1990: Will BRITISH SATELLITE BROADCASTING Take Off? | Did You See...? | BBC Archive

Ludovic Kennedy is joined by guests Douglas Adams, Craig Ferguson and Eve Pollard, to review some of the earliest output from Britain's fledgling satellite broadcaster, British Sky Broadcasting (BSB).

BSB has been broadcasting for just two weeks, with four standard channels: Galaxy for general entertainment, comedy and drama, Now for lifestyle and current affairs, The Power Station for music and youth culture, and The Sports Channel. BSB Viewers can also subscribe to The Movie Channel for an extra £10 per month.

Unlike its satellite rival Sky, which has been broadcasting for just over a year now and predominantly shows bought in and established programmes, BSB is gambling on producing its own suite of original programmes. Are they any good?

Ludovic Kennedy casts a brief eye over Kid's Court - a children's courtroom debate show hosted by Andrew O'Connor, La Triviata - a comedy featuring overdubbed archive newsreel footage, Left Right and Centre - where an MP shares their personal thoughts on events at Westminster, Now Sir Robin - an interview show fronted by the venerable political interviewer Sir Robin Day, and Wife of the Week - an unchallenging quiz show hosted by Christopher Biggins.

The panel are then asked for their thoughts on Jupiter Moon - the Galaxy channel's space-set soap opera, (which draws the ire of Douglas Adams in particular), First Edition - a current affairs magazine programme hosted by Selina Scott, and I Love Keith Allen - a sketch show vehicle for the eponymous actor.

Will BSB find an audience, do they think? Can it compete with Sky for the nascent satellite television market in the UK?


Clip taken from Did You See...?, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 10 April, 1990.





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