Stramash!
| Stramash! | |
|---|---|
 The Senate with Sol Byron | |
| Genre | Light Entertainment |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David Bell |
| Production company(s) | BBC Scotland |
| Release | |
| Original channel | Network BBC-1 |
| Picture format | 4:3 B&W |
| Original release | 4 October 1965 – 11 February 1966 |
Stramash! was a BBC Scotland pop music programme which was broadcast on the BBC-1 network on Monday evenings in 18 weekly editions from 4 October 1965 to 11 January 1966, and then in Scotland only for a further six weeks.
Background
The programme was produced by former STV director, David Bell. A pilot programme was recorded on Sunday 15 August 1965 after which the decision was made to offer it to the BBC network.[1]
The Radio Times previewed the series:
Scotland is contributing an explosive new show to the network. Stramash — the word means riot — will be fast-moving, noisy, and brash. During its thirteen-week run it will feature rhythms and blues, spirituals, jazz, folk, and pop. Glasgow-born Lulu and the Luvvers head the first bill, and many more guest stars are due to appear.[2]
It also stated that the series would be "produced in Scotland but will be as international in its appeal and as 'with-it' as the modern pop scene requires".[3]
The programme was inspired by the thought that Liverpool was not the only British seaport capable of making a big sound and that Glasgow could do it as well. The show's title was also rooted in Scotland:
Stramash is a Scottish word, perhaps one might even say a Glasgow word, and its meaning and pronunciation are proving quite a puzzle for Sassenachs. It is pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable and it is authoritatively translated as 'riot'. But a much more apt definition, according to David Bell, is one in current use among a certain type of teenager — a rave-up.[4]
Billed as 'The Big Noise from Glasgow', it featured Scottish acts alongside those from the the rest of the UK. It was considered to be 'faster' than other pop shows at the time because there was no compere. This made it possible to get through 14 songs in less than half an hour. According to the producer David Bell:
You can click into Stramash at any time and get full value out of the programme, because the viewer who has just switched on is at no disadvantage. What we've always been after is pace. People to-today are so familiar with television that it's not longer necessary to have identifying shots for every change made. It's possible to switch about from one act to another without a laborious introduction at one end and a thank-you speech at the other.[5]
Regular acts
- Chris McClure, a Scottish singer.
- The Senate with Sol Byron, a seven-man group — three saxophones, two guitars, an organ, and drums.
- The Stramashers, the show's six dancing girls.
- Peter London from England.
- The Three Bells from England.
- The Lindella Movers were six Glasgow couples who were seen dancing in the studio. As the Radio Times said: "When the cameras are on them take a good look at their steps and you may well find some new ones to use yourself."
Production team
David Bell was the producer. Ten years prior he was ending his training as a textile designer at his home in Selkirk. They day he finished training, he quiet and became a trainee cameraman with STV "in the days when they were taking cameramen off the streets". He progressed through a floor manager's job to be director of a programme which went through a number of directors, the One O'Clock Gang. When BBC2 opened Bell moved to London to work on various music shows, directing Juke Box Jury for a while.
Reaction
A few years later, Television Today reviewer James Towler hailed it as "quite the best pop show ever seen on television".[6]
Episode guide
The resident members were The Senate with Sol Byron, The Three Bells, Peter London, Chris McClure, The Stramashers, and the Lindella Movers. (The Three Bells and Peter London were not listed as appearing in the first episode.)
Dance director: Bruce McClure. Producer: David Bell.
| # | TX Date | TX Time | Synopsis | Archive status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 4 Oct 1965 | 6.30–7.0pm | Lulu and the Luvvers; The New Faces; Peter M. Cooke | ✗ |
| 2 | Mon 11 Oct 1965 | Jimmy Witherspoon; The Islanders; Jan Panter | ✗ | |
| 3 | Mon 18 Oct 1965 | Elkie Brooks; Paul Simon; Peter and Gordon | ✗ | |
| 4 | Mon 27 Oct 1965 | Lulu and the Luvvers | ✗ | |
| 5 | Mon 1 Nov 1965 | The New Faces; Elkie Brooks | ✗ | |
| 6 | Mon 8 Nov 1965 | Ray Coussins; The Poor Souls | ✗ | |
| 7 | Mon 15 Nov 1965 | Paul and Barry Ryan; The Beatstalkers | ✗ | |
| 8 | Mon 22 Nov 1965 | The Ivy League; Anita Harris | ✗ | |
| 9 | Mon 29 Nov 1965 | Chris Andrews; Jonathan King; Dean Ford and the Gaylords | ✗ | |
| 10 | Mon 6 Dec 1965 | Herman's Hermits; Lulu and the Luvvers | ✗ | |
| 11 | Mon 13 Dec 1965 | The Fortunes; Major Lance | ✗ | |
| 12 | Mon 20 Dec 1965 | Tom Jones; Lulu; Joe Tex; The Squires; The Luvvers | ✗ | |
| 13 | Mon 3 Jan 1966 | Lulu and the Luvvers | ✗ | |
| 14 | Fri 14 Jan 1966 | Wayne Fontana; Lulu and the Luvvers | ✗ | |
| 15 | Fri 21 Jan 1966 | Adam Faith with the Impacts' Pinkerton's Assorted Colours; Linda Favell | ✗ | |
| 16 | Fri 28 Jan 1966 | Fontella Bass; Patty La Belle and her Belles; The Gaylords | ✗ | |
| 17 | Fri 4 Feb 1966 | Sandie Shaw | ✗ | |
| 18 | Fri 11 Feb 1966 | Lulu; Doris Troy; Mike Felix; The Luvvers | ✗ |
Archive status
No recordings of this series are listed in the BBC archive.
References
- ↑ 'Three plays to come from BBC Scotland', The Stage and Television Today, 19 August 1965, 9.
- ↑ 'Variety', Radio Times (Scottish edition), 30 September 1965, 4.
- ↑ 'Stramash!', Radio Times (Scottish edition), 30 September 1965, 23.
- ↑ 'Stramash!', Radio Times (Scottish edition), 14 October 1965, 25.
- ↑ 'The Big Three who put on The Big Noise', Evening Times, 28 December 1965.
- ↑ 'Reviews page', The Stage and Television Today, 9 October 1969, 14.
EL