Video View

With the boom in home video recorders in the '80's came a number of 'video review' programmes, of which this was the last. Earlier examples of the genre include 'The Video Age' with Patrick Stoddart, 'Re-Vid' with Gary Crowley and Jon-Stephen Fink, and 'Video Video' starring Adam Faith. 'Video View' went out so late you needed a V.C.R. to watch the blamed thing, and was presented by blonde, husky-voiced Mariella Frostrup. Unlike say Barry Norman, Mariella didn't write the reviews, but delivered them in a sexy, confidant manner, while the camera prowled around the set at thigh-level. She only ever annoyed me once; when 'Ghost' won an award in 1991 as 'Best Picture Of 1990', she quipped; "I wouldn't be surprised if it wins it again next year.". How on earth could a film made in 1990 be 'Best Picture Of 1991' in 1992? As the V.C.R. boom died down, satellite and then later D.V.D. took over, hence 'Video View' was relaunched in 1993 as 'The Little Picture Show'.