DVD Review: Magpie
I only have vague recollections of Magpie from my childhood, but I do remember one thing loud and clear - it was far more cool than Blue Peter. To me, the BBC's magazine show was an extension of school, whereas Magpie was more of a cool youth club. Watching the now reissued Magpie DVD all these years later, it seems even more true.
Let's be honest, when your presenters included a Marc Bolan lookalike, a 60s 'it girl' who didn't think much of wearing underwear on-screen and best of all, a former actress who starred in both a Bond movie and a Pete Walker horror, you're already well ahead of the game. But it wasn't just the people, watching the surviving episodes today and you find a programme that didn't patronise its teen demographic, didn't necessarily play safe and above all, managed to educate its audience by keeping things interesting. If only modern-day kids TV did the same. Having a theme tune by the Spencer Davis Group didn't do Magpie any harm either.
It's a shame that more of the older episodes didn't survive in the archives as the one Susan Stranks episode (the first Mick 'Bolan' Robertson episode too) is one of the best here, throwing in everything from the technology behind TV cameras to the humble farmer's plough, our Susan no doubt keeping young lads awake at night with her lack of bra too. If that's not enough, Leeds United's Terry Cooper even pops up with a pair of his all-new trainers for budding footballers, complete with markers showing where to kick the ball. If someone wants to make some money, reissue them now - they're unbelievably stylish.
After that, we get a number of episodes with the 'classic' trio of Mick Robertson, former actress Jenny Hanley (she of Pete Walker's Flesh and Blood Show fame) and Douglas Rae. Incredibly watchable, the episodes cover everything from riding the canals of London through to nitro racing, not to mention a James Hunt interview in Monaco, the world's biggest sports car, the meaning of various words, inner city wall painting, wind surfing, Christmas japes, dog handling and best of all, the team touring around France on holiday, taking in some 70s-style culture from the Dordogne through to the south coast. Frustratingly, an episode featuring 'the new craze of skateboarding' is mentioned but not here. Shame, but the fact that Magpie were on it in 1976 gives you an idea of how 'on the ball' the show was at the time.
The latter episodes are slightly disappointing - and that disappointment is largely based around latter-day presenter Tommy Boyd. Unlike the previous hosts, our Tommy was more like today's kids presenter - a bit of a joker, a bit whacky, a bit of an overgrown child if you like. Maybe it was what the show needed to liven it up in the late 70s, but to be honest, none of the later Magpies have the same impact as the earlier ones, even if there is the odd interesting snippet, Jamie Reid-style artwork winning the Christmas card competition for one, inflatable wrestlers, cricket lessons and a super-long custom Chopper as a few others. But judging by the 'best of' 1979 episode on here, ideas were running short as the series approached the end of the line in 1980.
The extras are worth a mention too, a number of 'orphan' clips from shows that on longer exist in their entirety (all from those early shows and just about all featuring Susan Stranks) and a 1971 'fly on the wall' episode called My Brother David, which looks at a special needs child through the eyes of his elder sister, a fascinating film that tried to show why disabled children needed both help and understanding within the wider community. Worth the admission alone.
I've got to be honest, when I got a copy of the Magpie DVD set, I expected very little outside of a bit of nostalgia and discovering that Magpie wasn't as good as I like to remember it. The reality is very different. For the majority of the two discs here, you'll find an entertaining, lighthearted snapshot of the 1970s, everything from music and sport through to travel and personalities of the day, much of it educational and much of it pitched as much to adults as to kids. If you like the idea of owning a Magpie DVD, you'll not be disappointed.
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