| A Jubilee of Music | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Music |
| Directed by | Stewart Morris |
| Presented by | Dame Vera Lynn |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Stewart Morris |
| Location(s) | BBC Television Centre, London |
| Running time | 75 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC1 |
| Original airing | 31 December 1976 |
A Jubilee of Music is a one off BBC Television entertainment show of 75 minutes duration,[1] broadcast on 31 December 1976 on BBC1. The show was produced to celebrate the British music successes of the first twenty-five years of Elizabeth II's reign, ahead of the commencement of 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee. Some non-British artists (notably Val Doonican, Rolf Harris and The Walker Brothers) also took part, performing their British hits.
The show was produced and directed by Stewart Morris. It was recorded at BBC Television Centre in December 1976. Despite being a high-profile broadcast at the time, the show has since been lost from the BBC archive and has not been seen in the UK since its one and only transmission. However, it was shown on several European networks at the start of 1977, including Belgian, Dutch, German, Swedish and Norwegian TV, as well as several networks in Africa and the Antipodes.
The show was hosted by Dame Vera Lynn, who opened the programme performing a medley of British hits spanning from 1952 to 1976, written by leading British song writers. These included Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Leslie Bricusse, Lionel Bart, Don Black and Norman Newell. The medley ended with the UK's 1976 Eurovision Song Contest winner, "Save Your Kisses for Me".
The guests on the programme were either present in the studio, performing live, or were pre-recorded on film on location, lip-synching to their tracks in something approximating an early 'pop video'. The majority of those taking part performed their biggest hit from the period covered; whereas others such as Cliff Richard opted to perform their most recent release.
Performers included: