'OK', Granada TV (1972-1973)

[markdixon]

Here’s some information about another obscure Granada regional programme which appears to be missing from the archives.

‘OK’ was an early-evening series which contained news, features, discussion, advice and information for teenagers in the North West. It also featured a performance by a rock band at the start and end of each edition.

There were 12 episodes in total. Series 1 ran from 4th August 1972-8th September 1972 and series 2 ran from 23 July 1973-3rd September 1973. Here’s how the 'TV Times' described the first edition:

OK – it begins and ends with rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a whole lot besides… It’s something special and different – a ‘talk-back’ time for youth that gives them the run of the show with their presenters John Ford, Chris Meredith and Jane Wood - and some music.

A description from a few weeks later indicates that music had become the focus of the show:

With rock… news, films. Rock, events, people. Rock again, information, and more rock.

Here’s a partial list of musical guests:

11 Aug 1972: Brinsley Schwarz

23 Jul 1973: Glencoe

30 Jul 1973: Ducks Deluxe, String Driven Thing

13 Aug 1973: Fumble

I don’t know which guests appeared in the other 8 episodes, but there’s a strong chance there were some rare appearances by bands who still have cult status.

The producer was Andy Mayer (who had previously been part of the production team of ‘Nice Time’) and the director was Peter Walker (who later went on to direct ‘So It Goes’). Series 1 was studio-bound, but series 2 was recorded in various locations in the North West such as Blackpool Airport and Clitheroe Castle. I know very little about most of the presenters, but Trevor Hoyle (who joined in Series 2) went on to be a critically-acclaimed science-fiction novelist.

I hope the appearances by Brinsley Schwarz and Ducks Deluxe have survived somewhere because the pub rock scene isn’t very well represented in British TV archives. I’d like to see ‘OK’ because it would probably turn out to be an interesting time capsule of early 70s youth culture. The programme seems to have been a precursor of BBC-2’s 'Something Else'.

Does anyone have any further information about 'OK'?

[williammcgregor]

Here's information on the 23rd July 1973 show from the TV Times...

[markdixon]

I’ve found a bit more information about ‘OK’.

Firstly, here are some more details about musical guests:

30 Jul 1973: Andy Andrews (an eccentric folk-singer from Bolton)
27 Aug 1973: Mike Harding (this episode was recorded at Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale)

I also found a preview from ‘The Liverpool Echo’ of the episode broadcast on 13 August 1973.

Down beside the Mersey this evening comes Granada’s O.K. (6.10). Actually, the action is at Otterspool Prom where Blondini explodes from a coffin before an anxious audience and a rock style band play music of the Fifties. The band is Fumble who add to the gaiety with their version of the hits of twenty years ago. Added to which there is, we are told, useful information for young people about community industry and about careers for school leavers.

Apparently, ‘Blondini’ was Mike Blondini, a stuntman and escapologist.

The next day ‘The Liverpool Echo’ carried a short review of the episode. According to the reviewer, ‘an earnest young lady’ talked about apprenticeships, but she was nearly drowned out by ‘the noise of kids at play’. It appears that the invited audience were more interested in attractions such as a gigantic inflatable football. The reviewer believed that the serious items would have been better presented in a programme dedicated to social issues. The reviewer’s conclusion was that 'OK' seemed more fun for the on-screen audience than it was for the viewer at home.

[markdixon]

Here’s some information about two music guests on ‘OK’

Roxy Music

I think Roxy Music may have performed ‘Virginia Plain’ on an episode of ‘OK’ in either August or September 1972. Can anyone confirm this?

Here’s a comment posted by ‘Buddy’s Dad’ on the Steve Hoffman Music Corner Forum on 02 February 2018:

Saw Roxy in a tiny venue in Northwich, Cheshire around the time the 1st album was released. A few months later for free during a Granada TV recording. Then at a much bigger venue in Manchester, supported by The New York Dolls that was some night! Totally life changing & completely unforgettable.

I know you can’t trust everything you read online, but this seems genuine. I had a look at a list of Roxy Music gigs. They played at the Memorial Hall, Northwich on 15 July 1972 (the day before their debut album was released). The New York Dolls supported them at the Hardrock Club, Manchester, on 09 November 1972. It’s quite possible that Roxy Music made an appearance on Granada TV sometime in between these two gigs and the most likely programme would have been ‘OK’. The time frame is correct, and I know that the show had a young studio audience.

‘Virginia Plain’ was released as a single on 04 August 1972, so the band probably performed it on the programme.

Spider Mike King

Somebody called Twang on the Afterword website recalled being in the audience for an ‘OK’ recording that took place in a carpark near Kinder Scout in the Peak District. The musical guest was Spider Mike King. I think the most likely broadcast date for this was 03 September 1973.

Twang claimed that Kenny Everett was the host. This isn’t correct, but it’s possible that Everett was a guest on that episode.

Spider Mike King is a musician from Manchester who is still performing. Apparently, his music in 1973 was influenced by Syd Barrett and the Velvet Underground. His band at the time of the ‘OK’ performance included drummer Paul Burgess (later of 10cc) and bassist Martin Hannett (later a producer of Joy Division, Magazine etc.)