Commercial Break

As I'm too tired after a week of stress, worry and illness to be bothered coming up with a proper post, I'll just cut to the commercial break.  In this case, it's Boxing Day break from 1977, from the ITV regional franchise I grew up with: Southern Television.  It all seems so sedate and low key compared to today's in-your-face, all action sell-a-thons.  Being Boxing Day, there's an emphasis on Summer holidays (no foreign holidays, just holiday camps and canal trips - Freddie Laker and his Skytrain, tough, are a portent of the rapid growth of overseas holidays), Winter sales (funny how those top loading washing machines lost out to the front loaders, despite spinning faster) and alcohol.  There's even a public information film on the perils of drinking and driving thrown in for good measure.  Lots of familiar faces and voices are in evidence: Richard Briers, John Hurt, Donald Pleasance and Terry Wogan (on an elephant) in the days before he needed a hairpiece.  Happy days.  Enjoy.