Alma Cogan Show, The

1 9 5 7 (UK)
6 x 30 minute episodes

Considered to be British television’s First Lady of popular music during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Alma Cogan was top of the bill of almost all the notable variety shows then running on TV (including Max Bygraves Entertains, Saturday Spectacular, Val Parnell’s Startime, Sunday Night at the London Palladium among numerous others).

Although she favoured playing the variety theatres, her appearances on television – conveying charm and a pleasant song delivery with an outsize presence in extravagant dresses – made her one of the great (and most sought-after) TV personalities, rivalled only by such similar songbirds of the period as Joan Regan and Ruby Murray.

Guests on the six episodes of this BBC series (which premiered at 6.45 pm on Thursday 25 April 1957) included Terry-Thomas, Harry Secombe, Bill Maynard, and Dick Bentley.

A quartet of male dancers (Terence Skelton, Mike Miller, Roderick Joyce and Lou Eather) appeared in each show. The music was arranged and conducted by Stan Foster.