Premiering on Wednesday 23 April 1980, 16-year-old Lena Zavaroni starred in her own BBC variety series.
Lena – who won Opportunity Knocks as a nine-year-old amateur from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and topped the bill at the Palladium at 14 – performed two or three song-and-dance numbers in each episode, as well as performing in comedy sketches with some of her guests.
Arthur Greenslade conducted the studio orchestra, and The Kay Garner Singers performed backup singing.
Lena was joined by two guests each week, including The Nolans, Les Dawson, Janis Ian, Rowan Atkinson, The Three Degrees, magician Paul Daniels, Spike Milligan, Dick Emery, Rod Hull and Emu, Kiki Dee, Little and Large, Frankie Howerd, Janet Brown, Max Bygraves, David Copperfield, Bernie Winters, Lulu, Anne Murray, Nana Mouskouri, Sheeba, Randy Crawford, Corky Hale and Gilbert O’Sullivan.
Lena suffered from anorexia nervosa since she was thirteen and underwent drug treatments and electroconvulsive therapy in an attempt to end her depression.
In September 1999, she was admitted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff for a “pioneering” psychosurgical operation.
She appeared to recover from the operation, but three weeks later, she contracted pneumonia, and her weight dropped to less than five stone (32 kg or 70 lb).
Tragically, Lena died from bronchial pneumonia on 1 October 1999. She was just 35.
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Lena – who won Opportunity Knocks as a nine-year-old amateur from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and topped the bill at the Palladium at 14 – performed two or three song-and-dance numbers in each episode, as well as performing in comedy sketches with some of her guests.
Lena suffered from anorexia nervosa since she was thirteen and underwent drug treatments and electroconvulsive therapy in an attempt to end her depression.
