Tuesday 19 January 2010, 12:54
Here is an extraordinary piece of film. It is a live outside broadcast of a British army simulation of an attack on a train in Britain. It went out at prime time on a BBC programme called Saturday Night Out.
And it happened in 1956.
I have tried to find out whether the British government and army were planning for an attack by Cold War Soviet sleeper cells, or the IRA. Or whether they were training to do sabotage themselves. But no one seems to know.
The commentary is wonderful - especially at the end. And Saturday Night Out had a great catch phrase
SATURDAY NIGHT OUT
SHOWS YOU
THINGS HAPPEN
AS THEY HAPPEN
WHEN THEY HAPPEN
AND WHERE THEY HAPPEN
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Friday 8 January 2010, 15:54
Friday 29 January 2010, 16:06
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Comment number 1.
Giv19th January 2010 - 14:33
I love the presenter's eulogy before the train departs. So over the top.
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Comment number 2.
rubensni19th January 2010 - 21:50
Top Gear 1950's style!
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Comment number 3.
ivica20th January 2010 - 7:24
Not as brilliant a line as "future events such as these will affect you in the future", but still pretty funny. I lol'd.
I typed out "Hope you do a little film for Charlie Brooker's Newswipe again, Adam." but then I did a search for "Newswipe" to make sure that's really what it's called and saw this, so yay... http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a194382/charlie-brooker-confirms-newswipe-return.html
Thngs like this can really cheer me up.
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Comment number 4.
UsHonestJohn20th January 2010 - 18:12
A bit anticlimactic, but fascinating considering this was over 50 years ago!
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Comment number 5.
Dave Socrates24th January 2010 - 23:09
Hmm, I imagine the most the audiences memories of WWII were a bit more 'terrifying' than this programme. But I'm sure, back in those days, people would hide behind the sofa literally vomiting in fear etc. etc.
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Comments 5 of 15