What makes this group special is that each of us has a unique recollection of growing up in these two decades and this makes for enjoyable and stimulating meetings. We have a mix of talks and conversations. Some of us enjoy presenting, and all of us enjoy contributing to the resulting discussions. We have a No prizes, Everyone’s a Winner Quiz and end each meeting by agreeing the programme for the next get-together.
Group Convener : Stephen Rigg
The Group meets on the third Thursday of every month, starting at 2 p.m.
Our story so far …
January 2020
The meeting included a picture quiz, with 20 questions associated with the images. No-one managed to get all 20 right – the one that caught everyone out was Graham Kerr’s birthplace – which was actually London.
Carl provided two presentations, both related to popular culture from the time.
The first one, preceding the quiz looked at The Sweeney and its impact on British TV production. Shows that had gone before such as Z-Cars and the venerable Dixon of Dock Green, found themselves trailing in the wake of the the dynamic new series, which had been inspired by the film French Connection. The producers wished to create a role akin to Gene Hackman’s big screen persona, Popeye Doyle, but have it set in a British context. This resulted in the creation of D.I. Jack Regan, portrayed by John Thaw. In the years that followed British cop shows saw the introduction of female and ethnic minority lead characters, and of course one of the greatest characters to appear on TV screens, Arthur Daley in Minder. A show that was originally intended to be a crime drama with a humorous edge, but instead became a humorous drama with a criminal edge.
The second presentation looked at the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the intensely personal, soul baring lyrics that arose following his embrace of controversial therapist Arthur Janov’s Primal Scream therapy.