Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Big Secret. Mike's still getting used to his new friend, while his new friend is still getting used to the strange planet he finds himself on. Surely Rita can't be allowed to find out about him... Or Mr Pinner... Or Philippa... This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 23rd March, 1989.
If there's one thing that surprised me about this one, it's how quickly the show got into 'sitcom' mode. My evidently faulty memory told me that it was a little while longer before the madcap antics started, but here they are hiding in cupboards and drenching ol' Pinhead in the second ever episode. Of course, it's not as full-on as it would become in later years, but neither was it quite as full of pathos as the series opener. Speaking of which, the plant thing is a reference to that previous instalment, and, like that, we also get to see outside the house in a rare filmed exterior scene.
Without spoiling things too much, it's great to see again all these years later just how Rita found out (and reacted), and how Angelo himself got his name. I'm sure I've mentioned before the alien/guardian angel ambiguity and the E.T./Creation of Adam finger-touch inspiration for the title of the show, but in-universe, it's something far more... well, you'll see. I really enjoyed all the fundamental misunderstandings and enthusiastic bafflement at everything, most notably the whole Mike King/My King thing, the cornflakes, and the basics of knocking on a door. Meanwhile, I like how Mr Pinner already has them all down as completely mad.
Elsewhere, this recording is very significant as at the beginning and end we briefly see the CITV continuity baton being passed from Mark Granger to Jerry Foulkes. ("Mark's last appearance was on a Thursday?" you ask. Yes: the next day was Good Friday, so no regular CITV.) This raises many questions, the biggest of which being, When exactly did the Stonewall era start anyway? Accepted wisdom says Monday 3rd April, with one 'handover' week in between. But it looks like _this_ was the handover week, with both Mark and Jerry appearing together and Scally announcing his intentions to stay on, with Tuesday 28th March being the first day of the new regime. Compare and contrast the opening ten seconds of the first four videos in this playlist:
youtube.com/watch?v=nawxTlhxHVY&list=PLYzsPPYPRRFXG1qpqDmjdA8HnLzprd9q5&index=1
15th March: Mark in old studio
22nd March: Mark and Jerry in old studio, old sting
29th March: Jerry (with one-off guest) in new studio, new sting
5th April: Jerry in gallery
I'm willing to be corrected on this (though please be sure to provide evidence to the contrary), but the widely-quoted 3rd April start date for the Stonewall era seems to me to be just plain wrong.
Monumental thanks to Lee for providing this recording.
(If you're a copyright holder and have any objections, please feel free to contact me. Alternatively, I haven't monetised the video, so you're welcome to do so, and that way everybody wins.)
The Big Secret. Mike's still getting used to his new friend, while his new friend is still getting used to the strange planet he finds himself on. Surely Rita can't be allowed to find out about him... Or Mr Pinner... Or Philippa... This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 23rd March, 1989.
If there's one thing that surprised me about this one, it's how quickly the show got into 'sitcom' mode. My evidently faulty memory told me that it was a little while longer before the madcap antics started, but here they are hiding in cupboards and drenching ol' Pinhead in the second ever episode. Of course, it's not as full-on as it would become in later years, but neither was it quite as full of pathos as the series opener. Speaking of which, the plant thing is a reference to that previous instalment, and, like that, we also get to see outside the house in a rare filmed exterior scene.
Without spoiling things too much, it's great to see again all these years later just how Rita found out (and reacted), and how Angelo himself got his name. I'm sure I've mentioned before the alien/guardian angel ambiguity and the E.T./Creation of Adam finger-touch inspiration for the title of the show, but in-universe, it's something far more... well, you'll see. I really enjoyed all the fundamental misunderstandings and enthusiastic bafflement at everything, most notably the whole Mike King/My King thing, the cornflakes, and the basics of knocking on a door. Meanwhile, I like how Mr Pinner already has them all down as completely mad.
Elsewhere, this recording is very significant as at the beginning and end we briefly see the CITV continuity baton being passed from Mark Granger to Jerry Foulkes. ("Mark's last appearance was on a Thursday?" you ask. Yes: the next day was Good Friday, so no regular CITV.) This raises many questions, the biggest of which being, When exactly did the Stonewall era start anyway? Accepted wisdom says Monday 3rd April, with one 'handover' week in between. But it looks like _this_ was the handover week, with both Mark and Jerry appearing together and Scally announcing his intentions to stay on, with Tuesday 28th March being the first day of the new regime. Compare and contrast the opening ten seconds of the first four videos in this playlist:
youtube.com/watch?v=nawxTlhxHVY&list=PLYzsPPYPRRFXG1qpqDmjdA8HnLzprd9q5&index=1
15th March: Mark in old studio
22nd March: Mark and Jerry in old studio, old sting
29th March: Jerry (with one-off guest) in new studio, new sting
5th April: Jerry in gallery
I'm willing to be corrected on this (though please be sure to provide evidence to the contrary), but the widely-quoted 3rd April start date for the Stonewall era seems to me to be just plain wrong.
Monumental thanks to Lee for providing this recording.
(If you're a copyright holder and have any objections, please feel free to contact me. Alternatively, I haven't monetised the video, so you're welcome to do so, and that way everybody wins.)
