Digitiser The Show turns the Teletext icon telly-ish
Teletext legends never die
While some nerks will wang on about the golden age of games writing from magaziners like Karen Gillan, the 90s words I most adored were Digitiser on Channel 4's Teletext [For non-UK readers: Teletext was like a website but on the telly -localisation ed]. With relentless jokes and foolishness, it was huge influence on my own writing. After resurrecting Digitiser as as a website a few years back, now editor Paul "Mr. Biffo" Rose and pals have made a TV sort of thing. Digitiser The Show is a weekly YouTube series which includes old people joking about old games, and my god it's worth it all for the live-action Duck Hunt.
Digitiser The Show is the sort of magazine show Channel 4 might have made in the 90s but never did, the cowards. So Biffo turned to Kickstarter earlier this year.
Along with Biffo, the "retro gaming" show is hosted by Paul Gannon, Larry Bundy Jr, Octav1us and Gameplay Jenny, with Steve McNeil off Go 8 Bit and fellow Digitiser fella Tim "Mr Hairs" Moore popping up in the first episode too. And it's fun, yeah? Some good jokes (and in-jokes) and japing. Runs a little long and loose but so it goes. And that Duck Hunt... that's the sort of foolishness I'd most like to see more of. I can see people argue over old consoles anywhere; I'd have to go to niche sites for that sort of fowl play.
(No, it's not all consoles. Several flavours of personal computer are quite present.)
Episode 2 is due Sunday at 9pm.
You can read lots of old Teletext Digitiser online these days. I doubly admire it now it's my job to write entertainingly-ish about video game goings-on every day. Especially after reading Rose's telling of Digitiser history and the terrible problems success brought them.
Paul Rose also made unnerving sketch show Mr. Biffo's Found Footage last year, if you want to fill your eyes with more.