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What an honour it was for me and my musical par tner Carmelo Luggeri to perform on The Old Grey Whistle Test Live: For One Night Only a few weeks ago. As you may be aware, the legendary BBC music show was revived for a single programme last month to mark the 30th anniversary of its last broadcast in 1988.
The special was presented by Bob Harris (who hosted the original programme on BBC2 from 1972-79) and featured performances by a host of artists who were on the show first time around including Peter Frampton, Gary Numan and myself. Other music stars like Joan Armatrading, the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and Toyah Willcox graced the studio sofa and talked about their experiences of being on it.
This was a truly memorable evening that also featured appearances by acclaimed new acts – folk musicians Wildwood Kin and Liverpool singer-songwriter Robert Vincent.
So many people I’ve spoken to since, be it the public or fellow musicians, have said they’d love to see OGWT – or something similar – back on TV. The original, which was commissioned by then BBC2 controller David Attenborough in 1971, was a must-see for music fans, featuring memorable performances from acts as diverse as Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Bob Marley.
Incredibly, there’s now only one serious music show – Later… With Jools Holland – which has been airing for 26 years and isn’t on every week of the year. And much as I enjoy Later… I think there’s room for a show with a broader appeal.
If the Beeb does give a new OGWT the green light, I think the show could benefit from a change of name to reflect the fact it’s looking forward rather than backwards. Perhaps The New Whistle Test might fit the bill? And I think BBC4’s Friday night music zone would provide the perfect home in the schedules for a newlook Whistle Test. I’ve seen some terrific documentaries about the likes of Johnny Cash on Friday evenings on the channel.
Or perhaps ITV or Channel 4 could create a new music show that’s true in spirit to the Whistle Test: a serious programme offering pop and rock fans the chance to see acts old and new performing live in the studio. I can’t believe there isn’t room in the TV schedules for another OGWT-style show, can you?
The Old Grey Whistle Test Live: For One Night Only is still available to watch on the BBC iPlayer. Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri are currently touring (kikiandcarmelo.com).