It's now been 40 years since one popular staple on 80s British TV first hit our screens.
This week marks four decades since Channel 4 first launched - and with that comes the anniversary of some of the biggest and memorable TV shows from years gone by. On this day in 1982, many will remember The Tube first airing and making household names of presenters Jools Holland and the late Paula Yates, as well as Manchester's own Terry Christian. Chronicle Live previously reported.
For five series, The Tube gave TV and music lovers something they'd never seen before. It also helped launch the careers of huge bands before their international success and a number of rising comedians.
Read More:
- Chimps 'tea party' and elephant playing with baby in fascinating photos from Greater Manchester's last zoo
-
Lost treats Mancunians would love to see back on shelves - how many do you remember?
Based in Newcastle, The Tube occasionally ventured to the likes of Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool - and also Manchester. Many will remember when The Tube headed to the iconic Hacienda club for not only Madonna's first performance in the city, but her first ever appearance in the country.
The live broadcast of The Tube in January 1984 saw Madonna perform Burning Up and debut single Holiday, a set you can see in the archive video footage and it cost Hacienda owners New Order just £50. Now four decades on since the show hit our screen, we recall The Tube in 20 fun facts.
1. Kicking off with a bang, the first show was broadcast at tea time on Friday, November 5, 1982 on the newly-launched Channel 4.
2. It came live from Tyne Tees Television’s Studio Five on City Road, Newcastle.
3. Among the show’s creators and producers were the Geordie trio of Malcolm Gerrie, and Andrea and Geoff Wonfor.
4. The programme took its name from the circular covered walkway leading to the studio.
5. The show’s distinctive theme music came from a song called Star Cycle performed by guitarist Jeff Beck on his 1980 album There And Back.
Do you remember watching The Tube? Let us know in the comments section below.
6. The Tube would make household names of presenters Jools Holland (former keyboard player with chart band Squeeze) and Paula Yates who would die in tragic circumstances in 2000.
7. There would be more than 100 episodes broadcast across five series.
8. The audience was made up of the same people most weeks after applying for much sought after passes.
9. The Tube helped launch careers of the likes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Terence Trent D’Arby, The Proclaimers and Madonna (in a performance broadcast from Manchester’s Hacienda nightclub).
10. The show also had a commitment to comedy, giving a platform to rising stars such as French and Saunders, Vic Reeves, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson.
11. Pop’s big names also headed to the City Road TV studios. Tina Turner, U2, Culture Club, The Jam (who played their last TV set on the first ever Tube), Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Dire Straits and INXS were just some of those who appeared.
12. Regulars in the next-door Egypt Cottage pub would rub shoulders with famous faces from the world of entertainment enjoying a drink.
13. The show’s production team also travelled across the globe with features filmed as far afield as Japan, Jamaica and the United States.
14. By 1987 and the time The Tube’s fifth series was underway it was suffering from falling ratings and problems with internal politics, and suffered from adverse publicity when Holland swore live on peak-time air.
15. Duran Duran would be the last act to perform on the show which was broadcast for the final time on April 24, 1987.
Join our Greater Manchester history, memories and people Facebook group here.
Love Greater Manchester's past? Sign up to our new nostalgia newsletter and never miss a thing.
16. Paula Yates’ last words on the show were: “Here it is, the moment we’ve all been dreading. It’s the last moment of The Tube. It’s been wonderful. You’re going to miss us when we’re gone.”
17. A one-off episode of The Tube, hosted by Donna Air and Chris Moyles, was broadcast on Sky 1 in 1999.
18. Memorabilia from the show including one of the two neon Tube signs (currently in Newcastle’s Discovery Museum) and a piano played by Holland was auctioned off by Tyne Tees when it moved to Gateshead in 2005.
19. In 2012, there was credible talk that a revival of the The Tube was on the cards, but nothing would come of it.
20. The former Tyne Tees TV studios and the iconic Egypt Cottage have both long been demolished.
- Lost Manchester tearoom known for 'amazing cakes' and 'Welsh rarebit'
- Lost Manchester restaurant that served David Beckham's 'favourite' curry
- Closure of Greater Manchester's Disney stores that left customers 'heartbroken'
- Donkey stones and balloons: Your memories of rag-and-bone men in Greater Manchester
- Memories of Manchester's C&A - the lost low price fashion giant where 'everyone used to go'
