TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 -
An early adventure for Channel Four, hosted by actor Keith Allen it was a reportage
on matters of interest to Britain's youth, three years into Thatcher's administration.
Similar in concept to BBC2's Something Else and Oxford Road Show, it was a mixture
of filmed reports and in-
Each week a live band would be featured, filmed at the Ace in Brixton. The likes of Stiff Little Fingers, The Dead Kennedys, Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, Orange Juice, Southern Death Cult and other indie favourites would also be featured in four extended concert specials under the banner Whatever You Didn’t Get after the regular series had ended. The show also gave over one complete episode to "community" radio, pirate radio with a small broadcasting radius.
For one edition host Keith Allen was due to meet with trade union representatives for a discussion about their perceived complacency in the light of three million unemployed. The previous week the show had offered us the delights of The Virgin Prunes, whose act included simulated oral sex, although not broadcast, it had led to Channel Four boss Jeremy Isaacs to be called into account by Home Secretary, William Whitelaw. On Isaac's return to the office had announced that the trade union piece "lacked balance" and the piece was to be subjected to editing, despite the claim that this was not political censorship. Keith Allen found it difficult arranging a meeting with Channel Four's commissioning editor to discuss the situation, so he pretended to be Comic Strip producer Michael White. The truth was that the programme had suffered cuts and sackings and Allen would be the next in line. When his resignation arrived at RPM's office they exclaimed "Oh, one lives and learn", before adding "It's a question of who gets in first. A letter is already on the way asking him to leave."
Not as contentious or provocative as maybe the show's makers would have liked, the
show was forgotten about almost immediately. In Channel 4’s silver anniversary brochure
it was referred to as an "ill-
The show didn't return for a second series.
WHATEVER YOU WANT
C4 / RPM Productions
8th November 1982 -
WHATEVER YOU DIDN’T GET
C4 / RPM Productions
28th February 1983 -
