'Westward Beat Competition' 1964.

[John Green]

Sounds like a football result...
Lostshows lists the final on 9/7/1964 (Look away now if you don't want to know that it was won by The Rustiks),but not any heats,unless I've missed them? There was a series of brief shows introducing each of the condenders www.78rpm.co.uk/westward.htm There's a reference to The Rustiks making "other TV appearances,including Ready Steady Go",but the only results on Lostshows are an RSG and the Westward competition...

[Alan Turrell]

Very interesting looking at some of the tv shows on Westward tv if that was the line up of shows on today's tv you wouldn't get me away from the box.

[John Green]

Not a great reputation as a rockin' network: missingepisodes.proboards.com/search/results?what_exact_phrase=westward+beat+competition&when_days=9999&who_only_made_by=0&display_as=0

[John Green]

Ooops.Of course,William's discovered that The Rustiks were on The Five O'Clock Club on 25/9/1964.

Apparently,when they auditioned for the show,they were initially told that they been rejected,a mistake having been made with the results tally: www.covington.supanet.com/westwardtv.htm

[williammcgregor]

Can't find any evidence of previous heats (yet) but in the meantime here's some information on The Rustiks from Fabulous 208 magazine dated the 7th November 1964

[williammcgregor]

Here's the front page and article about the final from the Look Westward edition dated 5th July 1964

[John Green]

Thanks,William.
It looks to me as though the auditions/heats weren't televised?

[williammcgregor]

it looks that way to me as well as i've checked the NME and Melody Maker for that period and can find no evidence of any previous shows

[Kev Mulrenan]

Apr 6, 2015 8:50:59 GMT John Green said:

Thanks,William.
It looks to me as though the auditions/heats weren't televised?

Just bumping up an old thread.

Myself and Tony Rees are working together at the moment on a new book Pop Diaries 64.

The heats were televised. They were short and sweet. Spread over a large number of weeks.

We think the first one aired on Sunday May 31st 1964 3.55 to 4.05 pm

[John Green]

Thanks, Kev Silly of me to think that they would't be broadcast!

[williammcgregor]

Dear All


Here is a newspaper entry dated 23 May 1964

10.5 Armchair Theatre. 11.5-11.10 Here's Magic. WESTWARD ITV 2.5 Teachers' Workshop. 2.25 Farming. 2.40 Westward News, Farm and Country Edition. 3.0 Man of the World. 3.55 -4.5 Westward Beat Competition. 7.28 -8.25 The Fugitive. 10.35 ...

Published: Saturday 23 May 1964
Newspaper: Daily Mirror

Results | Daily Mirror | Publication | British Newspaper Archive
Your results: 29729 issues filtered by: Newspaper title: Daily Mirror

Was there one before this though?

[John Green]

Apr 5, 2015 18:14:16 GMT John Green said:

Sounds like a football result...
Lostshows lists the final on 9/7/1964 (Look away now if you don't want to know that it was won by The Rustiks),but not any heats,unless I've missed them? There was a series of brief shows introducing each of the condenders www.78rpm.co.uk/westward.htm There's a reference to The Rustiks making "other TV appearances,including Ready Steady Go",but the only results on Lostshows are an RSG and the Westward competition...

To quote the site:

"After a series of brief shows introducing each of the contenders, the Final was transmitted on Thursday July 9th 1964 (7.00 to 8pm), with compere Alan Freeman.
The finalists were
Chet and the Triumphs (from Bristol), The Rustiks (Paignton), The Devonairs (Plymouth), The Barracudas (Torquay), The Big Four (Truro), and The Iveys (Weston-Super-Mare).
The judges were Craig Douglas, Brian Epstein and Russell Turner. The first prize was a recording contract with Decca and three bookings at Plymouth's Odeon Ballroom. Second prize received (don't faint) £50, with third getting £25.
Russell Turner, with director John Bartlett, had auditioned the hopefuls, over a hundred groups, aided by Alan Feltham (Press Officer) and Guy Baskin (Senior Floor manager).
Claimed Turner, he hoped the winners would be "potentially capable of topping the national and international charts by next Christmas"(!) Alas, it was not to be, despite "all the resources of Westward Television behind them." And the winners were..... The Rustiks. The group consisted of Keith Taylor, Bill Covington, Rob Tucker and Dave Gummer. They did make three records (including I Am Not The Loving Kind, Decca F12059), and made other tv appearances, on shows like Ready Steady Go.
This was perhaps Westward's biggest ever tv show! Not surprising really that the programme, which only went out in their own region, was not revived by Westward TV."

[tonyrees]

Many thanks William! Yes, there was one on 24th May 3.55 - 4.05 pm (according to Bristol Evening Post). The show seemed to replace Man of The World which used to be on at the same time, but then moved an earlier spot.

[tonyrees]

This was the first edition

Sunday 24th May 1964
Westward The Westward Beat Competition 3.55 - 4.05 pm

[williammcgregor]

Aug 3, 2024 8:12:33 GMT tonyrees said:

Many thanks William! Yes, there was one on 24th May 3.55 - 4.05 pm (according to Bristol Evening Post). The show seemed to replace Man of The World which used to be on at the same time, but then moved an earlier spot.

Thanks Tony