The Roxy

In the 1980s the UK didn't have the plethora of music channels on TV that you see now. BBC had dominated the music scene on TV with there flagship programme Top of the Pops for the chart scene and on BBC 2 it had the Old Grey whistle Test with the up and coming music and less mainstream.

Channel 4 got into the act with the popular The Tube but ITV was sadly lacking in that department. ITV did pursue with the Network chart show which was a 30 minute programme showing the latest video promo but no live artist playing on any show.

ITV went ahead with a programme called The Roxy which was a 30 minute slot each week and it debuted in June 1987 and it opened with Erasure performing 'Victim of Love'. The show was presented by David 'kid' Jensen and Kevin Sharkey. Jensen who did present on Top of the Pops and was a DJ on Radio 1 had moved over to the independent network radio and was the presenter of the Chart Show every Sunday so it seemed a natural choice to present the show. Sharkey was from Ireland and was a singer songwriter who had wrote songs for Bob  Geldof and Boney M amongst others. He had also some presenting music on TV as he presented on Irelands main station RTE Megamix programme.

The show concentrated purely on music on the chart scene and very quickly the programme started to suffer. Unfortunately, unlike top of the pops or the tube it didn't have a regular time slot and also many artistes were reluctant to travel to Newcastle for a 3 minute performance. The other programmes were based in London so it was a lot easier for artistes to go there.

The live performances then suffered as a industrial dispute took place and the result was the show was being chopped and changed in times the ratings dropped and within a year Bananarama performed the last song before the lights were turned off permanently.

The balance of power was still with BBC Top of the Pops and ITV left well alone and concentrated on other programmes.