Looks Unfamiliar: Anna Cale – Ronnie Birtles, What Were You Up To?

Nelson's Column (BBC1, 1994-95) - listen to Anna Cale and Tim Worthington talking about it in Looks Unfamiliar.

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.

Joining Tim this time is writer Anna Cale, who’s trying to bag a local newspaper scoop on remembering Dooby Duck’s Disco Bus, Grange Hill‘s Ronnie Birtles’ shoplifting storyline, Ken Loach’s McDonald’s advert, Nelson’s Column, The Doberman Gang, fashion craze ‘hair jewels’ and Radio 1 phone-in competition 31 Days In May. Along the way we’ll be discovering what happens if Drop The Dead Donkey is rewritten by The Forces Of Darkness, recalling the great Indie Girl Maggie Moone Craze of 1999, reluctantly trying The Official Council Tarmac Bar, and revealing what punishment was really handed out to all those light-fingered Grange Hill pupils.

Ken Loach's McDonald's advert (1990) - listen to Anna Cale and Tim Worthington talking about it in Looks Unfamiliar.

About Anna

Anna Cale is a writer; you can find Anna’s Linktree here and film blog The Rest Is Propaganda here, and follow her on Twitter at @real_meaning. Anna’s Diana Dors biography The Real Diana Dors is available from Amazon here.

Buy A Book!

If you could do with a laugh after not getting through to 31 Days In May in time to win those Brother Beyond tickets, you can find the story of comedy at Radio 1 in Fun At One, available in paperback here or from the Kindle Store here.

Alternately, if you’re just feeling generous, you can buy me a coffee here. Please do make sure to tell Ken Loach you were inspired to get a McCafé by his advert.

Further Listening

Anna has also appeared on Looks Unfamiliar talking about the Neighbours sticker album, Wendy Cracked A Walnut, Rogue, Sosmix, Secrets Of The Sea and the Shackleton’s High Seat Chairs advert here, and Sport Billy, Silly Games by Lindy Layton, Joni Jones, The Girl In The Picture, Return To Eden, The Incredible Hulk Smash-Up Action Game, Trev & Simon’s Stupid Video and Dors’ Dozen here.

You can also find Anna on Tim’s Marvel Cinematic Universe podcast It’s Good, Except It Sucks talking about Spider-Man: Homecoming here and Captain Marvel here.

There’s more on Grange Hill with Mitch Benn’s thoughts on the storyline with ‘evil’ teacher Mr. Hicks on Looks Unfamiliar here, and further thoughts on underachieving nineties sitcoms with Catrin Lowe on Chef! here and Carrie Dunn on Just A Gigolo here.