Today I learned...

[deathrey]

TIL that Bertha (my favourite TV show as a nipper) was only 13 episodes long. I thought it ran for years but I must have just watched the same episodes over and over again and never realised.

[davertfnewman]

As were many of those shows, hence the British Brevity section on TV Tropes. Roy Kinnear, who seemed to be on everything at the time and brilliant throughout, doing the narration and voices, include our family's favourite, Panjit the forklift driver, who would probably be played by Adil Ray or someone now.

[Monkee]

12 hours ago, gmoney said:

"Poliwog" is a US term for a tadpole. Found that out after googling some Jellyfish lyrics, wondering why they'd used a slur in their song.

The Beastie Boys have an EP called Pollywog Stew.

Edited April 15, 2025 by Monkee

[FLips]

12 hours ago, Monkee said:

The Beastie Boys have an EP called Pollywog Stew.

The Pokemon Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath and Politode are all puns on the word too.

[air_raid]

I only found out the other day that some of my favourite Fleetwood Mac songs which I have assumed for decades had Stevie Nicks on lead vocals, were actually sung by Christine McVie. I feel really dumb.

[gmoney]

I used to think David Gahan sang everything in Depeche Mode. I just thought he would change the key occasionally for choruses and such. Then I saw a video with Martin Gore singing and I suddenly realised. 

[Chili]

You can adapt this theory to the Beautiful South as Paul Heaton doesn't sing all the songs. Song for Whoever, (part of it), A Little Time and Bell Bottomed Tear are sang by Dave Hemingway.

Edited April 16, 2025 by Chili

[deathrey]

4 hours ago, Chili said:

You can adapt this theory to the Beautiful South as Paul Heaton doesn't sing all the songs. Song for Whoever, (part of it), A Little Time and Bell Bottomed Tear are sang by Dave Hemingway.

I did not know that! I thought Paul Heaton did all the male vocals

[FLips]

On some old DEVO recordings Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale sound so similar that if you Google it there’s threads and threads arguing about who did what. I’m sure I read an interview with them years ago where even they weren’t sure because they mix it up between recorded and live so often.

[davertfnewman]

Fred Savage of The Wonder Years and Ben Savage of Boy Meets World are brothers.

And apparently Ben doesn't talk to Rider Strong, Will Friedle and Danielle Fishel any more.

[lars85]

Fred was in an episode of Boy Meets World. He played a sleazy college tutor that tried it on with Topanga. Then Cory pushed him through the door of the common room. It was like a tamer version of Marty Jannetty going through the barbershop window. 

[lanky316]

With how much wrestling surprisingly worked its way into the show, including at least one episode where it was the A plot, I refuse to believe the barbershop window parallel was coincidence. 

[King Mal the Glorious]

1 hour ago, davertfnewman said:

Rider Strong

I refuse to believe that isn't a wrestler in NXT

[johnnyboy]

TIL that Belinda Carlisle is married to the son of the actor James Mason.

[Onyx2]

TIL that @Merzbow's avatar is Bobby Heenan. I've just never been able to see it and it just fell into place today.