I Miss Late Night TV

I will warn the intrepid reader (Hi) that this contains nostalgic ranting and may include rose tinted memories of the 90s. Warning over I miss late night TV.

Now, some observers may question me on this, after all, in our multi channel age there are many channels that broadcast 24hrs, and often with content the likes of which I’m nostalgic for. Indeed come the digital switchover this point will be technically moot, but this is a nostalgic rant so reality doesn’t need to apply.

It may surprise younger reader to know that as late as 1990, only ITV ran 24hrs (And skies were bluer, and chocolate tasted better and pints were bigger) now I first started being allowed to set my own bedtime at weekends around 1992/3 and at this point while on a Friday and Saturday BBC1 and Channel 4 might run programmes until as late as 2am sometimes after which on the BBC you got the national anthem and then dead air. BBC2 showed Ceefax until the morning and C4 was similar dead air. ITV however was a bizarre combination of eclectic programming.

ITV’s late night was where they aired shows that they reckoned were to grown up for a Saturday afternoon/evening, but too unpopular for anything resembling prime time. Indeed it is on ITV night time TV that Prisoner Cell Block H obtained its cult status amongst students. For me, initially it was the hope of some sex/nudity on TV (I was 12/13, these things were important and harder to come by then) but it opened the door to some great TV.

First and foremost, late night was where ITV would graveyard shows, so it was where you could see the War of the Worlds TV series, Old US shows like Magnum PI, The Equaliser and Hunter, and newer cop dramas like Hardball and Tropical Heat. Things which just have no home even in our current multi-channel world.

Similarly there was a odd selection of non-US programming, ranging from the good, like Video review show “The little picture show” to the average, like “The big E” (A cheap mans eurotrash) and the bad like “Whale On” (Find out why “Shock Jock” James whale is better on Radio) It had dross and some gems, but regardless it was better than the rolling quiz games we now get.

In the mid 90s ITV received competition as Channel 4 went late night, if memory serves it was only on Saturday nights, but it was a start. They also launched with an interesting array of programmes, most interesting was the showing of Anime series late at night. In fact Channel 4 went through bouts of brilliance in their Late night programming, it was all low budget, however this is the slot that gave us some great post pub TV (in the 90s Channel 4 were the masters) and we were treated to shows like Vids and Bits both gave a bit of an anarchic take on the film and video game review shows.

In short, yes we have much in the way of late night telly these days, but very little of it is purpose designed, and with late night gambling more profitable than low audience graveyard programming I can’t help but feel we’ve lost the choice to see some things that now don’t even get an airing.