The Story of Ready Steady Go!

Review

by Gary Rose

In 1963, Ready Steady Go! was at the cutting edge of youth TV. In fact, it pretty much was youth TV. Its intimate visual style was hailed as innovative, but the real innovations came in the artists it booked: from the Beatles to James Brown.

As this pacey, fun doc shows, the addition of Kathy McGowan took the show up a notch. As one of “the kids”, she was the first youth-TV presenter in the modern mould. She doesn’t participate here, but we do get plenty of original producer Vicki Wickham. “When Top of the Pops started I was pissed,” Wickham says. “Because its formula was going to knock us off at some point.” And, by the end of 1966, it had.

Summary

Documentary recalling Britain's early 1960s music show Ready Steady Go!, which revolutionised television `for the kids' and introduced emerging talent from the era. The ITV programme, synonymous with its hosts Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan, showcased top acts of the day including the Beatles, the Who, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. Contributors include original producer Vicki Wickham and pioneering director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, plus Annie Nightingale, Eric Burdon, Chris Farlowe, Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves, Paul Jones, Gerry Marsden and Jools Holland.

Cast & Crew

Contributor Vicki Wickham

Contributor Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Contributor Annie Nightingale

Contributor Eric Burdon

Contributor Chris Farlowe

Contributor Mary Wilson

Contributor Martha Reeves

Contributor Paul Jones

Contributor Gerry Marsden

Contributor Jools Holland

Executive Producer Justus Haerder

Executive Producer Peter Stack

Executive Producer William Kennedy

Executive Producer Malcolm Gerrie

Executive Producer Genevieve Dolittle

Producer Helen Carr

Producer Samantha Peters

Producer Geoff Wonfor

Producer Sarah Hunt

Documentary

The Story of Ready Steady Go!

Review

Summary

Cast & Crew

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