I'm impressed at how long the ad breaks were. As annoying as they may be, it was a sign of a flourishing TV broadcaster that was still getting decent ad revenue *even at* Christmas (back in the day when there was only 4 channels, and no distractions from one's phone and tablet). You basically *had to* watch the ads, unless you were taking a bathroom/coffee break (and there was no point flicking over to the other side, because you'd only catch the middle of Back to the Future, and thus ruin the film). It reflects in the schedule too. ITV puts in zero effort these days, but back in 88 you had a BIG movie premiere (albeit of a film that was already 8 years old), a music extravaganza, a coomedy clips show that was actually worth watching (hosted by the wonderful Dennis Norden), a xmas special of a decent drama series, and even a late-night comedy special filmed in front of a celebrity audience. My only complaint is that LWT apparently didn't bother with a special Christmas ident.
