The Tube (1982 TV series)
Live music showcase from Newcastle upon Tyne.
The Tube is a United Kingdom music television programme that aired on Channel 4 from 5 November 1982 to 24 April 1987. Produced by Tyne Tees Television and filmed in Newcastle upon Tyne, it was presented live by a rotating roster of hosts including Jools Holland and Paula Yates. The show succeeded earlier Tyne Tees music programmes Alright Now and Check it Out.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Music
- Director
- Gavin Taylor; Bernard Preston
- Theme music
- Jan Hammer & Jeff Beck (Series 1–2)
- Jeff Beck & Trevor Horn (Series 3–4)
- Andrew Poppy (Series 5)
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 121
- Executive producers
- Malcolm Gerrie
- Andrea Wonfor
- Crispin Evans
- Producer
- Malcolm Gerrie
- Paul Corley
- John Gwyn
Facts from the source article.
Showcase for contemporary bands
The Tube served as a platform for many emerging 1980s acts, with Sunderland band the Toy Dolls being the first to perform live on the show. The programme played a key role in boosting careers: the Proclaimers credited their performance of "Letter from America" with helping them achieve their first top ten UK hit, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood were introduced to their record label ZTT and producer Trevor Horn through the show. Beyond launching new performers, The Tube secured high-profile performances from established international musicians such as U2 live at Red Rocks, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant, Tina Turner, Bo Diddley, Dire Straits and ZZ Top. Ringo Starr gave one of his first post-Beatles interviews on the programme, filmed at Tittenhurst Park. The 50th show in November 1984 was where Bob Geldof allegedly encountered Midge Ure and proposed the fund-raising single that became Band Aid and later Live Aid. The Jam performed on the first edition in 1982, marking their last live TV appearance before disbanding. Dire Straits featured prominently in the fourth series, including performances and interviews from Israel and a special episode showcasing their Wembley Arena concert. Half Man Half Biscuit declined an appearance because Tranmere Rovers were playing that night, even though Channel Four offered to fly them by helicopter to the match.
Format
The programme's core was live performances from three or four bands each week, a departure from the miming common on other music TV shows at the time, though the sound mix was often poor and had a phased quality. Each episode began with a 45-minute magazine section featuring interviews, fashion items, and comedy appearances by alternative artists such as Frank Sidebottom, Alexei Sayle, Vic Reeves, Foffo Spearjig, and French & Saunders. The show typically included four or five band appearances per week, closing with one extended session.
Production
For the first two series, the main presenters were joined by five newcomers selected through a national competition: Muriel Gray, Gary James, Nick Laird-Clowes, Michel Cremona, and Mike Everitt, who took turns co-presenting. Comedian Mark Hurst appeared as performance poet Mark Miwurdz during the same period. Paula Yates was absent for the second series due to maternity leave; Leslie Ash replaced her but was hospitalised before the second episode, leading to Tony Fletcher stepping in, and both remained for the remainder of the series until Yates returned. Studio 5 also hosted a spin-off show called TX45, presented by Chris Cowey and produced by Jeff Brown, featuring local bands; its theme music was an instrumental by Sophie and Peter Johnston. Many performers used the neighbouring Egypt Cottage pub as a green room, with Jools Holland noting that figures like Miles Davis and Paul McCartney visited. The pub was demolished in 2009. The production team also created concert films outside the studio, including filming U2 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 1983 (though only about 15 minutes aired due to a union dispute) and Queen's 1986 Wembley Stadium concert, broadcast as The Tube special Queen: Real Magic. A summer replacement series called Wired ran for two series between 1986 and 1987. For the final episode, Swans produced a music video for "New Mind" using the 3:59 single version.
Demise
On 16 January 1987, during the fifth series, Jools Holland used the phrase "be there or be ungroovy fuckers" in a live trailer transmitted on ITV at 5:15pm, during peak children's viewing time. The incident caused a national scandal, and the show was taken off air for three weeks. Holland was reprimanded by Channel 4, having previously sworn on the live show. A further series was never commissioned; some close to the show viewed Holland's swearing as a convenient excuse to end it. The live interviews and magazine items were nervously monitored by producers and Channel 4 executives, especially when featuring outspoken celebrities, which contributed to the show's unpredictable atmosphere. For Holland, Yates, and Gray, the programme launched successful television careers. In 1999, a one-off live special titled "The Apocalypse Tube" aired on Sky1, hosted by Chris Moyles and Donna Air from Studio 5 and the Egypt Cottage bar. Tyne Tees Television moved from its Newcastle Quayside studios in July 2005; Studio 5 was leased by an evangelical church in July 2006, and the complex was demolished in 2010. The Tube neon sign was bought at auction by Tyne and Wear Museums for display at the Discovery Museum.
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