Buggernation Street Annual 1975

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The Rovers’ band play together for the first time - Billy and Ken on horns, Alan on guitar and Ernie on piano; they have a crack at ‘Theme One’, though Ena Sharples isn’t impressed. Stan forks out 6p on a card for Hilda, Ray promises to lavish Angel Delight and Blue Nun on Deirdre, Jerry places a suggestive ad in the classifieds section of the local paper, Ken organises a junior disco at the community centre, and Alan persuades Lucille to indulge in a threesome with him and Elsie. Given the go-ahead by the IBA to break new ground in terms of ‘foul language’ on the grounds that the only people watching would be insomniacs and weirdos (decent people went to bed earlier back in the 70s), Granada produced a programme unlike anything previously seen on British television. Next door to the Rovers is the home of Albert Tatlock, the original grumpy old man who fought in every great historical British military conflict from the Battle of Hastings onwards.

This is a clever reflection of the actual terraced street where the characters reside, which itself hasn't changed since it was built during the late Victorian era. Minnie places an ad in the lonely hearts’ column of the local paper and receives an invitation to afternoon tea; Ena reluctantly joins her when the old man who responded to Minnie’s ad brings his mate along - or is it his donkey? Although the series quickly developed a cult following with its unprecedented swearing and hip cultural references (Steve Hillage of Gong was said to be a fan), those whose listening habits wore slippers were largely as appalled as renowned moral crusaders like Lord Longford and Mary Whitehouse.Jerry has his hopes dashed when Mavis bottles out of a Christmas Day dinner-orgy at a swingers’ club, Stan dreads Hilda’s festive role-playing (involving a truncheon), and Maggie is confronted by several disturbing Christmas requests. This has been one of the moves that have reduced YT to merely another corporate tool, yet so dominant is the platform when it comes to its specific market that it continues to put other video platforms in the permanent shade. Gail and Tricia visit Albert Tatlock in the hope of scrounging a few quid, but find themselves subjected to a unique form of torture as the old git bores them rigid with tales of all the battles he’s taken part in. Anyone would think the creator was some sort of hardcore pornographer rather than a satirist and producer of comedic videos for a specified adult audience.

With the characters and tone of the prospective series now pretty much established, we’re plunged straight into familiar filthy territory as Stan’s hopes of joining the Masonic set known as the Buggernation Brotherhood are scuppered by his reluctance to participate in the sodomy ritual that marks a new member’s initiation ceremony. Jerry is no more fortunate in appealing to Elsie, and Ken struggles not to ‘do a Len’ when confronted by a randy prick-teaser at the community centre. Elsie gladly volunteers to do the dirty deed, but an entire team has to be assembled to plot and enact a tricky operation.

A drunken Annie Walker then stumbles her way through a local radio interview whereby she slags off her neighbours, including Fred Gee (making his one and only appearance in the series), who she says ‘looks like a friggin’ Sea Devil from Doctor Who’. The Street is emptied of residents following a suspected gas-leak, but the stink from the drains turns out to be a discarded blow-up doll dumped by Len months before. Meanwhile, Albert proves he’s the embodiment of masculine virility when walking Weatherfield Moor for charity with Jerry Booth - despite the legend of the site being plagued by witches and werewolves.

Brassy, buxom Elsie still has the scabs as a memento of her relationship with Len, but has recently set up home with Alan Howard. Annie is a snooty widow who nevertheless craves a vibrator to enliven lonely evenings; her son Billy is a pimp who runs several brothels in Accrington, but has persuaded his girlfriend Deirdre Hunt to work on the streets of Weatherfield, a move that proves to be a profitable venture for both of them. BUGGERNATION STREET is permanently trapped in a perpetual Northern England of the mid-1970s, somewhere between 1973-76. Ena has her own small flat on the opposite side of the street, but spends as much time in other people's homes and in the snug of the Rovers.With concerns over the barmaid’s ‘masculinity’ confirmed as Len confesses his indiscretion to Annie, the Rovers landlady sacks Bet from the Rovers. Oct 5, 2016 21:15:17 GMT wallis said:Just watched the first episode and haven't laughed so much for ages. Just in case I mistook YT for CBeebies, I always ticked the box stating my videos were for adults only, YT’s equivalent of the old-fashioned X certificate.