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Essentially a light entertainment show with a variety style, The Billy Cotton
Bandshow established itself in a prime-time Saturday evening slot in which the
format of music, song and dance, comedy and regular guest stars was as
unpretentious as it was entertaining. With a stable line-up of dancers, singers
and band members doubling up as a quasi-repertory company, the audience knew
what to expect and loved it.
Reliance on key band members and singers for solo spots and duets continued
the traditions of a format based on touring and dance hall residencies, while
helping reduce dependency on guests and keeping costs within bounds.
Nevertheless, familiar guests re-appeared with cosy regularity over the years.
No show was complete without a sing along (usually a medley), often featuring
staples from the music hall era. The featured Christmas show happily injected
pantomime into the mix. The consistent qualities of the shows were further
underpinned by employing Jimmy Grafton as scriptwriter for over eight years, and
with Bill Cotton Junior producing his father's shows (after initial reluctance),
high standards were maintained.
Since Billy Cotton revelled in being himself - an unpretentious cockney, who
stood for no nonsense - he tended to play up the convention of having an
upper-class or at least well-spoken BBC announcer-type (often played by Jeremy
Lloyd) to act as his foil, and guests could include performers from the more
high-brow end of the spectrum. Ever the consummate professional, Cotton
unquestionably works hard - he only learned to dance in his fifties, primarily
for his television shows - and as well as opening and closing the show, he is
rarely off screen other then when his guests have a solo spot.
Because the programmes were transmitted as 'live', it is possible, especially
on the earlier shows, to spot examples of ad-libs and occasional mistakes until,
with growing confidence, Cotton and his crew rather knowingly acknowledged both
the limitations and strengths of the medium. Current affairs were rarely touched
on, and Cotton appeared as a comfortable figure in a safe show with only limited
topicality apart from references to contemporary music, television and other
popular entertainment forms.
David Sharp
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1. Not quite a normal show (2:12)
