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This looks like it could be worth watching and I anticipate contributions from Bruce and Brian, at the very least, and maybe even Hank? And surely some archive footage featuring The Shadows.


Born Harry Webb in 1940, Britain’s
answer to Elvis Presley has been famous ever since being
persuaded to change his name to Cliff (as in rock,
geddit?) Richard (a nod to Little Richard)
in 1958.

This overview looks at his life and career from before the
breakthrough of debut single Move It, with friends,
colleagues and journalists all pitching in with
observations on this much profiled and yet still fairly
mysterious survivor.


THE CLIFF RICHARD STORY. Friday 25th May, 9pm - 10.30pm. CHANNEL 5.

It was a fairly good documentary, but, with it being Channel 5, it wasn't perhaps quite up to the standard of those we see on BBC FOUR, for example. Funnily enough, while I was watching it, I got 2 texts through from friends telling me it was on... and these are guys whose main musical interests are AC/DC and Alice Cooper!

Anyway, we didn't really learn anything we didn't already know, but there were plenty of clips featuring the Shadows, both from Summer Holiday and newsreel - and, yes, these included the clip of them performing at the youth club for Princess Margaret where we are seeing them play FBI and hearing them play Apache! There was a clip from the Cliff Richard Show - featuring Cliff, Una Stubbs and Hank - which I hadn't seen before and a mid-'70s live clip with Cliff Hall on piano. Brian Bennett was interviewed and, fittingly, was given the last word.

All in all, worth watching but a little light. Cliff wasn't interviewed for it but appeared courtesy of old video and audio interview clips. I gather that another documentary is being made for broadcast in November, so this might well be better.

I wasnt expecting much from this programme, and i didnt get it. the video clips looked like they were from old VHS tapes, why when perfect ones are available ?
no mention of jet or tony, straight into brian bennett, no mention of expresso bongo. the clips were a mismash and all over the place.
come on channel 5 if you are going to do a life story get someone who knows what they are talking about to compile it. also too much time spent with other people talking.
moan over Ray

wonderfuland wrote:I wasnt expecting much from this programme, and i didnt get it. the video clips looked like they were from old VHS tapes, why when perfect ones are available ?
no mention of jet or tony, straight into brian bennett, no mention of expresso bongo. the clips were a mismash and all over the place.
come on channel 5 if you are going to do a life story get someone who knows what they are talking about to compile it. also too much time spent with other people talking.
moan over Ray

Yes, I would tend to agree with that. I think, for me, the main thing is the Shads getting a primetime airing on network TV, even if the programme itself is a little haphazard. I noticed one of the contributors speaking very highly of the Shadows, in that they pointed out that they probably inspired EVERY guitarist who followed in their footsteps. These things need to be said and repeated as often as possible, just so history can't be rewritten by those who don't remember them and think that there were no groups of relevance prior to the Beatles!

wonderfuland wrote:I wasnt expecting much from this programme, and i didnt get it. the video clips looked like they were from old VHS tapes, why when perfect ones are available ?
no mention of jet or tony, straight into brian bennett, no mention of expresso bongo. the clips were a mismash and all over the place.
come on channel 5 if you are going to do a life story get someone who knows what they are talking about to compile it. also too much time spent with other people talking.
moan over Ray

Agreed 100%, a waste of airtime if it isn't going to be done properly.
I enjoyed the repeat of 'An audience with' though.

As a potted history of Cliff from then to now, including the very latest stuff, it was a good little programme, made to the common low-budget formula of talking heads reminiscing, linked by an audio commentary and video clips.

I think the disappointment likely to be felt by many here is that this programme was not about the Shadows, it was about Cliff. There was incidental footage of all seven Shadows but they were not the story. This was Cliff, told by people who know him and one of whom is Brian Bennett. His presence gave it extra authority.

One mistake slipped through. The commentary said that cinema release of The Young Ones was in 1952! I can hear Bruce shouting now: "62!!"

I agree that the rerun of the LWT programme An Audience With... was good scheduling and better television!

Iain Purdon wrote:One mistake slipped through. The commentary said that cinema release of The Young Ones was in 1952! I can hear Bruce shouting now: "62!!"

Only the one?

How about Cliff's birthday apparently being in August?

Or Brian Bennett being one of the original Shadows?

[And that's the exact impression a viewer with no prior knowledge would have gained.]

As stated above; the programme was primarily about Cliff and therefore the Shadows were referred to in the collective sense rather than going into much detail about the individual members - which I think one can understand. To have gone into all the ins and outs would probably have just added unnecessary details and confusion to the proceedings. Having said that, it was stated that Brian was a 'new' drummer and that he therefore replaced someone. OK, Tony wasn't named but I suppose those that already knew didn't need to be told again and those who didn't know maybe didn't care. I wonder how many people, apart from us, could name every single Shadow and the period during which they were in the band? I suspect that the majority of 'Cliff' fans are not too bothered. I for one look forward to the day when a 90 min documentary on the Shadows is made, which includes all these facts - and more! Until then, I suppose we have to accept that they will usually be mentioned as an aside in the Cliff Richard Story. It's not right, but it's the way it is.

I half expected Bruce to be a key contributor, as a regular go-to man for such documentaries, but Brian's input proved suitably illuminating for the purpose. At least, he was given credit for the hit arrangement of Living Doll !

Bill

I would guess that the only way there will ever be a detailed comprehensive documentary etc made about the Shadows will be when they have all passed...but God grant that they will live long, healthy happy lives to a ripe old age!