BEFORE the dawn of modern TV, broadcasts could not be paused. And these were the things that inevitably ruined them.
Phone ringing
Not a pocket-sized one you can easily put on silent, but a whopping great cacophonous bastard that completely dominated the hallway. Just as you were about to find out who shot J.R., it would start demanding your attention by clanging away louder than a church bell. It’s not like you could rewind TV back then either, so if you missed the big moment, you were f**ked.
TV aerial falling down
TVs still rely on aerials to receive transmissions, but back before pause buttons they bloody well knew their power and exerted it. For weeks on end they’d stay securely bolted to the side of your house, then just as Number Six was about to find out the identity of Number One, it would promptly fall down and lose the signal. Not that you’d have understood the end of The Prisoner if you’d seen it anyway.
Someone arriving at the door
Neighbours, family members and Jehovah’s Witnesses had a sixth sense that you were utterly absorbed watching the likes of Dirty Den handing Angie her divorce papers. They’d be clamouring at your door demanding your real-time attention while you tried to tune them out. After all, the internet wasn’t around back then and you couldn’t Google important plot details later.
Electricity running out
No matter how much you’d topped up the meter, it would always seem to run out and shut down just as a dramatic reveal you’d been waiting months for was about to be unveiled. Maybe missing Trevor Jordache being discovered under the patio was character-building though. Nowadays you’ve gone soft and lose your shit if the internet dares to buffer for so much as half a second.
Stupid questions from significant other
Sadly this irritating occurrence still happens. But back in the day you’d miss the nail-biting conclusion just getting your stupid partner up to speed. Quite why you patiently answered their questions about plot, characters and motives you’re still unsure about. Maybe because telling them to shut the f**k up so you could concentrate would have resulted in a massive argument that would definitely have stopped you seeing Ross and Rachel finally kiss.
