seaside special david hamilton and tony blackburn

Seaside Special

Seaside Special – 1975

It’s Summertime so today it’s time to sit back, cringe, laugh and enjoy some good old fashioned entertainment in the company of some entertainment legends, of which sadly many are no longer with us.

Remember when the BBC thought people didn’t watch TV in the summer? so we had filler shows.  Seaside Special is one such example.

Seaside Special was a BBC light entertainment show that would air during the summer months, a bit like washing only far more entertaining.  It was an outside broadcast show filmed in a big top in British seaside resorts.

In the earlier shows the big top belonged to Gerry Cottle’s Circus, although the BBC did spend some of our license fee on their own (now you know why certain newspapers call the BBC a circus).  The show was hugely popular in it’s day, but attempts to revive the format in the 1980’s were not so successful.

The theme tune was written and sung by Mike Batt.

Despite all that it’s still better than the rubbish we’re expected to watch today.

Summary

Essentially Seaside Special was a variety show in a tent.  Hosted by DJ’s from Radio 1 and Radio 2, it consisted of dance troupe New Edition with comedy and musical acts.  Over the years comedy acts such as Little and Large, Keith Harris and Orville, Ken Dodd all appeared.

Clips

 

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Let’s drop in on some Blackpool highlights

Details

Channel: BBC1
Produced And Developed By: Michael Hurll
Original Transmission Dates: 5th July 1975 – 8th September 1979