1 9 6 4 – 1 9 6 6 (UK)
22 x 45 minute episodes
An old hangar-like building on the outskirts of Bradford – which used to house a cinema – was converted in late 1963 to the Lyceum Rainbow Club to provide entertainment of the sort that proved increasingly popular in the North of England, especially in Yorkshire.
There was food and drink served by attractive waitresses, there was dancing and gambling, and there was cabaret. Now, with the rows of cinema seats replaced by chairs and tables, with a stage and a big bar installed, the inside of the building was seen by millions of viewers – for it was from here that the BBC televised the Club Night series.
Artists trekked to Bradford to bask in applause just as ecstatic as in the heyday of Variety theatres.
Club Night‘s regular host was Donald Peers who, sixteen years previously (when he was 39), became Britain’s first singer to experience teenage squeals of adulation.
Artists who appeared on Club Night between 1964 and 1966 included Gerry and the Pacemakers, Freddie & The Dreamers, The Bachelors, Charlie Chester, Anne Shelton, The Barron Knights, Mike Yarwood, Jimmy Jewel, Roy Castle, Colin Crompton, The Kaye Sisters, Ted Ray, Vera Lynn, The Migil Five, Chic Murray, Trisha Noble, The Vernons Girls, Ted Rogers, Bert Weedon, Norman Collier, Mark Wynter and a wealth of ‘turns’ from the variety club circuit.
Presenters
Donald Peers
Johnny Hackett