The TV Rock n' Roll Years

1957 Six-Five Special: Don Lang and the Frantic Five take a break during rehearsal

The BBC launched "Hit Parade" in 1952 (and later revived it in 1955), in which songs were not performed by their original artists, but by a team of residents, led by Petula Clark and Denis Lotis.

"Off the Record" followed in May 1955, featuring pop news, 'behind the scenes' interviews and performers in the studio. It was introduced by the veteran bandleader Jack Payne. The first show featured Max Bygraves, The Four Aces, Ronnie Hilton and Alma Cogan performing her No. 1 hit 'Dreamboat'.

ITV, on their third transmission day in 1955, broadcast "TV Music Shop" featuring stars such as Teddy Johnson and Pearl Carr.

In December 1956 Associated Rediffusion broadcast "Cool for Cats" originally on Mondays at 7:15pm and later on Thursdays. This was introduced by Kent Walton and was a fifteen minute programme where discs were played and then commented upon by the compere, sometimes with visual interpretations of the music by The Dougie Squires Dancers. This ran eventually until 1959.

Up until 1957, a closed period of television between 6-7pm called the "Toddler's Truce" was in place. This was formally ended in February 1957 when the BBC broadcast a new programme aimed at young people featuring live music and a live audience. "Six-Five Special" was born and a small piece of television and Rock n' Roll history was made.

Oh Boy! intro

Over on ITV "Oh Boy!" started a trial run in June 1958 and was nationally networked in September in direct competition with Six-Five Special at 6 to 6:30pm. The hosts were Tony Hall and Jimmy Henney and it featured non-stop music. It was broadcast live from the Hackney Empire. Resident performers were led by the show's musical director Harry Robinson and his band. Lord Rockingham's XI were helped to a No. 1 hit with "Hoots Mon" by the show which was also supported by the dancing/singing Vernons Girls, the Dallas Boys and Neville Taylor's Cutters. Marty Wilde was also a resident along with Billy Fury, Dickey Pride, Red Price, Vince Eager, Ronnie Carroll, Cherry Wainer on electric organ and Cuddly Dudley. The show's greatest discovery was Cliff Richard who appeared on the first show and two weeks later had entered the charts with "Move It".

Visit the "Oh Boy!" website

Six-Five Special was dropped in favour of "Dig This!" in January 1959 whose resident band was Bob Miller and the Millermen. Gary Marshall introduced but the show was dropped in March and the BBC conceded defeat in the battle for the Six o'clock audience and rescheduled the programme's replacement "Drumbeat" at 6:30pm. This was the programme which launched the career of Adam Faith, who by the end of 1959 had a No. 1 hit with "What do you Want?".

"Oh Boy!" ended on ITV in May 1959 and was replaced with "Boy Meets Girl" in September 1959. Marty Wilde was the boy in question and the Vernons provided the girls. Joe Brown made regular appearances on this programme.

"Drumbeat" ended in August 1959 and was replaced by "Juke Box Jury" with resident DJ David Jacobs. The first show featured Alma Cogan, Gary Miller, Pete Murray and Susan Stranks (a 'typical' teenager).

Juke Box Jury marked the end of an era in pop music on television. In less than four years TV Rock n' Roll had flourished and died.