5 November 1982(1982-11-05)– 24 April 1987(1987-04-24)
The Tube is a United Kingdom music television programme, which ran for five series, from 5 November 1982 to 24 April 1987. It was filmed in Newcastle upon Tyne and produced for Channel 4 by Tyne Tees Television, which had previously produced the similar music show Alright Now and the music-oriented youth show Check it Out for ITV; production of the latter ended in favour of The Tube.
The Tube was presented live by hosts including Jools Holland, Paula Yates, Leslie Ash, Muriel Gray, Gary James, Mark Miwurdz (Mark Hurst), Michel Cremona, Felix Howard, Tony Fletcher, Nick Laird-Clowes and Mike Everitt. The show was directed by Gavin Taylor; Geoff Wonfor directed some of the insert videos along with other staff programme director of Tyne Tees Television Martin Cairns. Many other specials were made, including one for the eve of the millennium.
The brand name was relaunched by Channel 4 as an online radio station in November 2006.
Showcase for contemporary bands
The Tube was a showcase for many emerging 1980s bands. Sunderland band The Toy Dolls were the first band to play live on The Tube.
The Tube was an important outlet for the performers. For The Proclaimers, performing "Letter from America" on The Tube was instrumental in helping the Scottish duo to their first top ten UK hit; it was also responsible for introducing Frankie Goes to Hollywood to their record label ZTT and its co-owner, and their producer Trevor Horn.[citation needed]
In addition to being the launchpad for new and upcoming performers, The Tube became known for its high-profile music performance 'scoops' from established world class musicians such as U2 live at Red Rocks, Madonna, Robert Plant, Tina Turner, Bo Diddley and ZZ Top. The show was also fortunate to persuade Ringo Starr to give one of the first post-Beatles interviews in an extended article on his work with Marc Bolan and T. Rex, filmed at his then (and previously John Lennon's) house, Tittenhurst Park. It was during the 50th show in November 1984 that Bob Geldof allegedly ran into Midge Ure and suggested the idea of a fund-raising single for the Christmas market to help the Ethiopian famine, the project that would become Band Aid and later Live Aid.
The Jam performed on the first edition of the show in 1982, it was their last live TV appearance together before they split up at the end of the year.
The cornerstone of the shows was the live performances from three or four bands each week. In an era where most music TV shows featured non-stop miming, the fully live sets by the guest artists were innovative (but the sound mix was often very poor, with a curious quality that made it sound like everything had been 'phased'). The programme would start with a 45-minute magazine section consisting of interviews, fashion items and comedy appearances by a wide range of alternative artistes such as Frank Sidebottom, Alexei Sayle, Vic Reeves (before his association with Bob Mortimer), Foffo Spearjig and French & Saunders. During this section Yates would become known for conducting rather flirtatious interviews: in 1985, for example, she prompted Sting to remove his trousers.[citation needed]
The main presenters were supported, for the first two series, by five newcomers who were picked following a nationally advertised competition: these were Muriel Gray, Gary James, Nick Laird-Clowes, Michel Cremona and Mike Everitt. The supporting presenters took turns to co-present. Sheffield-born comedian Mark Hurst was also present during the first two series delivering comic monologues in the guise of performance poet Mark Miwurdz. Yates was absent throughout the second series as she was on maternity leave, and was replaced by Leslie Ash. Ash, however, was hospitalised before the second episode, and was replaced by Tony Fletcher. When Ash returned, Fletcher was also retained for the remainder of the second series, but both left on Yates' return.
The show usually featured four or five band appearances per week, with one main extended session to close. The format of the show was extended following Series 1 with a number of special events - most notably A Midsummer Night's Tube (1984), a 5-hour version broadcast live from the Tyne Tees studios, the pub across the road from the studios and The Hoppings annual fair in Newcastle. This ground breaking broadcast was, at the time, the longest continuous live music show in television history and received much critical and technical acclaim.
Studio 5 was also used to produce a spin-off show called TX45. This show ran for two series hosted by Chris Cowey and produced by Jeff Brown and featured local bands such as The Kane Gang, Caught in the Act, Secret Sam and President.[2][3] The programme's theme music, the instrumental "TX45", was by Sophie and Peter Johnston, based on the song of theirs, "Some Sunny Day". A video clip of them performing it is available.[4]
Many stars drank in the neighbouring pub The Egypt Cottage, using it as a green room. Jools Holland said "A legendary amount of things happened in the Egypt Cottage, and the Rose and Crown when it was on the other side of the road. Everyone – the likes of Miles Davis, Paul McCartney – who came up for The Tube will have sat in that pub."[5] The pub was demolished in 2009.[6]
Between 1986 and 1987, the series had a summer replacement named Wired which lasted two series.[7]
Demise
On 16 January 1987, during the fifth series, Jools Holland used the phrase "be there or be ungroovy fuckers" during a live trailer for the show.[8] The incident caused a national scandal, as the trailer was transmitted on ITV at 5:15pm (during peak children's viewing time) and the show was taken off air for three weeks as a result.[8] Holland was reprimanded by Channel 4, as he had also previously sworn on the live show itself.[citation needed] The show's producer, Malcolm Gerrie, and Tyne Tees' Director of Programmes, Andrea Wonfor, announced their resignations in March.[citation needed] They cited as reasons for doing so a mixture of internal bickering, political pressure and "stifling bureaucracy and heavy-handed moralism".[citation needed]
A further series was never commissioned. Some people[who?] close to the show had said Holland's swearing was seen as a convenient excuse for ending the show.[citation needed] The presenters' live interviews and filmed magazine items were nervously watched by the show's producers and editors as well as Channel 4 executives, especially when certain pop stars and celebrities not known for their shy and retiring nature were being featured. It was this that gave the show the curious feeling of 'anything might happen' that actually made it the success it was.[9]
For Holland, Yates and Gray it was the launch pad for successful careers in television.[10]
In 1999 The Tube was brought back for a one-off live special on Sky1 entitled "The Apocalypse Tube".[11] Hosted by BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles and Donna Air, the show came live again from Studio 5 at Tyne Tees and the bar of the Egypt Cottage next door.
'The Tube' took its name from the plastic-roofed structure that linked Tyne Tees Studio 5 to the street. This has now been demolished.
The Old Grey Whistle Test was a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. It took over the BBC2 late-night slot from Disco 2, which ran between September 1970 and July 1971, while continuing to feature non-chart music. The original producer, involved in an executive capacity throughout the show's entire history, was Michael Appleton.
Byker Grove is a British teen drama and coming of age television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 as part of CBBC on BBC One. Set and filmed in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, it was created by writer Adele Rose and executive producer Andrea Wonfor. The show was broadcast at 5:10 pm after Newsround. It was aimed at an older teenager and young adult audience, tackling serious and sometimes controversial storylines. The show is notable for depicting the first gay kiss on children’s television, as well as its breach of the fourth wall in the final series.
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network. Until 1974, this was primarily the historic county of Yorkshire and parts of neighbouring counties served by the Emley Moor transmitter. Following a reorganisation in 1974 the transmission area was extended to include Lincolnshire, northwestern Norfolk and parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, served by the Belmont transmitter.
ITV Tyne Tees, previously known as Tyne Tees, Channel 3 North East and Tyne Tees Television, is the ITV television franchisee for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire.
Julian Miles Holland is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, David Gilmour, Magazine, The The, Ringo Starr and Bono.
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 8 October 1992 and is now part of BBC Two's Saturday Night Music block, usually broadcast at around 10pm The day of transmission has varied over the years, but it is usually recorded on a Tuesday for Saturday broadcast and features a mixture of both established and new musical artists, from solo performers to bands and larger ensembles.
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Danielle Audrey Nicholls is an English television presenter, radio host, model and singer best known for her presenting of CITV from 1998 to 2001, and Night Fever on Channel 5. She hosts a Saturday night entertainment show "Saturday Night Talkaway" on Talk TV with Andre Walker.
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Get Fresh is a children's television programme that originally aired from 1986 to 1988 in the United Kingdom.
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The Roxy was a British music television programme broadcast on the ITV network from June 1987 to April 1988 and was produced by Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle, shortly after its more successful Channel 4 music show, The Tube, was decommissioned.
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Alright Now is a British rock music television series made by Tyne Tees Television for ITV in 1979–1980.The show was named after the song "All Right Now" by the band Free. the series showcased both established and up-and-coming acts, with a focus on those from North East England; among them were Dire Straits and The Police, both enjoying their first chart successes. The show ran for two series. In 1982, Tyne Tees produced the similar music programme The Tube for the then-new Channel 4.
Check it Out was a youth-oriented television series produced twice weekly by Tyne Tees Television for ITV from 1979 to 1982. It presented a mix of rock music performances and segments dealing with social issues including homelessness and homosexuality.
TFM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Teesside and surrounding areas of County Durham and North Yorkshire.
The Television Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, also known by the street name City Road, was home and headquarters of the ITV contractor for the North East region, Tyne Tees Television, between 1959 and 2005.
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This is a timeline of the history of the British broadcaster Tyne Tees Television. It provides the ITV service for the North East of England.
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