TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

Petula was about to join the list of British solo singers in the sixties who would be given their own series, although the idea was not a new one, having her own series Pet’s Parlour on the BBC in late 1950.

From the Radio Times "The internationally successful singing star presenting the fourth of six programmes during her current visit to London." She was appearing in a run at The Savoy in London as the first series was broadcast. She was selling more records internationally than The Beatles in many countries, so agreeing to a whole series must have been a real coup for the BBC, especially as her recording contract was with an ATV owned company.

Each week she would introduce a guest singing star from different parts of the world, including superstars like Sacha Distel and Claude François, as well as British talent like Dudley Moore and Anthony Newley. Orchestral arrangements were down to Tony Hatch, her producer and song-writer, with help from Harry Rabinowitz for the first series and Johnny Harris and Peter Knight for the second while The Breakaways sang back up for both series.

The Radio Times had given her the front cover for the first show of the first series, while she was awarded another, this time in colour, for the second series. Also popping up for the second series was Graham Chapman, later one of the Monty Python team who wrote the script.

For more information about her British shows go to PetulaClark.net

THIS IS PETULA CLARK

BBC1

16th June 1966 - 16th January 1968