It'll Be Alright on Christmas Night (ITV, 25th December 1987)

The seventh outing for the venerable blooper formula (although only the fifth to be comprised of all-new clips - there had been two repeat compilations already).
This is a complete off-air recording from LWT, starting during the closing scene of the preceding episode of Coronation Street and ending with the Central ident before Inspector Morse. The original ad breaks and continuity are intact.
This programme was originally commissioned and made as IBAOTN 5, but after it was complete, LWT's programme director Greg Dyke asked the producer to change the title in secret. Dyke had decided to run it on Christmas Day, and he wanted the new title kept hush-hush as he didn't want the BBC finding out until it was too late for them to schedule anything against it as a spoiler.
The original "IBAOTN 5" cut of the programme was shown in 1988, and a further re-edit went out in 1991. To the best of my knowledge it's never been repeated in its Christmas form as presented here.

[@helenharper4311]

I can see my 11 year self, watching this in Christmas PJ’s, a selection box to feast on, 3 bars on the fire and my Mam and Dad snoring on the sofa together 🤗

[@stuartdavey1327]

They were happy days for sure !

[@game4it1]

Always watched these as a kid growing up, so Many great memories, 1987 but a segment at 14.44 had me a little confused as it was about the France olympics in 1992?

[@philrob1978]

@@game4it1 That was an item about Birmingham's bid to host the future 1992 olympics. (Spoilers: They didn't win.)

[@TDK-ty4cl]

I directed several of these shows, including this one, and those were truly wonderful days at LWT. Denis was a thorough professional and a real gentleman. Great memories. Thanks for posting.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

That is fantastic thanks for sharing that!

[@andersmarklund4211]

I have a question - how many people was it in the audience?

[@TDK-ty4cl]

@@andersmarklund4211 Studio 1 at LWT had an audience capacity of 500, Anders.

[@SpeccyHorace]

I was a young boy when these shows were originally broadcast. I can distinctly remember on at least one occasion imploring my parents to get us home quicker from wherever we were driving because I knew it was going to be on. In those days when outtakes weren't as commonly seen on TV, this was such a magical show. And it was something the whole family could watch and enjoy. Thanks for all your work on these.

[@RandomRetr0]

Thank you for giving us so many memories

[@LoneKharnivore]

Having the adverts makes it even better.

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

We will miss you Denis norden Rest in peace Denis norden 1922-2018

[@pwmxxx]

The ending of Coronation Street was awesome, when soaps where happy.

[@chrisclarke5430]

Thank you for keeping all the ad breaks. So many people cut them out, but they're all part of the experience

[@funkg]

I've been digitising a few old video tapes back then I thought the the adverts were the least interesting things, I was wrong!!

[@bigdaddy4069]

Right 👍

[@user-li4hz4pt5n]

Some of the ad's are better than some of our current programs...

[@Trillock-hy1cf]

Can't stand adverts and always have, so I just skip them trying get me to buy crap don't need or even want....

[@Monumentum616]

I was waiting for the Corrie blooper at the beginning!

[@FuzzyOne2007]

Weird thinking I would have sat and watched this 30 years ago makes me feel soooo old

[@funmonsterUK]

Thanks for uploading this... takes me back to when nights in front of the TV were fun and cosy.

[@postiesue72]

back when christmas tele was awesome ...the first 5 minutes alone is totally awesome nostalgia wise

[@Martin9476]

Wow 1987!! My childhood. We may have had only four channels then, but British TV in those days was great.

[@mikerochburns4104]

Sadly not true today, not watched TV in over six years now. BBC is a shell of it's former self, their news is government backed fear porn propaganda, pushing a leftist 'woke' agendas... look at Doctor Who (for that matter star wars, star trek) it endemic throughout the industry. Comedy is 'woke' and pushing a leftist agenda (the last leg) I'm glad to be out of it. Covid 19 is a hoax.

[@carlkane653]

very sad dennis norden died I loved the alright on the night programmes.

[@annother3350]

He was about 150

[@anthonybailey1966]

​​@@annother3350he wasn't....just because he was old when he died,it was still sad!

[@deborahduthie4519]

The most comforting piece of music was at the end of Coronation Street, before this started. It’s fun watching the old adverts.🎞

[@KeithJones-yq6of]

Dennis was the best. Unique and witty. The show wasn't the same without him

[@awhite3747]

The KZbin video where you don't skip the ads 😉

[@andrewfishpool89]

Lovely warm memories of watching this with my parents laughing like drains. Being young at the time I had no idea Dennis had a career before this, to me he was just the face of this show along with his trusty clipboard.

[@hawkpaul8735]

Always used to watch these programmes (back when programmes was spelled correctly). Great to be able to see them again.

[@GariSullivan]

Back when the British spelt "Spelt" with a T and not "ed"

[@davecoop9579]

​@GariSullivan Back when people were more tolerant of others

[@davecoop9579]

​@GariSullivan Back when people were more tolerant of others

[@keithnaylor1981]

Great fun. Some things never age! Even the adverts were fun.

[@benellis7186]

My grandad had all these taped on his scotch cassettes ! He loved them

[@lukedobson8103]

Having not seen those adverts since I were 6, it's so odd that I remembered them.

[@Isleofskye]

By luck, we saw the end of Hilda Ogden leaving Corrie 35 years ago and what a memorable cast that was. I,literally,have watched in twice since and am not a soap fan at all but I do remember the early years ,right from 1960.

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

Jean Alexander Was her name but unfortunately she died two days before my 19th birthday exactly 3 days after her 90th birthday in 2016

[@Isleofskye]

@@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329 Thanks. I know, My Friend as I watched the first ever episode in 1960 when they had so many strong female characters for the first time on UK TV like "Elsie Tanner" " Ena Sharples" and "Annie Walker". Hearing Jean sing "Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye" makes me choke up,on her final episode though I have not watched it since.

[@susi-emily]

It was great seeing all the old faces. I had just turned 17, the previous week, when that aired and my mum watched it religiously.

[@Isleofskye]

@@susi-emily My Mum was more a "Songs Of Praise" Woman,which she watched religiously....

[@APRICEPRODUCTION]

Gosh I was only 4 years old when this was broadcasted :O it's great to see adverts that last no longer than 30 seconds, and wasn't all about loan shark adverts and life insurance..

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

How old are you as of 2022

[@davidstankiewicz2049]

I'm 35 and I miss them stars of the street

[@londonroulette]

Awesome! Great with the ads to, I was 20, bless in 87. We all know the 80s were the BEST!

[@andyfagan2136]

It's good when you can see what's coming and it's still funny.

[@karenvaughan7212]

Worth it just for the "Minis Have Feelings Too" advert! :)

[@crapgaz]

Lovely quality..Thanks !

[@alx-bu8sx]

love this aotn at its peak

[@londonroulette]

Great upload as it captures the adverts 👍

[@haytonthomas]

DuneBasher! You legend! Thank you for this. Its an old family favourite we first saw 20 years ago and have never been able to find again since! AWESOME! I search for it every year...and finally! Baddabing! Thanks man. Adam (Cape Town)

[@pow1983]

Wanna watch Ghost Busters now - i remember when it used to take years for a film to come out from Cinema to TV/DVD

[@michaelmoore8371]

Classic 👌 episode thank you 😊 🙏.

[@cogidubnus1953]

I cracked up at "Talking Books for the Deaf"

[@julianlinsel4346]

Such fun to watch this show once again

[@Rick-Raven]

"It is wrong to sleep with another man's husband!" Hehehehe! Can't argue with that

[@TurnFullCircle]

Incredible entertainment we do not get today with all the digital rubbish channels . I laughed so much I have belly ache . Brilliant vid thank you very much...cheers

[@Cosmic_s379]

I taped this and watched it lots.

[@PerryCJamesUK]

I was expecting the tree to fall over and the laugh to start lol

[@TheSlysterII]

Dont know why everybody is moaning about the ice caps melting now, Esso were blowing them up 30 years ago :)

[@fraserkatie]

I was already in bed when these programmes happened on Christmas night 1987 I wasnt allowed to stay up for them! I Aremember the Wimpy advert though and other ones like the Branston pickle one!

[@Formula1Madx]

22:27 🎵Oh, we don't want to lose you, but we think you ought to go For your king and your country both need you so🎵

[@leesydneybates1135]

Bloody hell Harry Enfield in a Heineken advert 45 minutes

[@socialcitizen6273]

30:02 I love that church service cauldron one - it was one of those that made you think: "did that really happen?"

[@MikeJones-bi8vh]

Love the LWT ident at 6:32.Very innovative for its time. This is (was) London and it's the weekend.

[@BryanSteacy]

Thanks for deinterlacing to 50fps. I wish more vhs digitisers did that.

[@dunebasher1971]

Me too :)

[@cloudsparrow7729]

that advert at the beginning for LAMOT LAGER (me neither) was a bit over the top. Was it directed by Ridley Scott?

[@gdparry2727]

Love the ad breaks - BIG xmas movies felt a real thing back then, only 4 tv channels and sky was barely a thing. I remember getting GB1+2 on an extended single tape around 1990. Now it's all 'reality' rubbish

[@RandomRetr0]

RIP Dennis

[@Foxybiker72]

I remember this been broadcast 1st time around. Im not telling you age 😂😂😂

[@english791]

That director at the 55min mark giving the poor guy a hard time for moving his head while saying "Not one thing" is a right a hole!

[@nathangould8328]

If anyone know which performance cliffs smoke machine malfunction is from and maybe has a link to the full performance I'd be eternally grateful ♥️

[@judys6663]

John hurt speaking in the battery advert

[@seanatkinson770]

At a time when families did get together and watch wonderful programmes at Christmas because of course there was only 4 channels to watch and no Internet or anything like it...much happier times I believe less cynical than today.

[@dunebasher1971]

John Leeson, the original voice of K9 from Doctor Who, at 16:25

[@neilrobinson1815]

was on c4 in the 80s

[@adriantownsend2317]

... Love the fun adverts, so much better than the depressing ones today about funerals and erectile disfunction!

[@ianscales4347]

Wow, adverts were so much better then!

[@WOBBLINDATNOLA]

Oh my GOD the first clip with the weatherman is from new Orleans. His name is Bob Breck. A local legend down here.

[@ClipontheEar]

At 49.48, Chuck Faulkner, American-born TV presenter from the VERY early days of Australian TV.

[@greggles2412]

WONDERFUL theme tune - I have a lovely shiny high quality stereo version of it... And I love the understated intro to Denis... Isn't that the voice of actor, Ray Brooks?

[@alx-bu8sx]

mr benn

[@rbartynh]

I always think the Alright On The Night theme tune would've made a great sports theme tune too. Kind of has that feel about it :)

[@neilrobinson1815]

love him

[@neilrobinson1815]

we did a remix in 2002

[@neilrobinson1815]

for kids 2

[@andersmarklund4211]

Does anyone know from which programme the clip at 49:45 comes originally from?

[@leesydneybates1135]

Apparently ghostbusters was going to be shown on boxing day just in case you didn't get the hint 😉

[@darren2514fv]

The Wimpy advert would not be allowed in 2024

[@garethstephenlankshear9379]

In 1991 this was re-edited and repeated under the title 'It'll Be Alright On The Night 5'

[@dunebasher1971]

Yes, that's mentioned in the description box under the video :)

[@andersmarklund4211]

The 1988 edit was shown in Denmark Christmas 1988 on DR as Hovsa (Oops) and in Sweden on SVT 1 in January 1989 as Scenerna ni inte fick se (The scenes you didn't see)

[@mikerochburns4104]

Barry Taylor, prince of trivia

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

35:03 he’s too late to listen to the mans speech he’s finished the speech before he’s even looked

[@ianmax69]

There goes Hilda.... Carried off on her Three Ducks into the sunset !

[@Cheepchipsable]

8:30 - International phone calls back in the day, expensive as hell and often unreliable. 21:16 Man, that prune ad, even before the mistake.

[@tipsywitch3900]

Was that Cat from Red Dwarf in the Wimpy ad?

[@alexday5892]

Tipsy Witch I reckon it is. It’s pretty likely as Red Dwarf didn’t air until 1988 and he was a singer/dancer before RD. Certainly looks like him 👍🏻 Well spotted

[@keithnaylor1981]

49.48 Who would like to go back to watching a 23 inch tv?

[@nigelbenn4642]

5:09 Ahhhhh remember when electricity was that cheap?

[@tropical8669]

Who is the lady doing the commercial for the Snappy Apples Chips? 21:01 She is really cute. Wish to see the whole commercial if it's availlable anywhere?

[@TheGava4]

How did you get the good quality? Most old VHS have degraded.

[@dunebasher1971]

The quality of VHS tape went down over the life of the format as the tapes got cheaper. The tapes from the first 10 years of so of Betamax and VHS's life - so from the mid-70s to the mid-80s - were of notably better quality than those that came later, and as long as they've been stored properly, they offer excellent playback.

[@shanerosser7974]

CAN YOU DO ANYMORE CHRISTMAS FULL EPISODES PLEASE.

[@dunebasher1971]

Please don't write everything in capitals. It comes across as if you're shouting.

[@avrilyaxley2084]

Can anyone remember one clipbshowing a very unfortunate actor being screamed at because the directorsays stop moving your head and the poor guy is still doing it. 😂😂

[@MrDunkiep]

Yeah, great one that

[@gilbertwhytemcrobbie7719]

Yip, alcohol, liquor, booze, the falling down juice. 🎉

[@catnewskawai9367]

34:20 is that Ballard Blakeley?

[@gaggymott9159]

* Ballard Berkeley....If you're trying to be funny, at least make your observations CORRECT! 🙄🙄🙄

[@FannyLerouxTime]

My mum would have been 3 months pregnant with me when this was on TV.

[@FormerDelusional]

6:41 if you want to get right to the show.

[@nelsonricardo3729]

Starts at 6:40. You're welcome.

[@dunebasher1971]

You do realise a lot of people like the continuity and adverts as much as the actual programme, right?

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

Did any of you hear that French woman saying in English as oh I got a fright and look at the top of the screen it’s Birmingham 1992 Olympics

[@dunebasher1971]

In 1987, Birmingham was officially bidding to host the 1992 summer Olympics. Spitting Image did a very funny sketch about the unlikelihood of them winning (and of course they didn't win, Barcelona did): kzbin.info/www/bejne/gniloWukrrWqopo

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

So Barcelona beats Birmingham during the 1992 Olympic Games

[@Trillock-hy1cf]

The same old clips from all the other episodes with a few new ones......

[@BennyboyTruth]

Yep

[@Trillock-hy1cf]

@@BennyboyTruth 😄

[@joannegray5138]

No wonder that American reporter couldn't say "facilitated" - he couldn't even spell it properly.

[@FranzSanchez-ky9up]

1:01:03 Looks exactly like Charlize Theron!

[@tommieves1404]

Wow, Harry Enfield was cute back in the day!!

[@tipsywitch3900]

Was that Cat from Red Dwarf in the Wimpy ad?

[@JoeyXSmith]

@@tipsywitch3900 No, it wasn't him.

[@philjones45]

As a kid, I thought Dennis Norden was really tedious, now I'm much older, and perhaps wiser, he's more fuc*ing tedious than ever.

[@andersmarklund4211]

Why?

[@philjones45]

@@andersmarklund4211 His links were far too long and usually not funny.

[@Cheepchipsable]

@@philjones45 Wow, still here to answer after more than 3 years - that's dedication. Yeah he was a bit tedious but at least he didn't do fake laughter or try to ham it up. He knew his limitations.

[@Rikairiify]

*Gloats because this was 8 years before my birth and that makes me an "entitled millennial".*

[@Cheepchipsable]

Why would you gloat?

[@k.avilla8061]

Dennis Norden ...what a boor

[@Fatherofheroesandheroines]

The one from the USSR is bad because she was then sent to the gulag lol. Edit: What the hell am I talking about lol.

[@sockington1]

I remember when outtakes were funny