553 Saturday Live

First  viewed : July  1982

This  was  a  short-lived  chat  show  attempting  to    fill  the  gap  after  Michael  Parkinson's  ill-fated  defection  to  ITV.

It  was  broadcast  from  Pebble  Mill  and  co-hosted  by  Gloria  Hunniford  and  Radio  One  DJ  Simon  Bates. Now  I  have  to  say  I  always  liked  Simon  Bates. I thought  he  had  decent  taste  in  music  and  I  enjoyed  the  news  content  in  his  morning  show. It's  a  shame  he'll  be  forever  defined  by  that  bloody  Our  Tune  slot, popular  though  it  was.

But  he  never  really  crossed  over  into  TV  and  this  only  ran  for  six  shows.

The  only  bits  I  recall  are  Jonathan  King  promoting  his Bible  2  book  and  Madness  doing  Driving  in  My  Car  ( the  first time  I'd  heard  it ) with  a  ventriloquist's  dummy  standing  in  for  Suggs  whose  wife  had  just  gone  into  labour.