CheapShow - Cheap Shots 01: Annualpalooza

Episode Date: October 16, 2026

It's the podcast version of the YouTube Version of CheapShow... It's time to dive into a big pile of nostalgia as Paul and Eli do a whistlestop exploration of the great British "annual"... a hardback book that made for birthday treats and xmas stocking fillers for kids who love things they see off the telly! Paul's got quite the collection and Eli has already mentally bailed out of this video! CheapShow HQ PO BOX 1309 Harrow HA1 9QJ www.patreon.com/cheapshow Buy Ivenne's Amazing Physical CheapShow Magazine! www.https://www.cheapmag.shop/

Cheap-Shall... Do you want to start? Because you always say I'm shit. So I'm letting you start now. So if it is shit, it is your fault, not mine. So go on. I'll just do a turn to camera and then it's up to you. I'll have my head down.

Oh, they're this. I have my head. Okay. All right. Don't ignore this bit, everyone. Hang on. Ready? Three, two, one.

Yes, it's Cheap Shot. I'm Eli. That's Paul. Hello, I'm Paul. There's an audio version of this shit we do. Don't call it shit. Why? You phrase it like this.

There's an audio version of dish gash. Disgash. Dishgash. Mishmani Pena. I know Mishmani Pendi. Oh, we start again. No. Come on.

No. Please. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. And you know I'm going to keep this in anyway, though. Don't keep it in, please. You know I'm just going to keep this in, though.

Yeah. If I say something... I mean, if you just say something like really offensive, I can just cut it out and keep this bit in still. Please don't keep this bit in. Well, I might do. This is a terrible start to the video. Well, stop telling everyone at all fun.

Just get on with the video. the episode? But I've ruined the beginning. There's got no impetus. Oh, this is cursed. We tried this before and we had a bit of a falling out. He says we have a bit of a falling out. No, I told you off for being unprofessional. I treated you like an employee of Cheap Show HQ at PLC, Inc. And I had to reprimand you. I had to take it to HR, didn't I? And HR had a very long sit down with HR. They fucking sucked me off. I did. He did. Paul in HR. Sucked him off. Is that really? Let's start again. Let's start again. Come on, no. Really? Okay.

Hello, everybody. Cheap shots time again. I'm Eli. I'm Paul. And we make a podcast called Cheap Show, and this is the YouTube visual equivalent of what we do weekly, maybe 4thnightly. I have discovered what we do. We haven't discovered yet. But we're definitely a podcast still. That ain't changing. Because we can't monetise this. Hey, any time soon it changing? No. No. Nah, it's coming, listen, listen what's coming round the corner.

A change? No, it's a bus. Oh, what's that sticker on the bus? It's one of those poo emojis. Over to you. Thank you. Over to you, what are we doing on this week's cheap shots? Ingles. Huh?

Innels. Unules. Anil. We're doing angels. You sound like you got annual polyps. You know what? I used to have the most audacious piles. when I was younger, to the point where I had to walk around with sanitary towels in my boxer shorts.

To stop the bleeding through? Because it was just ongoing. That was like when I was 19. What was it to do with? Me bumble. Yeah, but when you constipated? There was constipation. There's constipations.

That's why they give you stool softners. Yeah. My sister gave me stool softens. Pillow. They gave me a pillow. Like a donut pillow. No, just to put on my stool so it was comfier. Stool softener, everybody.

But apparently, stool softeners aren't very, they don't work. Because what is a stool softener at the end of the day? It's a powder. It's a softens a stool. That you put into a drink and you drink it. No, I had tablets. Did you? Yeah.

But what you want is a laxative, right? What right now? What I want is a laxative right now. Let's do a laxative episode where we just take one at the beginning and then we just wait it out. And we just keep cutting in and out until it, until the drug gets. Have you ever taken in like a properly strong laxative? Yeah, yeah. Because years ago, I had to have.

have a camera up the bomb. Yes. Right? And they sort of... You've had all sorts of ass problems health-wise over the years, since I was all with a little kiddie-woo. I've had fingers and knuckles of all sorts of medical professionals.

Up your ass. And, you know, as a result, these days, I'm a little bit oversensitive to it, if you don't mind me saying so. So if you were to go, woo-hoo, like that for a laugh, I'd probably... If you pretend the two, I'd probably more like,

get off me like that. Oh, very protective of the bum-off. Yeah, just because I'm like, it's like tissue. I kind of, in my head, it's like, like tissue. I don't want you to tear it with your big fat and fingers. I won't. Getting right up there. I'm not going near there.

Oh, God. This is the worst. Some of the worst stuff we've done. Is that the best? No. Let's talk about some annals. All right. So in the UK, around Christmas, you could expect to find in your stocking or in your Christmas bundle an annual. And it was a hardback book, which usually was based on an IP or a brand or something off the telly or maybe a magazine series. That was. would do a compendium. Companium. Comics. Sometimes, yeah, a compendium of everything of the year and then

release it as a hardback book. Where do you think it started, though? From comics, I'd say. From omnivist editions of comics, essentially. But it could be anything from like Christ, like adult takes of this, like Rear's Digest, might have even done it. I mean, do we to look it up? These days,

you look it up. You give it your... These days, along with a lot of other things that used to be very commonplace, print media, annuals are more of a sort of boutiquey thing and they have sort of post-ironic ones like the annual of I don't know give me an example of a sort of what joke you don't put that on

I don't want to see him no one needs him to be here no one needs what do you mean shush don't shush me don't let do a bit where you open the door at least ee come in Hello, who's this?

Hello. I am... This is a different wig. I am fact lad. Oh, hello, fat lad. I'm a little fact lad, and I come in and I give you the facts and then I fuck off again. How old are you? Just for legal reasons.

Legally, I'm over 18. Okay, good. I'm glad. Because we'll be getting down to it. Well, I'm just fat, lad. What's your asshole like? What's your asshole like? Tissue? It's all right.

Seen better days? Is it seen better days? Is it ravaged by the health? Are you laughing at? It's got thumbprints of it. This is the worst work I've ever done in my life and that's saying something. This is the worst video I've ever made in my life.

I have facts for you. I have facts for you. I'd like to hear that. Annual publications or more simply known as annuals or periodical publications appearing usually once a year. History. Let's get right down to it. Oh, the new form of literary work called the annual was a fad from when? When do you think?

Where do you think it is, Governor? Now, Paul, I have to come clean here. I am fact, lad. Fact lad, I have to come clean here. Oh. And admit that I did see a little picture there as you were scrolling. So I would say, from the look of that picture,

it was a thing originally from the second half of the 1800s, I'd say. Somewhere around, like 1870 or something like that. Lower. Lower. 1860. Lower? 1860. It was 1823.

And it became so popular that they soon published up to 17 times a year. So I guess it was a collection of books and stories and things like that. It was just a thing in its own right. It didn't come off an IP originally. Some were college literacy books for college campuses. some had etchings of beautiful women from steel plates and they were fashion magazines of the day. And they became annuals

because they were collected the fashions of the year and then reproduced them. And then it was a long fad, carried on, spilled over into the US in 1820 when the idea caught on over there. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, fat, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, fat, lad, you should just wait for me in the green room afterwards, yeah?

get the slavering. And you know, it talks about comic books for a bit. But how they became annuals because the popularity of the fad. But it predates comic books, funnily enough. Yeah. Doesn't it?

Just go on Wikipedia. Just go on Wikipedia. All right. That's why I get on the top, lads. Toddle along over to the green room. You can help yourself to tea or coffee. And there's some nice jaffa cake digestive things there. But make sure it's all ready.

You know what I mean? It's all ready for me. I don't know what you mean, sir. I'm just fat, lad. Are you 18? Are you 18? You seem a bit developmentally younger. My mum's going to pick me up. Get out there.

I have over here. I just can't drive. Oh, I'm fine. I'm my voice is breaking. You're legal for... Yeah, I'm legal for... Not for that. I don't do that. You're legal for... I don't do that.

Legal for... I don't do that. He's legal, everyone. No. It's the worst thing I've ever done. But you're saying it. I don't know. I'm saying the worst thing, and then you're saying,

oh, who am I talking to? I'm fat, lad. Get the fuck off. I'm going to go now. I apologise, everyone. What, for your behaviour? Look, the costume this week's pretty good. You've got your nice trapdoor shirt.

I've got me trapped door one on. I've got my Bird of Paradise shirt here. Anyway, annuals, they're popular, and they continue to be popular to this very day. And we've got a couple of examples to show you. Now, from our own collection of... Oeuls. So here's the first one.

3, 2, 1. Thank you. Here's the next one. You know what? No. He just did that. It wasn't a skill. It was three...

No, it was... He just did that. 3, 2, 1. 3, 2, 1. It was a con, basically. He tried to... Have a gimmick. No, it was like, oh, he did that so fast you couldn't see it.

Because he didn't fucking do it. He just slow it down, he just goes like that. It's just blah blah blah, blah. Look, 3, 2, 1. You know what I mean? I think the passion went out of it after a while. Because, you know, you're making like... make two episodes, three episodes, a day maybe.

And you start off with, you know, three, two, one. And then at the end of the day, you go, like that. It doesn't matter. But, three, two, one. But anyway, three, two one was a game show in the UK. That mixed kind of vaudeville, an end of the pier sketches and songs with impossible riddles and puzzles for you to guess the prize,

which could be anything from like a car or a kitchen set or to a dog and a collection of jackets. Could you win a dog? Yeah. One episode, you could win a dog. You can't win a dog. No, I know you can't do that now, but they could offer it then. They could offer it then?

Because they didn't win it. Who wants a dog? Well, then, you know, you come into a game show. I don't want a dog. If you go to a game show. Now I've got vet bills. I've got to buy chum and then pack it. And then pack it onto my genitals and then go,

ditty times, licky, licky. Get the cream sprayer on the asshole. Fucking chum up the, chum up the front. cream up the other. Oh, break that dog in. I wish someone would give me a dog. Bend the dog down. Remember this. Give me old Ted Rogers.

You give the dog the old Ted Rogers. Three, two, one, three, two, one. I can't believe that's true. Are you, are you joking? Did you just say that in error? No, no, no. They gave away a dog. It was one of the prizes, but it was not won. So that means they took it out back and shot it.

Maybe, I don't know. because anyway, 3-2-1 So this is a annual for kids based on a TV show for families and honestly there's nothing in here that particularly says 3-2-1

There's comic strips It's nothing to do with the TV show There's a couple of, you know puzzles, nothing to do with the game show The only things that come close is when it talks about the people of the show itself like this.

That's a nice face. The host, Ted Rogers with Dusty Bin and Dusty Bin was the mascot It did fuck all Dusty Bin did fuck all. Well, he turned up in different costumes, didn't he? Yeah, but he couldn't even talk, could he really? No, his bow tie would...

Well, he doesn't have a bowtie. He should have had a fucking voice. And he'd gone, I'm dusty bin, here, puts a mac in me, or whatever, you know. It cost, like, I think there was some ridiculous amount of money at the time, like 30 grand in 1980-something money. And it barely worked. To make it. But yeah, it was Roger's mate, wasn't it? I can't remember.

I can't remember. We have talked about it on the podcast, so if you ever want to go and root for the audio backlog, you will find... He was doing a favour for his mate. mate and his mate went, how much can I fucking charge? I don't know if that's true. Like, do you want a fucking robot off the back of my lorry? ITV are paying. You know what I mean? Yeah. He's like, everyone gets a piece. Oh, there's a rat. But effectively, this is what you get in your common organ annual, a mixture of quizzes, facts, history, puzzles, comic books. You know, it's like keep kids entertained.

Very much a typical annual, yes. There's a, oh, no, meet the man who made dusty bit. There he is. How dodgy does that guy look? Yeah, what makes one. With his leather jacket. He doesn't look like an. animatronics guy. He looks literally like a spivy guy who will sell you a dodgy fucking dustbin for 30K. He did. He did though, didn't he? He's, obviously,

he's got something on Rogers. He's got dirty picks of Rogers with a floozy or something. And he's like, if you don't let me make your fucking bin, I'm going to show those pits of you being gaped by a fucking wrestler. Yeah. By Big Daddy. I just want to have a quick

look through. Apparently he's packed with micro processors, silicon chips and motors and it cost 10 grand and this is what, 1982 money or something? It's like 7 million quid in 83. That's a ridiculous amount of money. Yeah, but they say this.

Look at it. They say this. There's no micro processors in there. No, because all it did would roll forward, stop, rotate. Big track did that. You couldn't even fucking talk. Well, there was one microprocessor in a big track, wasn't there, at least? Yeah, because you could program it. Yeah, it had a chip in. But I get the impression this might have been done by remote control outside. Maybe he had a

A big track or two big tracks, one in each foot. Yeah. You could programme them separately, and that's how you did get it to... Oh, apparently, this guy worked for Harry Corbett and Sutty. He invented props for the Sutty show. He went on to create Magnus Pike's Big Arms for the long-running Don't Ask Me series. What?

You remember Magnus Pike? He was the science professor who was all that crazy and a bit weird. He was like, yes, he was in the blinding me with science video. Thomas Dolby? Yeah, he's in that. Yes. He also... Science! It's alive! No, he doesn't say it's alive. What did he say? It's science! Like that, he said that. He blinded me.

Science! It's science! Also, just before I put this down... Weird science. It's weird science. He built the Les Dawson piano, which collapsed. He also built a lot. He's legit. He just looks dodgy as fine. I guess people in that kind of era did. And look, there's a dusty bin cartoon just to prove that is relevant. Anyway, that's that.

Moving on. Moving on. Another team. TV annual based on a game show called Blockbusters. was against a team of two people. That was the thing that made it really unique. Yeah, and you had to... Can I just... Is it easier to just show it with this, I presume? Would it be fair to say,

Blockbuster's huge cult hit? Yeah, because it was part of that kind of student-y hit thing. Because it was on in the afternoon just before... Like the news at six or something. It was like a 5.30 kind of show, wasn't it? Yeah. After CITV before the news kind of thing. Yeah.

But anyway, basically, the contestants would have to go across the board if it was a team of two, There were always students at the contestants as well, I guess. And the team of one had to get them up. Yeah. And the answers were based on the letter. So you'd say, give me an E, please, Bob. General knowledge.

What big grey mammal has a trunk? And there was always lots of kerfuffles and sniggering when they had to ask for a P. And what was the other rude one you could have? E for drugs. I'd like an E, please, Bob. Ooh. Big fish, little fish, race car. I would like a J.O. please, Bob.

Jerkoff. Or BJ. I'll have a BJ, please. Yeah, I've got jerk off. Who ever jerk off? No one says that. There, I heard, J-O. You're a weirder.

I got J-O'd by someone at school. No one ever said that. Yeah, the headmaster said that. The headmaster said shit. But this is an interesting one. Hey, hey. What? Hey.

Hey. What? Don't interrupt me. They don't have nothing. I've got it. What? If I was on it, yeah, I'd be like,

Can I have sexual intercourse, please, Bob? Can I get... No, stop. Feltched by a mermaid. Anyway, this book is less on comic strips and facts and more on behind-the-scenes information and, like, rounds of the game to play at home. Like, I like this one.

I might take a picture of this, but this is like Bob Aldous doing some crowd work. You know, like warm the audience up between around. He goes, hey, I can fucking tell you when I was James Bond on radio. He was James Bond on the radio. Nice bit of trivia there. And then there's a thing there. Ultimately, it's just the book full of...

That's mainly it. It's like play at home. Fine. Now, here's an alternative one, because every bugger had an annual at some point. Crazy suggestions. But this one was by a TV radio star called Kenny Everett, and it is the Kenny Everett video show annual,

based on the zany chart-topping TV series. Now, here's the weird thing, though. These are for kids, right, by and large, but Kenny Everett wasn't really for kids. It was very adult. Yeah, because it was all kind of bums and wums. Willies and all pawns. Yes, so it was, that's why kids loved it so much

because it was transgressive in that way. I guess. It was a bit naughty, wasn't it? He's a very bit naughty. And I remember talking about it in the playground with the other kids and stuff, you know what I mean? It's all a bit on PC. See, if I was a young lad who got this,

and my mum saw that, she'd take that book off me. Really? You're not looking at that. You'll go blind, she'll say. I like it, naughty bits. That's what they were called as dancers. That is sexualised. Yeah, do you want to...

I'm just going to... I'm just going to... I'm just going to have a pause because I just need to go to the loo. You just go to the loo, then. I'll carry on with this while you, for no reason, take that with you. I'm just going to go to the loo here. All right, okay. Well, anyway,

this is Metal Mickey, which is also based on a kid show at the time. Oh, that was quick. I didn't know you were too pumped jump. No, I've just got to let someone in. Oh, you can't... That's not fair. You can't use the same wig. That's not fair. You know you've got long hair anyway

Oh hello there I've been asked to come here Do you want to know my name? Guess, I guess I guess I'm knowledge child Knowledge child I'm knowledge child

Why is it every time you do a character It's just a shitter version of my already shit character I'm knowledge child Do you want to ask how old I am I'm 21 Exactly right Yeah because if you're under 18 We couldn't have you in the studio

We'd have to kick you out I'd have to get your mum to come pick you up I'm ready to do something. You have nothing, don't you? Right. So anyway, Kenny Everett did a naughty book. And it's, again, stories, games. I like the artwork. It's very Viz-like at times. It's kind of leaning towards Viz.

Like, where's that one there the beginning, which I thought was a Viz cartoon? Oh, yeah, like Captain Cremant, which was his kind of kid-adjacent-friendly, animated thing, but it wasn't really. Excuse me, nice to meet you, but I've just seen a... What?

I've seen a rabbit. It was a very funny tale. Don't worry, I'll be appearing all over this show again every time. Every time. Bye, everyone. I literally hear your soul die there. I literally hear it crumble. Oh, the sun's coming in.

We've got a little bit of sunlight coming in. Who was that lad? I don't know. I seem very young. I'm back from the toilet. He was 21. I cleared it with his mother. She's hot as fuck his mum.

I only have to have any reason why I bring... What is his name again? Knowledge Child. I only bring knowledge child around because his mum is hot. So I say, oh yeah, drop your kid off. And she goes, oh, what do I do for a bit while I'm waiting for him? Did his mum come? Is his mum here now?

Oh, yes, she did. Let's move on. God, how much longer of this video? I did the old passion fruit trick with her. Have we done? Can I look? Can I show you how to eat a passion fruit? It doesn't matter. They don't know.

You know. And that's what matters, isn't it? Anyway, I rail his mother. He thinks he's going to be on the internet. It's going to be a little internet start. I'm just there for his mum's sweet poutain. That's what it is. Can we move on?

How long is this video open? Labia, mate. Too warm in here now. Labia. The sun's come out. Labia, honour. Labia honour. Like a duck's gob.

It's what it is. It's just, whore. It's like bagging. I'm trying to, I'm trying to picture the labia. Like a duck's gob, like, that looks like that. It looks like that. Yeah, but like bigger. Her family looks like your mouth.

But bigger. Your mouth looks like a lady's fanny. Her, no, her fanny looks like my mouth. Saggy, saggy, vaguely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Please. Dirty assort as well. Anyway.

Jesus wet, this is the worst video we've already. Anyway, here's that one. Next one, Metal Mickey, based on a TV show written by a monkey. Mickey Dolans. Came up with an idea about a sitcom for kids about a wacky family who end up having to look after a robot

that doesn't understand humans. He was a bit of an entrepreneur and sort of... Yeah, this one's got stories in. I remember that show. Yeah, and used to get the sweets, the Thunderbolt, whatever they're called. Remember Electric Thunderbolts?

Because you remember they used to feed metal Mickey's sweet called... Oh, that gobstop at that. Yeah, and you could buy them in stores, but basically they were little silver-colored aniseed balls. Ah. That's what I seem to remember. You never see aniseed balls. No, with a little seed in the middle as well.

It had a literal aniseed... I loved them. In the middle. Great taste. I used to love them back on how to... I don't know why. I like the taste of aniseed, but I don't like the taste of licorice.

There's a subtle, yet clear difference. I'm much more of a licorice person than an anisee person. But the ennees... But the ennese genre of food is something I quite like. That looks like a terrible way. Oh, do you want to hear some gaggle and gags from Metal Mickey? Yeah, and do some questions or something. What newspapers do cats read?

The meowning news. Oh, close. The muse of the world. Meows of the world. Yeah, it says muse of the world. Although, Kess said meows would be better as well. Fucking shit. Right.

What is yellow and jumps from cake to cake? Springy banana. Tarzi pan. Oh! Can't say, Mark, Tarzan. Where would you find a prehistoric cow? Where would you find a prehistoric cow? Where would you find one?

Where would you find a prehistoric cow? In, um... Right? Give me a clue. The answer is it in a museum. In a museum. Right, last one. Right.

Why couldn't Eve have the measles? Why couldn't Eve have the measles? Because she was inoculated. No. She was very much anti-vax, Eve. No, the answer is she couldn't have measles because she'd Adam. She's Adam. Adam, I'm Adam.

That's a poly-thing thing image. Now, obviously, these... These annuals now are very close to me because when I was a kid I had these all growing up. Because I'm a big Ghostbusters fan. Have I ever told you that? I like Ghostbusters. Have I ever told you like Ghostbusters? I like Ghostbusters. Well I have loads of annuals.

This is just a few of them. Real Ghostbusters, that's coming back? No, it's... Netflix is doing a new animated series. And it's not going to be called the Real Ghostbusters. It's going to be called Ghostbusters Night Shift and it's set a couple of years after Ghostbusters 2 happens. Is it in the universe of the real Ghostbusters? Apparently, no, because the real Ghostbusters is a completely different thing.

Yeah. It's a separate thing altogether, although it exists in a world where Ghostbusters was a movie. Weird. Because there's one episode where they go to the film set of Ghostbusters because it's being haunted. At the end of the episode, they're sitting down to watch the film. One of the better episodes. Not really. But it's a cute little idea, anyway.

So anyway, Marvel Comics in the UK had Ghostbusters line of comics, real Ghostbusters. So obviously they would churn out the annuals every year or so. And I've got all of them, just three of them here. But I like it because it's a nice mix of the, you know, The Marvel comic style with some stories. Who makes the Marvel comics these days? Who punishes them now that Disney owns the company? Disney only owns the films?

No, Disney doesn't know anything to do with Ghostbusters. It's Sony. No, I mean, I'm talking about Marvel, sorry. Oh, well. Because you said Marvel UK. Yeah, that's a good point. I don't know. I think, honestly, by now, it doesn't mean anything.

They still publish Marvel Comics. Yeah, but Marvel UK doesn't exist in the same kind of... I mean, it's... I wouldn't know the business practices of the licensing. No, I'm just started to... Because by that logic, how many Marvel comic, like Alph and stuff, would therefore be Disney by that logic? So it can't. The IP must be different.

Maybe if you know, you can comment below. But, like, yeah, Marvel UK existed in its own little bubble. Like, these didn't come out in the Americas at all. Because I think a company called Now Comics published it in the 80s. And it was a different visual look to these designs. I used to collect a comic called Excalibur, which was like the British X-Men that was published by the world. Do you remember that? And it has Captain Marvel as the...

This is why I don't really understand about like IPs because Marvel UK was basically told to just get on with it and do their own thing. Like a separate firm. It feels like that. So anyway, these came out and honestly, look, if you're a Ghostbusters fan, you know what to expect. But there's just comics and facts and books and short stories

and licensed art and, you know... Are these good? Yeah, they're all right. I mean, honestly... I like the artwork. It's like up to that Marvel standard, especially this one. Yeah, there's some nice designs in this. And there's like little play.

I don't know. There's a maze. There's a maze. Maze is... But also, just for the record, I've also got this. This Ghostbusters. This is...

Ooh, that's just like you get the badge you got. Yeah. That's cool. Where is that from? This would have been 84 as well. Actually, this is 87, weirdly enough. This is like the totally different Ghostbusters. Yeah, because the original sitcom...

But it's still going? No. Well, the original sitcom came out in the... 70s? Late to late 70s. Yeah. That's where Universal got the license to have the term, the Ghostbusters.

This is 87? Yes, because... Part of the deal was Universal could use their Ghostbusters for things going forward and Columbia Pictures could use that Ghostbusters through license of using the name. This is the Columbia one.

Hence why that's called real Ghostbusters to associate with the film and this is called Ghostbusters to a relationship to the original. And this was the animated series by the people who did He-Man filmation. It was a, yeah, they did an animated version of this. Yes.

But also the original was a live action with a monkey in. Yeah. And the cartoon series was a generation after that, where the kids, the sons and the monkeys. Is their monkey? Yeah. Is there a monkey? Yeah, Tracy the monkey. There is, Tracy the monkey. I wasn't even aware of this

until we started talking about... You didn't know about this at all. You've never seen this growing up. I've never seen it growing up at all. It's a funny one. And I used to watch the real Ghostbusters. Of course, I liked the film. It was one of my most formative cinema experiences. Yeah.

That moment in Ghostbusters where he turns on the... Shut up. I've heard it's good. When he turns on the pack in the lift. Yeah, and they all back into the corner. I can just remember the... Clear as day, I can remember the reaction in the...

Well, there's a theatre. And it was one of the biggest reactions I've ever seen to any film. That moment. A subtle, weird gag that kind of was... It just... It erupted in laughter. The audience. It was crazy.

And now it's all... Good film. And now it's all... It is a good film. Yeah. No, Ghostbusters is a very, very good film. It just seems sort of mean, and the Murray character seems like more and more of a problematic prick, the longer it goes on.

That's because that archetype of Hollywood heroes kind of gone by the wayside now. Anyway, so this, though, the interesting about this is this cartoon series was launched the same time as the other one, because they realised, oh, it's really complicated, but effectively, once the film was a hit, the filmation was like, we should bang out a Ghostbusters one as soon as possible. They couldn't get the license to that.

Just to fool people. Yeah, well, no, they couldn't get the license, to this, because they were all doing some of deals Sony in Columbia. So the filmation went to Universal where we'll make this for you and long story short, they did it. It ran for two seasons, I think, or maybe one. At the same time as the real best ones.

It even came out a little beforehand. These are both, as we record this, about to celebrate their 40th birthday. Crazy. Because this came out, as we, actually, as we record today, this is 40 years old. This was the first broadcast in America. And then this came out a few days later

on the American networks. But yeah, well, 86. These came out in 86, but these annuals came out in 87 because the turnaround. So, yeah, so this is the alternate universe one with all the characters from the filmation series, loosely based on the thing. I like the logo a lot, and that's why I got the PIM badge. They bust ghosts in this as well, but they're not professionalised. It's not corporate. It's not a company. It is. Yeah, it is, because they get a phone call and then they rush the jobs in their ecto-type mobile thing, jalopy. but the difference is

is that it is more like he man in that they have this big villain called Prime Evil or Primordial Evil. Yes, kind of. But this deals with like alternate dimensions and parallel realms and so does the other ghost versus. Yeah, it does.

So it's all much of a watch this book, got that. Oh, but then to end on, and we'll do this very briefly because in the UK for me when I think of annuals, I think of Looking annuals. Looking was a TV show magazine for kids,

like a TV Times for kids that had comic strips and, you know, schedules. It was a magazine, not a TV show. Sorry, yeah, but it was about TV shows. It was about TV shows for kids. And as a result, every year, they would churn at an annual.

So, like, they always go back to the 70s. That's very cool. What I love about this is, like, you know what kids love in the 70s? On the buses. Sex comedy, essentially. A gritty, grubby, sex sitcom about a dirty old man on a bus.

Well, we've seen. Who were probably younger than us when they made this, right? But they look like they're 50s. But they forever look like they're in their mid-50s. Well, this is something we've discussed before. Crow that, it's a receipt. Follyfoot. Oh, there's some jokes here.

No, we're a comic strip. So again, a lot of the stuff in this is repeating what was popular on TV at the time for kids. So you're going to get Follyfoot and this and Cat Weasel and on the buses and I don't know, whatever's pig in the 70s at the time, Charlie's Angels and stuff. So that's like a 70s one. and there's like David Nixon's magic box David Nixon was one of the early kids kind of magic show guys

Oh yeah I recognise him The kind of pre-Paul Daniels TV star Shoupot Yeah he was the guy used to present What was it, ITV's MacPie or something Or something or he got YouTube No he didn't I don't think he's got lots of problems

But I don't think we can say that's one of them Certainly legally allegedly I don't think he did right on my record Still a bit of a knob at Do it yourself origami, bit orientalist. Yeah, because it's got that text. Do you know what they call that type of font? Chopsui.

Yeah. Tsoi, he's fake Chinese, English font. Yeah, there's a guy online who used to do comedy with a long town with, with Miles, was it Miles? He did that video on typesetting and stuff, and he did it all about... Linus. Linus. Yeah, Linus's video.

He's great his videos. Yeah. He's a font designer. I don't know what they call them. Yeah. And look, on the bus is comic strip, because, again, that's what kids like. comic books based on fucking grotty sitcoms. Oh, why is Rolf Harris in this?

Next to a special story. Oh, he's just a poster. Anyway, that's the 70s, and then you get into the 80s. This is 88, 89. So everything's a bit more trendy and young now. There's Alf. Yeah, there's Alph, and Spectre Gadget. Alph was the big deal, wasn't it?

Bobby Davro. There's Anna Karai's talking about Treasure Runs. It's all fun and games, in it? As I was saying, Paul, we've discussed. on the show before. Yeah. Canon and Ball cartoon strip. In these eras,

the distinction between what was adult material and what was the kids was very much blurred. It was blurring. I think it's almost like today it's one big molasses of content. Is it? Yeah, now you get kids.

Kids watch a lot of adult shows and adults get into the kids show that are cool to and popular. You know, like adventure time and things like that. Yeah, I guess, yeah, yeah. Five stars. It's the other way these days, yeah, for sure. Here's the whole fucking thing about five-star.

Oh no, they're gone. McLeod, Dick Turpin, Follyfoot, Galaxy Rangers, National Velvet. These are all famous horse-based TV shows, Mr. Ed. So, you know, and then you got this one, TV special, which was a weird nebulous one that would come out in the summer. I love that 80s. They're so 80s, that design. And again, more of the same.

Oh, it's a summer annual. Look, there's Smurfs. They were huge. Well, no, they were quite, Well, they were quite small, but quite huge. To the point where they were so popular, everyone tried to rip them off. So the company that was animating Smurfs

were making their own knock-offs of Smurf to compete with themselves on different networks. Yeah, snorke, but it wasn't just that, it was like the Ticester or the tiny bear things. Okay, as well. And anything small that was being chased by a normal-sized person for evil purposes. Or a cat?

Yeah, it was always like that. They were, yeah. And look at all the shape of TVs. Oh, that's so funny. They look so old. And to think, like, the latest one they go up to is what? Oh, 1967 in this. But, like, they're very proud of how TVs will change,

and they'll never get any better than this. What else is in here now that I can just freestyle? Oh, keeping in rhythm with the freestyle beat, the world champion dancing. Oh, that's funny. So this is all disco or stuff? Yeah. Disco, it was the disco beat named after discotex

and the new style of dance hall in nightclubs, discos, as they became known, are now taking for granted, on every town centre or high street that has one. That was a good era. Do you think? Yeah, a disco. Go to a disco, couldn't you?

Look at that. There's TV championships, 78, 81. There's a DJ who I admire, who invented the deep funk scene, Keb Darge. And there's footage of him winning that competition. Oh, really? And you know what the song playing is?

It's a disco hit that is very much used, these days in ads and stuff. Patrick Hernandez is Born to be alive. I don't know that one. Yes, you do. Do I? Born. Born to be alive.

Born to be alive. I was born. You know that one? Yeah. Anyway, there's loads of great shit in it. But that, in a nutshell, is what kids could expect from annuals back in today. And they still have them today. They still have sports ones and Doctor Who and Christ knows whatever's popular.

They always have annuals coming out. They're not going away. Yeah, I was saying, but they do sort of parody ones now, don't they? Well, like Viz do them as well. Viz do them every year. Yeah, Viz is well on them. Yes, there's... You know what I'm thinking?

Like, they've got those ladybird books, like the book of the husband or whatever. They've got their sort of joke versions. They're not annuals, though. They're just normal hardback books. Cetirical annuals as well. Oh, yeah. So, of using the aesthetic of like an old annual.

What's that? For more of a joky up to the minute. You know what I mean? Yeah, what's that? What's that? Oh, Christ, there are a bunch of guys who talk about nostalgia. on TV and they have that fake British village with his stuff.

Oh yeah, Scarfolk. Yeah. Yeah, they do an annual. They do an annual and stuff, you know? Yes, which is very much the horticological, scary 70s forever. And I've even got like that on cinema one, to some extent. It's kind of like an annual. You know what I mean?

So, yeah, we love. Well, I've learned today that they predate comic books, which I thought wouldn't it be the case. No. But it's to do with sort of the technology of being able to do mass-produced hard-backed books, I guess, as well. which was emerging at that time. Do you see what I mean?

Cardboard technology. I'm sure that... I'm sure if you looked at the Wikipedia article in more depth, you'd see they must mention the technology of binding, which must have been changing in the early 1800s.

You know what we should do in the future? Pick one at random and do a kind of page-by-page kind of breakdown review. Just every now and then. Don't Ashen's do that. No, they do Argos. Oh yeah, they do catalog.

If anything, I've done that with Stuart. Yes, you have. But that was the normal, because I've got tons of issues of it. me box but I've got some... We can just go through an annual one day in the future and just go... Oh look. I'd love to. Oh look. I'd love to. Cockle Shell Bay. Oh look. Uh, wind surfing. Oh look. Did you think he's still back there? Who? Fack lad. Let's have a look. Fat lad. Wake up. Fat lad. Wake up. Don't do that. He's not moving. Get the... Call the... Call the

call 911. Oh, he's foaming at the mat. He's overdosed. mate he's open right he's fucking get the shit shit shit we're gonna say goodbye oh fuck he can't have another one die on us we can't have another one die on us we can't not again

come on please wake up please wake up