Time for Blackburn!

1 9 6 8 (UK)
41 x 30 minute episodes

Produced by the legendary Mike Mansfield, Time For Blackburn! starred poll-topping disc jockey Tony Blackburn in a peak-time evening TV slot on ITV – Saturday nights in London and Friday evenings in the South (the show was not broadcast in the North, where the Jimmy Clitheroe series Just Jimmy aired instead).

Originally (briefly) titled New Release, the show was made by Southern Independent Television at their Southampton studios – although they occasionally used inserts filmed at London’s Revolution Club – and featured new releases, views, and comments on the pop scene.

The show was largely built around Blackburn’s charming “boy next door” image.

Guests appearing on the show included: The Bee Gees (pictured below); Dusty Springfield; Sandie Shaw; The Who; PJ Proby; Long John Baldry; Scott Walker; Gene Pitney; PP Arnold; Manfred Mann; Bobby Vee; Georgie Fame; The Tremeloes; Marmalade; Joe Cocker; Tages; The Crazy World of Arthur Brown; Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich; The Kinks; Procol Harum; Herman’s Hermits; Brian Auger and The Trinity; The Strawbs; Madeline Bell; Susan Maughan; comedian Warren Mitchell (who Blackburn interviewed on the toilet!); David Essex; The Casuals; Paul and Barry Ryan; Frankie Vaughan, and Esther and Abi Ofarim.

The episode of 20 July 1968 made news headlines when The Crazy World of Arthur Brown performed the song Fire on the show, and Brown’s hair caught fire during filming.