Ready Steady Go
Ready Steady Go or simply RSG was one of the UKs first rock / pop music TV programmes. It was first broadcast in August 1963 and ran until December 1966. It was produced by Associated-Rediffusion (later re-named Rediffusion) which had the ITV franchise for the London region. The show was so successful it eventually went out live nationally. It was contemporary with the surge in British pop music of the 1960s and the rise of the Beatles.
It featured most of the successful bands and artists of that era, among them:
The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, The Dave Clark Five, Dusty Springfield, Bobby Vee, The Animals, Cilla Black, The Searchers, The Who, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, Billy Fury,
Lulu, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Gene Pitney, The Beach Boys, Sandie Shaw, Burt Bacharach, Samantha Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kenny Lynch, Simon Scott (III), Them and The Zephyrs.
It also had appearances from comedians Peter Cook & Dudley Moore.
The show went out on Friday evenings and had the by-line The weekend starts here! It was much more youth orientated and informal than its BBC rival Top of the Pops. Presenters were Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan.
Initially, the RSG artists mimed to their records but by late 1964, some of the guests were performing live and the show switched to all live performances in April 1965. It was noted for allowing artists to perfom the full version of their songs rather than the short versions demanded by its contemporary TV shows.
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Categories: Television stubs | ITV television programmes