About this episode

Tim Worthington talks to Mark Thompson about nostalgic topics including Lenny Henry's adverts and early Channel 4 sitcoms.

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 political commentator Mark Thompson, who's hoping that it's not too weird remembering Lenny Henry's Smiths Square Crisps adverts, the 'Allied Lyons - A Great British Company' campaign, The Quiet Earth , Steve Jackson Games' Illuminati , early Channel 4 sitcoms The Optimist and Father's Day and a variety of just about legal payphone 'workarounds'. Along the way we'll be predicting which would prove most profitable out of Findus Crisps and Golden Wonder Shark Jumps, explaining how Roy Jay was too weird for 'It's Weird...', revealing how to repel adolescent phone box miscreants armed only with Red Red Wine by UB40 and considering whether Channel 4 could actually have happened without John Alderton's old shirts. You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/ . You can also find Mark on Looks Unfamiliar talking about Whiz Kids , Crash ZX Spectrum , Night Shift , Public Information Film family The Blunders, The Last Train and The Drak Pack here…

People in this episode

Host: Tim Worthington

Guest: Mark Thompson

Topics covered

• nostalgia
• advertising
• television history
• political commentary
• comedy
• pop culture

Keywords

• Lenny Henry
• Smiths Square Crisps
• The Quiet Earth
• Channel 4
• Steve Jackson Games
• Illuminati
• nostalgia
• advertising
• comedy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Allied Lyons, Steve Jackson Games, Channel 4

Products: Findus Crisps, Golden Wonder Shark Jumps

Books & works: The Quiet Earth, Illuminati, The Optimist, Father's Day, Red Red Wine

More episodes of Looks Unfamiliar

• 139 - David Quantick - We Were Excited Because We Saw Hugh Scully's Makeup Chair · July 2, 2026 · 45 min
• 138 - Gareth Randall - Tony Hart's Tin Machine · June 26, 2026 · 1h 18m

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