Six-Five Special

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The Six-Five Special was a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain.

It was the BBC's first attempt at a rock and roll programme, an innovation and much imitated, even today. It was called "Six-Five Special" because of the time it was broadcast - it went out live at five past six on Saturday evening. It began immediately after the abolition of the Toddlers' Truce, which had seen television close between 6 and 7pm so children could be put to bed.

Jack Good was the producer and disc jockey Pete Murray was its presenter, using the catchphrase "Time to jive on the old six five". Its resident band was Don Lang and his Frantic Five. The show opened with film of a steam train accompanied by the programme's theme song, played and sung by the Frantic Five, which began with the words "The Six-Five Special's comin' down the line, The Six-Five Special's right on time..."

The resident band Lord Rockingham's Eleven had a UK number one instrumental in November 1958 with "Hoots Mon" (Decca). Lord Rockingham was the show's musical director Harry Robinson (aka Robertson) (1932-1996)

The show was scheduled to last six weeks but, as a result of Jack Good ignoring guidance given by the BBC not to show the young audience alongside performers, it continued indefinitely. The BBC interfered with Good's vision of the show by including educational and information elements. The relationship between Good and the BBC became strained and he was fired, resulting in a big loss of audience.

Good joined the ITV company ABC to create Oh Boy!, the show he'd wanted to make. It featured non-stop music and lost the public service–inspired elements as part of its more frenzied pace, and trounced the further-diluted Six-Five Special in the ratings. The BBC, never keen on the show , took this as vindication and pulled the show from the schedules. It was to be many years before Top of the Pops restored BBC coverage of contemporary popular music in general and "pop" in particular.