TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

After the success of the Old Grey Whistle Test Christmas simulcasts on BBC2 and Radio 1's FM channel a series was commissioned with most of the shows recorded at the Hippodrome, Golders Green, the venue for many of Radio 1's In Concert series, with introductions from Radio One DJs Pete Drummond, Alan Black, Anne Nightingale and John Peel.

Produced by Whistle Test’s Michael Appleton and directed by Tom Cocoran the first series gave the whole show over to a band promoting their new album, but the second series gave space to two bands, including some new wave acts who were making their album debut.

The show went into technical overdrive when one show featuring Gentle Giant in January 1978 was presented in ‘quadraphony’, which by this time had fallen out of fashion with the public and industry.

Headphones were more often than not used to immerse the listener rather than putting stereo hi-fi speakers either side of the television screen, which if not put a reasonable distance away would turn cathode ray tube screens a funny colour.

A few of the shows have been released on DVD.

SIGHT AND SOUND IN CONCERT

BBC2

8th January 1977 - 31st March 1984