Start of Six-Five Special

Jimmy Lloyd, a singer from Trinidad, makes his first appearance on 'Six-Five Special' on November 30th 1957.

Six-Five Special burst onto the television on Saturday evening, 16 February 1957. It was the first programme to fill the silent space in the schedules between six and seven - known as the toddler's truce – a time when parents could put their children to bed. Six-Five Special appealed to a young audience, and the Radio Times promised "plenty of music, in the modern manner, with rock’n’roll, skiffle groups, traditional jazz, featuring top music groups and soloists". The show was originally scheduled for just six weeks, but its success led to a two year run.

By simply showing the youthful studio audience dancing and reacting to the music, Six-Five Special was a major development in music television. It was produced by Jack Good with Josephine Douglas, who presented it with Pete Murray. Good's attempts to create an atmosphere of excitement were hampered by the inclusion of other items in the programme; the first show featured boxing and film star Lisa Gastoni. However - in its time - Six-Five Special featured early appearances by the likes of Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde and Adam Faith.

Six-Five Special provided the template for many succeeding music shows, notably Top of The Pops. Good himself left the BBC – frustrated at the restrictions placed on his ideas – and went on to create Oh Boy! On the BBC, Six-Five Special contributed to the idea of Saturday evening as a night of great viewing for the whole family.