Five More TV Catchphrases That Defined 1960s & 70s Britain

Following on from our look at five famous television catchphrases that became part of everyday British life in the 1960s and 70s, here are five more that many people of a certain age will remember instantly. 

Catchphrases from television programmes which became a part of the language of the time.

Love them or hate them, a catchphrase once heard almost had a life of its own. And if you were in the business of show business and were the one who came up with the catchphrase that took off, you would be remembered forever.

So, let’s get started.

〰〰〰〰

“I didn’t get where I am today …” — C.J. from the BBC comedy series The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin is the story of a burnt-out and very bored executive, Reginald Perrin. Written by David Nobbs, it tells the story of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin.

Simply known as Reggie, Perrin was played by Leonard Rossiter. The series follows Reggie as he faces a midlife crisis and decides to fake his own death. He leaves behind his old life and searches for something better. He ends up working on a farm looking after pigs and soon realises that the grass is not always as green on the other side.

His boss, C.J., was played by John Barron. C.J. is the pompous managing director of Sunshine Desserts who sees himself as above all those around him. Whenever he disapproved of or questioned anyone, he would always use his favourite expression:

“I didn’t get where I am today by …”

He would then offer his opinion — a supposedly wiser observation about business or life that questioned the proposition. The humour was in the repetition. C.J. was completely convinced of his own self-importance, while everyone around him either feared him or took no notice.

The phrase was one to use as a joke. As a putdown, it could be adapted to almost any situation.

“Eat your greens.” Mam might chastise me across the dinner table.

“I didn’t get where I am today by eating greens …”

You didn’t even need to finish the sentence. Everyone knew what was coming.

〰〰〰〰

“I’m free!” — Mr Humphries, from the BBC comedy series Are You Being Served?

Another phrase that became part of British popular culture came from the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? Mr Humphries was played by John Inman. He worked on the menswear counter at the fictional Grace Brothers department store.

His famous cry of “I’m free!” was delivered with a knowing, flamboyant and somewhat camp flourish that raised the inevitable question about Mr Humphries; was the character gay? I can’t remember it ever being mentioned in the series, and Mr Humphries did occasionally mention girlfriends. No answer was given.

There was no doubt that the character of Mr Humphries was camp, though. His reply of “I’m free!” became one of the show’s most recognisable jokes. The character and catchphrase reflected the risqué, innuendo-filled style of British sitcom comedy that followed in the tradition of the Carry On films. It became increasingly popular during the 1970s.

Five TV Catchphrases That Defined 1960s & 70s Britain

 

There was a time when television was still relatively new, yet its influence on everyday British life stood out. With only three television channels for much of the 1960s and 1970s, millions would watch the same programmes. The most popular would regularly have audience figures of fifteen to twenty million; at Christmas, they would be higher.

Today, it is very different. There is far more choice and many ways to view “television” content. Audience figures, even for the most successful programmes, are much lower now. Back in the nineteen sixties and seventies, if something was popular on television, chances were that a large proportion of the country had watched.

And that meant television catchphrases could quickly escape from the small screen and become part of everyday conversation. They often became popular overnight. Many were funny, and you didn’t necessarily have to explain the joke, as many had already seen it. Say the phrase in the right voice, and everyone knew exactly what you meant.

Here are five memorable examples.

〰〰〰〰

“I wanna tell you a story.” — Max Bygraves

Max Bygraves was one of Britain’s best-known entertainers. He performed at a time when those in show business would simply call themselves an entertainer. The “Jack of all trades” type of act. They would typically sing, dance, play instruments, tell jokes and stories, and even act in films. A bit of everything.

And if there is one catchphrase that people who lived through that time will remember Max Bygraves for, it is “I wanna tell you a story.” It became closely associated with his stage and television performances.

Bygraves would typically use the phrase before launching into a joke, story, or anecdote. His delivery was as important as the words themselves, slightly exaggerated, becoming part of the character. “I wanna tell you a story” was a simple, memorable and easy-to-imitate catchphrase. Children and adults alike would use it, and often did, when they had something to tell.

It became so popular that impersonators like Mike Yarwood did their impression of “I wanna tell you a story” with exaggerated waving hands. Yarwood’s own television show would regularly attract a big audience. If you watched Mike Yarwood, then you didn’t need to be a fan of Max Bygraves to know about the “I wanna tell you a story” catchphrase.

And Bygraves himself thought highly of it, as he named his autobiography “I wanna tell you a story”.

It may be less well known today, but just about everyone might have said it at some point back then.

 〰〰〰〰

“Just like that!” — Tommy Cooper

Few comedians had a catchphrase quite as recognisable as Tommy Cooper’s “Just like that!” Cooper had a very distinctive appearance, a big physical presence, and he always wore a red fez. 

He was a magician and a very funny one.

His act was based on magic tricks. He would attempt a trick, fail spectacularly and then confidently announce, “Just like that!” He perfected the art of doing magic tricks badly, but he would often follow it up by actually doing the trick right with an add-on to his catchphrase.

“Just like that — not like that — just like that!” When he finally got it right.

Tommy Cooper’s timing was the best in the business. Actually, he was an excellent magician, but he also crossed over into telling funny stories and jokes, while occasionally attempting to sing. He could turn a simple phrase into a punchline through his delivery and facial expressions.

“Just like that!” quickly became something people could use whenever something happened easily, unexpectedly or, perhaps, not quite as successfully as planned. It became something you could hear repeated in homes, workplaces, and school playgrounds.

Did You Know… Life in 1960s/70s Britain: Tonight or Never - When Missing a TV Programme Meant Missing It Forever

No repeats, no recording — and the pain of missing an episode.

In 1960s and 70s Britain, television was often an event, but it was also unforgiving and fleeting. If you weren’t at home when a programme was broadcast, you simply didn’t see it. There were no streaming services or catch-up options, and until video recorders arrived in the seventies, once a programme was broadcast, that was it. There wasn’t even a reliable repeat. Miss it, and it was gone.

Sometimes, it was gone forever.

In the early days of television, many programmes were not recorded. It was broadcast, often live, and no record remained, as there was no copy. There were many reasons for this, including cost, but at the time, the idea of building an archive for future reference and reuse was a low priority. A big event might be recorded, but most were not.

In the home, television schedules were rigid, and families planned around them. Evening routines might be changed to fit the broadcast times of favourite programmes. Meals were hurried or delayed. A raised voice from the living room would annouce, “It’s starting!” This sent everyone racing for a seat.

The television would be in the main room of the house, known as the living room, and most homes only had one ‘telly’. In the sixties, the television looked like a large wooden box with a small screen. Turn it on, and it could take several minutes to warm up and produce a picture, which was in black and white.

By the seventies, sleeker television sets, offering a bigger picture, arrived, as well as colour. But there was still one thing that you had to do, and that was to get up to turn the set on or off, change channels, or the volume. The remote control was still a few years away.

The TV Schedule

The Radio Times and TV Times weren’t just magazines; they were essential guides, unless you were happy to rely on a newspaper. There was something else about these two magazines, in that they only gave details of their own programmes. The BBC had the Radio Times, while commercial television had the TV Times. You had to buy both to get the complete picture of what was on for the week ahead.

My parents didn’t buy them, except at Christmas, so we relied on the local paper and memory. I suppose that it helped that there were only three television channels, BBC 1 and 2, and a commercial station that showed adverts, which, in the region that I lived, was ATV.

One Chance Only

Most programmes were shown once, and once only. Popular shows might be repeated months, sometimes years, later, but that was never guaranteed. As a child, if you missed an episode of your favourite programme because you were out, ill, or late home from school, you had to rely on friends to tell you what happened. Sometimes, they would make it up, especially football results.

Once you had missed a programme, there was no way to catch up. You either saw it, or you didn’t. This made television, and your favourite programmes, something to be remembered. Each episode carried weight. Cliffhangers mattered, because if you missed it, you might never find out how they were resolved.