The Beat Room

The Beat Room was a series of British television programmes presenting beat, rhythm and blues and other pop music, which was shown on the BBC2 channel in 1964-65.

The series was produced and directed by Barry Langford, and acts were introduced by an off-screen presenter, Pat Campbell. The acts performed live before an audience of dancers. The resident house band were Wayne Gibson and the Dynamic Sounds, and the show also featured a trio of performance dancers, the Beat Girls.[1]Each programme lasted 25 minutes, extended to 30 minutes after programme number 10. In all, 29 programmes were made.[2]

The first show, broadcast on Monday 6 July 1964 at 6.35 p.m., featured The Animals, Lulu & the Luvvers, and Millie Small. The final show was broadcast on 29 January 1965. Tapes of all but one of the programmes were later destroyed. The only remaining programme (no. 14), was broadcast on 5 October 1964 and featured Tom Jones,Julie Rogers, The Kinks, Wayne Gibson and the Dynamic Sounds, John Lee Hooker, and The Syndicats. Other musicians featured in the series included Davy Jones & The King Bees, Elkie Brooks, Brenda Lee, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Tommy Tucker, The Hollies, Dave Berry, Georgie Fame, Lesley Gore, Bill Haley and the Comets,Zoot Money, Peter and Gordon, The Honeycombs, The Nashville Teens, Carl Perkins, Dionne Warwick, The Dixie Cups, The Routers, Little Walter, The Beach Boys,Sonny Boy Williamson, Jackie DeShannon, Heinz, The Rockin' Berries, Marvin Gaye, Paul Anka, and Cliff Bennett.