TV to remember

Ah, the days of our youth.

When mobile phones were the size of your head, Big Jack was Ireland manager and, most importantly,  TV was good. Really good...

To highlight this golden age of television, we'll be putting some of the true classics from our not-so-misspent youth under the microscope, so that you may look back fondly, with a nostalgic glint in your eye and say...  Hey! I used to watch that!

Bosco

 

All hail the red-haired buck in the stripy pyjamas… Bosco is, quite simply, the undisputed High King of children's TV. So revered is he (and yes, it is “he”), despite the fact that he hasn't been seen on TV or indeed anywhere for well over a decade, he is still the subject of much conversation amongst 16-30 year olds who remember all too well his big red mop of hair, squeaky voice and his tendency to wear his green and white jammy-jams at half-past two in the afternoon.

The sheer mystery that surrounds Bosco's life is amazing. All anyone seems to know is that he lived in a humble one-room box, and had 2 co-presenters: A man called Paul and a woman called Marian who would invariably make fools of themselves every day in front of an adoring audience.

In actual fact, Bosco was a member of the Lambert family, the illustrious family of puppeteers, and Bosco himself was voiced by Paula Lambert. He was also known to be in possession of a “Magic Door”, which when opened would reveal 2 aliens made of Marla (You all remember Marla, right?). These aliens loved the complex but fun nature of the English language, so much so that their necks used to grow a few inches with excitement every time they uttered a tongue twister. There was also a cartoon feature, but little is recorded about this.

In the early 90's, he was cruelly taken off air and replaced by 2 sinister looking balls of green and yellow hair. Since then he has done little. Much was said about Bosco's kidnapping several years ago, and despite the fact he is now a free puppet, he has kept a staggeringly low profile in recent years, which has led to the inevitable conspiracy theories about what he is up to.

Some believe he is planning to run as an Independent candidate in the next general election for the Galway West constituency, some others believe that he is in the running to take over The Late Late Show, but irrespective of what he is doing; Bosco's life and times are a constant source of intrigue and ambiguity. Let's hope we hear from him soon!

If you know anything about Bosco's recent activities or whereabouts, please let us know in the forum!

By: Paddy Duffy