TERROR TV IN BUSTER AND MONSTER FUN – PART ONE

A recent e-mail from a fan and researcher of Doctor Who requesting details about episodes of Terror TV strip featuring the Time Lord made me realise that I’ve left some loose ends when covering the strips that originated in MONSTER FUN COMIC and were transferred to BUSTER when the two titles merged in 1976. There were eight of them - Martha’s Monster Make-Up, Teddy Scare, Draculass, Terror TV, Kid Kong, Gums, Mummy’s Boy and X-Ray Specs. I covered their runs in MONSTER FUN COMIC in my detailed account of MFC a few years ago. I have no wish to go too deep into BUSTER territory but the relatively short runs of Martha’s Monster Make-Up, Teddy Scare, Draculass and Terror TV in BUSTER AND MONSTER FUN make me want to cover the four strips to their very end. 

I am not sure there’ll be much to say about all of them but Terror TV was a really interesting one. You can refresh your memories of the strip by revisiting my old article HERE. 

In MONSTER FUN COMIC, Terror TV was a two-pager, it ran for 24 weeks in issues 50 – 73. The illustrator was initially Ian Knox. Barrie Appleby took over from issue 67 and drew the strip till the end of the series in MFC. 

Barrie Appleby remained in charge of the feature after it transferred to BUSTER and became a one-pager. The first combined issue of Buster AND MONSTER FUN was cover-dated 6th November, 1976. Terror TV ended 68 weeks later in the issue with the cover date of 18th February 1978. It missed one week (October 8, 1977), so the total episode count in BUSTER came up to sixty-seven, all illustrated by Barrie Appleby. The strip made five front-cover appearances in colour.

The vast majority of the episodes lampooned real TV shows and required Barrie Appleby to draw lots of caricatures of real TV personalities. My knowledge of British television of the seventies is patchy and only a few of the names make sense to me (Fawlty Terrors = Fawlty Towers, Doctor Boo = Doctor Who, Looterror Colomboo = Columbo, John Claws = John Cleese, Jimmy Madville = Jimmy Savile, etc.). Below is part one of the complete list of the episodes with a few scans of the pages that I find to be interesting or nice. Part two will follow soon. Have fun identifying the names of the shows and TV stars and reporting your findings in the comments section :)

November 6, 1976 · New viewer for Terror TV visits Terror TV studios and gets a taste of some of their programmes – Miss Weird Contest, Weather Fearcast and Opportunity Knees-Knocks

November 13, 1976 · Saturday sports programme - Grimstand

November 20, 1976 · Nationweird hosted by Michael Baarghatt

November 27, 1976 · Comic couple – Eric and Ernie – Morescream and Wince

December 4, 1976 · TERROR TV featured on front cover. The Generaving Game, hosted by Bruce Forfright

December 11, 1976 · Terror TV’s Open Ghoulf Championship, presenter – Harry Carpenterror

December 18, 1976 · Christmas film shooting (Christmas on Creaky Island)

December 25, 1976 · Christmas Fright with Stars  - chat with your favourite disc jockeys Tony Bleakburn, Jimmy Madville, O.B.E. and Ed ‘Screwtop’ Stewart

January 1, 1977 · Terror TV’s Annual Pantomime – Jack and the Scream-Stalk

January 8, 1977 · Animal Panic, presenter – Johnny Morbid

January 15, 1977 · John Raving’s Newsround

January 22, 1977 · Fawlty Terrors

January 29, 1977 · Scaretrek - the Scareship Enterrorprise

February 5, 1977 · Tomorrow’s Weird presented by Raymond Backscare

February 12, 1977 · Filming the commercial for “Daze”

February 19, 1977 · Looterror Colomboo, your favourite TV cop

February 26, 1977 · Ghoulling for a Song hosted by Max Robertscream

March 5, 1977 · The Superscares – the programme where we find which star of sport stands up bests to being terrified

March 12, 1977 · Another tale of those wartime weirdos in Dad’s Scare Me

March 19, 1977 · Pot Bleak - TV spooker game hosted by Alan Freaks

March 26, 1977 · New Faceaches – the popular TV talent show hosted by Derek Horribleson

April 2, 1977 · TERROR TV featured on front cover. Interview between John Claws and Ronnie Corbite

April 9, 1977 · Scare of the Century – introduced by Nicholas Panics-on

April 16, 1977 · Angela Rave-on welcomes you to this year’s Eurofearsome Song Contest

April 23, 1977 · Multi-Horrored Shock Shop with Noel Demons

April 30, 1977 · Jim’ll Freak It! with Jimmy Savage

May 7, 1977 · Terror TV’s Special Weather Forecast

May 14, 1977 · Table Terror Tournament

May 21, 1977 · TTV’s new cowboy serial – The Revenge of Pocahauntus

May 28, 1977 · Scream Test hosted by Michael Odd. Magnus Murkysome thanks reader for programme idea

June 4, 1977 · TTV’s Annual Presentation of TV Awards

June 11, 1977  · Terrorzan of the Jungle film

June 18, 1977 · Raving Damp featuring that meanest of mean landlords, Mr. Rigsfear

June 25, 1977 · The Sky at Night hosted by Patshriek Moore

July 2, 1977 · Groan-in – TTV’s version of a phone-in programme where viewers ask people in the studio questions 

July 9, 1977 · TERROR TV featured on front cover. Wrestling match – Big Baddie vs Terror TV’s Box of Tricks

July 16, 1977 · Bat’s Life hosted by Esther Rantscream. Magnus Murkysome thanks reader for programme idea

July 23, 1977  · It’s a Shock-out hosted by Stuart Horror

July 30, 1977 · Scaresky and Hunch – the creepy crime-busters. Magnus Murkysome thanks reader for programme idea

August 6, 1977 · Top of the Shocks introduced by Dave Lee Terror 

August 13, 1977 · Horridge, your favourite prison series with its number one convict, Norman Stanley Freaker

COME BACK SOON FOR PART TWO OF THE COMPLETE LIST OF TERROR TV PROGRAMMES!