A fast-paced regional entertainment show from the Granada region featuring music, comedy, and celebrity guests.
Host Nick Turnbull presides over this regional entertainment programme from Granada. The fast-moving format presents a mix of music, comedy, and conversation with a variety of guests. Notable appearances across the run included comedians Freddie Starr and John Cleese, musicians Bev Bevan and The Freshies, and actors Bernard Hill and Kate Robbins. An untransmitted pilot was recorded before the main series began its run.
This short-form entertainment programme was a fixture of the Granada region’s schedule, providing a platform for both local talent and national figures passing through the North West. Presented by Nick Turnbull, its brisk 14-minute duration dictated a rapid-fire succession of interviews and performances, creating a lively magazine-style format. The eclectic guest list, ranging from comedian John Cleese to musician Gordon Giltrap and author Alan Bleasdale, reflects the show’s role as a regional cultural barometer. The production’s quick turnaround and local focus made it a quintessential example of regional ITV’s commitment to non-networked, homegrown light entertainment.
Broadcast: ITV – Granada, 52 Episodes, 11 November 1980 – 19 June 1981
Producer: Nick Turnbull
Director: Peter Walker
Main Cast: Nick Turnbull (Presenter)
Guests included: Bev Bevan, Kelly Marie, Brian Jacques, Bernard Hill, Ted Robbins, Bob Carolgees, Gerry Marsden, Jonathan Barlow, Allan Mayes, Tom O’Connor, Freddie Starr, Kate Robbins, Chris Corcoran, Gordon Giltrap, The Blue Magnolia Jazz Orchestra, John Cleese, Bob Williamson, Stan Arnold Combo, Judi Kent, Michael Bell, Neil Ardley, The Freshies, Derek Massey, Peter Maloney, Frank McDonald, Alan Bleasdale
