Ready Steady Go!

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Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock / pop music TV programmes. RSG! was conceived by the legendary Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV, who wanted to try a music radio show. Allan was assisted by famed Record Producer/Talent Manager Vicki Wickham, who eventually became the show's producer. It was first broadcast in August 1963 and ran until December 1966. It was produced by Associated-Rediffusion (later re-named Rediffusion) which had the ITV franchise for the London region. The show was so successful it eventually went out live nationally. It was contemporary with the surge in British pop music of the 1960s and the rise of the Beatles.

The show aired on Friday evenings with the by-line The weekend starts here!, and was introduced each week by Manfred Mann's "5-4-3-2-1" (later replaced by Manfred Mann's "Hubble Bubble, Toil and Trouble"). It was much more youth oriented and informal than its BBC rival Top of the Pops.

Initially, the RSG! artists mimed to their records but by late 1964, some of the guests were performing live and the show switched to all live performances in April 1965. It was noted for allowing artists to perfom the full version of their songs rather than the short versions demanded by its contemporary TV shows.

In 1966, around the time that the 'beat movement' was fading, the show was cut. Its disappearance at the height of its popularity only enhanced its status as a TV classic.

[edit] Presenters

Throughout the show's run, the main presenters were Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan, though early shows were introduced by Dusty Springfield. In addition, the show was occasionally presented by David Gell and Michael Aldred.

Cathy McGowan joined the show after answering an advert for 'a typical teenager' to come and work as an advisor. It wasn't long before she found herself presenting the show, with her strength lying in the fact that her status as a genuine fan of the artists was evident in her presenting style; stumbling over her lines, losing her cool during interviews and apparent inexperience only made her more popular with the viewers, and by the end she was presenting the show alone. She may have been the inspiration for Susan Campy, the "posh bird who gets everything wrong", as parodied by George Harrison in a scene from the Beatles 1964 film A Hard Day's Night.

[edit] Featured artists

It featured most of the successful bands and artists of that era, among them:
The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, The Dave Clark Five, Dusty Springfield, Bobby Vee, The Animals, Cilla Black, The Searchers, The Who, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, Billy Fury, Lulu, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Gene Pitney, The Beach Boys, Sandie Shaw, Burt Bacharach, Samantha Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kenny Lynch, Simon Scott, Them and The Zephyrs.

The show was largely responsible for breaking Jimi Hendrix worldwide. His first TV performance in England was on RSG! when he played "Hey Joe". After this appearance the club tour he was booked on sold out. The next time he returned he was playing The Royal Albert Hall.

The shows "warm up man" for many years was Gary Glitter (then known as "Paul Raven"), who also helped with security (he can been seen in a piece of film pulling screaming female fans off members of The Beatles). The show ended years before his world-wide breakthrough hit "Rock 'N' Roll (Parts One and Two)" in 1972.

The show was also not afraid to introduce lesser-known artists from both the UK and US. It also had appearances from comedians Peter Cook & Dudley Moore.

Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles where the only act to return to the show for two weeks in a row. The shows manager Vikki Wickham was so impressed by the girls that she offered to produce an album for them, of which she produced six and eventually became their manager. Wickham was the one who fostered the change from 60's girl group Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles to the 70's all-girl glam band Labelle.

The british 1970's punk rock band Generation X, whose lead singer was Billy Idol, have a song called "Ready Steady Go" which is based on the television show. Idol continues to play the song live as part of his solo career.