Soup In A Basket

Tuesdays: 29 July - 19 August
2330-0000

Lee Mack tells the story of the Northern Clubs in their heyday.

40 years ago, Clubland was thriving with live entertainment. For performers and musicians of all levels it was a boom time.
 
From the mid-60s, the Northern clubs attracted stars such as Jane Russell and Matt Monro.

With the opening of the Batley Variety Club in 1967, and then the Wakefield Theatre Club a year later, competition intensified to see who could attract the biggest names in entertainment.

Competition was fierce. If a star played at Batley, they didn't play at Wakefield - and vice versa.

Louis Armstrong was Batley's most famous guest star, while Princess Margaret appeared at a charity night for Wakefield.

At the same time, the Working Men's clubs all vied for star names too, with bidding for the acts controlled by their all-powerful Concert Secretaries.

The series features interviews from Russ Abbot, Dame Shirley Bassey and Mike Yarwood, as well as many more of the stars who played at the venues.