Oh Boy! (TV series)
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music television |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Jack Good |
| Defunct | 1959 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Jack Good (creator and producer), Tony Hall (presenter), Jimmy Henney (presenter) |
| Products | Television music show |
Oh Boy! holds the distinction of being the first British television program dedicated exclusively to teenage music, broadcast from 1958 until 1959. The show was created and produced by Jack Good for ITV.
Synopsis
Following his work on Six-Five Special at BBC Television, Jack Good departed after the BBC declined to create a program focused solely on music. Subsequently, ABC Weekend TV commissioned two pilot episodes of all-music shows, which aired on ITV in June 1958. This success secured a regular Saturday evening slot from 6:00 to 6:30 pm, directly competing with 6.5 Special.
The program was presented by jazz producer Tony Hall alongside Jimmy Henney and embraced a diverse musical lineup that included ballads, jazz, skiffle, and rock and roll. Broadcast live from the Hackney Empire, each installment featured resident performers as well as guest artists. Prominent regulars included Cuddly Dudley (appearing in 21 episodes), Cliff Richard (20 episodes), the Drifters (who later became the Shadows) (17 episodes), Marty Wilde (17 episodes), and the Dallas Boys (10 episodes). Distinguished guests comprised Billy Fury, Dickie Pride, Tony Sheridan, Shirley Bassey, and Lonnie Donegan, along with occasional American acts such as the Inkspots, Conway Twitty, and Brenda Lee. The house band, Lord Rockingham's XI, provided musical accompaniment and achieved commercial acclaim with chart-topping singles like "Hoots Mon". Additional vocal and dance support was delivered by groups including the Vernons Girls and Neville Taylor's Cutters.
Out of roughly 40 episodes produced, only three remain in existence today. The last UK broadcast took place on 30 May 1959, concluding with an announcement of a summer hiatus before resuming on 12 September. However, instead of returning, Good introduced the follow-up series Boy Meets Girls, featuring Marty Wilde as the star.
In 1979, Oh Boy! was revived to highlight contemporary retro rock and roll performers such as Shakin' Stevens, Alvin Stardust, Joe Brown, and Lulu. Joe Brown was unique in appearing in both the original and revived editions. The revival series was hosted by Scottish actor Billy Hartman under the stage name "GBH".
After Oh Boy!, Jack Good went on to produce Let's Rock, a similar concept that aired throughout Europe and the United States during the early 1980s.
Jack Good's Oh Boy! (album)
The live album Oh Boy! curated by Jack Good features performances from various artists who appeared on the TV show, including Cliff Richard, the John Barry Seven, the Dallas Boys, Vince Eager, Cuddly Dudley, Neville Taylor and the Cutters, Peter Elliot, and the Vernons Girls.
Musical arrangements were overseen by Oh Boy!’s musical director Harry Robinson. The recording took place before a live audience on 19 October 1958 at EMI’s renowned Abbey Road Studios under the supervision of Norman Newell. Cliff Richard’s vocal tracks were recorded separately two nights later by EMI engineer Malcolm Addey and subsequently integrated with the backing tracks. This method demonstrates EMI’s dedication to producing high-quality live recordings that supported emerging pop talent during that period.
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1958 British television series debuts
- 1959 British television series conclusions
- 1950s British music television programs
- British English-language television productions
- ITV (TV network) original broadcasts
- Pop music television programs
- Television series produced by ITV Studios
- Television programs created by ABC Weekend TV
- Television shows produced by ABC Weekend TV