Ready! Steady! Go!

Ready!  Steady!  Go! was an innovative British music program which aired Friday nights from August, 1963 to December 23, 1966.  The program was the brainchild of Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV.  Allan recruited Francis Hitching as producer.  The show went through several directors, including Robert Fleming, Rollo Gamble, Michael Lindsey Hogg, Daphne Shadwell, and Peter Croft.  Early shows were introduced by Dusty Springfield, with Keith Fordyce and Cathy McGowan being the main presenters.

Ready!  Steady!  Go!  was recorded initially at Studio 9 in Kingsway, where artists mimed to their records, then moved to Studio 5 at Wembley.  The program was famous for an intimate interaction between artists and fans, who danced to the music on a floor in front of the stage.

The show featured the top acts at the time, among them:  the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, the Beach Boys, the Who, Marvin Gaye, the Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Donovan, the Dave Clark Five, the Animals, the Kinks, Bobby Vee, the Searchers, the Zombies, the Yardbirds, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Pitney, the Small Faces, Lulu, Cilla Black, and Freddie and the Dreamers.