Johnny Mann Singers - Up Up And Away - 08-67
The Foundations - Baby, Now That I Found You - 10-67
Engelbert Humperdinck - The Last Waltz - 09-67

1960s Hair and Makeup

Women's Hair

Men's Hair

1960s Makeup

The early 60s saw the exaggerated cat eye and full red lip continue. Eyebrows were shaped into subtle peak instead of a high curve. Pink blush was subtle and almost non-existent.
• Powder – Flesh tone.
• Blush – Soft rose pink.
• Eye Shadow – White-pink, purple, light blue, aqua.
• Eye Liner – Dark brown or black, top and bottom lined and extended outwards.
• Lipstick – Deep pink, orange-red.
• Eyebrows – Shaped into a soft peak.

The babydoll look was “in” in the mid 60s. Pale white skin, white lips, bold black eyeliner and heavy eyeshadow made it distinct and dramatic. It was a stark contrast to the girly look of clothing until the mid ’60s, when a layer of childishness was added. Eyes were exaggerated with extra long lashes, shimmer eyeshadow, arched brows, light spot blush, and lips turned to a baby pink pout. Looking back, the combination was a scene from a child-meets-ax-murderer horror movie.
• Powder – Pale, almost white.
• Blush – Warm brown/bronze sculpted the cheeks under the cheekbone.
• Eye Shadow – Frosty-pink, green, blue.
• Eye Liner – Dark brown or black.
• Lipstick – Peach, shimmer pink outlined in a darker lip liner. Slightly overdrawn in the top corners.
• Eye lashes – Add fake eyelashes to top and bottom.
• Eyebrows – Natural and feathered.

For deep skin tones, the pasty white look wouldn’t work, but the other shaping and drawing techniques would still apply. The goal was to create a face that glowed, with dramatic eyes and full lips.
• Powder – Matching skin tone. Foundation: matte.
• Blush – Warm brown/bronze sculpted the cheeks under the cheekbone. Lighter bronze on the cheek apple, nose and chin.
• Eye Shadow – Dark pink, green, blue.
• Eye Liner – Black.
• Lipstick – Deep pink, peach, shimmer pink, red-pink, nude.
• Eye lashes – Add fake eyelashes to top and bottom.
• Eyebrows – Arched in the early years. Peaked in the later years.

The late 60s hippie makeup was the opposite of the Mods (although 1966-1968 hippies wore the mod look.) All natural was the way to go, although many women couldn’t quite adjust to wearing nothing. Instead, they opted for light brown mascara and a clear gloss lip. Face powder was used sparingly as well as a blusher.
• Powder – None or matching skin tone
• Blush – Light pink-brown blush on apples
• Eye Shadow – Skintone colors
• Eye Liner – Top lash brown
• Lipstick – Clear lip gloss or a touch of light pink
• Eye lashes – Light mascara
• Eyebrows – Arched naturally

1966 Top Thirteen

1. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations - 11-66
2. The Bachelors - The Sound Of Silence - 04-66
3. The Mindbenders - A Groovy Kind Of Love - 02-66
4. The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - 03-66
5. Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High - 06-66
6. The Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There - 10-66
7. Manfred Mann - Pretty Flamingo - 04-66
8. Herman's Hermits - No Milk Today - 10-66
9. The Hollies - Stop Stop Stop - 10-66
10. Tom Jones - Green Green Grass Of Home - 11-66
11. The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon - 06-66
12. The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City - 08-66
13. The Easy Beats - Friday On My Mind - 12-66

And bubbling under:
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Bend It - 10-66
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - 02-66
Cher - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - 04-66
The Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love - 09-66
Cilla Black - Alfie - 04-66
Frank Sinatra - Strangers In The Night - 05-66
The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black - 05-66
Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - 04-66
Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman - 06-66
The Beatles - Paperback Writer - 06-66
Petula Clark - I Couldn't Live Without Your Love - 07-66
The Hollies - Bus Stop - 07-66
Paul Jones - High Time - 11-66
The Kinks - Dedicated Follower Of Fashion - 03-66
LosBravos - Black Is Black - 07-66
The Mamas & The Papas - Monday Monday - 05-66
Manfred Mann - Semi-Detached Suburban Mr.James - 11-66
Chris Montez - The More I See You - 07-66
The New Vaudeville Band - Winchester Cathedral - 10-66
Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - 12-66
The Sandpipers - Guantanamera - 10-66
The Seekers - Morningtown Ride-12-66
Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound - 05-66
The Spencer Davis Group - Keep On Runnin' - 01-66
The Troggs - Wild Thing - 05-66
The Who - Substitute - 04-66

1960s TV shows

At the start of the 60's several TV shows were well established, including the following:

Opportunity Knocks – talent show where public votes decide winners
Dixon of Dock Green – the human side of British policing
What’s My Line? – quiz show about occupations
This is Your life – biographical documentary
Panorama – current affairs programme
Emergency Ward 10 – hospital-based soap
Come Dancing – dancing competition before Strictly

Every year saw new shows - these are some of the ones I enjoyed:
1960
Coronation Street – world’s longest running soap

1961
The Avengers – glamorous espionage series, full of sass and British humour
Songs of Praise – Christian hymns sung in various churches
The Rag Trade – sit-com

1962
Z-Cars – gritty (in its day) police procedural drama
The Saint – mystery spy thriller
Steptoe and Son – sit-com based in scrap-yard


1963

Doctor Who – seminal science fiction drama
World in Action – current affairs documentary series

1964
Top of the Pops – chart-based music show
Horizon – topical scientific issues
The Likely Lads – sitcom set in Liverpool
Crossroads – soap set in a Midlands motel
Not Only … But Also – comedy sketch show

1965
Thunderbirds – iconic sci-fi puppet show
Till Death Us Do Part – sitcom set in East End
Tomorrow’s World – contemporary developments in science & technology

1966
Cathy Come Home – documentary about homelessness
Softly, Softly – police procedural – spin-off from Z-cars
Mission Impossible – spy drama

1967
The Forsyte Saga – tribulations of an upper-class Victorian family
Not in Front of the Children – sit-com
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width – sit-com

1968
Dad’s Army – comic series about the home guard in 1940s
Gardener’s World – all things horticultural
Please Sir – sit-com set in a school

Morecambe and Wise Show – variety show
Father Dear Father – sitcom

1969
Monty Python’s Flying Circus – surreal comedy sketch show
Benny Hill Show – comedy sketch show
Up Pompeii – comedy set in Rome
The Liver Birds – sit-come set in Liverpool
On the Buses – sit-com
Doctor in the House – sit-com
Randall and Hopkirk Deceased – private detective series