Nostalgia definitely isn’t what it used to be!
29/10/2010

Judging by the recent crop of TV commercial remakes, nostalgia is not, as they say, what it used to be.  The Tetley Tea Folk, in their recent revival, proved disappointingly bland.  Mr Happy, currently fronting for Spec Savers, has lost his sunny disposition (having failed to cash in on their two-for-one offer).  And, shock horror, the Milky Bar Kid, as played by actor Chris Beebee in a comeback for the brand, has joked about taking drugs (and you thought it was the chocolate that was sweet and white!)

But perhaps most politically sensitive of all, there is talk of the Green Cross Code Man making a reappearance in a rescreening of the original public information film. Considering the recent fuss that was made about 7-year old school girl Isabelle Holland being allowed to walk 45 yards alone to the village school – Lincolnshire County Council threatened her parents with legal action if they continued to allow her to do so – you’ll appreciate that the BBC’s plans are PC dynamite.
In one film from the series (YouTube Green Cross Code 1) a boy and a girl of about Isabelle’s age step out unsupervised on a busy road and are practically run over by an Austin Allegro (a particularly sad way to go, as one viewer comments). Only then does Green Cross Code Man appear, have a few sharp words with them, and tell them to be more careful next time because he – and by implication any other adult – will not be around to look after them.

It’d be a brave BBC that released that clip nowadays. And as for the decidedly camp appearance of Green Cross Code Man himself – just dig those shoulder pads and skin tight tights – I can’t help but wonder if he’s the right man for the job!