6 5 special

[donna]

we didnt have a telly when the six five special came out but used to go to my aunts on a saturday to watch it, wasnt it great at the time, with Pete Murray.

[hankoler]

I would agree Donna , I used to watch it every saturday with Pete Murray and I think the female presenter with him was Jo Douglas , not sure though.

[Mr Cosmo]

Donna - you worry me! Our lives seem t obe remarkably similar!
I used to look forward to this and watch out for 6.5. Special every week. Fortunately it wason just before DIXONS OF DOCK GREEN so my mother allow it. It always opened with some film of a train going down the track and you could see it from the driver point of view which to a young boy was brilliant.
Josephine Douglas used to introduce it but I thought she was a it pan loaf - and Pete Murray was great, and they always used to get Freddie Mills the old British boxer with a lovely personality in as well.
Don Lang and his Frantic 5 sang teh tune - and Jack Good produced.
What a childhood memory!!!

[alan french]

Hi.
Just some useless information, but hopefully interesting.
6:5 Special was as a result of commercial television pushing for more broadcasting time. The BBC had to do the same. ITV had on Saturdays Sir Lancelot and the BBC 6:5 Special. This was in 1956. I remember the original presenters, Pete Murray and Josephine Douglas. These eventually left and were replaced by Jim Dale, who had previously been seen on occasion as a guest artist. I am not sure if ex boxer Freddie Mills assisted the presenter/s after Pete and Jo left. I cannot name any other presenters if there were any. Jack Good produced the series originally. He was eventually summoned by the BBC concerning the programme. I believe it was going too commercial for BBC. There was at least one record album (LP) and a film for the cinema based on the show. An almighty row broke out and Jack Good left. I believe he was replaced by Stuart Morris. Jack Good went over to commercial television and produced Oh! Boy and Boy meets Girl. He then went on over the years becoming a television legend in his own right. He even took a small part in an Elvis Presley film. He was last seen on television a little while back in a documentary.He is currently a monk.
The signauture tune for 6:5 Special was usually performed possibly live, by Don Lang and his Frantic Five over the credits and sometimes on a film soundtranck with credits by by Bob Cort and his Skiffle Group.
The programme I believe ended at the close of 1958 and was replaced by Dig This. I cannot remember the presenter. Dig This did not catch on and was replaced by Drumbeat. This was presented by Gus Goodwin and subsequently Trevor Peacock.
6:5 Special, although looked upon as a rock 'n' roll show actually did sometimes deviate from this. Elvis Presley only appeared on the programme on cinema film and at least once in sound only, singing All Shook Up as a new release on a juke box. An attempt was made to get him to appear live on the show. This proved unsuccessful,so they got Marty Wylde instead.
Alan French.