Thank Your Lucky Stars

Thank Your Lucky Stars was a British television pop music show made by ABC Television, and broadcast on ITV from 1961 to 1966. Of all the show's presenters, Brian Matthew is perhaps the best remembered, others included Keith Fordyce and Jim Dale. Many of the top bands performed on it, and for millions of British teenagers it was essential viewing. As well as featuring British artists, it often included American guest stars.

It would appear from the surviving footage that the bands mimed their latest 45. However, there was a period (around 1966) when artistes appearing on TYLS were no longer allowed to mime and were required to perform live. This policy was also adopted at approximately the same time by the BBC's Top of the Pops. Occasionally a band was allowed to do two numbers (possibly the A-side and B-side sides of the latest single or an EP or LP track); bands of a higher status such as The Beatles or The Rolling Stones would sometimes play up to as many as four numbers.

Audience participation was a strong feature of Thank Your Lucky Stars, and the Spin-a-Disc section, where a guest DJ and three teenagers reviewed three singles, is a very well remembered feature of the show. Generally American singles were reviewed. It was on this section that Janice Nicholls appeared. She was a former office clerk from the English Midlands who became famous for the catchphrase "Oi'll give it foive" which she said with a strong Black Country accent. After she was dropped from the show she trained as a chiropodist and ran a practice in Hednesford in Staffordshire. Billy Butler was another reviewer. Other judges included Jimmy Savile, Pete Murray, Alan Dell, Sam Costa, Barry Alldis, Kent Walton, Jimmy Young and Don Moss)

The Beatles second national television performance was on the programme, the first being on children's programme Tuesday Rendezvous on 4 December 1962. The first theme song was by Peter Knight & The Knightriders and later on "Lunar Walk" by Johnny Hawksworth was used.

The show ended on 25 June 1966, after two thousand artists appearances. The Musicians' Union were not in favour of such shows as the songs were mimed until the change of policy in 1966.

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