Guest Author - Joseph Cianchi
British Music TV Shows
Music shows have long been a staple of British television, from the teen-friendly Ready Steady Go in the early 60s to the alternative platform Later, with Jools Holland in the mid 90s. Classic shows such as Top of the Pops and the Old Grey Whistle Test have hosted some of the most famous bands on the 20th century, charting musical history from early Beatlemania to Nirvana’s grunge revolution.
Many of the earliest attempts at music broadcasting however failed to acquire a following amongst British viewers. The 1956 show Cool for Cats, featuring a then-unknown Una Stubbs, was one of the first productions to target a younger audience. Yet it was quickly superseded by more popular ITV shows dedicated to the sounds of 1960s pop-rock: every major band of the era, from the Rolling Stones to the Kinks began to take to the airwaves, cementing TV as an essential springboard to break new acts.
The BBC also had its share of hits and misses. Drumbeat, whilst launching the careers of several 60s artists such as Adam Faith, ran for only six months and was wiped in its entirety from the BBC archives. The more popular Juke Box Jury had a longer run, but was ultimately replaced in the public’s affections by Top of the Pops, the Beeb’s answer to ITV’s musical dominance. One of the few programmes of the era to survive unchanged into the 21st century, it remained a fixture of British TV for almost three successive generations.
The mainstream, family-friendly sounds of the 60s soon began to wear thin, however. As the ostentatious glam-rock period of the 70s gave birth to British punk, a new style of music broadcasting arose: the late-night, indie, alternative format. So It Goes, a show whose name was taken from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5, played host to burgeoning alternative acts including Siouxie and the Banshees, The Clash and Iggy Pop.
Whilst failing to survive the decline of punk, such broadcasts were to find spiritual successors in the form of Later with Jools Holland and the Radiohead vehicle From the Basement. This period also started a rich tradition of shocking and offensive TV appearances, most infamously by the Sex Pistols on Bill Grundy’s (swiftly cancelled) Today show.
The notion of the underground show has proved enduring. Mainstream music reached such a dearth of innovation during the 80s, that by the end of the 20th century British audiences were reaching out for the subversive and unconventional. American alt-rock, lead by the Pixies, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, flooded the airwaves. Yet the influence of British musical broadcasting on the world also expanded. Indeed, during Kurt Cobain’s chaotic TOTP performance he sang in the style of another favourite of the programme: Morrissey of The Smiths. A second British invasion began, with bands such as Blur and Oasis taking their cue from the American sub-culture but producing a uniquely native sound- Britpop. A battle for supremacy quickly began, eagerly fed by the leading music broadcasts of the day.
Unfortunately, as quickly as Britpop came it left, taking with it some of the drive and appeal of music shows. The attention of the audience switched to musical talent and reality broadcasts such as Pop Idol and Stars in their Eyes, programs which in turn spawned X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. Yet even with programmes based on participation and interactivity, the style and tradition of British music programming remains strong. As proven by Will Young, Leona Lewis and indeed Susan Boyle, it is on British shows that the stars of tomorrow make their debut.
