TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 -
Hosted by ORS presenter and Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell Get Set For Summer was a replacement
for Swap Shop/Superstore during the months when you're less likely to be watching
TV on a Saturday morning. Talking to the Daily Mirror ahead of the debut Powell claimed
that he was not a Noel Edmonds clone "I hope we'll provide lots of fun and entertainment.
We'll certainly be getting out and about more than Swap Shop." A rather bizarre
claim about what the potential audience wanted was also made in the same article
"Producer David Brown did a survey among 1,000 youngsters to find out the sort of
things they wanted. The answer was clear: fashion, sport—especially motorbikes —
pop and old-
It had a traditional menu, reports on outdoor sports, hobbies, activities and lots of pop. But the pop quota was top shelf with Duran Duran, U2, Depeche Mode, ABC, The Jam, Toyah, Yazoo, Altered Images, Hazel O'Connor, Spandau Ballet etc all appearing and sometimes actually playing live in the studio.
The first series was only six shows (July to August), but it was back the following year from April (still Spring actually) up to late September, so it must have pleased the BBC schedulers, but to accommodate the time of year the title was shortened to Get Set from 19th June 1982 onwards. The second series saw just Powell and Curry left with no guest presenters, while a video vote was introduced along with a new Videopop feature. Peter Powell came and went throughout the 1982 series, eventually leaving in late summer.
By the third series in 1983 Curry was now co-
Predictably it concluded its Mum to Mud to Dud to Dad phase by changing its name
yet again on 21st April 1984 when it became The Saturday Picture Show, but despite
the title it would still have pop acts, usually interviewed by a returning-
It was superseded in 1987 by the long-
GET SET FOR SUMMER / GET SET / GET SET PICTURE SHOW / SATURDAY PICTURE SHOW
BBC1
11th July 1981 -