Near and Far - Seaside (BBC Schools programme, 14th June 1984)

[@DingKong]

The opening titles used to fascinate me when I was a kid. The slightly creepy version of 'Girls and boys come out to play' and the zooming out was good at grabbing your attention

[@jonathansayers9564]

I agree; I thought it was a weird sounding and slightly scary theme.

[@mistofoles]

What were the BBC thinking of, using a theme tune that wouldn't be out of place in "THE EXORCIST" ??

[@grahampearson5670]

Near and Far was a long running geography programme shown on BBC1 and in later BBC2 during schools transmission. It had a creepy rendition of Girls and Boys Out to Play as its opening theme tune.

[@davidprice6994]

that intro and music scared the crap out of me back then in school and still does.feels like alien abduction

[@jonathansayers9564]

It was weird yes!

[@cuddlessheep9136]

Same

[@mistofoles]

@5:30 - "Sheltered from the wind?" It was blowing a force-10 gale !

[@grantd165]

2 days before my 4th birthday. Incase anyone was wondering.

[@halloeverybodypeeps]

Happy Belated birthday sweetie!

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

Lord that takes me back. Going to Minehead for the day on one of those awful family holidays while holidaying in Dorset. I recall the preserved railway well, it's come on rather a lot since then. The beach, however, was pretty vile. If you flushed it, it went on the beach. The smell, and the water, was something else. People coming up covered in black sludge ! At the time, this is how it was at all seaside towns mind.

[@mistofoles]

Why wouldn't any of the cafes open in the winter? When it's cold, people often like to go somewhere for hot food/drinks.

[@dunebasher1971]

A few *would* stay open, most wouldn't. There just wouldn't be enough passing trade to support as many cafes as during the summer.

[@mistofoles]

I'm surprised a programme featuring the "attractions" of Minehead lasted more than five minutes (or five seconds, come to that) .

[@MrDunkiep]

That looks more like 1974 than 1984.

[@mistofoles]

I would tend to agree, except the WELCOME TO MINEHEAD sign has the award dates 1972, 1974, and 1976 on it, so it must have been after that...also the BBC 2 logo is the later one used in the 1980s.

[@dunebasher1971]

The broadcast date of 14th June 1984 is correct. The film was shot in the summer of 1983 and winter of 1983-4 - note at 12:40 the Vauxhall with a Y registration plate, which ran from August 1982 to July 1983. If you look at *any* footage of the early 80s, it looks like that - all those old 70s cars still on the road, etc. What we now tend to associate as the look of the 80s didn't come in until the second half of the decade, really starting in 1987.

[@zetametallic]

@@dunebasher1971 spot on! So glad it's not only me who does all these little bits of research when I watch a TV programme. I'd say by some of the clothing styles it was 1983 anyway I remember those styles growing up (I was 7) and I still quite like them as I have a few vintage dresses, shoes etc. That Vauxhall Nova stayed on the road until 1995, not a bad innings I guess.

[@nottmjas]

The year next to the (c) BBC at the end credits is MCMXXXIV, or 1984. However the opening titles are so 1970s.

[@mistofoles]

Crikey ! 65p for a pair of sandals !

[@dancingduade]

Why was the theme music so damn weird - Like some weird science fiction type programme.

[@dunebasher1971]

I guess you're aware it's an arrangement of the traditional folk tune "Boys and Girls Come Out To Play"? As for why it's arranged in that spooky electronic way, it was done in the early 70s, when that sort of sound was in vogue.

[@mistofoles]

Sounds like music to a horror film.

[@zetametallic]

@@mistofoles it really does!

[@Cittamatra]

Christ I hated these family holidays.

[@motortraction]

Never went to Minehead, but I loved our relatively few holidays to places like Newquay and Great Yarmouth.

[@angiehazelaar]

They made you buy shit sandles

[@motortraction]

@@angiehazelaar ha ha, probably! It was the 70's so everything looked shit. I remember paper sandcastle flags, Commando comics, tea on the beach in real ceramic cups.

[@angiehazelaar]

@@motortraction I remember getting those flags a treat!

[@mistofoles]

The Lorna Doone B&B boasted a "fire certificate"...enticing indeed !

[@robalexander8065]

Near and Far scary radiophonic title music.

[@jonathansayers9564]

I know, it was a weirdy soundtrack!

[@mistofoles]

LOL ! Mr and Mrs Paton's daughter nearly ran the camera crew over !

[@mistofoles]

Where on earth did the BBC find these random people and their families that featured in the programme ? Did they invite anybody interested to apply ?

[@dunebasher1971]

Usual practice (in the days before social media, anyway) was to leaflet the area and also contact local papers, the council etc to invite interested local parties to respond. Researchers would also knock on doors at hotels asking if any residents would be interested in taking part.

[@alastairhopkins245]

Shows how short sighted it was to axe the railways!!!

[@albakes6128]

Local shops, for local people lol

[@robpammit5244]

Is this is how the UK will be after brexit? 😂

[@tonyhancock3912]

I wish it was 😭