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TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

Granada, in something of a coup, signed the Rollers to host a tea-time pop show in the hope of catching the band before they faded into obscurity. According to a TV Times article about pop TV in general in March 1975 the band were singed up a year before the show's debut.


Produced by Muriel Young the series showed the band at their best, performing (actually miming) in front of an audience of screaming girls, and at their worst, pretending to be interested in the other acts on the show. Young had ambition for the show, according to TV Times, "And she hopes if Shang A Lang works it might make the comparatively late spot of 7 p.m. in its own area." Most pop shows made by the ITV regions tended to be tea-time or Saturday morning events, rather than the Top Of The Pops territory of early evenings. Talking about the show's finances she told TV Times "I work on minimums and imagination and this is the way I've always worked. I think I'd be embarrassed if someone gave me an enormous budget. I wouldn't know how to behave." All the artists she has invited on to her shows have been delighted to appear. "They're very tolerant about the fees I pay."


Regular features included Derek Longmuir's interviews with pop celebrities, an archive spot "let's roll back", and guitar lessons from a real legend, Big Jim Sullivan, playing with Eric and Woody. For some reason the drawings of the band that appeared on the drum skin in the opening credit sequence seemed to be been drawn by someone who didn't like them.


The band played songs from their new album Once Upon A Star and even had  reports on the making of the album from the studio sessions through to mastering and pressing of the record. However, a little material had to go a long way, so like fellow Granada stars Arrows hey had to play songs from the new album over and over again.


The show would be repeated the following Saturday morning for kids who couldn't get home in time to see it the first time around.


The show had various directors over its twenty-week run, with Mike Mansfield handling some shows and using his own set design, not unlike Supersonic.


Unfortunately a policeman suffered a fatal heart attack while trying to keep fans from rushing a police van outside the Granada studios in Manchester. Fans had assumed the group were inside, but it was actually guest star Cliff Richard.


They didn't come back for a second series, unlike Arrows, but headed for America, making a series for the kings of Saturday morning TV in the USA, Sid and Marty Krofft, however there would be a Christmas special.


As TV Times suggested "So switch on... keep rollin."


A video compilation was released in 1993.




SHANG-A-LANG


Granada

1st April 1975 - 26th August 1975