Summertime Special

 

There was a certain buzz going on in Clennon Valley, Paignton come several Saturday’s in the late 1970’s. When big stars came to perform beneath a Big Top tent.

 

The atmosphere was electric and it was fun to watch the rehearsals, the setting up of TV cameras and the choreographer directing The Young Generation and later the New edition dancing group for a special shoot, remembering how they always looked so nice and demure on TV but, in an age when swearing was frowned upon, I felt a big letdown when the ripe as a black banana language bellowed out after a re-shoot was ordered.

 

BBC’s Summertime Special toured the seaside resorts to present a flavour of the seaside  variety show from various venue, the most popular being Torbay.

 

Gerry Cottle provided the Big Top circus tent but later the BBC purchased their own which was more convenient.

 

Michael Hurll was the executive producer and Mike Batt wrote and sung the theme music Summertime City which was a UK  top ten hit in1975. It was a catchy number and had a distinct holiday feel about it, making you want to dance and sing the happy  lyrics.

 

To see many of your favourite stars in the flesh was a real thrill for many. Radio 1 and radio 2 hosted the shows. Tony Blackburn, Mike Read and ‘The Hairy Cornflake’ Dave Lee Travis did a great stint dressed in Eastern gear and propped precariously on the back of a camel and I remember Noel Edmunds laying beneath a platform as ‘Monster Trucks’ drove over, something which would not be allowed now given Health and Safety regulations.

 

But is all added to the fun of the event. No expense was spared,  a special scaffold was erected  at Elberry Cove to enable cameras to record a beach dancing sequence which ran  just two minutes on screen!

 

It was a good time and there was plenty of good spirit around and the notion to do this style of show worked and blended well because it attracted holiday visitors as well as local folk.

 

Stars like VAL Doonican  performed but he was soon removed from my wife’s favourites list when he abruptly refused her an autograph.

 

Peter’s and Lee too were removed from her list seeing their bad attitude and language with each other  between takes, certainly not the romantic couple they appeared to be on the screen.

 

But I guess they were human after all and given the type of show it was, fans could see them as they really were - away from the focus of the cameras and the glare of the flood lights. Some disappointing but most others captivating like Lulu, Roy Walker and especially Rolf Harris who did not fade away,

And performers (some sadly no longer with us) like Windsor Davies, Don Estelle, Ronnie Corbett, Vince Hill, Roy Castle, The New Seekers to name but a few and I should also mention Jim Davidson who performed there on 20th August 1977 when they judged the final of the Miss Seaside Special of the year Natural Beauty  Contest - and Jim, presently appearing in Torquay, will no doubt remember it.

 

Perhaps the biggest upcoming   stars to perform there were ABBA in 1975, a year after their Eurovision ’Waterloo’ hit in 1974 singing SOS and looking at the recording on ‘You Tube’ it is interesting to see how they were then, with a tinge of still the newness about them, which became much more polished later - but never the less the magic was there.

 

The magic that was one of BBC’s top variety shows lasted for four years, not everybody’s cup of tea but for us, living in the bay, it was particularly memorable.

They just don’t make shows like that anymore.