5.6 /10 1 Votes
4.7/10 TV | 6.3/10 IMDb First episode date 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Similar Northern Life, Get Fresh, The Tube, ITV News Tyne Tees, The Chart Show | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Roxy was a British television music programme that was broadcast on ITV from 1987 to 1988. It was produced by Tyne Tees Television following the demise a few months earlier of its more successful music show The Tube.
The show was initially presented by David Jensen and Kevin Sharkey, and its first edition on 9th June 1987 began with Erasure performing "Victim of Love". Whereas The Tube featured rock and punk bands and emerging musicians, The Roxy concentrated on the mainstream UK singles chart. Also unlike The Tube which had gained a loyal fanbase and respect from artists, mainstream acts were reluctant to travel to Newcastle upon Tyne for a three-minute performance when they could appear on the more established Top of the Pops in the more accessible London.
The show suffered, however, from not having a regular slot on the ITV network. After an industrial dispute which saw the temporary end of live performances, and failing to compete with its long running BBC counterpart, Top of the Pops, The Roxy was cancelled. The programme lasted for just under a year and the final edition of The Roxy was broadcast on 5 April 1988.