TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

Lulu would be the next British pop singer to get her own series with the BBC after Cliff and Dusty had proved the format's popularity, but despite her dozens of TV appearances since her 1964 debut, and the co-lead in Three Of A Kind for the BBC in 1967 she had not hosted a show of her own before. Originally given the title of The Lulu Show it was commissioned for a second series of seven shows even before the first had been recorded.

The show also catches BBC producer John Ammonds between his work with Val Doonican and Harry Worth and just before his next venture, producing the classic Morecambe and Wise shows. Future Goodie Bill Oddie had also been signed on as a writer, in which Lulu would perform sketches with established BBC personalities like Peter West in a Come Dancing sketch and Frank Bough for a Sportsnight routine. Lulu would work on each show from 10 am to 10 pm while the show itself was recorded in one go as it were live, which meant performing the songs, doing the sketches and three costume changes for each 25 minute show. The 9th July show (recorded in late May) would have featured Davy Jones who she had been dating but he cancelled, suggesting the relationship was over.

Lulu had been given the show in the middle of her unfulfilling contract with Mickie Most which, despite To Sir With Love, would assign her some terrible pop mush, several of which got an outing on the show.

The show would be very much in the traditional variety TV show mould with actors attempting comedy and singing, comedians (featuring a memorable early appearance by Les Dawson), amongst the real musical talent like Lou Rawls, Georigie Fame, The Everly Brothers and Alan Price, with Lulu singing a duet with each guest.

The Radio Times anticipated a hit giving her a double page colour spread for the first show.

The series was originally sequenced as such;

21st May - Rolf Harris, Frank Brough

28th May - The Alan Price Set, Peter West

4th June - The Everly Brothers, Les Dawson

11th June - Frankie Vaughan, Reg Varney

18th June - Lou Rawls, Frank Windsor

25th June - Peter Nero

2nd July - Georgie Fame, Clive Dunn

Despite the BBC's decision to record a second series, this incarnation only lasted the one. Talking to Disc after the first series had ended she claimed "I think the public are getting a bit sick of me. I think an artist can get over-exposed and that worries me. The public need a rest from my face and voice. I was supposed to be doing this series for TV straight away but Marian (her manager, Marian Massey) decided it wasn't the right time and we'll do it again next year."

But she would be back at the end of the year with a new Saturday early evening series with some very special guests.

LULU'S BACK IN TOWN

BBC1

21st May 1968 - 9th July 1968