The Old Grey Whistle Test

Launched on BBC2, the show focused on albums, rather than chart hits covered on BBC1 by Top of the Pops. It was originally produced in a studio at BBC Television Centre in west London known as "Pres B", which had been originally designed for shooting weather forecasts and in-vision continuity.{{cite book|last=Hepworth|first=David|title=Never a Dull Moment: 1971 - The Year That Rock Exploded|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3_tCgAAQBAJ|place=New York|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|year=2016|pages=207–208|isbn=9781627793995}} The studio was only {{convert|32|x|22|ft|0}}.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/tv%20centre%20history.htm#pres |title=TV Studio History |access-date=6 March 2010}} Due to the lack of technology that accommodated live performances, bands mimed to tracks in early episodes.

The series' opening titles theme was an animation of a male figure made up of stars (known as the 'Star Kicker') dancing. The programme's title music, with its harmonica theme, was a track called Stone Fox Chase by a Nashville band, Area Code 615.

The first host was Richard Williams, features editor of Melody Maker, the music weekly. From 1972 the programme was presented by disc jockey Bob Harris (nicknamed ‘Whispering Bob Harris’ because of his quiet voice and laid-back style). He later became notorious among the younger generation for distancing himself on air from Roxy Music's first performance on the show and calling the New York Dolls "mock rock"{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/14/new-york-dolls-mock-rock|author=Stevie Chick|date=13 June 2011|title=The New York Dolls play 'mock rock' on British TV|newspaper=The Guardian}}{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/simon-price-theres-no-going-back-to-the-old-grey-twilight-zone-2341170.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/simon-price-theres-no-going-back-to-the-old-grey-twilight-zone-2341170.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Simon Price: There's no going back to the Old Grey Twilight Zone|date=21 August 2011|website=The Independent|access-date=4 March 2019}} and left OGWT in 1978.

In the programme's early days, before the advent of the music video, tracks that could not be performed live by musicians were accompanied by old film footage, edited especially for the programme by film collector and archivist Philip Jenkinson.

After Harris's departure Annie Nightingale took over as host. In December 1980 Nightingale presented a special edition immediately after the murder of John Lennon (who had appeared on the show in 1975). This particular episode consisted almost entirely of interviews with various people about Lennon's life and career.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Damian |date=2024-01-13 |title=Annie Nightingale once revealed she was the first person to interview Paul McCartney after John Lennon's death |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/annie-nightingale-once-revealed-she-was-the-first-person-to-interview-paul-mccartney-after-john-lennons-death-3570274 |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}

Following the departure of Nightingale in 1982, Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Richard Skinner also took turns as presenters. In 1983 the programme was moved to a live mid-evening slot. The title was abridged to Whistle Test and the title credits and music were changed. Andy Kershaw joined the series as a presenter in 1984.{{cite news | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/andy-kershaw-the-dj-who-came-back-from-the-wars-8191053.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/andy-kershaw-the-dj-who-came-back-from-the-wars-8191053.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= Andy Kershaw: The DJ who came back from the wars | work=The Independent | first=Nick | last=Duerden | date=29 September 2012 | access-date=7 November 2016}} The same four presenters co-presented the BBC's television coverage of Live Aid in 1985.

The series was cancelled in early 1987 by Janet Street-Porter, who had been appointed head of Youth Programmes at the BBC.{{cite book |first=Andy|last=Kershaw |title=No Off Switch|year=2012|page=213|publisher=Virgin|isbn=978-0415892131}} The series ended with a live New Year's Eve special, hosted by Bob Harris, broadcast through to the early hours of New Year's Day 1988: material included "Hotel California" by Eagles, live from 1977, and "Bat Out of Hell" by Meat Loaf.

Owing to technical issues during the show's early years and the need to ensure performances were controlled, the bands often recorded the instrumental tracks the day before. The vocals were then performed live "99 percent" of the time. After 1973 the show changed to an entirely live format.{{cite book|author=Ian Inglis|title=Popular Music and Television in Britain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SUhWx9Jnh_UC&pg=PA63|year=2010|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd|isbn=978-0-7546-6864-0|page=63}}

On 23 February 2018 the BBC broadcast a special programme, hosted by Bob Harris, to mark 30 years since the series was last broadcast. This live studio show featured music, special guests and rare archive footage. It featured live performances from Gary Numan, Kiki Dee, Peter Frampton, Wildwood Kin, Richard Thompson, Albert Lee and Robert Vincent.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09scfnb |title=For One Night Only, The Old Grey Whistle Test - BBC Four |website=BBC |access-date=26 March 2018}}

Harris chatted to Whistle Test alumni, including Gary Numan, Dave Stewart, Joan Armatrading, Ian Anderson, Toyah Willcox, Dennis Locorriere, Chris Difford and Kiki Dee, as well as fan Danny Baker.

Gary Numan's performances on the show caused his latest album, Savage (Songs from a Broken World), to re-enter the charts the following week at number 60.{{cite web | url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17942/gary-numan/ | title=Gary Numan | website=Official Charts }}

• Top Gear, a 1964–1975 BBC radio programme that focused on progressive music.
• The Midnight Special, a 1972–1981 US television series of a similar format from the same time period.
• Sounds of the 70s, a 1970s late night BBC radio programme which concentrated on albums rather than singles, and rock rather than pop.
• Top of the Pops, a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006.
• Later... with Jools Holland, a BBC television series with a similar format that has been broadcast since 1992

{{Reflist}}

• {{BBC Programme|b006zbkl}}
• {{IMDb title|id=0259795|title=The Old Grey Whistle Test}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Grey Whistle Test, The}}

Category:1971 British television series debuts

Category:1988 British television series endings

Category:1970s British music television series

Category:1980s British music television series

Category:BBC Two original programming

Category:Rock music television series

Category:British English-language television shows