“Running from 1953 to 1983, *The Good Old Days* featured 108 episodes out of 245 that have survived.

Over its run, the show presented approximately 2000 acts, each episode lasting one hour and always concluding with the audience singing along to ‘Down At The Old Bull And Bush’ with the artists.

Leonard Sachs, who introduced each evening’s acts, meticulously reviewed nearly all episodes.

The audience and performers donned Victorian and Edwardian costumes, creating a unique atmosphere. The show featured a wide array of acts, including notable names such as Roy Hudd, Les Dawson, Roy Castle, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, Ken Dodd, Hylda Baker, Larry Grayson, and Danny La Rue, among others. Filmed at Leeds City Varieties,

*The Good Old Days* remains a cherished part of television history.

The Good Old Days

In 1953 Producer Barney Colehan, proposed outside broadcasts from the Leeds City Varieties Theatre.

The BBC were already transmitting a series called ‘Music Hall’ which began in 1950.

The idea was to send the cameras into an audience-filled music hall show in the hope of picking up and relaying into people’s homes the same sense of atmosphere of people having a night out.

‘Music Hall’ had been broadcast from the Scala in London’s West End before an audience. One of the Music Hall programmes was staged in the Bourneville Hall, Birmingham, thus giving the Midland TV audience their first local relay of television variety; another from the Theatre Royal Leeds, opened TV programmes for the North.

Barney Colehan’s idea was to have a master of ceremonies who would compere proceedings and the show would include more audience participation, singing along to the popular music hall songs of yesteryear.

Derek Guyler hosted the series which was called City Varieties. But that same year it changed its title and got a new host: Don Gemmell, who after only three shows.

On a personal note – In the late Sixties, I lodged on the opposite side of the road to where Derek Guyler lived in Norbury, South London. Never saw much of him though

Anyway back to the original story, Don Gemmell then handed over to Leonard Sachs who was on familiar territory hosting The Good Old Days. In 1936 along with Peter Ridgeway he had acquired premises on the top floor of 43 Kings Street, Covent Garden and rapidly established the Players’ Theatre Club. In 1937, they presented an evening of Music Hall entertainment. The show was an instant success.

Leonard Sachs had a gift for discovering new talent and in those early days he introduced to audiences the likes of Patricia Hayes, Megs Jenkins, Bernard Miles and Peter Ustinov – who made his professional debut just twelve hours after his audition. The Players’ quickly established itself by public and critics as ‘The most original entertainment in London’

Destined to become household names, Hattie Jacques, Ian Carmichael, Clive Dunn, Patsy Rowlands and Maggie Smith all walked out for the first time on its hallowed floorboards.

Sachs was soon asked to present a similar show at the Festival Gardens, for the Festival of Britain. So favourable was the response, that the great theatre chain of the time, Moss Empires, invited Sachs to undertake a long tour of all the major variety theatres in the United Kingdom. It was only natural that the BBC should be the next to make an approach.

His impact on The Good Old Days was instantaneous and the show, which was originally scheduled for four outings, was then extended to thirteen, then twenty-six weekly editions. It remained a part of the BBC light entertainment for 30 years.