If you were six years old (as I was in 1979), then you are sure to remember "Armchair Thriller". It had really scary opening credits of a horrible, contorted face looming over a blood-soaked armchair. This was show at around 8pm (then repeated in the afternoons). I don't think the TV schedulers were aware that any children might have been watching at the time, and the word "watershed" was obviously foreign to them. Thanks for all the nightmares ITV! How many other young children did your programme terrify?
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Armchair Thriller
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Do You Remember Armchair Thriller?
Do You Remember Armchair Thriller?
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shy-girl
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please can anyone tell me if i can get any of the armchair thrillers on dvd anywhere
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jemima
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Great news!
The first two stories - Rachel In Danger and A Dog's Ransom - are being released on dvd in the UK on January 21st 2008, with the rest presumably to follow.
Spread the word!
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Anonymous
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the episode "quiet as a nun" i was 9yrs old and came home from school for dinner and all i remember was the nun with no face sitting in the rocking chair in the attic nothing to this day terrified me as much as that even scarey than the vampires face in the prison cell on salems lot.. thanks h.t.v for the scarey memories
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Anonymous
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Let's start a campaign to get this series back on air or a dvd release. Why should the public miss out on such a TV gem. Armchair Thriller has not seen the the light of day since 1981, i don't fancy waiting another 26 years...surely by now i thought the matter of rights would have been resolved. Ace of Wands, finally after 30 years is due for a release, perhaps Armchair Thriller could at least be considered next??
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Anonymous
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I think our generation was a social experiment. It's no wonder I'm a nervous wreck now in my 30's. What were they thinking of? Every morning we were subjected to dead, rotten animals coming to life (Crow & Alice, Hartley (shudder) The Hare), possessed objects coming to life (Humphrey Cushion, Raggerty), the Grim Reaper and endless tales of death by misadventure (Public Information films) and then Armchair Thriller. I showed my younger sister the video to the opening credits of Armchair Thriller recently. I explained to her the cruelty we were subjected to. She couldn't believe it. Later on that evening she found a 'lost episode' of Rainbow which is just about the filthiest thing you have ever seen. It was smuttier than a 'Carry-on' by a mile!! I think all the kids of the 70's should start a campaign to get those responsible to compensate us for all the cruelty they subjected us to.
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Anonymous
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All I can say is that it's very moving to read these recollections. I had no idea that this awful programme had affected so many other kids at the time.
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Anonymous
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i was five when it happened to me, straight after crown court, and bang...there it was. pure evil i tell thee. same with saphire and steel, quite scary really. I reckon the authourities just didn't realise how much these programmes could scar kids who saw them. The same as just before the six week holidays, the local bobby would come and set up the projector in assembly, and show scary films like "never go with a stranger", and kids getting mangled while playing on building sites. or was that just in London or in the 70's???
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Anonymous
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I don't remember any of the episodes as I was only 8 or 9, but I DO remember the opening titles which were quite horrific for a child of that age. When it came on (8pm) I was just about to go to bed after being able to watch TV until then. I think Coronation Street was on before this, as my mother would be watching it before making me go to bed. I downloaded a trailer from TV Ark last year (before the revamp) for this, and was surprised to see that they are still quite chilling even now - you wouldn't get away with titles like that now!!!
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Anonymous
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I only remember the intro, that scared the hell out of me, maybe thats why i don't remember any of the episodes, I was probably too scared to watch them after that intro scene!
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Anonymous
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This is so bizarre: I too was 6 years old when I first saw Armchair Thriller, and now (aged 34 and living in Australia) the memory of it is strong enough to land me at this page, sat here at work! Those opening credits absolutely terrified me.. I clearly remember when I was a kid and my older sisters (who knew I was terrified of that opening sequence) locked me in the 'front room' alone with the TV as Armchair Thriller came on. I was beyond terrified.. I remember I screaming and hammering to get out of the room, then when they finally came back into the room laughing, I called my oldest sister a "b*stard", which was one of my first memories of ever swearing! It's amazing that so many others had similar terrified reactions to this (and bizarre that so many of us were 6-year olds at the time.. - must be a susceptible age!)
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