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TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

Despite having many big hits in the UK, Australia and even in America in the pre-Beatles era Ifield hadn't been given his own television series, producers preferring him to appear as a guest artist on other shows. He was however given a series of specials for ATV on 1st September 1963, 26th February 1964 and a Christmas show, Once A Jolly Swagman, again for ATV for whom he would make many appearances on Sunday Night At The London Palladium.


His one off special for Rediffusion in March 1965 would not lead to a series, but in October that year ATV finally offered him a short series of thirty-minute shows. Not only were his hit making days behind him, but this didn't create any new interest either.


Considering his British chart career was over by this time offering him a series appeared odd, but he was given a prime time spot of 9.10 - 9.40 pm. His regular guest was comedian Ted Rogers, while other music would be provided not by recognised stars, but by West End understudies. "It's a good chance to give these understudies the limelight they never usually get" Ifield said at the time.


He would be backed by The Mike Sammes Singers, The Pamela Devis Dancers (including Ifield's soon to be wife Gillian Bowden) and Jack Parnell and his orchestra.


It would be another two years before he was invited back, but in the meantime the whole Tom Jones / Engelbert Humperdinck singer-as-sex-symbol phenomenon had happened and Ifield looked more left out than ever. In fact, his show was a replacement for Humperdinck's. It featured singing guests Jackie Trent, Janie Marden and Astrud Gilberto among others.


He explained to the Daily Express in 1974 "The truth is I'm not very fond of TV. I used to get very nervous doing these series without an audience. It was like performing in a vacuum."





FRANK IFIELD SINGS...


ATV

20th October 1965 - 24th November 1965

15th December 1967 - 19th January 1968