Ready Steady Go – Aug 1963 to Dec 1966

Ready Steady Go – Aug 1963 to Dec 1966

By Pete Clemons

If you remember the Coventry Standard newspaper you may well recall that Cathy McGowan, during the mid 1960s, had a music and entertainment column within it. Cathy would give us news, reviews, inside gossip and tips for the top. Additionally she would let us know what she had done the previous week, where she had been, and to let us know of any new bands she had been made aware of.

Cathy McGowan, of course, came to fame on the Ready Steady Go. As a music programme Ready Steady Go defined the early 1960s. It was incredibly innovative. It was fun and it was edgy. It broke all the rules of how a TV programme was made at that time.

The show was presented by Keith Fordyce who came across as a really nice guy. And, by all accounts, Keith was but, in all honesty, he would have been more suited to reading the news.

After a while Keith was joined by Cathy McGowan as co-host. Cathy was a bit dizzy but she added massively to the show. Cathy was a mod and had that certain look which just seemed to fit perfectly with the times.

Head of Rediffusion TV, Elkan Allan, was certainly on the ball when it came to the early 1960s beat scene. And Elkan wanted to capture the times on a groundbreaking television series. He was well aware of The Beatles, and the fact that their popularity was growing by the day, and wanted them to star on the opening programme during 1963. And, it didn't stop there, as Elkan's eye for up and coming bands was equally keen as bands like The Animals, The Kinks and The Who all gained early exposure by way of an appearance on the show.

The programme was initially recorded in the basement of the Rediffusion TV building on the corner of London Kingsway and Holborn. It was a small studio where The Five O'clock Club with Ollie the Owl, for example, would be recorded during the day. And the format of the show was quite simple really. A song was mimed in front of an audience who were within touching distance of the band members. Even the cameras would be seen mingling with the audience.

The uniqueness of the show continued and, by 1964, American artists such as The Beach Boys and Rufus Thomas were now beginning to appear. The production team had recognised that American music had been a major influence on that of the UK scene so it needed to be included within the format.

Part of that recognition had come by way of Dusty Springfield who, not only appeared on the show, but whose experience from her early American tours was being transferred to the show. For example, while in America, Dusty became aware of and loved Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. And it was Dusty who encouraged them onto the show.

Appearing on Ready Steady Go became essential as, with no radio 1 at that time, it was a major way of getting all important exposure and sales. And during 1965 the show moved to bigger studios in Wembley. It also went live for the first time. The whole format of the show seemed to shift as it introduced new types of camera work. The camera became a part of the music. There were close ups, there was flashing and shaking images that were designed to fit more with the music.

One of most remarkable achievements of Ready Steady Go came during April 1965. A Tamla Motown revue came to the UK. Promoted by Arthur Howes the shows were failing to sell tickets. Georgie Fame was added to the bill in order to improve things but still poor sales persisted.

Dusty Springfield pushed for the tour to be given a Ready Steady Go special. Her idea came to fruition and Dusty ended up presenting and also duetting on the show. The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves and Earl Van Dyke were included on the show. The show, as ever, pulled in some amazing audience figures which meant that, after this invaluable exposure, the rest of the Motown Revue tour had hugely improved ticket sales.

Such was the success further specials were put together. These featured Otis Redding and James Brown along with guests such as Eric Burdon and Chris Farlowe who shared the stage with these major artists.

Ready Steady Go did try to mix things up and to not stand still. For example it introduced a section where a new dance was featured. But the birth of Top of the Pops began to mark the end of Ready Steady Go as it tended to concentrate on the singles charts. So, as such, tended more to follow the trends as beat music was edged out.

23 December 1966 was the date of the last Ready Steady Go. Ratings had dropped dramatically throughout its last year. By the producers own admission, it had become too self indulgent and, rather than follow trends, it had followed its own path. But the viewing audience had not gone along with it. Having said that Ready Steady Go is still remembered with much affection.