FORGOTTEN BRITISH GEMS COMING TO FREEVIEW'S REWIND TV

Rewind TV is shifting focus on Freeview (and Sky) this May, with a fresh batch of British classics taking centre stage after its recent American programming experiment.

Following March’s introduction of SOAP and The Monkees, the retro channel is now bringing back proper British gems like David Jason’s forgotten sitcom Lucky Feller, the truly bizarre The Strange World of Gurney Slade, and several other gems.

 But the biggest improvement might be something else entirely – they’re finally adding subtitles after months of viewer requests.

A Quick Refresher on Rewind TV

For those who haven’t been keeping up, Rewind TV launched on Sky last May before hopping over to Freeview in September 2024.

Unlike most modern telly outlets, they’ve stubbornly stuck to traditional scheduled programming rather than jumping on the streaming bandwagon (for now, at least).

Rewind TV seems to be finding its feet in an increasingly crowded retro TV market. They’re now going head-to-head with Talking Pictures TV (who recently launched their own streaming app) and the ever-expanding That’s TV family of channels.

You can currently find Rewind TV on:

• Freeview: Channel 92
• Freely: Channel 150
• Sky: Channel 182

And nope, still no sign of them on streaming platforms like Sky Stream or NOW, or on Freesat. 

Subtitles At Last

First, some good news: Rewind TV is finally introducing subtitles on many of their programmes starting this May. This comes after viewer feedback – clearly people have been asking for it, and rightly so.

It’s particularly useful for a channel specialising in older content where the sound quality isn’t always crystal clear.

Whether you’re hard of hearing or just struggling with some particularly strong regional accents in these classic British shows, subtitles will make watching these gems much more enjoyable.

The British Invasion: May’s New Shows

After their brief American holiday in March, Rewind TV is giving us a proper British feast this May. Here’s what’s coming:

Please Sir! (Starts 1st May)

This late-60s sitcom set in Fenn Street Secondary School is absolute chaos – in the best way possible.

John Alderton plays the idealistic teacher trying to wrangle a class of unruly students, with support from Deryck Guyler and Joan Sanderson. If you went to school in Britain, you’ll recognise every character type immediately.

Catch it daily at 1pm and again at 8pm.

Carry On Laughing (Starts 1st May)

I bet you didn’t know there was a telly version of the Carry On films! This rare spin-off brings all the saucy seaside postcard humour you’d expect, with familiar faces like Sid James, Barbara Windsor and Kenneth Connor. 

It’s on three times daily at 7:30am, 12:30pm and 9pm – enough opportunities to catch every cheeky joke.

Bramwell (Starts 2nd May)

If period dramas are more your cup of tea, Bramwell follows Dr Eleanor Bramwell (played by Jemma Redgrave) breaking barriers in Victorian medicine.

It’s gripping stuff, with gorgeous costumes and a fascinating look at women pushing back against a male-dominated profession.

Watch it at 2pm and 7pm.

Lucky Feller (Starts 7th May)

Here’s a curious one – David Jason in a sitcom before he became Del Boy! Even more intriguing, he plays the hapless younger brother rather than the wheeler-dealer.

It’s fascinating to see his comedic talent in this early role alongside Peter Armitage.

It’s scheduling at 6:30pm and 10pm suggests they know they’ve got something special here.

Thick as Thieves (Starts 8th May)

When you’ve got John Thaw and Bob Hoskins together in a comedy written by the Porridge creators Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, you know you’re in for something good.

They play unlikely criminal partners, and the chemistry between these two acting heavyweights is brilliant.

This one’s getting a prime spot at 9:30pm.

You’re Only Young Twice (Starts 12th May)

Think of this as the British version of The Golden Girls before The Golden Girls existed. Set in Paradise Lodge retirement home with the formidable Peggy Mount leading the cast, it proves that retirement home antics were funny long before modern sitcoms discovered them.

Catch it at 1:30pm and 8:30pm.

The Strange World of Gurney Slade (Starts 20th May)

Now this is properly weird telly – in the best way. Anthony Newley stars in this surreal 1960 series that was so ahead of its time that audiences didn’t know what to make of it.

Part comedy, part fantasy, part fourth-wall breaking madness – it’s unlike anything else from the era.

It’s on at 9:30pm, appropriately late for something this offbeat.

In Loving Memory (Starts 20th May)

Only in British comedy could an undertaker’s business in 1920s Yorkshire be the setting for a gentle sitcom.

Thora Hird and Christopher Beeny make this work beautifully – it’s morbid subject matter handled with real warmth.

Like Carry On, this gets three daily slots at 7:30am, 12:30pm and 9pm.

Brass (Starts 23rd May)

If you enjoyed Blackadder or The Fast Show’s “terribly posh people” sketches, Brass is right up your street.

It mercilessly parodies those gritty northern dramas with Timothy West playing the ruthless Bradley Hardacre. The blend of class warfare and soap opera excess is brilliantly done.

You can watch at 2pm or 7pm.

Doctor in the House (Starts 28th May)

Long before Scrubs showed us medical students behaving badly, this sitcom did it first. Based on Richard Gordon’s books, it follows hapless trainee doctors getting into all sorts of trouble.

With Barry Evans and Robin Nedwell leading the cast, it’s medical mayhem.

Appropriately enough, you can catch it at 11am or the late-night shift at 11pm.

Coming Soon: Norman Wisdom Season

Looking ahead to June, Rewind is planning a proper season of Norman Wisdom films. Love him or hate him (and he does divide opinion), there’s no denying his impact on British comedy.

They’ll be showing quite a collection of his classics including The Bulldog Breed, Follow a Star, Just My Luck, On the Beat, Up in the World, Press for Time, and Man of the Moment.

If you’re unfamiliar with his work, expect plenty of slapstick, genuine heart, and Wisdom’s trademark “little man against the world” character that made him a national treasure.

These films often featured support from familiar faces like Edward Chapman, Margaret Rutherford, and Jerry Desmonde, who provided the perfect foil for Wisdom’s physical comedy antics.

For more TV news, be sure to Subscribe to our free newsletter.

2025-04-24T16:49:54Z