The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour

Darkness falls across the land, the drinking hour is close at hand; to tear apart your very soul, and delve into The Glory Hole! Yes as dusk strikes on the year, The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour turns its attention to a truly seminal piece of vintage television that's sure to put the willies up anybody... Under the spooktroscope this Samhain is BBC1's legendary Ghostwatch, the 1992 pseudo-documentary fronted by Sir Michael Parkinson which exceeded its remit in terms of terrifying viewers and ultimately bequeathed a televisual legacy far greater than anyone had really intended. But cynicism is the enemy of awe as aeons pass, and there's no greater battle for emotional sincerity than the one playing in the viewing suite of MountPeg Towers this stormy evening. How big is the cupboard under the stairs in a two-bedroom semi in suburban west-London? How come that person looks like them out of that thing that you can't quite place? And how come the Beeb got around Equity stipulations by employing people who clearly weren't actors? Move the glass over PLAY and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet, with additional live accompaniments by Ozzy Bognops. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to PeggyMountPod@gmail.com

Well, the weather may be warming up but there's a chill in the air at MountPeg Towers. Producer Ken's back from the paper shop and he's brought something to put the willies right up Doctor Velvet and Blackout. Naturally, their combination of morbid curiosity, short memory span and chronic boredom means they're only too willing to oblige... Setting up stall for dark things to come once the TV schedules re-ignite, the first issue of 1984 horror comic Scream comes in for a playfully gruesome dissection. All manner of horrors await our heroes as reality melts, death is only a heartbeat away, and dreams and nightmares collide in 32 pages of panic that'll have everyone cowering under the continental quilt... Is a shovel the best implement for fighting off a horde of rabid cats? Is the front garden the best place for burying an unembalmed body?And is neat vodka suitable for sterilising plastic fangs? If you think you're brave enough, click Play and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

The boys of The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour continue their turbulent odyssey of past periodicals as voices begin to break, clothes start to matter more, and you can be entirely judged on liking an incorrect song from the hit parade. Yes, it's a return to the awkward years of enforced superficiality as 1980s teen culture comes under the beeroscope. And it rarely gets more awkward than this issue of legendary music mag, Smash Hits. Seemingly penned by a range of journalists who despise music, the Autumn 1987 advertisement-directory also features content-free articles, fictionalised interviews and lyrics for songs which never existed. For a relic of the pre-internet era, it's all remarkably meta... How many pints is Rick Astley going to neck as he tries to shake his interviewer? How many write-ups is Doctor Velvet going to take extreme exception to? And how many pounds is Blackout likely to spend on a Personal Cassette Player™? You can press Play here, or dial 0898 [REDACTED] to find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

It's Saturday morning once again, and what would the weekend even be without a trip to the paper shop, a plain paper bag full of unbranded sweets that have all been individually handled by the friendly newsagent, and a comic - nay magazine, surely? - to get stuck into before World Of Sport comes on? This week, beguiled by colourful illustrations of fearsome aliens and a cover-mounted Free Gift, the hosts of The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour have been have parted with twenty pence to partake in the first issue of the relaunched Eagle comic from 1982. Aimed at boisterously opinionated boys who love sci-fi, horror and crime-fighting intrigue (and who have a penchant for collecting tat), this feels like it was created in a secret government lab to appeal to Doctor Velvet and Blackout... Will the mysterious man who embodied Sgt Streetwise ever be found? Will the post-apocalyptic survivors of London Town ever find a leader who actually understands the tube network? And will somebody please help Mike Read? Launch your free Space Spinner™ at the Play button, and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

Yes, there's still nothing on the telly so the boys from The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour turn to the wise counsel of their local newsagent for solace, distraction and entertainment. Well, they sent Producer Ken down there. That Front Street's seen better days, mind... His successful journey apparently via the Galaxy Far, Far Away, coming under the macrobinoculars this week is May 1983's Star Wars Summer Special; subjected here to more editorial appraisal than it ever was in May 1983. With industrial genocide, trans-dimensional cults and hypnotic death-monkeys, this UK-centric spin on everyone's favourite feelgood fantasy is sure to test the very limits of the words "Star Wars", "Summer" and indeed "Special". What's happened with the timeline when Han Solo is working with the Rebels he met after the Death Star to steal a ship he already owned before the Death Star? What's happened with Imperial procurement when staff are turning up to work in a tracksuit their mam bought off the market? And who's responsible for casting Chewbacca's understudy? Jump to hyperspace (or press Play) and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

It's almost time for a new series of the Peggy Mount Calamity Hour, but Doctor Velvet and Blackout are very aware that if they keep sitting in front of that box they'll go square-eyed. With that in mind, our heroes take a break from watching the telly, and begin a handful of vintage periodical retrospectives by reading about it instead... First to plop onto the doormat is a September 1981 issue of Look-In magazine, the 'Junior TV Times' of the pre-deregulation era which created, trained and honed an entire generation of nitpicking television obsessives; the end result of which is podcasts like this one. How widely can the viewing demographic of 'pre-teen TV audience' be stretched, in an age where there are only three channels so 10yr olds watch pretty much anything they're allowed to stay up for? How narrowly does one of the hosts avoid a murderous rage, after poring over every page of a publication which apparently doesn't have time for proofreaders? And where do you have to live if you want to watch Chopper Squad? Fill out a little form, hand it to your podsagent, hit Play and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

Finally the weather starts to warm up, and as we all know in the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. The hosts of The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour are not young men, of course. They are resolutely (and perennially) middle-aged, and so their jaded thoughts are of mowing the lawn, if they must. Which, naturally, means going In The Shed. That's right dear listener, this outing is another in the ongoing series of Shed Sessions recordings, and this time the proceedings are of a decidedly musical bent. The first stop is bathing in the quirky glory of nature with Sir Derek Griffiths' Heads And Tails, and when the sun has set but the heat's still up it's round for drinks at Dame Cleo Laine's luxury pad, noting of course that she's always In Company... How many session fees is D.Griffith racking up after adhering to the M.Union rules about separate instruments requiring different lines in the budget? How many shots is J.Thaw necking every time he knows the camera isn't on him? And how many consecutive days had the presenters of this podcast been awake and drinking by this point? B.like C.Laine, get immediately down to business and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

As the evenings get lighter and that man in the park with the tracksuit bottoms becomes more animated in his dealings with passers-by, all signs point to Winter finally beginning to end. And emerging from their hidey-hole in Mountpeg Towers like the Blue Peter tortoise with a hangover, the hosts of The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour uncork bottles once again to let their profane rambling drift across the streets below... Don't get too excited, this is another entry to The Shed Sessions™, very much the lo-fi punk rock non-album-EP of the indie podcast movement; three guys grabbing the world by the TV schedules and laying down some hard facts and harder opinions of underground broadcasting in a post-truth age! So obviously they've chosen to dissect 1986 episode of the Pat Coombs voodoo adventure series, Ragdolly Anna. Just how long is a coach journey which necessitates a full tin of cakes? Just how tall is Dummy? And just how high to you have to be to enjoy this programme? Smuggle a cat onto public transport then spend the entire journey having a conversation into a wicker shopping basket to find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet with additional live accompaniment from Ozzy Bognops. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

As another year draws to an appropriately ignominious end, the three brave souls of The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour weather the cold to trek north of The Border and warm their weary cockles by the fireside of Caledonian hospitality, and perhaps enjoy a dram or two into the bargain... Yes, it's time for The New Year Party, BBC Scotland's televised Hogmanay bash from the arse-end of 1983, where the two Bs (McCue and Torrance), are joined by the two Ms (Moone and Anderson) for an evening of songs, dancing, comedy, dancing, pipes and yes why not let's have a bit more dancing. There's something for EVERYONE here! Providing everyone doesn't mind the dancing. How many laws of the space-time continuum have been broken in Glasgow to fit so many people into a studio which is clearly three adjoining store cupboards with the walls knocked through? How many officers of the Health & Safety Directive have been ignored in allowing those people to drink and smoke to their hearts' content throughout? And how many of Scotland's audiologists managed to rack up the overtime in January due to the catastrophic hearing damage caused by that Olympic-sized pipe band? Mak your muckles, deep fry your kebabs, press Play and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

'Twas the night before Christmas and through MountPeg Towers, bottles of port, red wine and brown ale had been strategically placed into a series of time-lock-release safes to ensure an even spread of gradual inebriation throughout the twenty-fifth thereby ensuring it's not all gone after two hours. Yes, the day is almost upon us and The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour's festive celebrations peak once more with the god-tier array of light entertainment name-dropping that is ITV's 1972 showcase, All Star Comedy Carnival (that's right, the one from every fifth-or-so Steps Up The Mountain). With Blair, Grayson, Tarby, Wogan, Rod Hull, Moira Anderson AND PEGGY MOUNT, everything you have ever wanted waits in here... How slowly can time pass while you're waiting for a four-minute On The Buses Christmas Sketch to end? How quickly does a programme have to oscillate between low-brow autopilot sitcom and high-precision performance art to give viewers the televisual bends? And how on earth is your favourite* vintage TV podcast going to top this? Unwrap. Press Play. Be as disappointed as every year. *go on, admit it. The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

Few things yell CHRISTMAS like that feeling of being locked in a room with a braying mob of party-game-obsessed family members who all seem to be merrily intoxicated past the point of caring, whilst you yourself are wondering how long you can politely leave it before REALLY getting stuck into the booze like a seasoned professional. And so for the second instalment of this year's Peggy Mount Calamity Hour Christmas Specials, Thames Television have kindly brought that enforced bonhomie for us all to enjoy wherever, as the podcast hosts peruse the Fresh Fields Festive Effulgence from 1985. There's tidings, there's tinsel, and there are other words beginning with T which won't go into the show description because of adverse SEO reasons... How many mince pies is too many for Christmas day, and does the joke become funny at that point? How long should a straight, domestic-sitcom be left doing its thing before safely devolving into chaotic, drunken ad-libbing for optimum, refreshing effect? And how long can Blackout keep up this Scrooge-like, grumpy demeanour when faced with some of the cosiest Christmas television ever created? Drag everyone into a circle in the living room, press Play and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

It's the most wonderful time of the year! By which we mean that time when normal, fusty TV scheduling goes out the window and all theme tunes are legally obliged to have a layer of sleigh-bells over the top. Yes, The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour gears up once again for another round of Christmas Specials, circling things in the Radio Times and going round all the supermarkets to look for the best offers on port. And so, breaking the seal on the selection box in a traditionally early manner, our hosts peruse a particularly festive episode of BBC One's Record Breakers from the heady days of 1972, with Messrs Castle, McWhirter and McWhirter poised and ready to note down any and all achievements worthy of acclaim. And also act like they haven't just been wasting your time if and when there are none. What grade of hallucinogen was Kubrick on when he came up with the idea for the McWhirter twins? What level of liability insurance is required for this intensity of hairstyling product under those studio lights? And what is the maximum sentence handed down for inadvertently killing a studio audience? Get the tree out of the garage, pour yourself a small sherry, press Play and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

Ever keen to provide wholesome cultural repasts for the dark winter nights, The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour reaches into its televisual trove of years past and pulls out a couple of absolute bangers to fill that entertainment hinterland betwixt Hallow'een and Christmas... First up is is warmest, sweetest hug one can get from a programme as Doctor Velvet and Blackout venture oop-North with some magnets to hang out with The Flumps. And to offset this excursion into unparalleled goodness, they jaunt back dah'n Sah'hf to mid 1980s London, as brash cynicism and sitcom-subversion are the order of the day with the Girls On Top. What, exactly, is causing the laws of physics to routinely misbehave around the metal objects of Flump Towers? What, precisely, is causing the four headline stars of a prime-time sitcom to routinely speak over each others' lines in Oak Park Gardens? And what, for the love of all that is holy, has Alan Rickman's hairdresser been inhaling? The answers are but one exquisitely animated - if thoroughly un-rehearsed - click away... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

They say bad things come in threes, and that's certainly true as Doctor Velvet and Blackout chalk the final circle to complete this year's trilogy of terror on the eve of Samhain. Because it's not really Hallowe'en without some Draculas, and it's not really The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour without Peggy Mount, dark gods conspired (in 1992) to combine the two in Virtual Murder: A Dream of Dracula, and it certainly takes potions of hitherto unparalleled strength to sit through this hour of supernatural mayhem... How do a pair of (admittedly amateur) horror-obsessed cultural historians manage to completely miss a televisual translation of one of cinematic and literary-culture's most enduring villainous touchstones? How does Mount always manage to get hallucinogenic head-decoration into her contract? And how does something this colon-clenchingly cheap get on the actual BBC telly when people will be watching, though? Load up on the garlic, candlesticks and holy water bottles filled with port, then press Play to find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

Unearthing horrors from the past is of course the default setting at The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour, so Hallowe'en makes that especially enjoyable. And what could be nicer on a wet, grey autumnal evening than a dram of something potent and a book by the fireside? The second of this year's supernatural specials is but a turn of the page away, as Doctor Velvet and Blackout creak open the eldritch tome of 1979's Hamlyn Book Of Horror, suppressing the hard-wired fear of more than four decades to give it another pass... How does a book which is already largely a historical study age over the decades, when compared with an evolving cultural appreciation of its original source material? Is the the compulsion to scare oneself with un-nerving media as universal and timeless as the horror-genre would suggest, or does it only feel that way to people already predisposed toward it? And can a book really give you the diarrhoea? Light the thirteenth candle, press Play and see what answers float through the aether... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

Why, it seems to come around earlier each year! Yes, as the decorations go up once again and the dark nights seep firmly in to our homes and our very souls, The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour returns for another unholy trinity of Hallowe'en themed podcast episodes to keep a chill in your spine as you shiver 'til dawn. It's back to the video shop first of all, with Rankin/Bass's 1967 animated cabal Mad Monster Party coming under the critical eye of Doctor Velvet and Blackout, casting new judgement on classic creatures... Is it really that important to spend time working on the music and the comedy when you're putting together a musical comedy? Is the climactic euthanasia of a range of x-rated villains really a fitting subject for animated entertainment which will be a draw to a young audience? And is Phyllis Diller the ultimate, unabashed, unsanitisable horror? The answers - like the drinks - are but a tap away and not for the faint of heart... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

A podcast with more confidence in sporting metaphors might use some reference to 'extra time' while talking about their bonus episode, so naturally The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour sees this series-extender as more of an improvised, last minute lock-in. Because there's nothing like having a great night, drinks flowing behind closed doors, after dark and in raucous company with plenty of laughter. And speaking of nothing like a great night, our heroic triumvirate have drawn the curtains and uncorked the port to gatecrash Liz Dawn's House Party, the 1996 straight-to-VHS version of The Stanford Prison Experiment where you can play along at home if you enjoy feeling trapped, belittled and punished. For maximum effect, is it best to insert a laugh-track to complement jokes or as a substitute for them? For a great duet, should you really book two club singers with the same range? For the love of god, when does it end? We found out, and now so can you... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

It's the end of term! Yes, as The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour parks up on the driveway to deliver the series' tenth episode, spirits are high as firmly-held convictions are batted around the studio like a game of opinionated tennis... The show opens with our heroes lifting The Trapdoor and finding something delightful they can all agree upon, before a challenge to Name That Tune becomes rather more animated as *someone* asserts that half a dozen Rights can be enough to somehow make half an hour of Wrong™. How many times can Trap Door be adapted to an 8-bit gaming format before it's any good? How many members do cruiseship-crooners Kaluki have to add to their roster before the law of averages says they'll land on a harmony? And how many times does Blackout get it Wrong™ in this? Click on, listen in and find out... [Incidentally, NOW is the time to get your answers in for our competition! You can download the official answer-sheet at PeggyMountPod dot com, and check our feeds on Twitter, Facebook and PeggyMountPod.com for details of HOW to enter and what you could WIN!] The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

It's early mornings and late nights this week on The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour, as our hosts test the theory that the greatest things arrive at either end of a day's scheduling. The first stop on today's televisual trek comes hiding in plain sight, as TVAM's premiere episode of The Transformers comes in for some arch reminiscence and critical scrutiny. And later, what better way to round off a long week than with Peggy Mount boldly waving the flag for sitcoms still to come, as we meet The Larkins? Have we voyaged far enough across the galaxy for a being shaped remarkably like a re-arranged Freightliner FL86 to finally fit in? Have we travelled far enough back in time to find A Farce™ that Doctor Velvet can stomach? And how far do we have to go before the most literal lavatorial humour ceases to be the easiest way to derail a pair of childish podcast hosts? If you're absolutely sure your electronic device is really what it purports to be, then go ahead and press Play to find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com

The heat is on as the weekend arrives for The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour at long last, and what better way to burst into the best two days than with some high-sugar cereal, high-profile casting and high-energy televisual nonsense? Our hosts find themselves huddling around the gogglebox for the grand finalé of BBC's Swap Shop, following which there's just enough time to strap on eight wheels and fire up the funk to become an absolute health-and-safety liability for the grand finalé of the CHiPs's Roller Disco evening... What does it say about children's British live TV programming that there's not a single guest in Television Centre under the age of 40, apart from the one boy that usually hangs around outside? What does it say about American policing that two people on high-powered motorcycles can't catch three people on roller skates but one person in a car can, and she wasn't even trying? And what does it say about impressionability that Doctor Velvet and Blackout are now actively considering buying Heelys? Join the party, press Play and find out... The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour is a free podcast from iPorle Media, which holds production copyright. Opinions and recollections expressed are not to be taken as fact. The title and credit music is by Doctor Velvet. Audio segments from television programmes are presented for review and informational purposes only under fair use, and no ownership of these is claimed or implied by this show. Email enquiries to peggymountpod@gmail.com