British music television programme
The Old Grey Whistle Test
(sometimes abbreviated to
Whistle Test
or
OGWT
) is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer
Rowan Ayers
, commissioned by
David Attenborough
[1]
and aired on
BBC2
from 1971 to 1988. It took over the BBC2 late-night slot from
Disco 2
, which ran between September 1970 and July 1971, while continuing to feature non-chart music. The original producer, involved in an executive capacity throughout
[2]
the show's entire history, was
Michael Appleton
.
According to presenter
Bob Harris
, the programme derived its name from a
Tin Pan Alley
phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys ? doormen in grey suits. Any song the doormen could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test.
[3]
On 23 February 2018, a one-off live three-hour special of
The Old Grey Whistle Test
was broadcast on
BBC Four
, hosted by Harris to mark 30 years since the final episode had been broadcast.
[4]
History
[
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]
Launched on
BBC2
, the show focused on albums, rather than chart hits covered on
BBC1
by
Top of the Pops
. It was originally produced in a studio at
BBC Television Centre
in west
London
known as "Pres B", which had been originally designed for shooting weather forecasts and
in-vision continuity
.
[5]
[6]
The studio was only 32 by 22 feet (10 m × 7 m).
[5]
Due to the lack of technology that accommodated live performances, bands
mimed to tracks
in early episodes.
[6]
The series' opening titles theme was an animation of a male figure made up of stars (known as the 'Star Kicker') dancing. The programme's title music, with its
harmonica
theme, was a track called Stone Fox Chase by a
Nashville
band,
Area Code 615
.
The first host was
Richard Williams
, features editor of
Melody Maker
, the music weekly. From 1972 the programme was presented by disc jockey
Bob Harris
(nicknamed ‘Whispering Bob Harris’ because of his quiet voice and laid-back style). He later became notorious among the younger generation for distancing himself on air from
Roxy Music
's first performance on the show and calling the
New York Dolls
"mock rock"
[7]
[8]
and left
OGWT
in 1978.
In the programme's early days, before the advent of the
music video
, tracks that could not be performed live by musicians were accompanied by old film footage, edited especially for the programme by film collector and archivist
Philip Jenkinson
.
After Harris's departure
Annie Nightingale
took over as host. In December 1980 Nightingale presented a special edition immediately after the
murder
of
John Lennon
(who had appeared on the show in 1975). This particular episode consisted almost entirely of interviews with various people about Lennon's life and career.
[9]
Following the departure of Nightingale in 1982,
Mark Ellen
,
David Hepworth
and
Richard Skinner
also took turns as presenters. In 1983 the programme was moved to a live mid-evening slot. The title was abridged to
Whistle Test
and the title credits and music were changed.
Andy Kershaw
joined the series as a presenter in 1984.
[10]
The same four presenters co-presented the BBC's television coverage of
Live Aid
in 1985.
The series was cancelled in early 1987 by
Janet Street-Porter
, who had been appointed head of Youth Programmes at the BBC.
[11]
The series ended with a live New Year's Eve special, hosted by Bob Harris, broadcast through to the early hours of New Year's Day 1988: material included
Hotel California
by The
Eagles
, live from 1977, and
Bat Out of Hell
by
Meat Loaf
.
Owing to technical issues during the show's early years and the need to ensure performances were controlled, the bands often recorded the instrumental tracks the day before. The vocals were then performed live "99 percent" of the time. After 1973 the show changed to an entirely live format.
[12]
30th anniversary
[
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]
On 23 February 2018 the BBC broadcast a special programme, hosted by Bob Harris, to mark 30 years since the series was last broadcast. This live studio show featured music, special guests and rare archive footage. It featured live performances from
Gary Numan
,
Kiki Dee
,
Peter Frampton
,
Wildwood Kin
,
Richard Thompson
,
Albert Lee
and
Robert Vincent
.
[13]
Harris chatted to
Whistle Test
alumni, including Gary Numan,
Dave Stewart
,
Joan Armatrading
,
Ian Anderson
,
Toyah Willcox
,
Dennis Locorriere
,
Chris Difford
and Kiki Dee, as well as fan
Danny Baker
.
[13]
Gary Numan's performances on the show caused his latest album
Savage (Songs From A Broken World)
to re-enter the charts the following week at number 60.
[14]
See also
[
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]
- Top Gear
, a 1964?1975 BBC radio programme that focused on progressive music.
- The Midnight Special
, a 1972?1981 US television series of a similar format from the same time period.
- Sounds of the 70s
, a 1970s late night BBC radio programme which concentrated on albums rather than singles, and rock rather than pop.
- Top of the Pops
, a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006.
- Later... with Jools Holland
, a more recent BBC television series with a similar format.
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]