The Good Old Days (UK TV series)

The Good Old Days
Genre Old Time Variety, Family, music hall
Starring Leonard Sachs
Country of origin UK
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 30
Production
Producer(s) Barney Colehan
Production location(s) Leeds City Varieties Music Hall
Release
Original network BBC1
First shown in 1953
Original release 1953 – 1983

The Good Old Days is a BBC television light entertainment programme produced by Barney Colehan which ran from 1953 to 1983.

It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day performers in the style of the original artistes.

The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing, especially "Down at the Old Bull and Bush" which closed the show. The show was compered by Leonard Sachs, who introduced the acts from a desk situated at the side of the stage. In the course of its run it featured about 2,000 performers. Each show was up to an hour long. All acts were in the style of late Victorian/Edwardian stage acts.[1]

History

The show was first broadcast on 20 July 1953 and the first two shows were compered by Don Gemmell.

The Good Old Days was inspired by the success of the "Ridgeway's Late Joys" at the Players' Theatre Club in London: a private members' club that ran fortnightly programmes of variety acts in London's West End.

Out of 245 episodes, 108 are believed to survive complete.[2] 63 of the programmes were broadcast on BBC Four between November 2015 and January 2018.

On Friday 30 December 1983 a Goodbye to the Good Old Days was shown, a documentary celebrating the end of the 30-year run that year; Barry Cryer served as narrator for the documentary.

References

  1. ↑ 1001 TV Series You Must See Before You Die, Paul Conron, ISBN 978-1-84403-887-9
  2. ↑ "Missing or incomplete episodes for programme The Good Old Days". Lost Shows. Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
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