British TV has changed since I moved to Hong Kong 28 years ago, but University Challenge is as tough as ever

Two Hong Kong students recently helped Imperial College London win the UK’s long-running TV show University Challenge, a favourite of Cliff Buddle

He talks about the pre-streaming challenge of viewing UK TV in Hong Kong, endlessly rewatching Only Fools and Horses, and EastEnders videos sent by post

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Watching two Hong Kong students (Lee and Jones) help win the UK’s long-running University Challenge TV quiz show (above), Cliff Buddle recalls the hurdles to viewing favourite British TV shows in Hong Kong in the 1990s. Photo: BBC

A journalist for more than 30 years, Cliff Buddle began his career as a court reporter in London and moved to Hong Kong in 1994 to join the Post.

Published: 12:08pm, 3 May 2024Updated: 12:29pm, 3 May 2024

Watching British television programmes, while living in Hong Kong, was a challenge in the days before the internet, with its streaming apps.

I relied on my parents to record favourite shows and send video tapes by mail. A trip to the post office in Mui Wo to collect the latest instalment of the soap opera EastEnders was eagerly awaited.

The other option was to purchase expensive DVDs. We watched a series of the 1980s sitcom Only Fools and Horses over and over again. I still know all the lines.

British television, I felt, kept me in touch with my native culture, if you can call it that. Strangely, I did not feel the need so strongly when returning to the UK after 28 years.

From left: Lennard Pearce; David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst from the BBC TV comedy series Only Fools and Horses, a favourite of Cliff Buddle. Photo: BBC/Getty Images

Now, of course, a bewildering variety of shows from around the world is instantly available. But I was surprised to find that one programme I used to enjoy as a kid is still running.