Barry Band: The question is, how much do you remember?

When, exactly, were they? It depends on our ages, doesn’t it?

Using a rough cultural yardstick, an 80-year-old may think: Before television/before Al Read was on the radio/before Blackpool won the FA Cup.

A 60-year-old may think: Before colour TV and Joanna Lumley. A 40-year-old might think: Before mobile phones. But a 20-year-old will comfortably say it was all before his/her time.

You know where this heading?

We watch the TV quiz shows and hear young contestants, stumped for an answer, say: “It was before my time.”

Ninety-nine per cent of everything that ever happened was before their time, yet they’ve chosen to be on a TV quiz show!

They place islands in the wrong ocean, mountain ranges on the wrong continent - and don’t even know where major towns are.

And don’t ask anything about previous Prime Ministers. Puzzling? Yes, but they’re pretty good on pop music, post-2000.

Then there are the stars who embarrass themselves on celebrity editions of The Chase, Tipping Point and similar shows.

All the above is a preamble to the return of The Big One, on New Year’s Day.

Jeremy Clarkson will host the now-annual edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Last January, several contestants who claimed to have been educated failed to get anywhere near the money. A couple of them left without a penny.

Can’t wait to see the new hopefuls !

This time last year I wrote about the Christmas book hunt in charity shops.

Why so special? Well, I have a theory that some rare stuff lands on the charity shop shelves during the Christmas rush.

Last Christmas I found an amazing book of crits of Film Noir movies.

Last week I discovered a profusely illustrated book about Creature From the Black Lagoon, the 1950s film that launched a new wave of monster movies. It was directed by Jack Arnold and starred Richard Carlson Julia Adams and Richard Denning.

When first released in 1954 it was screened in 3D format. It was an immediate hit and Universal followed it with Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us.

And here’s something for the quizzers.

Did you know that Julia Adams (born 1924) used three names during a long career in films and TV series?

She started in 1949 as Betty Adams. By 1952, when she starred with James Stewart in the western film Bend of the River (released in Britain as Where the River Bends) she was Julia Adams.

(Readers will need to be pushing 80 to appreciate the contrast of her appearances in western gear and white swimming costume).

In the late 50s she switched to Julie Adams and had roles in dozens of major American TV series, including a regular character in Murder She Wrote.

The original ‘Creature’ is still talked about and watched by fans at sci-fi conventions.

Unfortunately, the vivid illustrations are protected by copyright.