TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

1955

Thursday 22nd September 1955

NB The opening night of Independent Television (ITV).

The first two channels present the opening night’s programming - Associated Rediffusion (AR) and the Associated Broadcasting Company (ABC). According to the New Musical Express during the first week of commercial television ABC-TV publicist Suzanne Walker would send bottles of eye-drops to business associates.

AR / ABC Variety: Channel Nine 8:00 - 8:40 pm

The first commercial break was for toothpaste, drinking chocolate and margarine

Introduced by Jack Jackson

Shirley Abicair

Billy Cotton

Reg Dixon

John Hanson

Harry Secombe

AR / ABC Star Cabaret 10:30 - 10:50 pm

Jack Billings and The Visionaires

Marti Stevens

George Formby

Friday 23rd September 1955

BBC TV Starlight

Petula Clark

Joe Henderson

Saturday 24th September 1955

ABC ABC Music Shop 3:00 - 3:30 pm (first edition)

Hosted by Gerry Wilmot

Patti Lewis - The Heart You Break

Bert Weedon - Button Up Your Overcoat

Marion Ryan

Tommy Maxwell / Ted Brennan Group

Lee Lawrence - More Than A Millionaire

Tennessee Ernie Ford - Woman Is A Five Letter Word (film clip)

Peggy Lee - You Was Right Baby

ABC Saturday Showtime 8:15 - 9:00 pm (first edition)

Harry Secombe

Pauline Shepherd - So Happy, I Wonder

ABC The Jack Jackson Show 10:15 pm – end (first edition)

NB Apparently Jackson fluffed his lines leading into the first commercial break

The Tanner Sisters

Michael Kent

Max Bygraves with Geoff Love

Frankie Vaughan - Meet Me On The Corner, Seventeen

Sunday 25th September 1955

ABC Liberace 2:00 - 2:30 pm

ABC Palladium Preview 7:40 - 7:50 pm

content unknown

ABC Sunday Night at the London Palladium 8:00 - 9:00 pm (first edition)

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

Guy Mitchell - Truly Fair, Those Trombone Blues, She Wears Red Feathers

Gracie Fields - A Long Lonely Time, Sally (another review has her singing Hernado's Hideaway)

Monday 26th September 1955

BBC Television Tea Party

Petula Clark

Edmondo Ros

The Beverley Sisters

BBC Off The Record 7:30 - 8:00 pm

The Beverley Sisters - Hummingbird

Edmund Horckridge - The Man From Laramie

Lita Roza - Man In A Raincoat

Johnny Brandon - Home

Ronnie Hilton - Stars Shine In Your Eyes

Jack Parnell and his Orchestra - When The Saints Come Marching In

Wednesday 28th September 1955

AR Band 5:30 - 5:45 pm

content unknown

Thursday 29th September 1955

AR Jack Hylton Presents: Variety 8:00 - 9:00 pm (first edition)

Shirley Bassey

Friday 30th September 1955

ITV News

Johnnie Ray Arrives in London

AR Confidentially (also seen as Reg Dixon)

Elizabeth Larner - He's My Guy

Saturday 1st October 1955

ABC ABC Music Shop 3:00 - 3:30 pm

Malcolm Vaughan

Max Geldray

Jill Day

Robert Farnon

Dennis Lotis

Fran Warren

Connie Haynes

Brul Ives - film clip

ABC Saturday Showtime 8:15 - 9:00 pm

Harry Secombe

Marie Benson - Twenty Tiny Fingers

ABC The Jack Jackson Show

content unknown

Sunday 2nd October 1955

ABC Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

Johnnie Ray

Alma Cogan

ABC Celebrity Spot 10:15 - 10:30 pm

Ray Ellington

Monday 3rd October 1955

ABC Your Kind Of Music 8:30 - 9:30 pm

The Iris Long Trio

Tuesday 4th October 1955

AR Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra 9:30 - 10:00 pm

AR Downbeat (first edition)

Ted Heath and His Orchestra (with new female singer)

Eddie Thompson

Song Seller Corner

Doreen Harris - Engagement Waltz

Thursday 6th October 1955

AR Billy Cotton & His Band 8:00 - 9:00 pm

content unknown

Saturday 8th October 1955

ABC ABC Music Shop

content unknown

ABC Saturday Showtime

Harry Secombe

ABC Weekend

Hill and Billie (harmonica duo)

ABC The Jack Jackson Show 10:15 - 11:00 pm

Kenneth Earle

Malcolm Vaughan

Sunday 9th October 1955

ABC Celebrity Spot

Cherry Wainer

Robert Earl

ABC Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Norman Wisdom

No guests of interest in this edition

ABC Water Rats (a commemoration of the first 65 years, this show is not listed in daily newspapers)

Max Bygraves - Cowboy's Cantata, Meet Me On The Corner

Monday 10th October 1955

BBC Off The Record 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Larry Adler

Alma Cogan

Dave King

Danny Purches

The Johnston Brothers

Gisela Griffel

AR Melody 11:45 am - 12:00 pm (first edition of daily series)

content unknown

Tuesday 11th October 1955

BBC Rhyme And Rhythm 8:00 - 8:30 pm

A Barney Colehan programme of Light Music

AR Penny For A Song 7:30 - 7:45 pm

content unknown

Wednesday 12th October 1955

AR The Weddin' o' McGinnis

Andy Stewart

Thursday 13th October 1955

ABC Jack Hylton Presents 7:30 - 8:00 pm

content unknown

Friday 14th October 1955

AR Pet’s Parade 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Petula Clark

Saturday 15th October 1955

BBC The Dave King Show 8:30 - 9:30 pm

Dave King

Yana - Each Day A Valentine, I'm Not At All In Love, & Dave King - Promised Breath of Springtime

ABC ABC Music Shop

Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson

Betty Miller

Tony Reid

ABC Saturday Showcase

Harry Secombe

ABC Weekend Magazine

Don Harper (swing violinist)

ABC On The Town

Earle and Vaughan

Sunday 16th October 1955

NB ABC changes name to ATV, along with the name change a change to some of the programmes as Jack Jackson moves to Sunday afternoons

BBC The Show Band Show 7:45 - 8:15 pm (first in fortnightly series)

NB Cut down from its original 45 minutes to thirty minutes. Broadcast from BBC's TV Theatre at Shepherd's Bush with an audience.

Ronnie Hilton

The Stargazers

Janie Marden

ATV The Jack Jackson Show 2:00 - 2:30 pm

content unknown

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

The Deep River Boys

Julie Andrews

Monday 17th October 1955

BBC Hit Parade 7:30 - 8:00 pm First in re-launch

Petula Clark

Dennis Lotis

Shani Wallis

Jimmy Thompson

The Kentones

ATV Morning Melody 11:30 - 11:45 am (first edition in daily series)

content unknown

ATV Your Kind Of Music 8:30 - 9:30 pm

No guests of interest in this edition

Saturday 22nd October 1955

ATV ATV Music Shop

Lita Roza

Robert Earl

Harry Hayward

ATV Saturday Showtime

Harry Secombe

BBC Charlie Chester

Marian Miller - You'll Never Walk Alone

Sunday 23rd October 1955

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

Ronnie Hilton

Jill Day

Patti Lewis

Johnny Brandon

Freddie Randall

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

The Crew Cuts

Lena Horne

Monday 24th October 1955

BBC Off The Record

Al Martino

David Hughes

Eve Boswell

The Coronets

Ken Macintosh and his orchestra

Harry Secombe

Stanley Black and concert Orchestra

The George Mitchell Singers

AR Melody (daily series)

content unknown

Tuesday 25th October 1955

AR Penny For A Song 7:30 - 7:45 pm

content unknown

Wednesday 26th October 1955

BBC This Is Show Business 9:30 - 10:30 pm

content unknown

Thursday 27th October 1955

AR Variety 8:00 - 9:00 pm

content unknown

Friday 28th October 1955

AR Pet’s Parade

Petula Clark

Saturday 29th October 1955

ATV Saturday Showtime

Harry Secombe

ATV ATV Music Shop

Joss White

Annie Ross

Suzi Miller

Sunday 30th October 1955

BBC Show Band Show

Joss White

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

Lita Roza

Malcolm Vaughan

Glenn Mason

Johnny Dankworth

Barbara Lyon (possibly)

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

Johnnie Ray

The Beverley Sisters

ATV Celebrity Spot

Ray Ellington & Marion Ryan

Monday 31st October 1955

AR Melody

content unknown

AR Your Kind Of Music

content unknown

Tuesday 1st November 1955

BBC Special Inquiry 9:15 - 10:00 pm

3: Britain’s Teenagers

AR Humphrey Lyttelton & His Band and The Kirchin Orchestra 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Thursday 3rd November 1955

BBC Personality Parade

Josh White

AR Words & Music: A Tribute To Ivor Novello 8:00 - 9:00 pm

content unknown

Saturday 5th November 1955

ATV ATV Music Shop

Bill McGuffie

Kim Bennett

Julie Dawn

Issy Bonn

Humphrey Lyttelton

Kim Bennett

Jill Day

Georgia Brown

ATV Saturday Showtime: Wakey Wakey

Billy Cotton, The Keynotes

Sunday 6th November 1955

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

Betty Miller

Eve Boswell

Dennis Lotis

Don Peters

Ronnie Aldridge

Munday and Earle

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

Ruby Murray - Hear It Hear It, Dear Old Donegal, Softly Softly

Alma Cogan with Jewell and Warriss

Monday 7th November 1955

BBC Off The Record

Ted Heath and his music

Joan Regan

Ray Ellington Quartet

Lee Lawrence

Edna Savage

Dennis Hale

Tuesday 8th November 1955

AR Penny For A Song 7:30 - 7:45

content unknown

Wednesday 9th November 1955

BBC November Revue

Josephine Gordon (dancer turned singer)

Thursday 10th November 1955

ATV Jack Hylton Presents 8:00 - 9:00 pm

content unknown

Friday 11th November 1955

BBC Force’s Request

Josh White

AR Cy Grant & His Guitar 11:30 - 11:45 am

AR Pet’s Parade 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Petula Clark

Saturday 12th November 1955

BBC Dave King 8:30 - 9:30 pm

Yana

ATV ATV Music Shop

The Radio Revelers

Dennis Hale

Julie Dawn

The Ray Ellington Quartet

Judy Lane

ATV Saturday Showtime: Wakey Wakey 8:15 - 9:00 pm

Billy Cotton

Alan Breeze - If You Bring Your Smile Along, Tomorrow Is My Wedding Day

Sunday 13th November 1955

BBC Show Band Show

Eve Boswell

The Stargazers

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

Dorothy Squires

David Hughes

Monty Norman

Max Geldray

Rose Brennan

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

The Daily Mirror Disc Festival featuring

Max Bygraves

Eddie Calvert

Alma Cogan

Ted Heath and his Music

Ruby Murray

Joan Regan

The Stargazers

Dickie Valentine

David Whitfield

Monday 14th November 1955

BBC Hit Parade 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Petula Clark

Dennis Lotis

Shani Wallis

Jimmy Thompson

The Kentones

Gillian Lynne

April Olrich

Terence Theobald

ATV Your Kind Of Music 8:30 - 9:30 pm

No guests of interest in this edition

Tuesday 15th November 1955

AR Downbeat 7:30 - 8:00 pm (directed by Dick Lester)

Eric Delaney Band

Eddy Thompson and his Trio

Saturday 19th November 1955

ATV ATV Music Shop

Bill McGuffie

Edmund Hockridge

The Coronets

Tommy Reilly

Shirley Easton

Frank Weir (tenor sax player)

Bill McGuiffe (piano player)

Tommy Reilly (harmonica player)

ATV Saturday Showtime: Wakey Wakey 8:15 - 9:00 pm

Billy Cotton

Sunday 20th November 1955

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

NB Monty Norman and Diana Coupland get engaged during the show

Anne Shelton

Frankie Vaughan

Diana Coupland

Ronnie Scott

Don Lang

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

No guests of interest in this edition

Monday 21st November 1955

BBC Off The Record 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Mantovani

Jimmy Young

Anne Shelton

Jill Day

Charlie Kunz

Robert Earl

Geraldo and his orchestra

Tuesday 22nd November 1955

AR Penny For A Song

Shirley Abicair

Thursday 24th November 1955

ATV Jack Hylton Presents 8:00 - 9:00 pm

Vera Lynn - Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, Don't Stay Away Too Long, With Your Love

Friday 25th November 1955

AR For Members Only 11:30 - 11:45 am

Cy Grant

AR Pet’s Parade 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Petula Clark

AR Melody Maid 7:15 – 7:30 pm

Shirley Norman and Four In A Chord sing the hits of the day

AR Time For A Tune 10:30 - 10:45 pm

content unknown

Saturday 26th November 1955

ATV ATV Music Shop

Dorothy Squires

Anne Shelton

Cherry Wainer

Margaret Bond

ATV Saturday Showtime: Wakey Wakey 8:15 - 9:00 pm

Billy Cotton

Sunday 27th November 1955

BBC Show Band Show

The Stargazers

Betty Miller

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

content unknown

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

David Whitfield - When You Lose The One You Love, Dance Gypsy

Monday 28th November 1955

ABC Your Kind Of Music 8:30 - 9:30 pm

Josh White

AR Time For A Tune

content unknown

Saturday 3rd December 1955

BBC The Bernard Brothers in The Saturday Show 8.30 -9.30 pm

Norrie Paramour

BBC Get Together 10.30 - 10.50 pm

Ken Rattenbury and band of local musicians - The Saints, Beale Street Blues, Who's Sorry Now (broadcast from Birmingham)

Alma Warren - Ain't Misbehavin', Wee Small Hours (broadcast from London)

Kathleen Stobart - Love Me Or Leave Me (broadcast from London)

and host David Jacobs (broadcast from London)

ATV ATV Music Shop

Frankie Vaughan

Harry Jacobson

Joan Anderson

Teresa Waters

Johnny Stevens

Peter Regan

Joan Powell

Anne Shelton

Cherry Wainer

ATV Saturday Showtime: Wakey! Wakey! 8:15 - 9:00 pm

Billy Cotton - Dinah, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

The Deep River Boys

Sunday 4th December 1955

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

Josh White

The Three Deuces

Eve Boswell

Malcolm Vaughan

Tony Kinsey Quartet

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

Dickie Valentine - Song Of The Trees, two others, impressions of Johnnie Ray, Al Jolson and David Whitfield

Patachou (French singer) - Rue Lepic, I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy

Monday 5th December 1955

BBC Off The Record 8:15 - 8:45 pm

The Hedley Ward Trio - Who's Dat Up Dere

Ambrose and his orchestra - The Bluebell Polka

Rita Williams - Soldier Boy

The Keynotes - Steam Heat

Bill Darnel - Bring Me A Bluebird

Jean Carson - phone chat with Jack Payne, I'm In Love For The Very First Time (An Aligator Named Daisy film clip)

Bill McGuiffe - introduced by Jean Carson, This Is My Beloved

Max Bygraves - Meet Me On The Corner (in his dressing room at the Hippodrome, London, while Stanley Black's orchestra plays in the television studio. A split-screen is used to show both)

The Beverley Sisters - Teddy Bear

Wednesday 7th December 1955

BBC Children's Hour

Shirley Abicair

AR Singing For You 7:15 - 7:30 pm

Joan Regan

Thursday 8th December 1955

AR Penny For A Song

Shirley Abicair

AR Jack Hylton Presents Variety 8:00 - 9:00 pm

content unknown

AR Dance Music 10:00 - 10:30 pm

content unknown

Friday 9th December 1955

AR Hylton’s Half Hour 8:30 - 9:00 pm

Broadcast from the Alband Club, which Hylton had just bought

Saturday 10th December 1955

BBC Dave King Show

Yana

ATV ATV Music Shop7:00 - 7:30 pm

Joe Loss

ATV Saturday Showtime: Wakey Wakey 8:15 - 9:00 pm

Billy Cotton

Sunday 11th December 1955

BBC Show Time Show

Joan Regan

Eamonn Andrews (possibly reciting his hit)

The Stargazers

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

content unknown

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

No guests of interest in this edition

Monday 12th December 1955

BBC Hit Parade

Petula Clark

Dennis Lotis

Shani Wallis

Jimmy Thompson

The Kentones

Gillian Lynne

Terence Theobald

Denny Bettis

Tuesday 13th December 1955

ATV Jack Hylton Presents: Youth Takes A Bow 10:00 - 10:30 pm

The Teenagers

Wednesday 14th December 1955

AR Singing For You 7:15 - 7:30 pm

Alma Cogan

Friday 16th December 1955

BBC Children's Hour

Shirley Abicair

BBC Rhyme And Rhythm

Grace O'Connor

Norman George and Dennis Newey

The Three Skylarks and Tony Brent

Musical accompaniment by the Jimmy Leach Dixieland Band

AR Hylton’s Half Hour

content unknown

Saturday 17th December 1955

ATV ATV Music Shop

Harry Jacobson

Harry Dawson

The Tanner Sisters

Don Peters

ATV Saturday Showtime

No guests of interest in this edition

Sunday 18th December 1955

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

A pantomime special

Vera Lynn - Unfaithful You

Liberace - clip from his movie Sincerely Yours

Lorrae Desmond - Ooh Bang Jiggerly Jang

Tony Brent - With Your Love

The Johnson Brothers - Some Of These Days

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium

Pantomime: Cinderella with Max Bygraves

Tuesday 20th December 1955

ATV Humphrey Lyttelton Band 7:15 - 7:30 pm

Wednesday 21st December 1955

AR The Merry Christmas

a musical version of A Christmas Carol, with music by Brian Burke and lyrics by Donald Cotton

Thursday 22nd December 1955

AR Jack Hylton Presents 8:00 - 9:00 pm

content unknown

Friday 23rd December 1955

AR The Dick Lester Show

Patti Lewis

Saturday 24th December 1955

BBC Pantomania

Jill Day as Prince Charming

Jack Payne as an ugly sister

ATV ATV Music Shop

R H Elliot

Marion Ryan

The Three Deuces

Ronnie Hilton

Joe Henderson

Virginia Day

Jill Day

Garry Miller - Robin Hood (sung with his three young sons)

ATV Saturday Showtime

No guests of interest in this edition

Sunday 25th December 1955

BBC Christmas Box 9.00 - 9.45 pm

Shirley Abicair

Eve Boswell

Edna Savage

Shani Wallis

ATV The Jack Jackson Show

Shirley Ryan

ATV Val Parnell’s Sunday Night At The London Palladium: Christmas Night With The Stars 7:45 - 9:00 pm

Hosted by Tommy Trinder

Vic Damone - Come Back To Sorrento

Alma Cogan

Sunday 26th December 1955

BBC Cabaret Matinee

The Kentones

Kay Porter (13 year old singer)

BBC Off The Record

The top records of 1955

The Johnston Brothers - Join In And Sing, Hernando's Hideaway

Alma Cogan - Dreamboat, Love and Marriage

Ruby Murray - Slowly With Feeling, medley of her 1955 hits

Jimmy Young - Unchained Melody, The Man From Laramie, Someone On Your Mind (NB singing in the BBCs Birmingham TV studios, while the accompaniment is played by the Stanley Black Orchestra in London)

Eddie Calvert - John and Julie, Oh My Beloved Daddy (O Mein Papa)

Ronnie Hilton - A Blossom Fell, Young and Foolish

Don Lang with the Mariants-Langhorn Big Six -  Cloudburst, I Want You To Be My Baby

Cyril Stapleton

Julie Dawn - Blue Star

ATV Penny For A Song

content unknown

AR Confidentially

Reg Dixon

Tuesday 27th December 1955

ATV Jack Hylton Presents: Youth Takes A Bow 10:00 - 10:30 pm

content unknown

Wednesday 28th December 1955

BBC Frank Chacksfield Presents Music For A Mellow Mood 10:15 pm - end

The Coronets

The Shepherd Singers

Gillian Lynne

Malcolm Goddard

AR Singing For You 7:15 - 7:30 pm

Anne Shelton

Thursday 29th December 1955

AR Swing Song 7:15 - 7:30 pm

content unknown

Friday 30th December 1955

ATV Hylton’s Half Hour

content unknown

Saturday 31st December 1955

ATV Final Night 8:30 - 9:30 pm

content unknown

ATV ATV Music Shop

Ken Mackintosh

Alma Warren

Dennis Lotis

The Maple Leaf Four

The Burt Twins

(possibly) Shirley Abicair

ATV Saturday Showtime

No guests of interest in this edition