The Tube (TV series)

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Not to be confused with The Tube (London Underground TV series).

Screenshot of The Tube's neon sign trademark

The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for 5 seasons, from 1982 until 1987. Many other specials were made, including one for the eve of the millennium. It was produced in Newcastle upon Tyne by Tyne Tees Television and broadcast on Channel 4 television. The Tube was presented live by such talented luminaries as Jools Holland, The Cult, and the late Paula Yates.

Contents

1 Showcase for 80s bands
2 Format
3 Demise
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

Showcase for 80s bands

The Tube was a showcase for many emerging 80s bands. Artists who played on The Tube included: The Assembly, Aztec Camera, Big Country, Boomtown Rats, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Echo and the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello, Fatal Charm, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Human League, Icicle Works, Iggy Pop, INXS, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, Meat Loaf, Paul Young, Psychedelic Furs, The Rainmakers, Robert Palmer, R.E.M., Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel, Simply Red, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Squeeze, Style Council, Tears for Fears, Terence Trent D'Arby, The Smiths, The Cult, The Cure, The Dream Academy, The Jam, The Mission, The Pretenders, The Stranglers, Then Jericho, Thin Lizzy, U2, Ultravox, Wham, Yazoo.

Format

For the main show, the programme would have a couple of pop video exclusives introduced by Holland and Yates. Afterwards, Yates would conduct a rather flirtatious interview: in 1985, for example, she prompted Sting to remove his trousers. Muriel Gray would provide a more worthy item on world music. Each regular episode ended with an extended set by a band of the week. The series also featured comedy 'interventions' by the likes of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

Demise

In January 1987, during the fifth series, Jools Holland accidentally swore with the words "groovy fuckers" during a live trailer for the show. The incident caused a national scandal, as the trailer was transmitted at a peak children's viewing time and the show was taken off air for 3 weeks as a result. Holland was reprimanded by Channel 4. The show's producer, Malcolm Gerrie, and Tyne Tees' Director of Programmes, Andrea Wonfor, announced their resignations in March. They cited as reasons for doing so a mixture of internal bickering, political pressure and "stifling bureaucracy and heavy handed moralism". A further series was never commissioned.

In 2005 Tyne Tees Television moved out from its City Road complex on Newcastle Quayside. The site is to be redeveloped as housing, but it is not yet clear whether the trademark 'Tube' structure will remain.

References

The Very Best of The Tube Various Artists, Universal Records, November 4, 2002 [link]

External links

[TV Cream listing] — Scroll down to see The Tube entry
[British Film Insitute Screen Online]