A series of programmes presenting highlights from the annual music event, featuring a broad range of British and American performers.
Introduced by presenter Colin Irwin, this series of seven programmes captures performances from the 1980 Cambridge Folk Festival. The coverage was divided between an initial 50-minute overview and several shorter episodes, each focusing on a selection of artists. The line-up included American musicians Ry Cooder, Loudon Wainwright III, and Doc Watson and Friends, alongside British folk mainstays such as Maddy Prior, Richard Digance, The Boys of the Lough, and Dave Cousins. The broadcast also made room for more eclectic styles, with sets from the cajun group Rockin’ Dopsie and The Cajun Twisters and the doo-wop revivalists Telephone Bill and The Smooth Operators.
The BBC’s coverage of the Cambridge Folk Festival was a significant annual event, translating the unique atmosphere of the weekend for a national television audience. The 1980 programmes, presented by music journalist Colin Irwin, demonstrate the festival’s famously broad definition of folk music. Rather than offering a single concert film, the BBC broke its coverage into distinct episodes; this allowed for a more curated presentation of the diverse roster. This structure juxtaposed influential American singer-songwriters with traditional British and Irish ensembles and high-energy cajun bands. The broadcast served not just as entertainment but as a valuable survey of the contemporary folk scene, affirming the festival’s status as a key arbiter of taste in the genre.
Broadcast: BBC Two, 7 Episodes, 17 February – 3 April 1980
Presenter: Colin Irwin
Producer: Don Sayer
Director: Don Sayer
Featured Performers: Maddy Prior, Telephone Bill and The Smooth Operators, Loudon Wainwright III, Rockin’ Dopsie and The Cajun Twisters, Doc Watson and Friends, Richard Digance, The Boys of the Lough, Ry Cooder, Louis Killen, The Tannahill Weavers, Woodstock Mountain Revue, Harvey Andrews, Dave Cousins
