Harry Hill sits in his home office beside a chaotic bookcase, proudly showing TV Times some of the interesting wooden carvings he’s created during the long weeks of lockdown…
‘My theme was 70s pop stars,’ says Harry, 55, with a smile, as our video call gets underway. ‘This one is Peters and Lee and this one over here is Dana. I got a bit obsessed with her after watching a wonderful documentary on her career!’
It’s a wonder Harry’s found the time for crafts, having spent the past few months trawling through hours of vintage telly to research Harry Hill’s World Of TV, his new BBC2 series – while also teaching himself to edit it all together!
Harry – whose biggest hit to date was another clips-and-comedy show, ITV’s Harry Hill’s TV Burp, which ran from 2001 to 2012 – takes us on a trip through the archives as he examines six popular genres to see how they’ve evolved and reveal their magic ingredients.
So after admiring his carvings, we asked Harry to tell us more about a series that covers everything from Angels to Z Cars and much more besides…
How did this series come about?
When lockdown started, it seemed the only shows you could really make were clips shows, so I got calls from lots of commissioners saying, ‘We’re going to run out of shows in about six weeks – have you got any ideas, Harry?’ Watching all the old shows was interesting because there’s something wonderfully naive about the old stuff compared to what we watch now.
Did watching archive TV bring back fond memories?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TOO CLOSE for comfort
Cindy frets when wounded Junior plays games
CONFESSION time
Denise tells the Brannings that daughter Chelsea caused the crush at Peggy’s
Joel MURDERED!
But which of the villain's many haters is to blame?
Love HURTS
Sam's injured when he tries to reunite Nick and Leanne
Girl BOSS!
FELICITY WARD introduces us to the female version of David Brent.
ECHOES of the past
ELEN RHYS on swapping solving crimes in Spain for a murder mystery in her native Wales
True DETECTIVES
We celebrate the crime-crackers who will be unravelling mysteries over the coming months...
Double TROUBLE
MICHAEL MCINTYRE on how fresh twists and star power will make this the best series of The Wheel yet
Time to say GOODBYE...
As Emmerdale legend Zak Dingle passes away, actor LISA RILEY pays tribute to her beloved co-star, the late Steve Halliwell
Power & PASSION!
What to expect from a lavish reworking of Dame Jilly Cooper’s steamy saga, set in the cut-throat world of TV