Ready Steady Go
RSG! studio floor with Manfred Mann performing
Format	Music
Created by	Elkan Allan, Vicki Wickham
Starring	Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan
Production
Producer(s)	Vicki Wickham
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV
Original run	August 1963 – December 1966
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. RSG! was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV, who wanted to try a music radio show. Allan was assisted by 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. Cock-A-Hoop Manfred Mann was a British R&B and pop band of the 1960s, named after its keyboard player, who later led the successful 1970s follow-on group Manfred Manns Earth Band. ... Elkan Allan (December 8, 1922 to June 25, 2006) was a British television producer and print journalist. ... Vicki Wickham (b. ... Keith Fordyce was a disc jockey and presenter on British radio and television. ... Cathy McGowan on Ready Steady Go! (Rediffusion TV, 1965) Cathy McGowan (born 1945) was a British broadcaster and journalist, best remembered as the presenter from 1964-6 of Rediffusion television’s groundbreaking rock music show Ready Steady Go! // Ready Steady Go! (RSG) was first broadcast in August 1963, its launch... Vicki Wickham (b. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... Elkan Allan (December 8, 1922 to June 25, 2006) was a British television producer and print journalist. ... Associated-Rediffusion was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and 1968. ... Vicki Wickham (b. ... Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and July 29, 1968. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The show gained its highest ratings on March 20, 1964 when a special edition featured the Beatles as guests, being interviewed and miming to their songs It Won't Be Long, You Can't Do That and Can't Buy Me Love - the last of which was becoming a smash hit single at the time. is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... It Wont Be Long is a song by The Beatles on the album With the Beatles. ... You Cant Do That is a song by The Beatles credited to Lennon & McCartney and released as the B-side of the single Cant Buy Me Love, and also included on the UK album A Hard Days Night and the US album The Beatles Second Album. ... Cant Buy Me Love is the name of a song written by Paul McCartney (although credited to Lennon-McCartney) and released by The Beatles on the A side of their fifth British single, Cant Buy Me Love/You Cant Do That. ...

It last aired on December 23, 1966. is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...

Description

The show aired on Friday evenings with the by-line The weekend starts here!, and was introduced by The Surfaris "Wipe Out" - later replaced 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. The Surfaris in 2007 The Surfaris were an American surf music band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. ... Cock-A-Hoop Manfred Mann was a British R&B and pop band of the 1960s, named after its keyboard player, who later led the successful 1970s follow-on group Manfred Manns Earth Band. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ...

In the summer of 1964 the production team launched a competition to 'find the band to replace The Beatles', 'Ready Steady Win'. The eventual winners were 'The Bo street Runners' a London Rnb Band. 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. ^[1]

It was noted for allowing artists to perform the full version of their songs rather than the short versions demanded by its contemporary TV shows.

Despite the show's popularity in Britain, it was never shown in the United States during its production years. One possible reason could be that "RSG", like all live or taped British television series at the time, was produced in black-and-white. At the same time, the American networks ABC, CBS, and NBC were rapidly converting their facilities and programming from black-and-white to color television. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... This article is about the television network. ...

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.

After the show was canceled, Dave Clark brought the rights to the series. Compilation versions of the show aired on the UK's Channel 4 in the 1980s, and in 1989 the show was seen for the first time in the US, as the Disney Channel aired the show. At the time, Disney Channel was a pay channel, and its programming at night was aimed at adults, unlike today's pre-teen programming. In addition, compilations were made available on home video. Nothing has so far been released on DVD. Dave Clark (born 1942) is a British musician, best known as the drummer and leader of the 1960s group, The Dave Clark Five. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... This article is about the British television station. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ... For the Disney Channel in other countries, see Disney Channel around the world. ... The home video business rents and sells videocassettes and DVDs to the public. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

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. Keith Fordyce was a disc jockey and presenter on British radio and television. ... Cathy McGowan on Ready Steady Go! (Rediffusion TV, 1965) Cathy McGowan (born 1945) was a British broadcaster and journalist, best remembered as the presenter from 1964-6 of Rediffusion television’s groundbreaking rock music show Ready Steady Go! // Ready Steady Go! (RSG) was first broadcast in August 1963, its launch... Dusty Springfield OBE (16 April 1939–2 March 1999) was a popular English singer whose career spanned four decades. ... David Gell was a Canadian DJ on the BBC Light Programme (prior to Radio One). ...

Cathy McGowan joined the show after answering an advert for 'a typical teenager' to come and work as an advisor. Before long 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 from the Beatles 1964 film A Hard Day's Night, when George Harrison tells the producer of a fictitious teen television show that Campy is "... that posh bird who gets everything wrong", to which the producer played by Kenneth Haigh replies, "She's a trendsetter. It's her profession." The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... A Hard Days Night (1964) is a British comedy film originally released by United Artists, written by Alun Owen and starring The Beatles during the height of Beatlemania. ... For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ... Kenneth Haigh (born March 25, 1930 in Mexborough, Yorkshire) is a British actor. ...

Featured artists

It featured most of the successful bands and artists of the era, among them The Beatles, The Kinks, Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones, Donovan (who was, in effect, "discovered" by RSG!), Otis Redding, Bo Diddley, 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 White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... The Kinks were an English rock group formed in 1963 by lead singer-songwriter Ray Davies, his brother, lead guitarist and vocalist Dave Davies, and bassist Pete Quaife. ... Gerry & the Pacemakers was a British rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to challenge the Beatles in popularity. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... For other uses, see Donovan (disambiguation). ... Otis Ray Redding, Jr. ... Bo Diddley (born December 30, 1928) aka The Originator, is an influential American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... The Dave Clark Five (abbreviated as DC5) were an English Beat group in the 1960s, and one of the few that were able to present something of a commercial threat to The Beatles, the dominant group of the period. ... Dusty Springfield OBE (16 April 1939–2 March 1999) was a popular English singer whose career spanned four decades. ... Bobby Vee (born April 30, 1943) is an American pop music singer. ... The US edition of The Animals self-titled debut album. ... Cilla Black OBE (born 27 May 1942) is an English singer-songwriter and television personality, born Priscilla Maria Veronica White to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother in Liverpool. ... The Searchers are a British rock act who emerged as part of the 1960s merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry and the Pacemakers. ... The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. ... Georgie Fame is a British R&B singer whose real name is Clive Powell. ... Originally from Wavertree in south Liverpool, Billy Fury was born on April 17, 1940, at Smithdown Hospital, now Sefton General Hospital, Smithdown Road, Liverpool, Merseyside. ... Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, OBE, (born 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire), best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, songwriter, actor, model, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through the 2000s. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a Grammy Award-winning Irish singer, songwriter, author, poet and multi-instrumentalist, who has been a professional musician since the late 1950s. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. ... The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band. ... For the author, see Sandy Shaw. ... This biographical article needs additional references for verification. ... Sam, Samantha or Samuel Jones can refer to a number of different people. ... Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935), also known by the nickname The Killer, is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Kenny Lynch with Lulu Kenny Lynch, OBE (Born Stepney 18 March 1939) is a British 1960s singer, songwriter, entertainer and actor from London. ... Them was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, best known for the garage rock standard Gloria and launching singer Van Morrisons career. ... The Zephyrs is an Edinburgh, Scotland-based indie band. ...

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. Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... Hey Joe is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard, and as such has been performed in a multitude of musical styles. ... Albert Hall redirects here. ...

The show's "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 worldwide breakthrough hit ""Rock and Roll parts 1 & 2" in 1972. Gary Glitter (born May 8, 1944) is an English rock and pop singer and songwriter who had a string of chart successes with a collection of 1970s glam rock hits including Rock and Roll parts 1 & 2, I Love You Love Me Love, Im the Leader of the Gang... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Rock and Roll, also known as The Hey Song, is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. ...

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. For other persons named Peter Cook, see Peter Cook (disambiguation). ... Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE (April 19, 1935 – March 27, 2002), was an Academy-Award nominated British comedian, actor and musician. ...

Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles were the only act to return to the show for two weeks in a row. The show's manager Vicki Wickham was so impressed by the group 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 1960s girl group Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles to the 70s all-girl glam band Labelle. LaBelle was an American disco group, melding dance music with funk and glam rock, resulting in such memorable songs as Lady Marmalade. The group was led by Patti LaBelle, who later had a successful solo career. ... Labelle (with the b written in small caps, while the spelling LaBelle exclusively refers to the stage surname of the groups lead vocalist, Patti LaBelle) was an American R&B/soul group, who successfully melded disco with funk and glam rock, resulting in such memorable songs as Lady Marmalade...

The British 1970s punk rock band Generation X (band), 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.. Generation X were a pop-influenced punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe. ... Billy Idol (born William Michael Albert Broad) is a British hard rock singer-songwriter and musician. ...

References

1. ^ Tv.com Ready Steady Goes Live! Episode Number: 88 Season Num: 2 First Aired: April 2, 1965 - Accessed February 2007.

• Ready Steady Go! at TV.com
• Feature on RSG! from Retrosellers.com With archive pictures.
• Ready, Steady, Go at Nostalgia Central. Accessed April 2007.
• READY STEADY GO ... at Television Heaven . Accessed April 2007.
• [1] Ready Steady Win