Here We Go

ITV 1955

In November 1955 the fledgling ITV broadcast the first of two musical revues entitled ‘Here We Go’. Blending comedy and music the two shows starred Bruce Forsyth, June Whitfield and Billy Dainty and included original music written by Christopher Hodder-Williams. My Dad.

Like so many other early programmes no copies survive, but there are clues to what they contained.

Some of those clues are buried in the scripts. I have recently obtained copies, admittedly not authenticated but they certainly appear original.

Other clues can be found in an interview with Christopher Hodder-Williams in the Norwood News in 1956 and his own application for PRS. June Whitfield’s autobiography describes one of the sketches in the show where she played a roller-skating Lady MacBeth.

In the Norwood News, 25 May 1956, Hodder-Williams states that the producer, Kenneth Carter, asked him to provide original music for the show. He obliged and five songs were written and included. His PRS application lists dozens of song titles including some from the show.

Comparing these sources it is possible to identify four of those songs, with a possible but uncertain contender for the fifth.

1. Greet The Dawn

The opening number for both shows and performed by the main cast and chorus, with lyrics re-written for the second broadcast. Credited to Hodder-Williams in the script and described as ‘Meet The Dawn’ in his PRS application.

2. I Gotta Break Out Of My Mink

Pat Dahl and the Visionaires. Again credited to Hodder-Williams but described as ‘I Want To Break Out’ in the PRS application.

3. When You Open A Window

Performed by John Gower this wasn’t credited to Hodder-Williams in the script but is referenced in both the Norwood article and the PRS application.

4. Working Up An Appetite

Performed by June Whitfield this also isn’t credited to Hodder-Williams in the script. However it is listed in his PRS application, and June performed the song again in The Tony Hancock Show in 1956, a series for which he wrote the music. It was Hodder-Williams on the piano for the Hancock episode.

5. The fifth song is trickier but there are two candidates. The first is the roller-skating Macbeth sketch, the second a song entitled ‘We’ll Take The Sea’.

It would be fantastic if Hodder-Williams was responsible for placing June and Bruce on roller-skates. Sadly there isn’t the evidence. The script does include the comment, ‘here Chris forgets Berlin and writes his own tune’, but this isn’t enough to be convincing. Perhaps he was on piano.

The second and stronger candidate is ‘We’ll Take The Sea’. Uncredited but the lyrics fit Hodder-Williams PRS application and a song he called ‘Take The Land’.

Five songs for his debut on ITV. Several other shows would follow as he would work again with Kenneth Carter, Steve Race, Basil Tait and June Whitfield.