I’ve been binge-watching NCIS and have fallen into watching all 23 seasons of 45-minute episodes, getting to know the characters, laughing, crying, and enjoying the team dynamics of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service.
I keep thinking my wife might leave me if I watch any more of the adventures of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and the team, but I’m only on season eleven!
I wonder how many of my readers do the same thing—binge-watching series seems to be the norm these days, thanks to the vast amount of streaming options available.
What did we do before Netflix, Amazon, Disney, etc.? How did we entertain ourselves? Maybe that’s why they call us “baby boomers”—our entertainment often involved doing other things on the couch.
During the week, I worked five days, and my evenings were filled with family activities in my twenties and thirties. The nest was busy with a dog and the occasional evening out at a mess function. At one point, I even became a DJ for those events and did stage management for an amateur dramatics group. We engaged in activities and played sports rather than just watching them; only terrestrial channels broadcasted significant events like the World Cup.
Television back then featured great comedies like The Good Life and what would now be considered controversial shows like Rising Damp, On the Buses, and Love Thy Neighbour. On Saturdays, we enjoyed The Dukes of Hazzard in the afternoon and Starsky & Hutch at 9pm. there were only three or four channels too.
These shows are fondly remembered for their slapstick humour and memorable catchphrases, particularly the dynamics between characters like Stan and Blakey. Nowadays, many of these programs are seen as outdated, and we often feel the need to apologize for their "dated humour."
But I take Gibbs’ rule #6 to heart on themes like this.
Each of these shows offers a snapshot of Britain in the 1970s, reflecting social attitudes and providing humour through relatable characters and situations. They would now have to defend the varying degrees of controversy displayed on screen.
For instance, Love Thy Neighbour revolved around the comedic yet contentious relationship between Eddie Booth, a white working-class man, and his Black neighbours, Bill and Barbie Reynolds. Eddie's prejudices often led to confrontations, yet the show also depicted moments of camaraderie.
Rising Damp followed Rupert Rigsby, a miserly boarding house owner, and his diverse tenants. The comedy often stemmed from Rigsby’s misguided attempts at superiority and his unrequited affection for Miss Jones.
On the Buses centered on Stan Butler, a bus driver, and his work-life challenges, often clashing with the grumpy Inspector Blake, aka “Blakey.”
The music scene was vibrant, filled with glam rock and now infamous faces like Jimmy Savile and Gary Glitter, followed by the rise of punk and iconic ballads we saw "change" at every turn of life's pages. ABBA, Wham, and the New Romantics dominated the charts into the eighties while Cliff Richard consistently delivered Christmas hits. The unforgettable Live Aid concert in 1985 blew us all away, with Quo opening and our beloved Freddie Mercury performing, Bowie sang "Heroes" and now many of them have passed.
I didn’t see Springsteen until 1987 which was on his Tunnel of Love tour, which was one of my first "gigs." I also enjoyed artists like Don Williams and Shakin’ Stevens at my local venue, the Cornwall Colosseum. Bruce was seen at the Aston Villa Stadium, my first real outing to a rock concert.
As my heroes age and some have now passed on, I find myself re-watching films to fill time while continuing to binge through life. Currently, I’m enjoying Clint Eastwood again—my son gifted me a 40-film set for Father’s Day. Clint is 94, even my mum loved him and I think considered naming me after him when she watched him in her TV days in the series called "Rawhide".
Reflecting on my life, I often wonder if my rules for living hold any weight. I’ve been asked to review my CV many times during interviews, and it’s been quite a journey since leaving the service. My resume is lengthy, filled with encounters—some challenging, some rewarding. That’s life, I think: sometimes it hurts and makes you cry, other times you just laugh.
Recently, I read about a law passed by the assembly in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, inspired by research showing that laughter reduces the risk of heart attacks. The ordinance encourages citizens to understand laughter's health benefits and aims for them to laugh once a day.
In the NCIS universe, Leroy Jethro Gibbs wrote down his life and work rules on Post-it notes before his first and the only wife he really loved was murdered. He has been married at least three times and instils his “rules” in his team, often reprimanding them with a light slap to the back of the head. Can you imagine how HR would react to that?
So, here's the thing; I decided to write my own rules. Some of them, inspired by Gibbs, are relevant, and I wonder if you can spot them.
POEM
The Rules of Life
You grow old, that’s the score
You yearn and earn, you want some more
The rules of life are quite intense
The many trials you face, can be immense
Your heroes pass, it’s a fact of age
So get a life, and turn each page
You work, you learn, you can move around
Some expectations met, some run aground
Binge away my friends, dig out, get some in
Life’s too short, so laugh often or maybe just grin!