Chelsea at Nine/Chelsea At Eight

1 9 5 7 – 1 9 6 0 (UK)

Chelsea At Nine was Monday night’s big variety offering presented by Granada TV from its newly converted studio in the former Chelsea Palace theatre.

It showcased top transatlantic stars – such as Billie Holiday, comedians Alan Young and Larry Storch, American pianists Ferrante & Teicher and ventriloquist Edgar Bergen – with American directors employed to give the show an international sheen.

As well as major entertainment names of the day, the programme included regular comedy skits from the team of Mai Zetterling, Dennis Price and Irene Handl, and excerpts from contemporary theatre shows, while The Granadiers were the house song-and-dance troupe, directed by Cliff Adams.

Hermione Baddeley and Stanley Baxter appeared in ‘Dinner for One’.

With a timing change, the series became Chelsea At Eight in 1958 and, in the same year, adopted the title of Chelsea Summertime for its seasonal programmes.

The first compere was David Hutcheson. Bernard Braden also hosted.