BBC Genome Blog Feed

Advent Calendar Day 23: Watch Wogan on Christmas Day

2016-12-23T07:00:00+00:00

We're almost there! And what better way to get ready than by transporting yourself to 1984. The late Sir Terry Wogan's Christmas Day guests included Freddie Starr, Kiri Te Kanawa and Elton John, with a special satellite interview with Victoria Principal, best known for her role as Pamela Barnes in American soap opera Dallas.

You can watch the full programe here or, if you're in the middle of Christmas preparations, enjoy this short clip of Terry Wogan being offered an unusual role in Dallas...

Victoria Principal offers Terry Wogan a part of Dallas.

Don't forget you can find more BBC archive content by running a search on Genome and filtering the results by Programme Available. If you're feeling adventurous, just run an empty search and click on Programme Available, or click here. There are more than 11,000 programmes you can watch or listen to on those dark December nights...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2016-03-17T08:45:00+00:00

James Ellis as Sergeant Bert Lynch in the first colour Z Cars story "Lost", 2nd February 1970.

To mark Ireland’s national day, what better time to look at some of the great Irish stars who have graced BBC channels over the years.

Our thoughts would have turned anyway to the legend that was Terry Wogan, but much more so in the wake of his sad death earlier in the year.

Terry’s career spanned more than 50 years, starting with Irish broadcaster RTE in the 60s, before moving to Radio 1 and 2 at the end of the decade (after a brief stint on the Light Programme), and he soon began to appear on television as well.

While his 1970s Radio 2 morning programme became a fixture of the schedule, his legendary appearances on Blankety Blank, his eponymous chat show, and as host of the annual Children in Need appeal ensured his place in the history of British broadcasting.

He made appearances on many other shows, presenting Come Dancing and the pop music quiz Disco, even making guest appearances on Sykes, The Basil Brush Show and Blue Peter. He was most at home of course on radio, where his unique relaxed style of broadcasting will be missed the most.

Another Irish star we sadly lost in recent years was actor James Ellis. He spent 16 years as one of the stars of Z Cars, starting as a constable manning the cars from the first episode, and ending up, as the inspector in charge of Newtown station. His character, Bert Lynch, became one of the most familiar faces of 60s/70s television.

Ellis’s career began in Belfast in 1950s as a risk-taking actor and director, but he first came to viewers’ attention in Stewart Love’s 1961 drama The Randy Dandy, in the role of a discontented Belfast shipyard worker. Later, he had memorable roles in One by One, Graham Reid’s ‘Billy’ plays, and a cameo in the Yosser’s Story episode of Boys from the Blackstuff.

Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy on the early 70s 'fruit machine' set of Top of the Pops.

No mention of Ireland would of course be complete without mention of its immense musical heritage, over many different genres. From rock and roll greats like Thin Lizzy and U2, punk rockers Stiff Little Fingers and the Undertones, through music from the likes of Val Doonican and Mary O’Hara to the astonishing success of Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest – not to mention the phenomenon that is Riverdance, born of the interval act in the 1994 contest. Solo singers include the likes of Sinead O’Connor, Van Morrison and Christy Moore, while musicians like James Galway have had long and successful careers with many BBC appearances.

Irish comedy is also a rich seam of the country’s heritage and influence. It’s hard to remember now the ubiquity of Irish jokes a generation or more ago, and that legacy has now thankfully been overwritten by the appreciation of comics from Dave Allen to Dara Ó Briain amongst many others.

One of the earliest Irish television performers was Maureen Potter, a comedy legend in Ireland in later years, though less known in the UK. She started professionally with the Jack Hylton band as a singer, where some of her pre-war appearances on BBC TV were alongside the young Ernie Wise.

Tony Doyle, Dervla Kirwan and Stephen Tompkinson in Ballykissangel.

The subject of Irish comedy also covers sitcoms like Me Mammy with Milo O’Shea and Yootha Joyce, and the almost forgotten gem Foreign Bodies, about two Protestant Northern Irish car mechanics and their relationship with two Catholic nurses from Dublin. In the unscreened pilot one of the former was played by Kenneth Branagh). BBC comedy dramas set in Ireland include the hugely popular Ballykissangel, a Sunday-night regular from 1996 to 2001, which made a star of Dervla Kirwan.

The list of Irish acting talent would be a long one, and it would almost be invidious to single out some names over others. But names such as Brenda Fricker, Ray MacAnally, the Cusack family (Cyril and his acting offspring Sinead, Sorcha, Niamh and Catherine), Frances Tomlety, Stephen Rea, Pauline McLynn, Carmel McSharry and David Kelly are just some that spring to mind.

With the troubled history of Ireland, especially in the North through most of the 20th Century, there has naturally been coverage of the issues involved in both documentary and drama from the 1970s onwards. Plays have included Graham Reid’s tertralogy of ‘Billy’ plays starting with Too Late to Talk to Billy in 1982 (starring Kenneth Branagh and James Ellis), Your Man from Six Counties by Colin Welland, and Iris in the Traffic, Ruby in the Rain and Catchpenny Twist by Stewart Parker. In more recent years, plays like A Breed of Heroes have explored territory like the behaviour of British troops, which were harder to tackle in earlier years.

Perhaps the best documentary history of Ireland on television was Robert Kee’s landmark series Ireland: A Television History from 1980, though in 1972 there had been a lower key series just called Ireland covering some of the same ground, made by the BBC Further Education department.

The country has also been the subject of many one-off documentaries on subject from its history, to its artistic heritage, its geography and sights, and its customs – such as the 1984 Forty Minutes edition, The Mating Season, about the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare.

The shared history of Britain and Ireland, to state the obvious, is a complex one. While there are still areas of great sensitivity involved, it cannot be denied that a great debt is owed in terms of the contribution Ireland has made to broadcasting on this side of the Irish Sea.

Which Irish personalities and programmes on the BBC have made an impression on you over the years? Who are your favourites that we haven’t mentioned? Please share your thoughts in the space below.

Making your mind up

2016-02-26T10:00:00+00:00

A Song for Europe made the Radio Times front cover in 1962

Tonight the public will choose the UK’s Eurovision Song Contest entry from a multi-artist, multi-song line-up for the first time in years. We cast our eyes back on how the BBC has gone about this tricky task since the late 1950s.

The UK – and BBC – made their Eurovision debut in 1957, but it took another two years for a big televised ‘Song For Europe’ competition to create a dent in the listings.

This spectacular took place over three shows, with well-known singers including Alma Cogan and Rosemary Squires in the running for the golden ticket.

The contest became an annual fixture and was considered such a significant event that it made the Radio Times cover in 1962, while a big feature in the magazine reminded us of how the “fate of the songs are in the hands of the voting panels” around the country.

But in 1964 the BBC’s approach shifted, and the show had just one act – crooner Matt Monro - whose portrait adorned the RT’s cover. The choice rested on which one of his songs was the best.

The following year, viewers were asked to send in a postcard to choose their favourite song out of the six performed by Kathy Kirby. This was long before the advent of televoting and texting to determine more instant popular verdicts.

Answers on a postcard please... Olivia Newton John in 1974

At the BBC this was an era of big stars and popular shows, and the two were brought together to choose a whole run of Eurovision entries. It started in 1967 when Sandie Shaw – the UK’s first contest winner – showcased her songs on The Rolf Harris Show.

In 1968 pre-ordained act Cliff Richard guested on Cilla Black’s popular programme, while the following year Lulu used her own show as a platform to pick a suitable Song For Europe. Cliff's show was then the vehicle for Mary Hopkin, Clodagh Rodgers and The New Seekers.

In 1973, Cliff had another crack at Eurovision glory, and Cilla did the honours again with a special edition of her popular programme.

The era of one star, several songs finally came to an end in 1976, when the BBC reverted to several acts vying for the big prize. Holding the televised contest in the Royal Albert Hall gave it prestige – and this Song For Europe produced Eurovision winners The Brotherhood of Man.

In 1977, Terry Wogan – always remembered for his Eurovision commentaries – started a long association with the BBC’s bid to find a UK entrant, which continued through the 1980s at the BBC’s own Television Theatre and Television Centre in west London.

Of course Sir Terry became a big star on BBC television during these years, and A Song For Europe became linked with his show. The final was regularly held during his usual Friday evening slot, while hopefuls performed as part of his thrice-weekly chat show.

In the early 1990s the BBC again tried its hand at selecting its own singer and letting the public pick from a choice of songs. Performers including Michael Ball and Sonia used the Wogan show as their platform.

By the mid-1990s the Wogan show was no longer a TV fixture, and A Song For Europe was given a modern revamp with producer Jonathan King at the helm. It was rebranded as The Great British Song Contest with a home in the Top of the Pops stable.

Some of the 1976 hopefuls. You might notice Cheryl Baker and Tony Christie

But A Song For Europe made a brief comeback, but was killed off as a brand for good after the selection show sent Jemini to Latvia in 2003, who infamously scored 'nul points'.

The BBC tried various formats to pick an ever elusive Eurovision winner from that moment on, including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Eurovision: Your Country Needs You in 2009 where he provided the song, while the public selected their favourite act to sing it.

This might be the current end of Genome’s reach, but from 2011-15, the BBC trod the path of internal selection, with executives coming up with an act and a song, recruiting the likes of veterans Bonnie Tyler and Englebert Humperdinck.

Last year’s pre-selected act Electro Velvet provoked such an outcry that the BBC decided to reinstate the original format – asking the public to choose between six acts and their songs. But this time, the shortlist has been determined with the help of music executives and Eurovision fans.

The final will come from London's Forum and screened on BBC Four for the first time (at 7.30pm). Perhaps it marks an intelligent shift away from the shows of yesteryear.

What are your favourite memories – good and bad - from A Song For Europe over the years? What do think is the best way for the BBC to find Eurovision entries? Let us know in the space below