ABC shows; Tempo and Gazette

[Kev Mulrenan]

Do any exist?

Someone said there was a clip of the Scaffold used in their recent docu.

[lpmoderator]

I've been wondering about Tempo for many years myself! The BFI do have a reasonable sprinkling of episodes but I did hear that a lot more exist with Canal + (although i've not heard it verified officially). I hope more exist; a fascinating arts series with many interesting features. I used to watch myself. One episode was repeated as part of TV Heaven in the '90s, by the way.

I know nothing about Gazette though (was this ABC regional only?), not to be confused with the Gerald Harper series of the same name, presumably. A Scaffold clip was used in the recent South Bank Show on the Liverpool poets although I can't recall offhand if it was from that show (I think it said ABC though).

Can anyone offer more on the archive status of these series?

[W Olding]

"One episode was repeated as part of TV Heaven in the '90s, by the way."

Indeed, I have that episode, which was from 1965:

Tempo (Entertainers) Arts programme - ITV’s response to the BBC’s Monitor - ITV (ABC)

Featured ballerina Lynn Seymour and up and coming pop singer Tom Jones, who had only been around for a year prior to this programme being made and had recently released What’s New Pussycat.

[Peter Elliott]

Mike McCartney wrote about Scaffold getting a 7 week residency on Gazette in his 1981 book. He wrote that it was a magazine programme modelled on Johnny Carson's show. Known as the Liverpool One Fat Lady All Electric Show with 2 other members, the trio that became Scaffold were offered a 7 week residency on the show and it was this that prompted Messrs McCartney, McGough and Gorman to quit their jobs and turn professional. McCartney hints that the fact he was the brother of a Beatle was a "co-incidence" when booked for the show and knowing Mike, he was being sarcastic. It was at this time they then changed their name to Scaffold.

Apart from that, nothing else on Gazette... didn't know any existed.