Produced by the legendary Muriel Young 45 was an attempt, and a solid one at that,
by Granada to educate the tea-timers into the outer scope of the charts, new releases
and forthcoming flops. This could also be construed as an attempt to put on a cheap
pop show mostly featuring acts who were, chart-wise, second division. However the
show got into the swing from the start with some big name acts, but when they couldn't
appear dance troupe Stylus would be there to fill in for them.
The first series was titled "45" and was co-hosted by Emperor Rosko and David 'Kid'
Jensen, however, Ayshea Brough, late of Lift Off, appeared on the second show suggesting
some kind of continuity. Talking to Sounds in July 1975 the show's director Peter
Walker claimed "The original concept was to do something different from 'Lift Off',
like a more grown up thing. They used the same director and Ayshea, but it didn't
work out the way they planned. It was the same as 'Lift Of'. Initially they did 10
shows and alternated with Rosko and Kid Jensen. Then there was a short break. I joined
the show at the end of that series. I agreed with the show's producer, Muriel Young,
and the co-ordinator, David Wason, that it should be aimed at a more adult market.
But then Granada took the studio away from us to do a drama series, so we either
had to go elsewhere or go off the air. We ended up at the Hardrock and added "Rock
on with ..." to the title. Our big hang up is the fact that we're put out in different
time slots in different areas. Southern TV airs the show a week behind everyone else.
You see, if the network had given us a later time slot We were going to prove to
them there was a more adult pop music market." He continued "Once we got over the
Alvin Stardusts and Gary Glitters, we were going to introduce heavier people into
the show. But because they've had us on at five in the afternoons for over a year,
we've been forced back by ratings and have had to include more of the teenybopper
element. It's not the way the show was envisaged initially, but its the way we have
to work."
Despite the success of Lift Off Westward, Ulster and Border were the only other ITV
stations showing 45 at the same time as Granada.
Later series (also known as "Rock On With 45") were hosted by Jensen alone, then
host of Radio Luxembourg's Dimensions programme and later to host Top of the Pops,
Tyne Tees Razzamatazz and The Roxy in the mid-eighties. Jensen would introduce acts
from the Hardrock Discotheque set, while others would perform live elsewhere. Despite
Jensen's popularity, producer Young had considered continuing with Emperor Rosko.
Talking to Record Mirror in July 1974 Muriel Young claimed "For the past three years
we desperately been trying to make the television authorities aware of the need of
an adult pop programme. This is just the beginning for bigger and better things."
Dance troupe Stylus were replaced with Zigzag and would appear once or twice per
show. ATV broadcast the second series the same time as Granada, while London Weekend
viewers got to see the show as a part of their Saturday Scene morning strand.
The show struggled to find it's own identity, falling somewhere between Top Of The
Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test. In the Sounds July 1975 interview Peter Walker
claimed "The problem is, that people say if you're not doing 'Shang a Lang', which
is just for kids, and you're not doing a programme for heavies, you'll get nobody
watching. This criticism has teen levelled at us by some of the executive producers,
that the programme hasn't got enough image. But Kid Jensen is a driving force by
himself, '45' doesn't need any hype and it doesn't have the show biz glamour. I'd
like to feel that the show stands or falls by who's on and what they're doing." Despite
the show's title referencing the 45rpm single, it would include an album spot with
an act playing three songs.
Granada were obviously unsure about the show and moved it from Thursday tea time
to early evening, then moving it to Sunday afternoon, then back to Thursday evening
again before letting it go for good.
The first series presented the remains of teen-glam with appearances by Slade, The
Bay City Rollers, Geordie, Gary Glitter and the like while the 1975 series kicked
off with Supertramp, Ace and The Pretty Things, suggesting that the album chart was
being targeted.
Despite the best intentions the show failed to click with the audience, but was given
a long run for its money lasting sixteen months before the plug was pulled by ITV
the same time as The Bay City Rollers’ BAFTA avoiding Shang-A-Lang.
