TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

It's My First Time...

Pop stars pop their cherries on TV

We all have to start somewhere, but in many cases it took a while.

10cc

Pre-10cc all four members of the group would have had the same degree of experience, but not the same degree of success, and it would take nearly ten years to get the four together on the same screen.

Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders

ABC Thank Your Lucky Stars - Saturday 2nd November 1963

(probably) For You For You

Singer and writer Eric Stewart had been with the band throughout its career, both with Fontana as their lead singer and latterly without, and just before they split another Manchester-based singer and writer Graham Gouldman would join the group on bass. After the split Stewart would go on to help create Strawberry Studios in Stockport which would become 10cc's home for the next few years.

The Mockingbirds

Top Of The Pops 1964-1966, Manchester era

Probably the best band from Manchester at that time not to make it, despite great 45's for Decca, Immediate and Columbia. Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman's band had a weekly gig warming up the audience for Top Of The Pops before the cameras were turned on, but sadly the BBC's cameras never pointed in their direction, but given time...

Hotlegs

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 16th July 1970

Neanderthal Man

The first of three personal appearances by Stewart, Godley and Creme promoting a song which was only intended as a test to see if new recording equipment at Strawberry Studios worked properly, and using a band name that was an in-joke at the expense of the studio secretary. They also turned up at TV Centre on Thursday 30th July 1970 and Boxing Day 1970.

10cc

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 28th September 1972

Donna

Their rock and roll ballad spoof caught the ear of the boss of UK Records, Jonathan King and he signed them to a two album deal. Apple had been given the chance to sign the new as yet un-named quartet, but the label was in the slow process of closing down. The band would have three number one singles in Britain and be regular visitors to The Pops until late 1978.

The Animals

Granada Scene At 6:30 - Wednesday 18th March 1964

Baby Let Me Take You Home

The Animals had to head down to Manchester to make their TV debut, rather than staying in Newcastle as, presumably, Tyne Tees weren't interested, or, probably not aware of the scene going on in the their own city. Mike Jeffreys, their manager, got them a booking on one of the most influential local ITV shows. Scene at 6.30 would play host to pretty much all of the country's most important acts over its five year history. However, the record itself wouldn't be released for another week, so it might have been in vain. Just two days' later they hit the big time as an appearance on Ready Steady Go! would help the record get into the lower reaches of the chart.

Shirley Bassey

AR Jack Hylton Presents: Variety - Thursday 29th September 1955

Stormy Weather

The genesis of Shirley Bassey's fame pretty much co-insides with the genesis of ITV. Just a few days' after the station launched Bassey made her TV debut. Philips' Johnny Franz claimed to have seen her on TV and as a result signed her. It was presumably the above appearance. However, her first release, Burn My Candle, released in February 1956 didn't do much business. Her appearances in Jack Hylton stage shows would extend to TV once Associated-Rediffusion came on air, a channel which Hylton was connected with, guaranteeing her exposure to the areas of the UK that had ITV. Bassey probably becomes the first singer in the UK to use TV to make them a star.

The Bay City Rollers

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 30th September 1971

Keep On Dancing

Active in various line-ups and names since the mid-sixties it took until summer 1971 and a Jonathan King production to finally get them into the chart. A follow up, We Can Make Music, saw them appear on Granada's Lift Off on 3rd May 1972 and Mañana on the same show on 8th November 1972, but despite a record deal and promised further releases it couldn't persuade Gordon Clark to stay on as lead singer and he left just before Remember was released in late 1973, leaving the front door open for Les MeKeown who fronted the band throughout their glory years 1974 - 1976. Remember would be the first of string of hits written and produced by Eurovision legends Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. The McKeown years began on TV on 7th February 1974, their first Top Of The Pops appearance in two and a half years.

The Beatles

Granada People And Places - Wednesday 17th October 1962

Some Other Guy, Love Me Do

Nearly two weeks after the release of their debut 45 they found themselves in Manchester's Granada studios for its early evening news show. Since Liverpool never had its own TV channel (although it now has Liverpool TV, a community channel) they had to travel the twenty miles across Lancashire between lunchtime and evening gigs at The Cavern. It must have been something of a novelty for their fans to see them on TV and then 'in the flesh' only two hours' later, but their success would only bring animosity from some of the Cavern regulars who didn't want to share them. Granada's Johnny Hamp had previously seen the band in Hamburg and suggested that Granada catch them in action at The Cavern upon their return. They were filmed in August 1962 performing Some Other Guy in front of a crowd who were hostile to their new drummer. The clip was put on the shelf until 1963.

The Bee Gees

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 11th May 1967

New York Mining Disaster (1941)

After the Gibb family emigrated to Australia in 1958 sons Barry, Maurice and Robin continued their childhood passion for singing and would in time become regulars on the TV show circuit in Australia in the first half of the sixties, making their debut in August 1960 on the curiously titled Desmond and The Channel 9 Pins show in Brisbane. This would eventually lead to a recording contract with Leedon Records in 1963, releasing their debut album in 1965. However as The Easybeats, Frank Ifield, Olivia Newton-John, AC-DC and other "Australian" acts would attest, Oz would only take you so far down the yellow brick road and it would be time to get back on the boat and return to the UK. It's not without a certain sense of irony that as the Gibb brothers were sailing away from Australia in January 1967 when they received the news that the most recent 45 Spicks And Specks had just got into the Australian top ten.

Polydor Records had picked up the UK rights to Spicks And Specks from the Spin label in Australia, releasing it just after the brothers arrived in the UK in February 1967, but it didn't chart. Arranging a new management/publishing/recording deal with NEMS/Robert Stigwood they set about starting all over again as, apart from the Manchester police force, no-one in the UK knew them.

Bypassing the introductory round of shows like Dee Time, The Eamonn Andrews Show or even Scene at 6.30 The Bee Gees were pushed into the deep end. Top Of The Pops. The single had crawled up to number 17 and for their UK TV debut Robin was put behind a small keyboard stage right, Colin was on drums on the other side with the three singers and guitarists stood on a raised platform behind them. Despite the single's success, and it did continue to climb to number 12, they only made the one appearance on the show to promote it. Altogether they would make ten appearances on The Pops that year, including one of the year-end Christmas shows on Boxing Day. There would also be another reason the band were so fond of The Pops, Maurice and Barry would both meet their future wives at the show.

Cilla Black

TWW Discs-A-Gogo - Monday 23rd September 1963

Love Of The Loved

It's likely Cilla made her debut on the 100th edition of the legendary, but now elusive pop series, recorded in Bristol. Proving popular with TV producers and the audience she would made a further eleven appearances in the last few months of the year.

Blur

BBC1 Eggs N Baker - Saturday 13th April 1991

There's No Other Way

With cable and early satellite TV available in Britain by the early nineties it's probable that many British bands that broke through at that time made their debut on some obscure middle of the night hellhole, viewed by dozens at the most. As far as terrestrial TV goes a promo clip of She's So High was shown on the re-vamped Juke Box Jury on Sunday 21st October 1990, but it would take another single and seven months for them to pop up again on proper UK TV. Cheryl Baker had made a successful post Bucks Fizz career presenting primarily kid's TV shows for the BBC and her Saturday morning pun-ladened Eggs N Baker played host to Blur's debut.

Marc Bolan

Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 12th November 1965

The Wizard

His debut single The Wizard had just been released by Decca and Bolan was given an invite to the best possible place to promote it. However, that week RSG was still mired in controversy over P J Proby's reluctance to appear unless he got, what he considered, a sincere on-air apology from Cathy McGowan. He had appeared on the show a few weeks' before and had been faded out during one of his songs and threw a hissy fit, threatening never to appear on the show again. Despite Proby's absence, Bolan's debut show looks like a classic, with Wilson Pickett, The Small Faces, Tom Jones, The Nashville Teens, a couple of visiting French stars Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Halliday, and first-timer Bolan playing his pop-pysch tale of a meeting with a strange man wearing a pointy hat in the woods. It was an uptempo Donovan-esque track which doubtless attracted RSG. He must have impressed Rediffusion TV as they asked him to play the same song on the tea-time favourite The Five O'Clock Club on the 23rd November.

A couple of setbacks then followed, as intended but cancelled appearances on ATV's The Mod Ball and ABC's Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1965 put him back to square one. However Lucky Stars came to his aid on 19th February 1966 as he made his third appearance promoting The Wizard, a single which was now three months old. His second Decca 45, The Third Degree attracted no attention from the telly when released in June 1966, so he would have to wait until 16th December 1966 and Ready Steady Go to plug his sole Parlophone release Hippy Gumbo. Desdimona, his one hit with John's Children in summer 1967, found no takers in UK TV land. It would take a further year for Marc to return to our TV screens. BBC1's early evening How It Is played host to Tyrannosaurus Rex on 27th September 1968, probably to play One Inch Rock. It would be over two years' later, a name change and Ride A White Swan's debut on Top Of The Pops on 12th November 1970 to help make Marc the superstar he always thought he should be.

David Bowie

BBC1 Juke Box Jury - Saturday 6th June 1964

His first single, Liza Jane by Davie Jones and The King Bees, was featured on BBC1's weekly pop trial by TV Juke Box Jury. That week's jury was made up of Charlie Drake, Diana Dors, Bunny Lewis and Jessie Matthews. According to Geoff Leonard's Juke Box Jury website only Charlie Drake voted it a hit, while Jones was in the hot seat listening to the comments and soaking up the embarrassment before revealing that he was backstage all the time.

Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 19th June 1964

Davie Jones & The King Bees - Liza Jane

Jones found himself in the company of Dusty Springfield, The Animals and The Crickets for his musical TV debut. However, the single sold poorly and the group were let go by Vocalion after the one release. It would be another five years before the public would give a damn, and even then it was just a one-off hit until his next breakthrough in 1972.

Culture Club

BBC2 Something Else - Saturday 6th October 1979

In the late seventies our South London Boy was living in Birmingham, turning up at the Pebble Mill studios for a recording for BBC2's youth magazine show, chatting with the hosts about the current state of street fashion. Martin Degville from the future Sigue Sigue Sputnik also went along for a laugh.

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 26th November 1981

The Jets - Yes Tonight Josephine

George O'Dowd/Boy George is seen dancing along to this rockabilly-lite take on a Johnnie Ray oldie. Despite being a part of the crowd surrounding Bow Wow Wow (as Lieutenant Lush) it's unlikely he appeared on TV with them.

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 23rd September 1982

Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

If you're going to make your TV debut then The Pops was the deep end. Boy George later claimed that Culture Club were given the chance to appear due to a cancellation by Shakin' Stevens, although their producer Steve Levine recalls that an Elton John promo clip was ditched in favour of that weeks' highest climber, Culture Club. Unfortunately since the track was being mimed-to George misses his vocal intro.

The Spencer Davis Group

ATV For Teenagers Only - Thursday 25th June 1964

(probably) Dimples

Unusually for ATV a local group makes their TV debut on the channel. For Teenagers Only was not a dedicated pop show, rather a teenage interest magazine programme, with pop thrown in. Actually, quite a lot of pop. They had a  resident group, Steve Brett and the Mavericks, and each show tried to have another local act appear, and on this occasion it was The Spencer Davis Group, probably plugging their first Fontana single.

David Essex

Rediffusion The Five O'Clock Club - Tuesday 11th January 1966

Can't Nobody Love You

His second of four forty-fives for Fontana resulted in an appearance on tea-time's Five O'Clock Club, plugging the track that had been released the previous month. He would be back on the show 23rd August 1966, promoting the dodgy sounding (for a kids' show) Thigh High. There's no documentation of another appearance until a November 1968 slot on Granada's Discotheque plugging his only Pye 45 Just For Tonight. There had been another one off single, this time for MCA's UNI label in 1968 and had he stayed with them he might have been given a chance to appear on 1970's Jesus Christ Superstar, but it wasn't to be. A few more appearances on Time For Blackburn in 1968, London Weekend's Set 'Em Up Joe in summer 1969 and Lift Off in 1970 still added up to nothing. He made brief appearances in a couple of movies, before getting the leading role in the West End production of Godspell, leading to a hit cast recording and a highlights broadcast on BBC1, Easter Sunday 1972. Despite his theatrical and movie career there's no evidence of any acting appearances on TV before his first musical one, unlike Peter Noone, Davy Jones and Stephen Marriott. There would be a couple of 1973 TV appearances for John Denver and the God-slot What Shall We Tell The Children?, reading a Spike Milligan story, before the bizarre spectacle of playing On And On, the B side of Rock On for London Weekend's Russell Harty Plus on the 26th August 1973. The A side finally gets its due a few days' later on Top Of The Pops on 31st August 1973.

Georgie Fame

AR Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 3rd January 1964

Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames - Do The Dog, Shop Around

Having played behind many British and American pop and rock acts of the late fifties and early sixties courtesy of manager Larry Parnes Clive Powell/Georgie Fame found himself keyboard player in Billy Fury's then backing-band The Blue Flames, eventually becoming the band's leader at the end of 1961 when they and Fury parted ways. Although he played with acts that would have appeared on TV, it's unlikely that he appeared on shows produced by Jack Good as he tended to employ his own musicians, but it's not impossible. The Blue Flames released a couple of instrumental singles for ska/bluebeat label R&B in 1963, leading to a deal with EMI's Columbia label later in the year. Signing to a major label got the newly re-christened Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames the attention of radio and TV producers and they made their debut, doubtless playing live, on the first RSG of 1964. It's notable that he didn't play the new single, as there wasn't one, so he played two songs from the Rhythm & Blues at the Flamingo live set. Fame and his band reeked of the cool aesthetic that mods craved and he would make several live appearances on the show until he went solo. Fame would later become a TV regular, eventually sharing a series in 1969 with friend Alan Price.

Fleetwood Mac

BBC2 Late Night Line-Up Colour Me Pop - Friday 19th July 1968

Despite the Eric Clapton era John Mayall's Bluesbreakers making several appearances on teatime kids' show The Five O'Clock Club and Ready Steady Go, they were absent from TV after Clapton left. There would be no known TV appearances to promote 1967's A Hard Road, Mayall's album with his new guitarist Peter Green. After forming Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and signing to CBS's Blue Horizon label they almost immediately found themselves with a top three album, without much promotion, but it would take several more single releases to attract any kind of attention from TV producers. After a try out pilot show in May 1968 BBC2 gave the go ahead for the UK's first dedicated pop TV show to be broadcast in colour. Colour Me Pop was there to promote (mostly) albums, so it was perfect vehicle for bands like Fleetwood Mac who would be given the chance to showcase their album.

Genesis

BBC2 Disco 2 - Saturday 14th November 1970

unknown

After the failure of their Decca singles and album, and despite some radio play by Kenny Everett and Radio Caroline Genesis had decided to call it a day. They had made their album, albeit with a pop-minded producer Jonathan King, so that was it, job done. But a change of heart in late summer 1969 sees a new line-up and they begin work on new songs more in keeping with their musical intention. In late 1969 a BBC TV producer decided to make a TV documentary about the work of painter Mick Jackson, whose images of bondage, sado-masochism and other weekend hobbies had brought him some kind of notoriety in the arts world. Looking a suitable musical background for his documentary he was tipped off about this new band who were currently without a deal. Genesis were given the brief that they should provide four pieces of music. The pieces were called Provocation, Frustration, Manipulation and Resignation. Although the music had been recorded, allegedly produced by Paul Samwell-Smith, the TV documentary itself was shelved. The music was finally released decades later after a tape was found and put up for auction.

Despite having no real management at the time, they secured a six-week residency at Ronnie Scott's club in London's Soho in early 1970. Having left Decca and leaving Jonathan King behind they chose to sign with the new label Charisma Records after future producer John Anthony had seen them play live. In the meantime the BBC, possibly apologising for the Jackson debacle, brought them into the studios to record a live session for the Nightride radio show recorded 22nd February 1970, bringing them to national attention, despite having no new album to plug. Their debut Charisma LP Trespass was recorded in the summer of 1970 and released in October that year. The band would be expected to go on a promotional tour, but two problems arose. Disappointed with the finished album guitarist Anthony Phillips left the band, so a replacement had to be found quickly. Mick Barnard joined for a few live shows and their TV debut on BBC2's weekly pop and rock show Disco 2, appearing in the second series on 14th November 1970. The second problem for the band was that their drummer John Meyhew had also recently left, so his replacement Phil Collins had to learn the new songs quickly, as did Barnard, who would in turn be replaced by Steve Hackett. Melody Maker called their TV debut "fairly disastrous." No video or audio is thought to exist, and all we have is a couple of (presumably) rehearsal photos.

Gerry & The Pacemakers

ABC ABC At Large - Saturday 2nd March 1963

How Do You Do It?

It's difficult to point to who would have been Merseyside's second best, The Searchers perhaps, The Big Three? But Gerry Marsden was a writer, and a very fine one at that, but sadly his group were not only given a cover version to record for their first single, but one that The Beatles and George Martin had previously rejected after a lacklustre run-through. Once again, Granada had not seen any potential for the Liverpool band, so it was up to ABC and their late-night magazine show to give them their debut. It seemed to have been part of an article about Brian Epstein as they and The Beatles were interviewed by David Hamilton. Despite the sloppy seconds Gerry & The Pacemakers scored number ones with their first three singles, something The Beatles did not do.

Herman's Hermits

Peter Noone had been a successful teenage actor appearing in numerous TV dramas in the UK from 1961 onwards. The first I can trace is Granada's drama Family Solicitor, in an episode called First Eleven Plus, broadcast Wednesday 30th August 1961, where the fourteen year old Noon (no 'e' at the end) played a schoolboy called Harrison in a story about a school playing field being sold off for building land. A few months' later he appeared in the then year-old drama series Coronation Street, playing Len Fairclough's son Stanley for three episodes in December 1961. Things then go quiet until...

Talking to Melody Maker in July 1966 Noone claimed "We've got a lot better since we started. You know Johnny Hamp - he did our first TV show. I mean it must have looked so awful - he keeps threatening to show it again. How old was it" thought Herman "About two and a half years. Gawd." Presumably it was Scene at 6.30 and they were promoting I'm Into Something Good, released 7th August 1964

The Hollies

ATV Carroll Levis Junior Discoveries – c.1959

Tony Hicks, future Hollies guitarist played washboard, presumably in a skiffle band. If it was it must have been a very late one.

Granada Scene at 6.30 - ? May 1963

The Hollies didn't have to go far to make their telly debut, appearing on Manchester's early evening news and arts show. Tasked with finding the talent show producer Johnny Hamp said "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them. They were dressed in jeans and shirts that didn't match, and they looked more like rough kids than musicians. But we put them on, because they had a new kind of talent, and they never looked back."

The first show I can attribute an actual date is this...

Grampian Joe and The Music - Friday 26th July 1963

(probably) Searchin'

Their first 45 (Ain't That) Just Like Me failed because it just wasn't very good. However, hiding on the B side was The Hollies' greatest weapon. They could play and sing alright, but they could write their own songs. Everyone was doing it then, but many lacked the confidence to suggest that their own song should be the A side. So there it was, 'Hey What's Wrong With Me' written by Nash - Clarke, stuck on the B side. Just Like Me attracted no attention from any TV producer, so it was on to the next single, and another cover. Leiber and Stoller's Searchin' was a familiar song to all the working bands, so why they thought it would have been a good choice for their second single is anyone's guess, it was more likely down to their recording manager Ron Richards. But again, flip it over. Whole World Over, another Nash - Clarke song, was so much better. The intended B side When I'm Not There was also written by a Hollie, Tony Hicks. When Searchin' was played on Juke Box Jury 17th August 1963, the day after its release, juror Pat Boone suggested the audience buy the original. Anyway, back to Aberdeen. Joe and The Music was a thirteen week series beginning the weekend of 6th and 7th July 1963 centred around folk singer Joe Gordon, who had been recording Scottish folk music for HMV since the late fifties. Among the many pop guests intended for the series were The Beatles. He didn't get the Fabs, but no complaints, he got The Hollies instead.

Engelbert Humperdinck

ABC Oh Boy! - Saturday 21st February 1959

Gerry Dorsey

The press reported that a special train was laid on to bring 100 fans from Leicester, courtesy of the Leicester Chronicle, specially for the show. They were there to support local singer Gerry Dorsey, making his Oh Boy debut. 22 year-old Gerry had been signed to Decca, but with just one release and no success he quickly moved onto Parlophone, a label which seemed to be fascinated with pop TV shows, releasing Six-Five Special, Wham and Oh Boy tie-in releases, so it might work this time. After two flop releases in 1959 and 1961 he had reason to give up with recording. But TV had other ideas. By October 1959 with Oh Boy behind him he moved to Manchester to work on Granada's The Song Parade, a show which he regularly appeared on for over a year. His flat mate at the time was singer Gordon Mills. Appearances on Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1961, The 625 Show for the BBC in 1963, Thank Your Lucky Stars again in 1964 kept him going until his luck and record contracts ran out. He regularly auditioned for ABC's Opportunity Knocks from 1964 onwards, again with no luck, and it had to be bad luck as he was a fine singer.

Rediffusion The Five O’Clock Club - Tuesday 5th July 1966

Engelbert Humperdinck - (possibly) Stay

For once, good fortune found him. After running into old flatmate Gordon Mills in 1965 he suddenly found himself with a new manager, but Mills had a shock for him. In order to gain a new audience like he had done with Tom Jones then maybe a name change would be a good thing, and that name would be...

Engelbert could also be forgiven for thinking the merry-go-round would be taking him for yet another ride as he was now back at Decca, where it all began back in 1959. But for his first new single Humperdinck suggested recording two songs written by someone called 'Dorsey.' One of his Decca 45's Dommage Dommage sold 100,000 copies in Belgium.

Humperdinck had a much deserved stroke of luck when on the 5th February 1967 singer Dickie Valentine had to drop out of the Sunday Night at the London Palladium show due to illness. Decca suggested this singer who had a new single, a cover of a country hit Release Me. The record had already come in at 39 in the chart two weeks before the Palladium appearance, then up to 23 a week before the show, then up to 12 as a response to the show. The day after the broadcast all copies that were in the shops had run out and Decca received orders for another 80,000. By the end of the decade his hits The Last Waltz and Release Me were both in the top ten biggest sellers of the 1960s.

Elton John

TWW Now!!! - Friday 20th May 1966

"The Bluesology" were listed for this edition in Melody Maker backing Patti LaBelle & Her Belles. Elton/Reg Dwight's band had been supporting them on a nationwide tour. Although Bluesology were a recording act in their own right, releasing two singles on Fontana and one on Polydor, no TV producers appeared to be interested.

BBC1 Juke Box Jury - Wednesday 27th December 1967

The 433rd and (thankfully) final edition featured Spencer Davis as the Hot Seat guest who mentioned that Reg Dwight and Bernie Taupin had written a song for his band's new LP.

BBC1 Lulu and A Song For Europe - Saturday 22nd February 1969

Elton and Bernie's song I Can't Go On Living Without You was in the shortlist of six songs to be considered as the UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The British TV audience thought it not as good as Boom Bang A Bang apparently, but to be fair that song actually won the contest (along with three others). Elton later confessed in his autobiography that he was the sole composer of the song.

Granada Discotheque - Wednesday 19th March 1969

Ayshea's debut as a co-host featured the proper TV debut of Elton Johns, as the TV Times listed him. It was likely that he was still promoting his second single, Lady Samantha, which had come out two months' before.

Tom Jones

BBC Wales Donald Peers Presents – 1960

Tommy Wooward - I'm Looking Out The Window

The twenty year-old Tom made his TV debut singing a Cliff Richard cover on fellow Welshman Peers' show which was only shown locally.

TWW Discs-A-Gogo – 1961

The Senators – unknown

The Senators made one appearance and, despite the show's name, they didn't appear to have made a disc to promote. They would later become Jones' backing band.

BBC Wales Donald Peers - 6th and 8th June 1962

Tommy Scott – unknown

Returning to the show for two appearances, he had now changed his name to Tommy Scott. Tommy Scott and The Senators would be one of South Wales' best bands.

ABC Lucky Stars (Summer Spin) - 19th September 1964

Tom Jones - Chills and Fever

After a false start with a Joe Meek recording session in 1963 Tom Jones, as he now called himself, had earned a Decca recording contract and had started on the ladder of promotion with this, his first single, released in late August. The Senators had become The Squires, but didn't get a credit on the label. Having moved down to London from South Wales they found themselves having to travel up to Aston, Birmingham for their national TV debut.

The Kinks

AR Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 7th February 1964

Long Tall Sally

Their menagerie of managers bagged The Kinks the best TV show of its era to promote the band's first 45. According to a Melody Maker report at the time they played live, while photos have them playing at the bottom of one of the studio's famous spiral staircases with Pete Quaife and Mick Avory on a large podium at the back and the Davies brothers out front. Despite the perfect promotional spot it didn't help. It didn't sell, and to be honest it was a poor single. They would have to wait until late July and You Really Got Me until they could outrage parents properly.

Led Zeppelin

BBC All Your Own - Sunday 6th April 1958

The JG Skiffle Group - Mamma Don't Allow, The Cotton Song (Cotton Fields)

Like thousands of others Jimmy Page and his school chums had formed their own skiffle group. However, by 1958 it seemed a bit late. Skiffle was fading, slowly being replaced by blues copyists, something that Page would later latch on to himself. They were given the chance to appear on national telly and on Easter Sunday there they were live on a youth talent show. Radio Times described the show as "A programme in which children from all over Great Britain have been invited to take part" Jimmy and his pals were briefly interviewed by host Huw Weldon about their ambitions, with Page expressing an interest in biological research. But by 1962 he had made music his living and in June 1963 he was interviewed by Channel Television about his future. On the 6th March 1965 Page would appear on ABC's Thank Your Lucky Stars playing his solo 45 She Just Satisfies.

BBC1 How Late It Is - Friday 21st March 1969

Communication Breakdown

The Flying Burrito Brothers were to be musical guests for the second edition of BBC1's late night venture into the counter-culture, but they couldn't appear due to a Musician's Union dispute, but it was hoped that they would appear on the 9th May show. Jimmy Page later claimed that this was a pilot show, which gave the impression that they had appeared on the first edition of the show on 14th March, but they were in Sweden on that date. The producers hoped to book Led Zeppelin again for a future edition. Some chance.

Lulu

Scottish One Night Stand - Thursday 27th February 1964

Lulu & The Luvvers

Scotland's own Little Miss Dynamite (as the press called her) made her debut on Scottish TV's talent show for new beat groups. Three bands were featured in each show, along with a professional group. Lulu and her group shared the studio stage that evening with Tommy Dene & The Tremors and The A Beats, but she would have to wait until Friday 1st May 1964 for her national TV debut on Ready Steady Go, performing her Decca 45 Shout, but without her band The Luvers/Luvvers, despite being credited on the label. Lulu (with or without her band) immediately became a familiar face to viewers around the country, racking up at least 24 appearances on British TV in 1964 alone. Like Tom Jones she would have to ditch the group in order to move forward professionally and by the late sixties she was hosting her own shows and series, but despite To Sir With Love selling two million copies in America she never attracted TV producers there like Jones had.

Kenny Lynch

ATV The Tin Pan Alley Show - Saturday 23rd July 1960

(possibly) Mountain of Love

Starting his career in 1960 Lynch would go on to become a familiar and welcome face on British TV for several decades, appearing in pop shows as a singer, variety shows as a sidekick for the likes of Jimmy Tarbuck and Cilla Black, playing a selection of quality drama roles, and maybe not so quality comedy roles. Finding himself on a Beatles package tour of the UK in 1963 he was less than impressed by the writing skills of Lennon and McCartney and offered to write with them. Turning him down he still found himself recording an early Beatles cover version, Misery. Plainly there was still some respect between Macca and Lynch as he was invited to appear on the Band On The Run album cover ten years' later. In the mid-sixties he found himself other writing partners, including two American legends, Jerry Ragavoy and Mort Shuman, just missing number one with Sha-La-La-La-Lee written with Shuman for The Small Faces. At the time he was also running his own music publishing company and a record shop in Soho, London.

Manfred Mann

Southern Day By Day - Thursday 10th October 1963

Manfred Mann in a ten-minute feature about rhythm and blues.

Manfred Mann (the band) were London-based, so quite how Hampshire's Southern TV got the scoop of their TV debut is a puzzle. However, folkies Robin Hall And Jimmie MacGregor were preparing a new series for Southern, Robin and Jimmie and Rhythm and Blues, which on Sunday 29th December 1963 featured also The Manfreds. In-between these broadcasts they made their RSG debut, probably playing Cock-A-Hoop.

Marmalade

In a previous life they had been known as Dean Ford & The Gaylords

Scottish One Night Stand - Wednesday 18th March 1964

unknown

Their Columbia debut Twenty Miles was released in April, but at the height of Beatlemania many releases just got lost and this seems the way with all four of their Columbia releases. However, they had several TV appearances to keep them busy. Dig This! on Scottish TV on Friday 3rd July 1964, re-appearing on the show on 28th August 1964, then BBC1's Stramash! The Big Noise From Glasgow on 29th November 1965, before calling it a day with that name.

Marmalade

BBC2 Theatre 625: The Fantasist - Monday 15th May 1967

Can't Stop Now

Gordon Waller from Peter & Gordon plays a DJ in this one-off drama, written by Alun Owen, starring James Villiers and Charlotte Rampling. The Marmalade are seen playing Can't Stop Now, which was also used as the play's opening theme. It had been their second CBS single, released in February 1967, but it would take over a year and several more releases until Lovin' Things, a cover of The Grass Roots American hit, took them into the chart and heading towards Television Centre.

Dudley Moore

ATV Music Shop - Sunday 7th June 1959

unknown

Despite making his name as a part of comedy revue Beyond The Fringe in 1961 Moore had been playing and recording with Johnny Dankowrth since the late fifties and it's likely that he made his TV debut with them at some point. But he was popular enough to have his own solo TV spots from time to time, leading to ATV's invite on to their Sunday afternoon diversion. The formation around that time of The Dudley Moore Trio and their popularity led to their two appearances on Associated-Rediffusion's Just Four Men in August 1960. On 1st March 1961 Moore makes his connection with Southern Television when he appeared on their Lunchtime Show for a small residency ahead of his own series Strictly For The Birds, beginning 11th May 1961 with the theme tune released as a Parlophone 45. The show was scheduled to run for 13 shows but was extended to thirty-three, going twice a week from October 1960 until the end.

The Move

Mike Sheridan was Birmingham's John Mayall. Guitarists like Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor made themselves able band members until a higher calling took them away to other bands. Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne had both been through Mike Sheridan's Lot or The Nightriders, while Rick Price had also recorded with him. Although Sheridan made his TV debut on Rediffusion's tea-time treat The Five O'Clock Club on 15th November 1963, returning on 7th July 1964 and 9th February 1965 it was notable that Birmingham's local ITV channel ATV didn't invite them. Something that didn't go unnoticed. In late January 1969 The Move send a telegram to ATV. "Birmingham's only hit parade group, currently in the top five for the fifth time, we wonder if you are aware that in three years together we have never appeared on ATV from Birmingham, even in an interview." In March 1969 they were finally given a chance to appear locally on the nightly news magazine show Today.

Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 9th December 1966

Night Of Fear

Once again the Brummies had to head to London. Despite name-dropping ATV shows For Teenagers Only and Midlands At Six in their NME Life Lines profiles in 1967 it's probable that they hadn't appeared on those shows as the article was likely to have been written by their legendary (for all the wrong reasons) publicist Tony Secunda. Talking about the appearance Roy Wood told Beat Instrumental magazine "We put the fear into the Ready Steady Go people when we had a dressed-up midget explode from the bass drum."

Mud

BBC1 The Basil Brush Show - Friday 16th May 1969

(probably) Shangri-La

or

LWT South Bank Summer: All Shades Of Pop - Sunday 6th September 1970

Vehicle

The Mud had signed to CBS in 1967 and all their four songs for the label were written by "R Davis/Davies" giving the false impression that they were somehow unheard Kinks songs. Rob Davis would be the band's hidden writing talent and would continue to have hits right through the 2000s. Having been dumped by CBS they were picked up by Philips over a year later, releasing Shangri-la in May 1969, the press release suggests that they have appeared on German TV, but by that time there had been no takers in the UK. Many web sites credit their UK TV debut as The Basil Brush Show and although there is no definite sighting they might have appeared on Friday 16th May 1969, a week after the release of Shangri-La. Their second Philips 45 wasn't released until June 1970, over a year since their last single. But this time telly was finally coming to their aid. Recorded on location at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London they got to perform The Ides of March recent hit Vehicle on a London Weekend one-off All Shades Of Pop. Their next excursion was an actual visit to an actual TV studio, this time on Wednesday 4th November 1970 appearing on Granada's Lift Off. It's just a shame they didn't have a record out to promote, in fact they wouldn't have another record out until January 1973. A few days' later on the 7th November they could be found at BBC Television Centre for the Saturday morning kid's show Ed And Zed, but this time they got to play Jumping Jehosaphat, just a mere six months after its release. So their story of no TV appearances when they have records out and TV appearances when they don't would have to come to an end one way or another. Thankfully for them it was Chinn and Chapman to the rescue when Crazy became their first hit and on Thursday 29th March 1973 they found themselves on Top Of the Pops and would stay there until Spring 1978.

Olivia Newton-John

BBC2 The Dick Emery Show - Monday 29th May 1967

Pat & Olivia (Pat Carroll & Olivia Newton-John)

After the failure of her first UK single release Till You Say You'll Be Mine in May 1966 Olivia decided to stay in the UK, eventually reuniting with her singing partner from Australia Pat Carroll, where the duo had been regulars on the Time For Terry TV show in Melbourne. Despite not having a recording deal the two proved to be a popular attraction on stage and gained a regular gig as resident guests on The Dick Emery Show in 1967 and 1968. After Carroll's visa expired she returned to Australia and Olivia carried on alone in the UK.

LWT Stewpot- Saturday 3rd October 1970

Toomorrow

After losing his job as the Musical Director for The Monkees Don Kirshner made certain that he would not be in a position to be dumped again, so he created a cartoon band, The Archies, that wouldn't berate him about a lack of musical credibility. After their massive success, he made his next move, this time a movie project, a (mostly) British group chosen for their looks as much as musical talent. After the movie and soundtrack again both flopped they then signed with Decca for a one-off final release, I Could Never Live Without Your Love, which despite being produced by Bruce Welch also flopped. Drummer Karl Chambers had gone back to America, replaced by Chris Slade from Tom Jones' band The Squires. They made their one UK TV appearance on Ed Stewart's weekend show over two months after the single was released. Despite being labelled the "group of the seventies" it wasn't to be and Olivia went solo.

BBC1 The Cliff Richard Show - Thursday 24th December 1970

Her personal relationship with writer/producer and ex-Shadow Bruce Welch meant she would have come into contact with Cliff Richard, who immediately became a big fan, asking her to sing on some of his recordings, including his early 1971 hit Sunny Honey Girl. Olivia would make her solo TV debut on Cliff's BBC1 show, as did Marvin Welch & Farrar. In late 1970 she signed to Festival Records, a London-based Australian independent production company, licensed to Pye in the UK and UNI in the USA and with them began a long stream of hits, lasting well into the 1980s.

Pink Floyd

Granada Scene Special: It’s So Far Out It’s Straight Down - Tuesday 7th March 1967

Interstellar Overdrive, Percy The Ratcatcher (aka Matilda Mother)

Nicely timed to co-inside with the release of the first 45, Arnold Layne, on the 10th March, Manchester based Granada had gone down to 'that there London' in January 1967 to observe the freak-out scene. They caught the band at the UFO Club, in the west end of London playing to similarly freaky dancers. However, the previous day Granada might have broadcast another show in the Scene series called The Rave. It was to feature The Move with Pink Floyd as guests.

The Pretty Things

Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go - Friday 15th May 1964

Rosalyn

As per usual Southern TV passed on debuting a local band, just as they did with The Rolling Stones, leaving London's finest to do the job, and despite the longer-than-long hair of their singer Phil they racked up many UK TV appearances in the first year. Appearing on Discs-A-Gogo, The Beat Room, Dig This, Top of The Pops, they were everywhere, except Southern. Probably their most unexpected appearance of the year was in an ITV investigation into rogue landlords in London that took The Pretties eviction from their Belgravia flat as an example.

Queen

BBC2 The Old Grey Whistle Test - Tuesday 24th July 1973

Keep Yourself Alive (Filmfinders clip)

Despite being fans of the band Queen never actually appeared live in the OGWT studio, so it was Philip Jenkinson's Filmfinders to the rescue and footage of World War II was summoned up to support the track, a little like Lou Reizner would do with the awful All This And World War II about three years' later. Despite the fact that this show still exists in the BBC archives, this track however is not mentioned in the BBC INFAX list of surviving appearances. Queen's name would appear on the Tuesday 13th November 1973 edition, but the band were on tour supporting Mott The Hoople at the time, so it was likely to have been another film clip. That edition of the show is now missing, something that Queen fans would have to get used to.

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 21st February 1974

Seven Seas Of Rhye

Top Of The Pops was like the call-up, you had to go. Although the band were seen very much as an album act they knew the value of a hit and released singles from day one. This was their second, but it wouldn't be released until 25th February, four days after their Pops appearance. Allegedly a film clip of David Bowie's Rebel Rebel was meant to be used, but wasn't ready, so Queen were called in to replace it. Freddie performed a live vocal over the record, and wore a black shirt and pants with a silver belt. This would be the first of three Pops appearances in support of the record, and all three were wiped shortly after by the BBC in a money saving exercise. Thankfully, the early seventies saw the beginning of the home video revolution in its various formats, the most popular of which at this time would be the Philips cassette system, and it's those home recordings that have survived and are now in circulation.

Radiohead

Carlton - The Beat (possibly) 1st February 1993

Anyone Can Play Guitar, Creep, Blow Out

A broadcast date of 28th January 1993 has been quoted on-line, but the show wasn't broadcast on that date, so it's likely to be the following scheduled edition. Their debut single was a modest hit, but since it was just a single they were overlooked by Jools Holland's Later, although to be fair the band were given a Later special to promote OK Computer. Their Top Of The Pops debut came many months later on 16th September 1993 where they played a radio-friendly version of Creep. A Christmas clip show, The Beat Christmas Cracker broadcast on 27th December 1993 repeated one or more tracks from their debut set.

Cliff Richard

ABC Oh Boy! - Saturday 13th September 1958

Cliff Richard & The Drifters - Don't Bug Me Baby, Move It

Schoolboy Crush, Cliff's first 45 was released in late August and he and his band were invited to appear on the first of Jack Good's ABC rock and roll show two weeks' after its release. According to a rehearsal sheet listed on Geoff Leonard's Oh Boy website, Cliff's A side was ignored in favour of the B side and Milton Allen's R&B flavoured Don't Bug Me Baby. TAM TV ratings suggest that nearly two million homes witnessed his debut, helping to get Move It to number two a few weeks' later, with even more homes tuning in for his second appearance the following week. Cliff would become Oh Boy's was almost exclusive property, with a few exceptions, appearing on ATV's The Jack Jackson Show on the 22nd October and ATV's Val Parnell’s Star Time on 13th November 1958, and it was with ATV that Cliff would stay for the next stage of his career, becoming the mum's favourite as well as the daughter's.

The Rolling Stones

Although the band didn't make it to on TV until summer 1963 one member of the group already had some TV experience. Monday 14th September 1959 ATV's Seeing Sport: Rock Climbing was broadcast from High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells in Kent with Michael Jagger and his teacher father explaining the importance of correct footwear. Michael said nothing, just showing us his plimsolls as requested by Jagger Snr.

ABC Lucky Stars (Summer Spin) - Saturday 13th July 1963

Come On

The band were taken to Carnaby Street by Andrew Oldham in order to buy matching suits for their big TV debut, choosing a houndstooth design. The image was at odds with their unkempt hair which garnered a comment from the show's host Pete Murray to the effect that the Hairdresser's Union wanted to see them after. Keith nearly caused backstage fisticuffs with the Irish showband The Cadets for what they were wearing. It had to be said they were dressed like part-time sailors.

Roxy Music

BBC2 The Old Grey Whistle Test - Tuesday 20th June 1972

Ladytron

Despite the urban myth of Bob Harris not liking Roxy Music when they first appeared on the show the fact was that he wasn't even hosting it then. When Planet Janet's finest made their TV debut Richard Williams was the host. He had championed the band after hearing a demo tape and wrote about them in Melody Maker in the summer of 1971. However Whistle Test didn't give time to unsigned talent, so they had to wait nearly a year before their TV debut, which by that time they had the now classic line up. However the band made a second appearance in 1973, finally giving Harris the chance to air his disapproval.

Whistle Test was past the bedtime of many of us, so we had to wait until 24th August 1972 and their Top Of The Pops debut playing Virginia Plain, as profound an influence and as shocking a spectacle as Bowie's Starman a few weeks' earlier.

The Searchers

ABC Lucky Stars (Summer Spin) - Saturday 29th June 1963

Sweets For My Sweet

Merseyside's second or third finest made their debut on the show that had given The Fab's their big TV break. Despite the band's humour, particularly that of their drummer Chris Curtis, they were never considered for their own special, only The Beatles would get that treatment. Although Tony, John, Chris and Mike never quite had the ring of John, Paul, George and Ringo, not even Pye Records' owners ATV saw the potential. The personality of the band's members would only come through on occasion, like Ready Steady Go where the acts could get a word in edgeways with interviews, but Tony Jackson leaving the band seemed to sour relations with the media.

The Sex Pistols

Granada So It Goes - Saturday 28th August 1976

Anarchy In The UK

After appearing at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester in June 1976 the band get booked straight away for an appearance on Tony Wilson's new rock show, also to be recorded in Manchester. Not giving one thought to what the bosses at Granada might think Wilson booked them for the last spot on the last show, just to be on the safe side, hoping for a quick getaway should it all go a bit Ken Tynan. Unexpected compromises were made however. Due to the anti-Semitic nature of Jordan's outfit swastikas on her jacket were taped over. It becomes the most notorious music appearance on TV, until December the same year that is. It was shown the following day by London Weekend in their Rock Festival strand from 12.00 - 12.30 am, the final programme of the day's output and like all TV in those days the final show would be followed by a film of Her Majesty, accompanied by God Save The Queen. Sex Pistols? God Save The Queen?

Sandie Shaw

ABC Lucky Stars (Summer Spin) - Saturday 25th July 1964

As Long As You're Happy Baby

'Miss Sandy Shaw' as she was referred to in Record Mirror was due to make her TV debut on the prime time Saturday night record show, promoting her first single released on the 10th July. However, union trouble at ITV meant that the recorded, but cancelled, edition of show due for broadcast on the 4th July would finally get an airing on the 18th July instead, elbowing Sandie's intended debut. She would eventually appear the following week on the 25th July 1964 edition.

Rediffusion The Five O’Clock Club - Friday 24th July 1964

As Long As You're Happy Baby

She finally gets her overdue TV debut, albeit on kids' TV, but the single is a flop. Thankfully There's Always Something There To Remind Me takes her to the top a few months' later and she becomes not only a regular on British TV for the rest of the decade, but eventually gets her own series on BBC1 in 1968.

Slade

BBC1 Monster Music Mash - Tuesday 4th November 1969

Ambrose Slade - Martha My Dear, Wild Winds Are Blowing

The public could be excused some chin-scratching regarding this TV debut. McCartney's Martha My Dear was taken from the band's first LP which had been credited to Ambrose Slade, while the other song, their new single released two weeks' before, was credited to The Slade. The musical content, pop-pub-club-rock with electric fiddle was at odds with their visual style, as they were sporting their new skinhead look, suggested by their manager Chas Chandler. Despite the apparent mess, it wasn't a total waste of time as BBC Radio One kept asking them back to play live, and they nearly hit the chart with The Shape Of Things To Come at the beginning of 1970. But another change was on the cards. They would spend the next eighteen months growing their hair, or lampchops in Noddy's case, and preparing their next unforgettable move.

The Small Faces

ABC Lucky Stars (Summer Spin) - Saturday 7th August 1965

Whatcha Gonna Do About It

The Small Faces' TV debut was the day after the record's release, but it's certain that some viewers would have seen the singer's face before, even if they didn't know his name. Before forming The Small Faces in 1965 Stephen Marriott had been a successful adolescent actor, making many TV appearances, probably starting with BBC's Mrs Pastry's Progress on 21st April 1962. Later he would appear in Dixon Of Dock Green, William The Pacemaker both in 1963, the same year as his debut 45 Give Her My Regards, which garnered no interest from TV. He also popped up in Sid James' Taxi and BBC's Television Club in 1964, while his two appearances in the pop films Live It Up and Be My Guest were probably more to his liking as he already had his own band The Moments who had released a lone 45 in the USA. According to legend the band's keyboard player Jimmy Winston misbehaved during their Lucky Stars' debut, swinging his arms around to distract attention away from Steve Marriott, guaranteeing that his days were numbered. Sonny & Cher also appeared on the same show and became early champions of the band. The following Friday they appeared on Ready Steady Go where Eric Burdon introduced them as The New Faces.

Dusty Springfield

Strictly speaking Dusty had four debuts.

BBC1 The Six-Five Special - Saturday 26th April 1958    

The Lana Sisters - Cry Cry Baby

The Lana Sisters were a singing trio, one of which was Shan Lana, aka Mary O'Brien, aka Dusty Springfield. The trio's recording career ran from autumn 1958 to late 1960, and despite their lack of success in their home country The Lana Sisters did have one top ten hit in Ireland with their final 45, My Mother's Eyes. The B side, You've Got What It Takes, was co-written by Motown founder Berry Gordy, a choice of song that would become more obvious in her later solo career. The trio made many TV appearances over their two years of business, including a semi-regular Saturday evening gig on BBC1's Drumbeat.

ABC Thank Your Lucky Stars - Saturday 27th May 1961

The Springfields - Dear John

It would be ten months between The Lana Sisters final TV appearance in July 1959 and her next venture, a folk/calypso singing trio with her brother Dion, aka Tom Springfield and future record producer Mike Hurst. Shan had become Dusty and by this time she had progressed from standing on one end to standing in the middle with her 'brothers' either side of her. A mere two months' after their TV debut they were given their own four part, fifteen minute, series in the early evenings on the BBC. On Saturday 2nd March 1963 Dusty appeared without the other Springfields on the panel of Juke Box Jury and after a blazing row backstage at Ready Steady Go in August 1963 the trio were finished, but there were still a few appearances that they were contractually obliged to do, with their final appearance on Sunday Night At The London Palladium on Sunday 6th October 1963.

Associated Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 4th October 1963

Dusty co-hosts the show with Keith Fordyce. With a solo career waiting for her in the wings, she filled in the time appearing as a commere on Britain's newest weekly pop show, along with another appearance on Juke Box Jury.

Associated Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 15th November 1963

I Only Want To Be With You

Probably as a thank you for her hosting work RSG gives Dusty her solo singing TV debut. Although she would eventually get her own backing band, The Echoes, for live work she would be on her own for the majority of TV appearances. Her mod dress sense singled her out for public attention and her humour brought her back to RSG time and time again.

Alvin Stardust

ABC Thank Your Lucky Stars - Saturday 7th October 1961

Shane Fenton and The Fentones - I'm A Moody Guy

Singer Bernard Jewry had been called in to replace the first Shane Fenton, Johnny Theakston, who had died suddenly. Signing to Parlophone Records a year before The Beatles Shane Mk 2 only had a couple of hits before Merseybeat came in and ruined everything. He made his debut on the show that would go on to make so many British pop stars in the first half of the decade, Thank Your Lucky Stars, and for his debut he was introduced by Helen Shapiro, who had been discovered on the show earlier in the year herself. He hit the charts twice, first with the Jerry Lordan song I'm A Moody Guy and then with a cover of the American hit Cindy's Birthday the following year before being let go by the label in Spring 1964, despite making many TV appearances in support of his releases. Billy Fury was another artist who would also suffer at the hands of the beat boom and by the early seventies had put together a label for friends and signed the otherwise retired Fenton for a couple of single releases in 1972 using the names Shane Fenton and Jo-Jo Ellis.

Granada Lift Off - Wednesday 24th October 1973

Alvin Stardust (aka Peter Shelley) - My Coo Ca Choo

Meanwhile in London, singer, songwriter and producer Peter Shelley had helped launch the independent Magnet Records in 1973. Shelley had recorded the label's first release, the Spirit In The Sky sounding My Coo Ca Choo, credited to Alvin Stardust, a gesture to the over-whelming fad of glam rock. Shelley had appeared on Granada's Lift Off promoting the record (apparently) wearing a clown/Pierrot looking outfit. He told the label boss he wouldn't do anything like that ever again, suggesting a replacement be hired to be 'Alvin'. Marty Wilde was then contacted and asked if he would take on the persona for promotional appearances as the record was likely to be a big hit. He said no, but he suggested asking a friend of his, Shane Fenton.

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 15th November 1973

Alvin Stardust (aka Bernard Jewry) - My Coo Ca Choo

History repeated itself when Bernard was called in once again to replace another nom de plume. Alvin Mk 2 made his TV debut dressed head to foot in black leather with a black mane of hair. He hadn't used rubber gloves when applying the hair dye and stained his right hand, so a black leather glove was employed to cover it. The right-angled, broken arm way he held the microphone was reminiscent of Dave Berry's bizarre mic' technique in the sixties, but overall he had an identifiable visual presence that Shelley never had. Shelly had left the UK for Canada by the late seventies, while Alvin was better to Bernard than Shane ever was, giving him hits until the late eighties.

Status Quo

Border Beatwave - Tuesday 27th December 1966

The Spectres - (probably) Hurdy Gurdy Man

The first recording incarnation of Britain's most popular band since The Beatles lasted three singles and one TV appearance, even then it was only for local TV in Carlisle. They then changed the group name to The Traffic Jam, lasting just one single before changing identity once more to The Status Quo. It didn't even stop there as Mike Rossi would later become Francis Rossi.

BBC1 Top Of The Pops - Thursday 8th February 1968

The Status Quo - Pictures Of Matchstick Men

They finally get their first hit, the first of (probably) several hundred as it seemed. By the end of the shows' run they had notched up over one hundred appearances, but it turned sour in 1996 when Radio One decided not to include their new single on their playlist, deeming them a Radio Two act, which given that Britpop was still in the air was probably not unreasonable. Making an appearance for I Didn't Mean It in 1994 they didn't appear again until 2002.

Rod Stewart

BBC2 The Beat Room - 13th July 1964

Long John Baldry & The Hoochie Coochie Men

It's possible that Stewart had appeared on TV with Baldry's group before, but Baldry is the only name that gets mentioned in press.

Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 30th October 1964

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

Rod The Mod gets to perform his debut solo 45, a cover of the Sonny Boy Williamson song, on the most mod show of all. He was in fine company that week, sharing the bill with The Kinks, the Yardbirds and American stars The Dixie Cups and Sugar Pie Desanto. Photos taken on set show Rod with an electric guitar, which is odd as there's only an acoustic heard on the record. Apparently he fell down a ladder while making his way to his mark on the stage floor. Just over a year later Rod would have his own documentary special, also for Rediffusion, despite the fact that he had no hits and wouldn't do until the Jeff Beck Group albums in 1968.

The Sweet

Granada Lift Off - Wednesday 30th December 1970

Funny Funny

Like many acts from the early seventies Glam Rock would be the last throw of the dice for many acts, Sweet being one of them, but to be fair as a band they had only been in existence for about two and a half years, but their signing to RCA in late 1970 would be their third record deal. Their Fontana and Parlophone singles would see no chart action, despite the intervention by songwriter-producers like Phil Wain(e)man, Cook and Greenaway and the likes. However, as would be the norm from the early seventies they would write their own B sides, with early guitarist Michael Stewart taking two B sides on his own. On signing with RCA Phil Wainman suggested they team up with Mike Chapman and Nicki Chinn, two new writers in need of some experience. Sweet's first TV show was in (very) late 1970, despite the fact that the record wouldn't be released until late January 1971. It was worth a punt. By that time Stewart was replaced by Andy Scott who had been a member of The Silverstone Set who had made their TV debut on Popportunity Now, the talent show spin-off from TWW's Now, broadcast on Friday 1st July 1966. TWW also chose the band to appear on one of their Herd At The Scene shows on 31st October 1966 and later became winners of weekly talent show Opportunity Knocks, debuting on 12th November 1966. Scott would also be seen on Granada's drama offering Mr Rose, in the episode The Unlucky Dip, broadcast on Friday 21st June 1968. This time he was with Decca signings The Elastic Band, performing Do Unto Others. A press release claimed that The Elastic Band won Opportunity Knocks, so presumably they were just a re-boot of The Silverstone Set. Funny Funny would become their first hit and Top Of The Pops would eventually come calling, making their Pops' debut on 1st April 1971, and like many others from the Glam era they would hang around until 1978.

The Who

BBC2 The Beat Room - Monday 24th August 1964

The High Numbers - I'm The Face

Their solitary Fontana 45 had been released the previous month but it had strangely been ignored by the modfathers at Ready Steady Go, so a rival knock-off at the BBC sent out an invite. They didn't have far to go as the BBC's White City studio was just down the road from Who Central at Shepherd's Bush. Sharing the stage with Brenda Lee and The Swinging Blue Jeans they couldn't have made much of an impression beyond their neighbourhood, but they would be back...

BBC2 The Beat Room - Monday 11th January 1965

The Who - I Can't Explain

Four months on, a new name, a new label and a second chance on the same show. The single wouldn't be released for another four days but any publicity would be welcomed as, once again, Ready Steady Go were slow off the mark, but to be fair Rediffusion's That's For Me showed the band's promo clip for the record an hour before The Beat Room appearance. RSG would finally find room for them by the end of the month.

Yardbirds

Rediffusion Ready, Steady, Go! - Friday 22nd May 1964

I Wish You Would

Despite packing the clubs since 1963 it took until Spring 1964 to get a record out and three weeks' after its release the band get to play it on Britain's best pop show. A month later on 27th June 1964 they also plug the song on Thank Your Lucky Stars, with a trip to Discs-A-Gogo two days' later. They pitch up at Nottingham Ice Stadium for BBC1's The Cool Spot on 7th July 1964, but thankfully we can still get to see them courtesy of Granada's Go Tell It On The Mountain, broadcast on Wednesday 22nd July 1964, as their live set is still preserved on video. They play Louise, and I Wish You Would.

The Zombies

Scottish Dig This! - Friday 21st August 1964

She's Not There

Their classic debut single had been released the month before, but UK TV didn't bite at first, leaving Scottish TV's pop show to give them their break. Five days later they were on Top Of The Pops, but were not aware of the show's expenses procedure. Colin Blunstone talking to Disc in 1973 "The first time I ever played Top of the Pops was when the Zombies had a hit with She's Not There. We were on tour when we heard we were wanted for the show, so thinking the BBC were going to pay all the expenses we flew to Manchester, ate the best food and stayed in the best hotels. After we'd done it all we found a number of large bills waiting for us to pay . . . We always went by road after that." The clip they recorded seems to have been repeated twice.