Rewind TV’s June lineup might just be its strongest yet this year – and it doesn’t even wait until June to get started.
From late May, the nostalgia-focused Freeview (and Sky) channel is bringing back one of the sharpest political sitcoms British television has ever produced, before rolling into a full month packed with classic comedy, cult detective drama, and some genuinely hard-to-find gems.
There’s a BAFTA-winning Rik Mayall performance, a ghost-assisted private eye, a hospital ward full of hypochondriacs – and a medical sitcom with episode scripts written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman.
If you’re planning to take a break from the World Cup this summer, Rewind TV has no shortage of alternatives.
Where to Find Rewind TV
Since launching on Sky in May 2024 and expanding to Freeview that September, Rewind TV has established itself as a reliable home for classic British programming that might otherwise remain locked away in archives.
You can currently find it on Freeview Channel 81, Sky Channel 182 (satellite only), and Freely Channel 141 (only on the aerial-connected version of Freely).
The channel remains absent from Sky Stream, Sky Glass, and Freesat, and has no streaming app – so it’s resolutely old-school in both its content and its delivery.
“While the World Cup dominates much of the schedule elsewhere, Rewind TV is offering viewers something completely different this June,” says Rewind TV co-founder Jonathan Moore.
“Classic comedy, cult favourites and timeless television packed with unforgettable characters and huge performances. It’s the perfect alternative for anyone wanting a break from football fever.”
The New Statesman
The New Statesman arrives even before June begins, starting May 26 at 9:00pm – and it’s arguably the biggest name in this lineup.
Rik Mayall stars as Alan B’Stard, a Conservative MP of such breathtaking corruption, self-interest, and moral bankruptcy that he makes most fictional villains look like amateurs.
Created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, the BAFTA-winning series ran on ITV from 1987 to 1992, with a final special in 1994, and became one of the defining political comedies of its era – savage, anarchic, and gleefully unpleasant in all the right ways.
What made it work was Mayall’s total commitment to the character. Alan B’Stard isn’t a politician who occasionally does bad things – he’s a man for whom corruption, manipulation, and casual cruelty are simply the tools of the trade, deployed with enormous enthusiasm.
Michael Troughton plays his fellow MP and hapless sidekick Piers Fletcher-Dervish, and Marsha Fitzalan his equally scheming wife Sarah – both excellent foils for Mayall’s relentless energy.
If you’ve never seen it, the timing feels oddly appropriate. If you have, you’ll know exactly why it still holds up.
Two’s Company
Two’s Company starts June 1 at 10:30am and 7:00pm, and it’s a welcome return for one of the better culture-clash sitcoms of the late 1970s.
Elaine Stritch plays Dorothy McNab, an outspoken American thriller writer living in Chelsea, who hires a very proper English butler – Donald Sinden as Robert Hiller – to run her home.
The two are almost perfectly incompatible: she’s loud, direct, and cheerfully indifferent to decorum; he’s stiff, superior, and perpetually appalled by her.
The comedy lives almost entirely in their banter, and it works because both leads were primarily stage performers who could fire off dialogue with real precision.
The series ran from 1975 to 1979, produced by London Weekend Television, and while it never quite became a household name in the way some contemporaries did, it earned BAFTA nominations for both leads.
Doctor at Large
Doctor at Large starts June 3 at 10:00am and 7:30pm, continuing the much-loved “Doctor” franchise that began with the original Doctor in the House films and books by Richard Gordon.
Barry Evans stars as newly qualified Dr Michael Upton, navigating a series of increasingly chaotic jobs in general practice before eventually returning to the hospital where he trained.
George Layton, Geoffrey Davies, Richard O’Sullivan, and Arthur Lowe round out a strong ensemble cast.
The series ran as a single extended run of 29 episodes on ITV in 1971, and what gives it an extra layer of interest today is the writing credits.
Several episodes were scripted by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Graeme Garden, and Bill Oddie – names that speak for themselves.
One episode written by Cleese, “No Ill Feeling!”, is widely regarded as a prototype for Fawlty Towers, built around a stressed and inept hotel manager with a domineering wife. You can absolutely see it.
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) starts June 4 at 12:00pm and 8:00pm, and it remains one of the most distinctive cult series British television has produced.
Mike Pratt plays private detective Jeff Randall, whose partner Marty Hopkirk – played by Kenneth Cope – is murdered in the first episode and promptly returns as a ghost, visible only to Jeff.
Marty, in his white suit with its notably pocketless design (“ghosts don’t need pockets”), then proceeds to help his old partner solve cases from beyond the grave, while also keeping a somewhat jealous eye on his widow Jean, played by Annette Andre.
The original series ran for 26 episodes in 1969 and 1970, and was remade in 2000 with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer – which many viewers will remember fondly.
The original has a scruffier, more grounded quality to it, mixing private-eye drama with light supernatural comedy. It’s been a genuine cult favourite ever since, and this is a good chance to go back to where it all started.
Mother’s Ruin
Mother’s Ruin starts June 6 at 12:35pm and 6:05pm, and even by Rewind TV’s standards, this one is genuinely hard to track down.
Roy Barraclough – best known to most viewers as Alec Gilroy, the theatrical agent-turned-pub landlord in Coronation Street – plays Leslie Flitcroft, the manager of a health food shop whose persistent attempts to escape his overbearing mother never quite come off.
Dora Bryan, Julia Deakin, and Kay Adshead round out the cast in what the channel describes as a slice of gentle Northern humour from the 1990s.
It’s the sort of sitcom that ITV made in reasonable quantities during that era and which rarely gets a second look – so if you’re curious, this may genuinely be your best opportunity.
Only When I Laugh
Only When I Laugh starts June 9 at 6:30pm, and this one comes with a cast that makes it immediately worth your time.
Written by Eric Chappell – the man behind Rising Damp – the series is set in a men’s NHS hospital ward and follows three long-term patients: the cynical working-class Roy Figgis (James Bolam), the pompous upper-class hypochondriac Archie Glover (Peter Bowles), and the naïve, slightly hapless Norman Binns (Christopher Strauli).
Watching over them with barely concealed exasperation is Dr Gordon Thorpe, played by Richard Wilson – and yes, you can absolutely see Victor Meldrew taking shape here.
The series ran from 1979 to 1982 across four series on ITV, and holds up well. Chappell had a particular gift for class-based comedy and character dynamics that feel real rather than sketched, and the three lead performances are excellent – Bolam and Bowles especially have a sparring quality that drives most of the best episodes.
Further Out of Town
Further Out of Town starts June 24 at 8:00am and 4:30pm, and it’s a slightly different proposition from the rest of the June lineup.
The original Out of Town ran for over 20 years on ITV – from 1960 to 1981 – with presenter Jack Hargreaves exploring British countryside life in his characteristically unhurried, pipe-in-hand style. When the series ended, Hargreaves saved a large amount of film footage from destruction.
Further Out of Town is what became of it: digitally restored episodes assembled from that saved material and introduced by his stepson Simon Baddeley, offering a look at rural Britain that in many cases hasn’t been seen since its original broadcast.
For viewers of a certain age, it’ll feel like a genuine rediscovery.
Frankie’s On…
Frankie’s On… starts June 27 at 12:30pm and 6:00pm, rounding off the month with a showcase for one of British comedy’s most singular performers.
Frankie Howerd was a comedian who operated almost entirely on his own terms – a master of the aside, the loaded pause, and the raised eyebrow.
The series collects stand-up and sketch performances showcasing his trademark blend of innuendo, mock outrage, and direct audience address – a style so personal that it’s almost impossible to describe on paper and completely unmistakable the moment you see it.
If you’ve only encountered Howerd through Up Pompeii! or brief clip compilations, this is a good opportunity to spend more time with him. And if you’ve never seen him at all, June 27 is as good a starting point as any.
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