It's Cliff Richard BBCTV 1971 Series

[Paul Rumbol]

All 13 shows in this series are missing - i had presumed the quad tapes were wiped not long after their one and only broadcast in the UK.
However this clip of Clodagh Rodgers 'Jack in the Box' in the 'Song For Europe' is definately taken from one of Cliff's 1971 shows.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZThaXSEC6E&NR=1

This clip is b/w whereas the series was made in colour. Is it possible that a few quad tapes of these shows escaped wiping and are now in private hands? Or is this more likely to be from a 16mm telerecording? My research suggests that the series did not air in any other country.

[LanceM]

Thank you for posting a link to this clip. After looking at it it is rather hard to place a source medium for this footage. The you-tube footage is not extremely clear, however there appear to be some tape breaks ( skips ) which would make this look like it was taken from videotape. However, it could very well be a telerecording that was transfered to video. I really do not know a awful lot about Cliff Richard's 1971 series. I seem to remember seeing this clip before though, I think this was the UK entry into the Eurovision contest, maybe that was it. If anyone has any info or ideas here would be much appreciated as usual.

Lance.

[Paul Rumbol]

Hi Lance,
as something of a Cliff/Shads afficianado ive been collecting what few pictures from this series remain and the stage setting (with the string 'hosepipe' lighting arrangement) is identical to this clip. You might think that sounds tenuous but with the aid of my magnifying glass it does all match up.
I have some nice direct line audio recordings from the series and its my intention to combine the pix and audio once im au fait with my digital video editing software.
The' Song For Europe' was featured during each of Cliff's 13 week series for the BBC in 1970 (Mary Hopkin), 1971 (Clodagh Rodgers) and 1972 (New Seekers). The artist would perform the contending songs over 6 weeks - returning in the 7th week to sing all six songs together in a 'Song For Europe' special - at the end of the show Cliff would give out the postal voting details and the winner would be announced and performed the following week.
The same format was employed for the Cilla and Lulu Shows when they took tenure in their particular years.
The series also had some impressive guest stars - including Elton John and Olivia Newton John who made about 4 appearances. Her popularity led to her joining the regular cast of Una Stubbs and Hank Marvin when the series returned for the 1972 series (Jan-March) - all of which are believed wiped .

My other thought is that this clip alone was requested by an overseas tv company - in a similar fashion various individual clips from TOTP were used in the German 'DISCO' show for example. If that is the case it does not bode well for the survival of the rest of this show or series.

[garyjordanbrum]

rumbers1 said:

The' Song For Europe' was featured during each of Cliff's 13 week series for the BBC in 1970 (Mary Hopkin), 1971 (Clodagh Rodgers) and 1972 (New Seekers). The artist would perform the contending songs over 6 weeks - returning in the 7th week to sing all six songs together in a 'Song For Europe' special - at the end of the show Cliff would give out the postal voting details and the winner would be announced and performed the following week.


My other thought is that this clip alone was requested by an overseas tv company - in a similar fashion various individual clips from TOTP were used in the German 'DISCO' show for example. If that is the case it does not bode well for the survival of the rest of this show or series.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W1Qo1YrqYU

As ya can see the BBC used to send clips to foreign broadcasters for Eurovision previews

[Paul Rumbol]

Yes Gary that clip looks like its taken from Cliff's 72 series - but i cant verify the stage backdrop on that one to say it definitely is!
It looks like bad news again then. Probably little bits n pieces used sparingly in other programmes on request until the shows were wiped not long after. For example a short segment of Cliff's71 series was featured on BBCs Points of View that year at a viewers request, but i presume that no longer exists either.

2 quick questions..
1.What nationality is the speaker in the intro to the New Seekers clip?
2. If tv companies abroad licenced/purchased a clip would the bbc send 'just that clip' or the whole show, and on what format would that be sent?

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd9Um6BpiTs

It's back up after disppearing.

After a bit of research - I've ascertained that this clip is from the It's Cliff - A Song for Europe special (NOT the contest, the different appearance for that exists, of course!), filmed 17/02/71, and broadcast 20/02/71.

I can also confirm that as a thumb rule clips of the winners of the national A Song for Europe had their performances sent to some EBU TV stations.

""A Song For Europe 1971

Artist: Clodagh Rodgers

Backing vocalists: The Breakaways

Final: Saturday 20th February, 1971 at 18:15:52"

(Recorded on Wednesday 17th February, 1971)

Presented by: Cliff Richard

Musical Director: Norrie Paramor

Produced by Michael Hurll

Voting: Announced on 27th February, 1971. Eight Regional Juries (Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester & Norwich) each with ten persons who could award one vote to their favourite song.

Placing Title Composers
1st Jack In The Box David Myers & John Worsley
2nd= Wind Of Change Mike Hawker & Brian Bennett
2nd= Someone To Love Me Ernie Ponticelli & Gordon Rees
4th In My World Of Beautiful Things Valerie Avon and Harold Spiro
5th= Another Time Another Place Mike Leander and Eddie Seago
5th= Look Left, Look Right Alan Hawkshaw and Ray Cameron""

""Series 2

* 02.01.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Julie Felix (missing)
* 09.01.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Marvin, Welch and Farrar, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 16.01.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, The New Seekers, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 23.01.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Elton John, Sweet Rain, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 30.01.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Labi Siffre, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 06.02.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Olivia Newton-John, Marvin, Welch and Farrar, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 13.02.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Roger Whittaker, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 20.02.71 A Song for Europe - All Songs (missing)
* 27.02.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Petula Clark, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)
* 06.03.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Olivia Newton-John, Marvin, Welch and Farrar (missing)
* 13.03.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Labi Siffre, Marvin, Welch and Farrar (missing)
* 20.03.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Olivia Newton-John, Marvin, Welch and Farrar (missing)
* 27.03.71 with Una Stubbs, Hank Marvin, The Breakaways, Norrie Paramour and his Orchestra, Clodagh Rodgers (missing)""

Info shown from songs4europe.com and lostshows.com.

[Deleted]

OK I can shed some light on this matter:
The clip on youtube is clearly taken from German television. The presenter is saying:
"Zum Abschluss unser heutigen Sendung 'Zum Auftakt für Dublin' singt Clodagh Rodgers für die BBC 'Jack In The Box'", which means:
"At the end of today's programme 'Zum Auftakt für Dublin' Clodagh Rodgers is singing for the BBC 'Jack In The Box'".
'Auftakt für Dublin' was a television programme previewing that year's entries for the ESC. It was shown on Saturday, Mar 27, 1971 at 1:15 pm on the first German TV programme (ARD/das Erste). There are some ESC enthusiasts who have collected all (or most) of those preview shows. I have several clips from that time including this Clodagh Rodgers performance, all in reasonable VHS quality.

[Bob Savage (robstar)]

A dealer I met a few years back swore he had one from the missing 1971 series and had contacted the BBC who then got very legal and heavy which he said had put his back up completely. He has since stopped trading, his shop was in Bexhill on Sea!

[Stephen Doran]

Was this the show thay had corny jokes in a segment called the good news/bad news?

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Andreas, thank you for the insight and translation, I am very grateful.

Do you know if any of the other "Song for Europe" shows (UK) exist from '70 or '72 or '74? I believe these are missing from UK archives too.

And Bob, if you remember the name of the trader - not that I trade, or that I am looking to, as such - can you let me know. If he does have a missing 1971 episode, then....worth trying to contact.

[Bob Savage (robstar)]

Ray - sorry the traders been gone for several years I wish I could remember his name.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

It's just ANYONE who has any lost footage potentially is worth chasing.

[Thomas Latham]

A while back I tried to find out what was still in the archives relating to Eurovision for an article I was writing for the Eurovision fanclub. From the early 70s, I discovered the following (but I would love it if anyone could correct me and/or knows any different).

Only one edition of "It’s Cliff Richard" seems to remain – that of 31st January 1970 – which means that only Mary Hopkin’s performance of "Early In The Morning Of Your Life" has been kept. Off-air audio-only recordings exist of her performances. (Incidentally, Mary Hopkin is apparently still in possession of the original master tapes of all six recordings of her 6 songs.)

Only off-air recordings also exist of Clodagh Rodgers singing her 6 songs on the show in 1971. However, it was in 1971 that the EBU started the official Eurovision preview shows, so there are copies (for example 1971 and 1972) of "Song For Europe" performances that would otherwise be lost. However, these are only of the winning songs and only exist in foreign archives (for example in Germany) since the BBC have only retained preview broadcasts from 1976 up to 1994. I have seen a colour version of the Clodagh Rodgers performance of "Jack In The Box" from "It's Cliff Richard", but I don't know which European broadcaster has it in their archive.

Series 6 of "Cilla" from 1973 exists in its original format in its entirety with all of Cliff’s performances from that year. Similarly, all of "Lulu" from 1975 (featuring the Shadows’ SFE performances) seems to have been retained by the BBC.

In between them, 1974’s "Clunk Click", hosted by Jimmy Saville and featuring Olivia Newton-John’s SFE seems to exist only in part. I believe the BBC have retained the shows starring ONJ from 9th February and 16th February, but neither the SFE final from 23rd February nor the results programme from 2nd March. Strangely, the planned 2nd February 1974 broadcast did not take place (does anyone out there know why?), meaning that the original plan to feature two songs in each of three shows had be amended to three songs in each of the two shows left prior to the SFE programme. The result is that performances by Olivia of all 6 entries exist.

If anyone can expand on this or correct me, I will pass on the information to the UK Eurovision fanclub.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Hi Robert - some questions:-

Jun 17, 2011 10:29:40 GMT Thomas Latham said:

Only one edition of "It’s Cliff Richard" seems to remain – that of 31st January 1970 – which means that only Mary Hopkin’s performance of "Early In The Morning Of Your Life" has been kept. Off-air audio-only recordings exist of her performances. (Incidentally, Mary Hopkin is apparently still in possession of the original master tapes of all six recordings of her 6 songs.) Audio or the Film also?

Only off-air recordings also exist of Clodagh Rodgers singing her 6 songs on the show in 1971. However, it was in 1971 that the EBU started the official Eurovision preview shows, so there are copies (for example 1971 and 1972) of "Song For Europe" performances that would otherwise be lost. However, these are only of the winning songs and only exist in foreign archives (for example in Germany) since the BBC have only retained preview broadcasts from 1976 up to 1994. I have seen a colour version of the Clodagh Rodgers performance of "Jack In The Box" from "It's Cliff Richard", but I don't know which European broadcaster has it in their archive. The Clodagh Rodgers 'Jack in the Box exists in the German archive, and is the one linked from my post on this thread yesterday.

In between them, 1974’s "Clunk Click", hosted by Jimmy Saville and featuring Olivia Newton-John’s SFE seems to exist only in part. I believe the BBC have retained the shows starring ONJ from 9th February and 16th February, but neither the SFE final from 23rd February nor the results programme from 2nd March. Strangely, the planned 2nd February 1974 broadcast did not take place (does anyone out there know why?), meaning that the original plan to feature two songs in each of three shows had be amended to three songs in each of the two shows left prior to the SFE programme. The result is that performances by Olivia of all 6 entries exist. Are there not different performances from 23/02/74?

If anyone can expand on this or correct me, I will pass on the information to the UK Eurovision fanclub.

[Nick Gilbert]

Jun 17, 2011 11:20:17 GMT Ray Langstone (was saintsray) said:

Hi Robert - some questions:-

Jun 17, 2011 10:29:40 GMT Thomas Latham said:

Only one edition of "It’s Cliff Richard" seems to remain – that of 31st January 1970 – which means that only Mary Hopkin’s performance of "Early In The Morning Of Your Life" has been kept. Off-air audio-only recordings exist of her performances. (Incidentally, Mary Hopkin is apparently still in possession of the original master tapes of all six recordings of her 6 songs.) Audio or the Film also?
...
If anyone can expand on this or correct me, I will pass on the information to the UK Eurovision fanclub.

This episode was put up on the Internet as part of the BBC's archive project in 2007. It was low quality but colour. Presumably the Beeb have a broadcast quality copy?