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 Jools Holland and the late Paula Yates. Holland and Yates were a successful, if unlikely, pairing. He was the ex-keyboard player for Squeeze - a wry, funny and intelligent musician whose interest in piano began before the age of eight. She presented herself as a scatty, fluffy hanger-on - Famous for being famous and a penchant for snogging minor pop celebrities. While Jools always looked slightly uncomfortable on camera, Yates lapped up the exposure and the attention. There was a real chemistry between the two of them which just worked. She was constantly trying to shock him and never succeeding - They were a bit like Bonnie and Clyde.

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 1960's, and at the time, producer Chris Phipps said "Music TV had been running out of steam and The Tube was the antidote."

The show maintained an air of (barely) controlled chaos with edgy, handheld camera shots and ad-libbing presenters, but was actually well-produced and well-delivered. It was a stylish blend of music, chat and comedy. Since the show went out live to air - from Tyne Tees Studio 5 in Newcastle - the occasional profanity from an exuberant pop star was sometimes broadcast, and Paula herself was once disciplined for saying "fuck".

Musical acts featured during the show's run are too numerous to mention here but cover a range from punk bands on their way out, (e.g. Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Jam's last ever appearance on TV), up-and-coming new acts, (e.g. Fine Young Cannibals, Frankie Goes to Hollywood) and those that managed to bridge the gap, (e.g. U2, "Mad Donna", David Bowie).

The Tube also featured interview segments with the bands on the show. Jools Holland took this opportunity to explore the performers' influences and artistic direction, whilst Paula Yates flirted outrageously with male performers. Indeed, Yates met future lover Michael Hutchence when INXS appeared on the show. In between the music and interviews, various comedy acts appeared including 'pop poet' Mark Miwurdz, ('Mark my words', geddit?!), Rik Mayall and Vic Reeves in his first TV appearance - in a spoof of Celebrity Squares.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Jools Holland's infamous "ungroovy fucker" remark, made during a tea-time live promotional link (right after Noddy) was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as the IBA was concerned. The show's producers, already under pressure to re-vamp the show's format, resigned and the last broadcast of The Tube was in April 1987.