Looks Unfamiliar

Podnose

Writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington is joined by a series of guests for a bit of a chat about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever does. From Coming On Strong by Broken English and The Order Of The McVitie's Hobnob, to whichever TV programme it was that ended with footage of dandelion seeds being blown away, we're here to try and help, and to confirm that no, nobody else remembers them either.

  • 1 hour 35 minutes
    Looks Unfamiliar's Box Of Delights - Richard Marson - I Suspect The Binmen Were Probably Not In That Year's Review Of The Year

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    Joining Tim this time for a Special Assignment is writer Richard Marson, author of the definitive history of Children's BBC Box Of Delights - not to mention Doctor Who Magazine veteran and former Blue Peter Editor - Richard Marson, We'll be hearing some of the stories behind the making of Jackanory, Play School, Multicoloured Swap Shop, Grange Hill, John Craven's Newsround and Blue Peter as well as our own memories of watching the shows as younger viewers - including which Kenneth Williams story was wiped before it could be repeated, the shocking truth about Hamble's Cage, the betting odds on who would 'win' out of Giant Pandas and Giant Hogweed, and the uninspiring saga of The Caring Binmen.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Do not try throwing it over on a fork.

    15 December 2025, 8:48 am
  • 1 hour 17 minutes
    The Looks Unfamiliar Sound Spectrum: Tim Worthington - The Old Nationwide Theme

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    This time Tim’s joining guest host Paul Abbott for a chat about the mid-nineties 'loungecore' compilation series The Sound Gallery, and in particular the little-heard spinoff volume The Sound Spectrum. Along the way we'll be debating the relative merits of a whining bloke over-emoting a rewrite of the Weetos jingle and a bloke in another room singing through a cardboard tube, failing to buy an album worth five thousand quid for twenty pence, learning how to throw shade with a rogue capital letter, pondering the proliferation of Johns and Alans in library music and definitely not watching anything whatsoever late at night on SAT1.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. You can also find Paul standing in for chats with Tim about California FeverGalloping Galaxies!, Bad RonaldIn-Flight EntertainmentThe Chronicles Of Narmo by Caitlin Moran, Pirate Radio FourThe Collings And Herrin Podcast and What’s That Noise? here, Pickwick Talking Books’ Doctor Who: State Of Decay, the BBC PinocchioDoctor Who: Variations On A ThemeThe Paradise Of Death and The Ghosts Of N-SpaceDoctor Who: The Ultimate AdventureThe Sally Lockhart Mysteries, Katarina, David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s Much Ado About NothingMeet The Thirteenth Doctor, that time a Dalek turned up on the BBC Schools programme W.A.L.R.U.S. and Doctor Who: The Interactive Electronic Board Game here, Karen Gillan’s horror short The Hoarding here and The Magic Roundabout here, as well as a chat with Garreth Hirons about Wonderwall by The Mike Flowers Pops here.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. If you were planning to go to Bistro Erotica Italia, please remember that it's invitation only. Though I'm sure Jarvis Cocker would be happy to bring one out for you.

    8 December 2025, 7:38 pm
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    132 - Mitch Benn - Argos Blade Runner

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    Joining Tim this time is musician, comedian and writer Mitch Benn, who's tuning in that mysterious extra button on his television in search of any trace of Channel 4's pre-launch promotional trailers, Imagination by Belouis Some, Space Sentinels, Simon Dutton's turn as The Saint, How To Be A Complete Bastard by Adrian Edmondson and The Six Million Dollar Man's toy adversary Maskatron. Along the way we'll be profiling the ubiquity in popular drama of the Glen Matlock Face, finding out How To Be A Complete Bastard In Space, considering whether Astrea from Space Sentinels is 'above' pants and waiting eagerly for the repeat broadcast of Three Women Including Juliet Bravo singing that W-O-M-A-N song.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org. You can also find Mitch on Looks Unfamiliar talking about Nobody’s HouseDon’t Stand So Close To Me ’86 by The Police, Cyborg and Muton, Orion, Two Stage Self-Assembly Ice Cream Cones and Get Stuffed here, 54321, Logan’s Run The Series, Matchbox Zoomy Balloonies, Action Man’s Atomic Man and Bullet Man, King Swamp, and fifties nostalgia in the seventies hereMonday Morning 5.19 by Rialto, The Laughing PrisonerOh Baby by Rhianna, Pocketeers, O.T.T. and the original pre-Geoffrey incarnation of Rainbow here, and Star Turn Challenge, evil Grange Hill teacher Mr. Hicks, StrikerLines by The Planets, Night Raven and the rise of international celebrities acting in pop videos here, Stars by Hear’n’Aid, Into InfinityThe HumanoidA Man Called Sloane, BusyBodies and The Kids Are Alright by The Pleasers here and No Memory by Scarlet Fantastic, The Flipside Of Dominick HideThe DeceiversEureka!, Lady Sovereign and Jentina's feud and Mego Pocket Heroes here.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Don't be a complete bastard with it.


    19 November 2025, 3:00 pm
  • 1 hour 36 minutes
    The Golden Age Of Children's TV - "His Hair Represents Something Or Other"

    Tim Worthington has a new book out called The Golden Age Of Children's TV - all about the best, worst and most just plain baffling shows you grew up with in the sixties, seventies and eighties - and the lines are open now for an hour of fun, facts, laughs and thrills. If you're a fan of The Adventure Game, Martin Ruddock will be taking your calls and offering a few hints and tips on how to beat the puzzlers and make it across the Drogna Board. They're The Monkees, but Paul Whitelaw will be in the studio for a look at what you can look forward to when Micky, Davy, Mike and Peter take over your television. Ste Brotherstone will be joining us with a few ideas of how you can stay top of the class for the new term at Grange Hill, Danny Kodicek has the long and short on Big John Little John, and Juliet Harris will be coming to us live from Teddington as she meets the stars of The Sooty Show. So if you want to join in the fun - or just swap a copy of Grange Hill Graffiti for a copy of Drogna on the BBC Micro - ring the show now!

    You can get The Golden Age Of Children's TV in all good bookshops, and from Waterstones here, Amazon here, from the Kindle Store here and directly from Black And White Publishing here. - and if you want to know more about what you can find in it, head for timworthington.org!

    5 November 2025, 11:38 am
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    The Looks Unfamiliar Bonfire Night Spooky Display Spectacular: Bob Fischer And Georgy Jamieson - Hashtag Wotsit Slurry

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    This time, in a special Halloween slash Bonfire Night edition, Tim, Bob Fischer and Georgy Jamieson are all crowding into a local radio studio with rubber spiders hanging from the walls and a box of indoor fireworks with DO NOT USE written on it, ready to take your calls about some of the politely spooky crepe paper stylings and milk bottle-launched rockets that you just don't seem to get any more. So that's plastic fangs that never fitted anybody, Paul Daniels' notorious 'live' Halloween hoax, Blue Peter's Halloween 'makes', sparkler-themed Public Information Films, the gunpowder-fuelled rivalry between Standard and Brocks, horror-themed sweets and snacks like Trebor Mummies and Count Dracula's Deadly Secret, fireworks with unnecessarily detailed illustrations on them that nobody would see, Words And Pictures exploring the supernatural for primary school audiences and much more besides. In a firework that doesn't go off but we don't dare return to of a chat we'll be lending an ear to Erasure's Bagpuss-esque EP, recalling Timmy Mallett's Inspiral Carpets phase and Jane Asher's Occult Cakes, debating the theoretical existence of Schrödinger's Firework Money, receiving firework safety advice from the cast of Hot Metal, purchasing a Brian May Firework Assortment from the local supermarket's John Johnson Counter, adhering to the image rights restrictions of Fawkes Inc., questioning whether an antique firework can legitimately be described as in 'Near Mint' condition, examining whether 31st October really is the night when seventies ventriloquist puppets be walkin' and issuing a stern warning never to go back to an edition of Crackerjack! that you don't properly remember. Call in and tell us if you ever went bobbing for Wotsits now!

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. Bob and Georgy joined me for similarly seasonal chats about some of their favourite forgotten Christmas trimmings here and the rain-lashed joys of the Great British Summertime here. You can also find Bob on Looks Unfamiliar chatting about The Tom O’Connor Roadshow, Giant Hogweed, Can’t Get A Ticket (For The World Cup) by Peter Dean, Glee Bars, J. Edward Oliver’s ‘Abolish Tuesdays’ and How To Be A Wally here, Eighties ‘Tabloid Celebrities’, Accidentally Kelly Street by Frente!, The Two Ronnies’ ‘Mileaway’, Rude FoodSuggs On Saturday and School Folk Songs here and Tucker’s Luck, Pookiesnackenburger, We Wanna Be Famous by Buster Gobsmack And Eats Filth’, game show contestants’ occupations being booed by the studio audience and the lost ancient art of the paper plate and shaving foam Custard Pie here, and Georgy on Indoor LeagueRe-Joyce!, the The Animals In The Box sketch, the Paul Squire Fan Club, Pippa Dolls, Pig In The Middle and Good Winter Telly here and Wait Till Your Father Gets HomeGo For Broke!Last Chance Lottery, Fry’s Five Centres and Vesta Ready Meals here. You can also find Georgy on The Golden Age Of Children's TV talking about Bod here and Bob on The Owl Service here.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. If you're caught with it just say your name is 'Maxwell House'.

    28 October 2025, 2:38 pm
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    131 - Adam S. Leslie - Full Richard Harris Intensity

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    Joining Tim this time is novelist and screenwriter Adam S. Leslie, who’s marching in step with his hazy recollections of Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor) by Abigail Mead and Nigel Goulding, the Return Of The Jedi Read-Along Book And Tape, comedy juggler Michael Davies, Piece Of Cake, Juggernaut and Richard O'Brien's Mystery Train. Along the way we'll be refusing to listen to The Last Temptation Of Christ Rap by Willem Dafoe, declining to engage with Militant Hoojib Deniers, avoiding paying any heed to Andrew Collins' Disaster Movie Unrecommendations and trying our hardest not to think about Richard Herring's imaginary middle of the night television schedules.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. You can also find Adam on Maths-In-A-BoxI Heard Your Name by Martin Rev, Noble And Silver: Get Off Me!The Great Reality TV SwindleCodename MAT and 1, 2, 3 And Away! here.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Preferably before it goes as cold as the one invariably left neglected on Kolchak's desk.

    29 September 2025, 8:44 am
  • 1 hour 33 minutes
    130 - Ste Brotherstone - A Third Person Video Game With Colin Bennett

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    Joining Tim this time is writer and illustrator Ste Brotherstone, who's trying to collect a full set of picture cards for World Of The Vorgans, Rebecca's World by Terry Nation, TV Tops, Car Wars, Load Runner magazine and Night Shift. Along the way we'll be thrilling to the exploits of Dash Randon - Space Adventurer, celebrating the notorious Video Nasty The Horse Who Came From The Sea, venturing into the uncharted regions of Here Be Buses Where You Don't Know Where They Go, attempting to use ALF as a barometer of celebrity status and debating the optimal costume options for a double-page poster of Arthur English.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. You can also find Ste on The Lone Ranger by Quantum Jump, Roger Moore And The Crimefighters, 10-4 Action, Pictures, Deus Ex Machina and a withdrawn Williams Furniture Superstore advert here.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Actually, how come they don't do collectable picture cards with coffee? No the Caffè Nero loyalty card doesn't count. Even that one Stewart Lee had with the green stamps on it.

    12 September 2025, 8:51 am
  • 2 hours 5 minutes
    The Best Of Looks Unfamiliar: It Was Very Rare To See Something Like A Chocolate Biscuit Acknowledged By Children's Television

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    This is a collection of highlights from Looks Unfamiliar featuring Joanne Sheppard on Fax, Mitch Benn on The Deceivers, Mark Thompson on Your Party Needs You, Donna Rees on The Monty Python Matching Tie And Handkerchief, Georgy Jamieson on Go For Broke!, Steve Berry on MB Games' Hangman, Tim Worthington on Outa-Space!, Ben Baker on Roland's Yuletide Binge and Mic Wright on Solitary Fitness. Along the way we'll be declining to eat some fifty year old corned beef, finding out what would happen if you described Mark And Lard to your grandparents, debating the the importance of elongated faces in topical satire, pouring scorn on Nigel Farage’s prowess as a long-haulage lorry driver, estimating how many copies of MB Games’ Voice Of The Mummy were piled up at Neverland Ranch and leafing through The Official Steve Nallon Annual 1985. Plus there's also Tim on the radio talking about Michael Palin's Around The World In 80 Days as well ALF's Marvel Comics appearances on ALFSplaining and the Beatles cartoon on The Big Beatles Sort Out, and a bit of a chat with Grace Dent about a certain saggy old cloth cat...

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at timworthington.org.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Do not pay attention to any mice who insist they can get you one from round the back of a sort of cardboard house.

    24 July 2025, 3:54 pm
  • 59 minutes 24 seconds
    129 - Paul Whitelaw - It's Alright For A Bruce Willis Album Track

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    Joining Tim this time is writer Paul Whitelaw, who's collecting items in the Balowski house to prove that he remembers Legal Man by Belle And Sebastian, Spider-Man Strikes Back, The Secret Vampire Soundtrack EP by Bis, Bruce Willis' The Return Of Bruno and the The Young Ones computer game. Along the way we'll be explaining how to get annoyed at not seeing an episode of The Amazing Spider-Man that you've seen without realising, declining to take style tips from a Karl Howman Mod, casting aspersions on Paul Simon's improv skills and attempting to get past the loading screen of The World According To Smith And Jones The Game.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. It does not require any sugar, sugar or indeed Kandy Pop.

    3 July 2025, 10:21 am
  • 24 minutes 4 seconds
    The Amazing Spider-Man Extra

    As the late seventies live action television series The Amazing Spider-Man gets a web-slingingly hefty mention in the latest Looks Unfamiliar, here's the edition of It's Good, Except It Sucks where myself and Gary Bainbridge took a look at the disco-soundtracked adventures of the decidedly non-comics accurate Peter Parker and a procession of villainous men in suits, which was invariably the talk of the playground the following day - well, when it didn't fall victim to ITV's tendency towards 'a change to the advertised programme'...

    If you've enjoyed this, you can find more editions of It's Good, Except It Sucks here.

    2 July 2025, 8:51 am
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    128 - Ricardo Autobahn - His Airwolf Was Quite Good

    Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

    Joining Tim this time is musician Ricardo Autobahn, who's hurtling across America on speeded-up film in search of Ed Starink's budget synthesiser albums, The Big Bus, The Wizard Of Speed And Time, Roadmaker, Chimera, Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, Isle Of Wight theme park Blackgang Chine and the bizarre final season of The Dukes Of Hazzard. Along the way we'll be speculating on why so many lorry drivers listen to Nigel Planer And Peter Richardson Live At The Comic Strip on a loop, playing Make Your Own East India Tea Company and a cardboard remake of Grand Theft Auto, debating the tourist-attracting merits of a giant fibreglass smuggler, questioning what Margaret Thatcher was doing hogging a double seat at the back of the bus, celebrating a good Christmas in the Mavers household and generally getting exasperated at contestants who go on Pointless without any apparent understanding of how the gameplay works.

    You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/. You can also find Ricardo on Looks Unfamiliar talking about Pull The Other One, the Pink Panther Bar, the Panther 6, Hot Wheels Crack-Ups, Explorer, Inside The Magic Rectangle by Victor Lewis-Smith, I Live In A Giant Mushroom by Eric The Gardener, The CarThe Sooty Show episode Fun Being Small and ‘Thunderclap Pop’ here.

    If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Why not send The Wizard Of Speed And Time out for one? He'll be back before you've finished asking.

    5 June 2025, 3:49 pm
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