New Faces | |
---|---|
Also known as | New Faces of... (1986–88) |
Genre | Talent show |
Presented by | Leslie Crowther (Regional pilot) Derek Hobson (ATV) Marti Caine (Central) |
Theme music composer | Ed Welch |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 6 (ATV) 3 (Central) |
No. of episodes | 166 (ATV) 39 (Central) |
Production | |
Production locations | ATV Centre (ATV) [1] Birmingham Hippodrome (Central) [1] |
Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
Production companies | ATV (1973–78) Central (1986–88) |
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 31 May 1973 – 3 December 1988 |
Related | |
Opportunity Knocks |
New Faces is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
The show first aired as a pilot on the ATV network on 31 May 1973 with host Leslie Crowther and a judging panel consisting of Noele Gordon, Tony Hatch, Clive James and John Smith assessing performances from ten acts looking for a break in show business. Welsh singer Jennifer Jones won the show that also featured a man who blew up a hot water bottle until it burst followed by a few choruses of "Spanish Eyes". [2] [3]
A further pilot aired on 7 July 1973 with new host Derek Hobson and a full series followed from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978. It was recorded at the ATV Centre in Birmingham. The show's theme tune, "You're a Star!", was performed by singer Carl Wayne, formerly of The Move and it was eventually released, becoming a minor hit. [4]
Winners went on to have careers in television entertainment, such as Lenny Henry. Many top entertainers began their careers with a performance on this programme. The acts were evaluated by a panel of experts, including Tony Hatch, Mickie Most, Clifford Davis, Arthur Askey, Ted Ray, Ed Stewart, Jack Parnell, Alan A. Freeman, Muriel Young, Lonnie Donegan, Lionel Blair, Ingrid Pitt, Shaw Taylor, Terry Wogan and Noel Edmonds.
Four judges would make up the panel each week. Contestants received marks out of ten from the four judges in three categories such as "presentation", "content" and "star quality" – The "star quality" category was later replaced by "entertainment value". The highest score any act could attain was thus 120 points. Patti Boulaye was the only act who ever attained the maximum mark, doing so in the programme's final season. Les Dennis received 119 points, with only Tony Hatch giving him less than a perfect '10' for Presentation. Arthur Askey was on the same panel and started singing "Tony is a spoilsport" when Hatch awarded Dennis 9 as his final score. [5]
Series | Date | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
Pilot | 7 July 1973 | Trevor Chance | Vocalist (in the style of Jack Jones) |
1 | 29 December 1973 | Tom Waite | Vocalist |
2 | 6 July 1974 | Aiden J. Harvey | Impressionist |
3 | 27 July 1975 | Marti Caine | Comedian |
4 | 31 July 1976 | Roger de Courcey | Ventriloquist |
5 | 2 April 1977 | Koffee 'n' Kreme | Vocal duo |
6 | 2 April 1978 | Patti Boulaye | Vocalist |
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Score | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 257 | Tom Waite | Vocalist |
2 | 250 | Showaddywaddy | Eight-piece group |
3 | 233 | Jackie Carlton | Comedian |
4 | 217 | Jean De Both | Vocalist |
5 | 215 | John D. Bryant | Guitar/vocalist |
6 | 213 | Charlie James | Female vocalist |
7 | 205 | Ricki Disoni | Vocalist |
8 | 203 | Yakity Yak | Four-piece group |
9 | 185 | Anthony Waters | Actor/vocalist |
10 | 184 | George Huxley's Dixieland Jazz Band | six-piece jazz band |
11 | 176 | Dri Jinja | Folk trio |
12 | 171 | Elaine Simmons | Vocalist |
13 | 143 | Trotto | Folk trio |
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Score | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 396 | Aiden J. Harvey | Impressionist |
2 | 353 | Nicky Martyn | Comedian |
3 | 337 | Michelle Fisher | Vocalist |
4 | 333 | Art Nouveau | Group |
5= | 327 | Susan Cope | Vocal / Piano |
5= | 327 | Jeffrey Hooper | Vocalist |
7 | 322 | Johnny Carroll | Comedian |
8 | 312 | The Cosmopolitans | Vocal Trio |
9 | 306 | Sweet Sensation | Group |
10 | 301 | Nicola Christie | Vocalist |
11 | 300 | Tony Gerrard | Comedian |
12 | 234 | Jimmy Lister | Comedian / Impressionist |
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Score | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 539 | Marti Caine | Comedian |
2 | 538 | Al Dean | Comedian |
3 | 528 | Ofanchi | six-piece group |
4 | 478 | Lenny Henry | Impressionist |
5 | 475 | Mike Felix | Comedy/vocalist |
6 | 472 | Tony Maiden | Impressionist |
7 | 441 | 20th Century Steel Sound | Nine-piece group |
8 | 431 | Toby | Six-piece group |
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Score | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 369 | Koffee 'n' Kreme | Vocal Duo |
2 | 363 | Bryan Taylor | Vocalist |
3 | 341 | Simone | Vocalist |
4 | 338 | Kite | Three-piece group |
5= | 337 | Mike 'Stand' Douglas | Comedian |
5= | 337 | The Bob Clarke Ensemble | Jazz trio |
7 | 333 | Peter Collins with Style | Group |
8 | 319 | Mr Carline & Mr Walling | Comedy duo |
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Score | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 565 | Patti Boulaye | Vocalist |
2 | 554 | Stella Starr | Vocalist |
3 | 543 | Kirk St. James | Vocalist |
4 | 534 | Pat O'Hare | Vocalist |
5 | 530 | Civvy Street | Five-piece group |
6 | 524 | Mike Johnson | Jazz guitarist |
7 | 522 | Alan J. Bartley | Comedian |
8 | 509 | Poacher | Six-piece country group |
9 | 498 | Bazz Harris | Comedian |
The series was revived by Central for three series between 1986 and 1988, presented by past winner, Marti Caine. Her catchphrase was bellowed at the voting studio audience: "Press your buttons... NOW!". The show also featured a panel of experts including the journalist Nina Myskow, who often made critical comments. In this incarnation, the home audience decided who won by sending in postcards (phone voting was soon introduced by BBC rival Bob Says Opportunity Knocks ), though, the audience did vote for its favourite act using a gigantic lightboard known as Spaghetti Junction lighting up to a varying degree as they pushed their buttons.
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Finished | Artist(s) | Act |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1st overall in panellists' vote | Duggie Small | Comedian |
2 | 7 points | Walker & Cadman | Comedians |
3 | 5 points | Billy Pearce | Comedian |
4 | 0 points | Wayne Denton | Club singer |
5 | 22 points | Julie A. Scott | Soprano |
6 | 56 points (public phone-in winner) | Gary Lovini | 17-year-old violinist |
7 | 43 points | James Stone | Soul singer |
8 | Pauline Hannah | Impressionist | |
9 | Freddy Philips | Singer/comedian | |
10 | Scott Randele | ||
11 | Maggie Dee | ||
12 | High Jinks |
Note: The James Stone who appeared in this final is the same one who appeared in the Britain's Got Talent semi-finals of 2008.
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Order | Finished | Artist(s) | Act(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 94 points | Jimmy Tamley | Ventriloquist |
2 | 92 points | Joe Pasquale | Comedian |
3 | 70 points | Brothers Demented | |
4 | 32 points | Mike Sterling | Musical theatre-style singer |
5 | 26 points | Richard Courtice | Tenor vocalist |
6 | 10 points | Billy Jones | Rock 'n' roll singer/guitarist |
7 | Lea Cassell | Impressionist | |
8 | Derek Barron | Pianist/organist | |
9 | Paul Duffy | Saxophonist | |
10 | Denny Waters | Comedian | |
11 | Barbara Allan | Vocalist | |
12 | Stiles and Drewe | Singing duo |
The 1988 final took place at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre on Saturday 3 December 1988 and was hosted by the 1975 winner Marti Caine.
Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
---|
Performance Order | Finished | Artist(s) | Act(s) |
---|---|---|---|
12 | 118 points | Stephen Lee Garden | Musical theatre-style singer |
11 | 102 points | Steve Womack | Comedian |
9 | 80 points | Donimo | Comedy Mime |
2 | 54 points | Stevie Riks | Impressionist |
4 | 6 points | Tim Murray | Vocalist |
1 | Max Bacon | Vocalist | |
3 | The Mad Hatters | Comedy Group | |
5 | Steve Tandy | Comedian | |
6 | Janice Watson | Soprano Vocalist | |
7 | The Brothers Condo | Comedy Group | |
8 | T.J. King | Vocalist | |
10 | Louisa Shaw | Vocalist |
Note: Vocalist Tim Murray is the son of 1950s singer Ruby Murray. [10]
|
|
|
|
Series | Start date | Final date | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
Pilots | 31 May 1973 | 7 July 1973 | 2 |
1 | 29 September 1973 | 29 December 1973 | 14 |
2 | 6 April 1974 | 6 July 1974 | 13 |
3 | 21 September 1974 | 27 July 1975 | 44 |
4 | 20 December 1975 | 31 July 1976 | 33 |
5 | 11 September 1976 | 2 April 1977 | 30 |
6 | 10 September 1977 | 2 April 1978 | 30 |
Series 3 was not fully broadcast on Scottish Television, with episodes not being broadcast during the weekends, which resulted in their votes not being counted. Episodes were instead broadcast on a Thursday evening between December 1974 and July 1975.
Series | Start date | Final date | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 September 1986 | 13 December 1986 | 13 |
2 | 4 September 1987 | 28 November 1987 | 13 |
3 | 10 September 1988 | 3 December 1988 | 13 |
Anthony John Hancock was an English comedian and actor.
ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the restructuring of ATV and began broadcasting on 1 January 1982. The service is owned and operated by ITV plc under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting Limited. Historically Central made a major contribution to the ITV network schedule – especially in entertainment and drama – but today its main responsibility is the regional news service.
Arthur Bowden Askey, was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation and catchphrases including "Hello playmates!", "I thank you" and "Before your very eyes".
Lew Grade, Baron Grade, was a Russian-born British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 when he founded the Incorporated Television Company to distribute programmes, and following the success of The Adventures of Robin Hood decided to focus on bringing them to the American market. Grade had some success in this field with such series as Gerry Anderson's many Supermarionation series such as Thunderbirds, Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner, and Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. Later, Grade invested in feature film production, but several expensive box-office failures caused him to lose control of ITC, and ultimately resulted in the disestablishment of ATV after it lost its ITV franchise.
Crossroads is a British television soap opera that ran on ITV over two periods – the original 1964 to 1988 run, followed by a short revival from 2001 to 2003. Set in a fictional motel in the Midlands, Crossroads became a byword for low production values, particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s. Despite this, the series regularly attracted huge audiences during this time, with viewership numbers reaching as high as 15 million viewers.
Joan Noele Gordon was an English actress and television presenter, of Scottish descent. She played the role of Meg Mortimer in the long-running British soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1981, with a brief return in 1983.
The Good Old Days is a BBC television light entertainment programme produced by Barney Colehan which ran for 30 years from 20 July 1953 to 31 December 1983.
The Golden Shot is a British television game show produced by ATV for ITV between 1 July 1967 and 13 April 1975, based on the German TV show Der goldene Schuß. It is most commonly associated with host Bob Monkhouse, but three other presenters also fronted the show. Hostess Anne Aston was on hand to read out the scores achieved by the contestants, and each month a "Maid of the Month", usually a glamour model of the era, would demonstrate the prizes and announce the contestants. When Bob Monkhouse returned to present the show in 1974, he was joined by co-hostess Wei Wei Wong, who had recently been seen in The Man with the Golden Gun and who was an ex-member of the Young Generation and Second Generation dance troupes. This was one of the earliest regular appearances by an East Asian woman on British TV.
Alexander Duncan McCowen, was an English actor. He was known for his work in numerous film and stage productions.
Larry Grayson, born William Sulley White, was an English comedian and television presenter. He hosted the BBC's Saturday night, peak-time, game show The Generation Game in the 1970s and early 1980s, employing his high camp and English music hall humour.
Anthony Peter Hatch is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer.
Marti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd, was an English comedienne, actress, dancer, presenter, singer, and writer, who first came to national attention by winning the television talent show New Faces in 1975, and went on to become a variety star on shows including the self-titled Marti Caine (1979–84), and as host of the revived New Faces (1986–88).
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and double entendre.
Norman Jones was an English actor, primarily on television. He appeared in three Doctor Who serials — The Abominable Snowmen, Doctor Who and the Silurians and The Masque of Mandragora.
The Summer Show is a British comedy sketch show made in 1975. It featured winners of the ATV talent show New Faces, and was made by ATV for the ITV network
This is a list of British television related events from 1968. Lost in space debut was 19 August 1968 on Thames TV
The Talent Show Story is a British television documentary series about the history of British television talent shows. The series comprises five episodes and was broadcast on ITV from 7 January to 4 February 2012. It is narrated by Victoria Wood. It was co-produced by Shiver Productions and Thames.
Derek Thomas Scott was a British film, television and stage musical director, film and television composer and musician. He started his career as a double act with both Terry-Thomas and Tony Hancock before becoming a composer for film and television and "one of Britain's best known light entertainment musical directors."
Christopher Charles Amoo is a British singer-songwriter, and the lead singer of English soul group, The Real Thing.
This is a timeline of the history of the British television company ABC Weekend TV, one of the first four contractors of the Independent Television network.