The Tube

1 9 8 2 - 1 9 8 7 (UK)

Channel 4's live music show with edge and attitude debuted in 1982 and starred former Squeeze keyboard player Jools Holland and the late Paula Yates.

The show was broadcast live, and therefore it was very dangerous . . . Viewers (and occasionally the presenters) never knew what was going to happen. 

Paula once used the f-word and received a stern warning, while Jools was suspended for swearing during a trailer - calling it "a groovy little fucker" . . .

The show was devised by Malcolm Gerrie and Andrea Wonfor, who called it The Tube because of the Perspex tunnel entrance to their office. 

There hadn't been anything like it since Ready, Steady Go! in the 1960s, and at the time, producer Chris Phipps said "Music TV had been running out of steam and The Tube was the antidote."

While Jools and Paula were the main presenters during the show's five-year run, Muriel Gray, Leslie Ash and Gary James all had a go at it (Leslie filled in while Paula was pregnant). 

There was a real chemistry between Jools and Paula which just worked. She was constantly trying to shock him and never succeeding - They were a bit like Bonnie and Clyde.

The Tube was broadcast live from Tyne Tees Studio 5 in Newcastle and was an instant hit with young viewers. Apart from the lasting effect the show had on the British music scene, comedy regularly made up 30% of the show, with Vic Reeves making his TV debut on The Tube with a spoof of Celebrity Squares.