Seaside Special is a European light entertainment show broadcast from 1975. It was an outside broadcast based at a big top around numerous British seaside resorts. Originally the big top belonged to various circuses (mainly Gerry Cottle's Circus), but in later seasons, the BBC bought its own to be the venue. The programme was developed by producer Michael Hurll. The series was developed after a short-lived, 6 part 'trial' aired on BBC2 in 1973, under the title Show of the Week: The Young Generation Big Top, starring the dance troupe The Young Generation and hosted by various personalities. The series was broadcast from various Pontin's Holiday Camps around the UK under the Gerry Cottle Big Top. The first show, airing on 6 August 1973, was hosted by Clodagh Rodgers. While this show was originally made in the United Kingdom, it was also co-produced in France, Switzerland and Belgium.
The format was revived by the BBC as Summertime Special with all eight episodes broadcast on BBC1 from Brighton, starting on 25 July 1981. The following year a further six episodes of Summertime Special were commissioned, this time broadcast from Eastbourne starting on 17 July 1982.
A final series was shown on BBC1 on 25 July 1987, this time called Seaside Special '87, all six episodes were broadcast from Jersey and hosted by Mike Smith.
Between 1986 and 1988, ITV broadcast their own incarnation of the format under the Summertime Special banner, hosted by Bobby Davro & others and produced by TVS.
The show
It was essentially a variety show, hosted by Radio 1 and Radio 2 DJs, consisting of a music act, a comedy act, and dancers New Edition. The 1977 series featured a beauty competition.
Typical acts were Little and Large, Keith Harris and Orville, Lena Zavaroni, The Jimmy Brown Dancers, Bernie Clifton, Showaddywaddy, The Wurzels, Sacha Distel, Peters and Lee, Val Doonican, Ronnie Corbett, The Goodies and Nana Mouskouri. Some segments of the show were shot outside the big top, including one occasion when the Brotherhood of Man sang "My Sweet Rosalie" sitting in a particularly unstable-looking lifeboat.
The show's theme, "Summertime City", written and sung by Mike Batt, was a UK Top 10 hit in 1975.
History
Very successful in its day, the show was briefly revived in the 1980s as Summertime Special, but by then the tastes of the viewing public had moved on (see Variety shows history).
1975
5 July 1975
Location – BBC1 Big Top at Blackpool. The first of a new series of variety shows featuring artists appearing at Britain's seaside resorts starring Ken Dodd with The Diddymen. Special guests Dana and Wild Honey. Introduced by David Hamilton and featuring New Edition.
12 July 1975
Location – BBC1 Big Top which this week visited Great Yarmouth
Starring Peters and Lee with special guests Billy Dainty, Alan Randall, Frank Carson, Stu Francis, Cool Breeze and introduced by Noel Edmonds featuring New Edition.
19 July 1975
Location – BBC1 Big Top at Blackpool
Guests – Mike & Bernie Winters, The Three Degrees, Peter Gordeno & New Edition. With hosts David Hamilton and Paul Melba (Mike and Bernie Winters were in the 'Mike and Bernie Winters Show' at the ABC Theatre. Blackpool: Paul Melba was in ' Showtime 75 ' at the North Pier, Blackpool)
26 July 1975
Location – Big Top of Jerry Cottle 's Circus which this week visited Poole, Dorset. Guests – starring Cilla Black and her guests Paul Jones, Don MacLean, the Brother Lees and from clubland, Ronnie Dukes and Ricki Lee. Introduced by Tony Blackburn and featuring New Edition
2 August 1975
Location – BBC1 Big Top which this week visited Great Yarmouth
Guests – Dick Emery and featuring Sacha Distel with Clodagh Rodgers, Little and Large, Norman Caley and introduced by Noel Edmonds and featuring New Edition
9 August 1975
Location – Gerry Cottle's Circus, Torbay
Hosts – Noel Edmonds and Val Doonican
Guests – Windsor Davies and Don Estelle, Ronnie Corbett, Lynn Rogers, Peter Hudson, Ian Lavender, Bill Pertwee (both from Dad's Army), John Inman, Mike Read and Radio 1 DJs David Hamilton, Tony Blackburn (and his then wife Tessa Wyatt) featuring New Edition.