TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

A twice-weekly tea-time show for kids, launched as a replacement for Tuesday Rendezvous, and featured Rendezvous regulars Muriel Young (also the new show’s producer for a while) and Howard Williams who would talk to camera while trying to control an audience of about fifty young kids. Grahame Dangerfield was responsible for the pets’ section on the Tuesday show, while Jimmy Hanley looked after the hobbies section on Fridays. Puppets Fred Barker (voiced by Ivan Owen), Ollie Beak (voiced by Wally Whyton) and Daisy (the pantomime cow) would also be regulars.

A resident group was also used, the first being the Roger Webb Trio, replaced by The Michael Hill Group.

After a successful run with co-hosts Jay Denyer and Louise Ramsey Muriel Young becomes the only resident host in January 1965, with a guest host, later to feature two NEMS’ managed acts Tommy Quickly and Gerry Marsden.

The two shows initially were broadcast on Tuesday and Friday, later changed to Tuesday and Thursday. There was also a summer replacement version the Five O’Clock Funfair. The name then changed to Ollie & Fred’s Five O’Clock Club with Mike Negal & His Trio as the resident group, replaced for a few months by The Alexis Korner Group / Sextet / Quartet. Host Muriel Young was replaced in 1965 by Marjorie Sigley.

As well as the usually variety acts a couple of pop acts would appear on every show, not usually of the stature of The Beatles, but enough to warrant a search for any editions that may exist anywhere, as only two small portions of the show currently exist.

The show was dropped from the schedules in an announcement made by Rediffusion in August 1966. The series was replaced by Disney Wonderland, later to be hosted by Gerry Marsden, one of Five O’Clock Club’s final guest hosts.

Like Tiswas in the late seventies the kids were the real stars, waving to the camera, poking their tongues out and making a lot of noise.

FIVE O’ CLOCK CLUB

Associated Rediffusion / Rediffusion

1st October 1963 - 23rd September 1966