Suvarna Garge (Editor)

A Jubilee of Music

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Written by
  
Austin Steele

Country of origin
  
United Kingdom

No. of episodes
  
1

First episode date
  
31 December 1976

Presented by
  
Vera Lynn

Genre
  
Music

Directed by
  
Stewart Morris

Original language(s)
  
English

Producer(s)
  
Stewart Morris

Network
  
BBC One

Number of episodes
  
1

Language
  
English

A Jubilee of Music is a one-off BBC Television entertainment show lasting 75 minutes, broadcast on 31 December 1976 at 10:30pm on BBC1. The show was produced to celebrate the British music successes of the first 25 years of Elizabeth II's reign, on the eve of 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee. Some non-British artists (notably Val Doonican and Rolf Harris) also took part, performing their British hits. Choreography for The Young Generation was directed by Nigel Lythgoe

Contents

Description

The show was produced and directed by Stewart Morris, and was recorded at BBC Television Centre in December 1976. Despite being a high-profile broadcast at the time, the show has since been lost from the BBC archive and has not been seen in the UK since its transmission. It was shown on several European networks at the start of 1977, including Belgian, Dutch, German, Swedish and Norwegian TV, as well as several networks in Africa and the Antipodes.

The show was hosted by Dame Vera Lynn, who opened the programme with a medley of British hits by leading British songwriters, spanning from 1952 to 1976. The medley sung by Lynn included songs by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Leslie Bricusse, Lionel Bart, Don Black and Norman Newell. The medley ended with the UK's 1976 Eurovision Song Contest winner, "Save Your Kisses for Me".

The guests on the programme either performed live in the studio, or were pre-recorded on film on location, lip-synching to their songs. The majority of artists performed their biggest hit from the period covered, while others, such as Cliff Richard, opted to perform their most recent release.

Performances

Performers included:

  • Vera Lynn – various medleys
  • Cliff Richard – Hey Mr. Dream Maker
  • Lulu – Shout
  • Helen Shapiro – Walkin' Back to Happiness
  • Ken Dodd – Tears
  • Norman Wisdom – Don't Laugh At Me ('Cause I'm a Fool)
  • Kathy Kirby – Secret Love
  • Val Doonican – What Would I Be?
  • Rolf Harris – Two Little Boys
  • Petula Clark – Downtown
  • Max Bygraves
  • Acker Bilk – Stranger on the Shore
  • Matt Monro – Walk Away
  • References

    A Jubilee of Music Wikipedia