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New Faces was a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson
Derek Hobson

Derek Hobson is a TV and radio broadcaster and journalist, best known as the original host of ITV's New Faces, which introduced, among others, Lenny Henry, Victoria Wood, Jim Davidson, Les Dennis and Michael Barrymore to a Saturday night audience of more than twelve million viewers....
. It was produced by ATV Network Limited
Associated TeleVision

Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a United Kingdom television company, holder of various licenses to broadcast on the ITV network from 1955 until 31 December 1981....
 for the ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
 Network. The first run of the show was from 7 July, 1973 to 2 April, 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
. The show was noted for its theme tune, "You're a Star", performed by singer Carl Wayne
Carl Wayne

Carl Wayne , real name Colin David Tooley, singer and actor, is best remembered as the lead vocalist of Birmingham rock group The Move during the 1960s....
, formerly of The Move
The Move

The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s from Birmingham, England, and were among the most popular British bands to not find any success in the US....
, and it was eventually released, becoming a minor hit.

Winners often went on to greater success in television entertainment.






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New Faces was a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson
Derek Hobson

Derek Hobson is a TV and radio broadcaster and journalist, best known as the original host of ITV's New Faces, which introduced, among others, Lenny Henry, Victoria Wood, Jim Davidson, Les Dennis and Michael Barrymore to a Saturday night audience of more than twelve million viewers....
. It was produced by ATV Network Limited
Associated TeleVision

Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a United Kingdom television company, holder of various licenses to broadcast on the ITV network from 1955 until 31 December 1981....
 for the ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
 Network. The first run of the show was from 7 July, 1973 to 2 April, 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
. The show was noted for its theme tune, "You're a Star", performed by singer Carl Wayne
Carl Wayne

Carl Wayne , real name Colin David Tooley, singer and actor, is best remembered as the lead vocalist of Birmingham rock group The Move during the 1960s....
, formerly of The Move
The Move

The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s from Birmingham, England, and were among the most popular British bands to not find any success in the US....
, and it was eventually released, becoming a minor hit.

Winners often went on to greater success in television entertainment. Many top entertainers began their careers with a performance on this programme. The acts were evaluated by a panel of experts, including Mickie Most
Mickie Most

Mickie Most, born Michael Peter Hayes , was a successful English record producer, with a string of Number One singles with his own RAK Records, and with acts such as The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, and Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group....
, Alan A. Freeman
Alan A. Freeman

Alan A. Freeman is an United Kingdom record producer, most known for being Petula Clark's producer from 1949 until 1963, when his role was taken over by Tony Hatch....
, Clive James
Clive James

Clive James Order of Australia is an expatriate Australian author, poet, critic, memoirist, talk show host, television presenter, travel writer and cultural commentator....
, Muriel Young
Muriel Young

Muriel Young , was a British television continuity announcer, presenter and producer....
, Ted Ray
Ted Ray (comedian)

Ted Ray was a popular England comedian of the 1950s and 1960s.His parents moved to Liverpool within days and Liverpudlians regard him as a local....
, Ed Stewart
Ed Stewart

Ed Stewart is a radio broadcaster from England.His real name is Edward Mainwaring but he is affectionately known by the nickname Stewpot....
, Arthur Askey
Arthur Askey

Arthur Bowden Askey CBE was a prominent England comedian....
, Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds

Noel Ernest Edmonds, Deputy Lieutenant is an English television presenter, Senior management and philanthropist, who made his name as a disc jockey on BBC Radio 1 in the UK....
 and Tony Hatch
Tony Hatch

Tony Hatch is an United Kingdom composer, songwriter, pianist, Arrangement, and Record producer.Early Life and Early CareerHe was born Anthony Peter Hatch in Pinner, North London....
. Freeman and Hatch were especially notorious for being "hard" on contestants.

Tony Hatch made the headlines after one episode for giving a contestant whose act solely consisted of a repetitive and elementary 12 bar blues riff a score of zero. Hatch was deemed 'mean' for this.

Contestants received marks out of ten in categories such as "star quality" and "entertainment value". It was seen as a 'tougher' version of the long-running talent show Opportunity Knocks
Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity Knocks is a United Kingdom television talent show originally hosted by Hughie Green.The original radio version started on the BBC Light Programme in the 1940s but moved to Radio Luxembourg in the 1950s....
, also shown on ITV.

One winner, Marti Caine
Marti Caine

Marti Caine was an England actress, dancer, presenter, singer, writer - and the foremost UK female comedian of her generation. She was born in Sheffield, her birth name is Lynne Denise Shepherd....
, returned to present the show when it was revived briefly in the 1980s by Central Television. Her catchphrase was bellowed at the voting studio audience: "Press your buttons... NOW!". The show also featured a panel of experts including the journalist Nina Myskow
Nina Myskow

Nina Myskow is a United Kingdom journalist and TV celebrity who appeared on New Faces and was also a columnist for The Sun and The News of the World under the byline "The Bitch on the box" in the 1980s....
, who became famous for her often critical comments. In this incarnation the home audience decided who won by sending in postcards (phone voting was soon introduced by BBC rival Bob Says Opportunity Knocks), though the audience did vote for its favourite act using a gigantic lightboard known as Spaghetti Junction
Gravelly Hill Interchange

Gravelly Hill Interchange, better known as Spaghetti Junction, is Road junction 6 of the M6 motorway where it meets the A38 motorway in Birmingham, United Kingdom....
 lighting up to a varying degree as they pushed their buttons.

Famous winners & contestants

  • Marti Caine
    Marti Caine

    Marti Caine was an England actress, dancer, presenter, singer, writer - and the foremost UK female comedian of her generation. She was born in Sheffield, her birth name is Lynne Denise Shepherd....
  • Lenny Henry
    Lenny Henry

    Lenworth George Henry Order of the British Empire is an England actor, writer and comedian....
     (multiple wins)
  • Michael Barrymore
    Michael Barrymore

    Michael Ciaran Parker is an England comedian better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, who appeared as a presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1990s....
  • Dave Allen (in the original BBC series)
  • Joe Pasquale
    Joe Pasquale

    'Joe Pasquale' is an England comedian from Grays, Essex, arguably most famous for his high-pitched voice, use of visual gags and more recently being crowned "King of the Jungle", on the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity......
     2nd in 1987. Joe won his heat but he came second in the final
  • Roy Walker
    Roy Walker

    Roy Simon Walker is a Northern Ireland television personality and comedian, who worked for many years as both a television presenter and comedy actor best known as the original host of the gameshow Catchphrase between 1986 and 1999, and one of the stars of The Comedians....
  • The Chuckle Brothers
    Chuckle Brothers

    The Chuckle Brothers, are Barry Elliot and Paul Elliot who are United Kingdom comedians. They are best known for their work on their BBC show ChuckleVision, having celebrated its 20th anniversary on 26 September, 2007....
     (1974)
  • Malandra Burrows
    Malandra Burrows

    Malandra Burrows is an England actress and singer....
     (1974, youngest winner at 9 years old)
  • Carline and Walling
    Mike Walling

    Mike Walling is an England comic actor and screenwriter.He began his career as an English teacher at Holland Park School in London. In the mid-1970s, whilst still a teacher, he won a British TV talent contest called New Faces with a comedy double act called "Mr Carline & Mr Walling." He immediately quit teaching and embarked on launching...
  • Victoria Wood
    Victoria Wood

    Victoria Wood Commander of the British Empire is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award winning England comedian, actor, singer and writer, educated at Bury Grammar School....
  • Les Dennis
    Les Dennis

    Les Dennis is an England comedian, television presenter and actor perhaps best known as the host of Family Fortunes for 16 years....
  • Peter Andre
    Peter André

    Peter James Andr? is an England-born Australian singer-songwriter and television personality. He currently produces music in the genres of Pop music, R&B and reggae....
  • Showaddywaddy
    Showaddywaddy

    Showaddywaddy are a 1970s popular music musical ensemble from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit single songs from the 1950s, and dressed as Teddy Boy ....
  • Jim Davidson
    Jim Davidson (comedian)

    Jim Davidson Order of the British Empire is an England comedian, actor and television presenter. Despite controversies surrounding aspects of his act and personal life, he has been made an officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment, particularly of British Soldiers in conflict zones....
  • Gary Wilmot
    Gary Wilmot

    Gary Owen Wilmot is an England actor, writer, comedian, impressionist and singer. He rose to fame in the 80s through a number of television appearances, and subsequently moved into theatre....
     and Judy McPhee
  • Fivepenny Piece
    Fivepenny Piece

    The Fivepenny Piece are a five-piece Musical band, originally formed in the area of East Lancashire around Ashton-under-Lyne and nearby Stalybridge in Cheshire....
  • Aiden J Harvey
  • Patti Boulaye
    Patti Boulaye

    Patricia Ngosi Ebigwei - popularly known as Patti Boulaye - is a British entertainer and politician.Boulaye first came to the United Kingdom, shortly after the Biafran war, when she was sixteen....
     (appeared in the last 1970s edition of the show and was the only contestant ever to receive the maximum 120 points)
  • Stevie Riks
    Stevie Riks

    This article is about the British singing impressionist. For the female singer and songwriter see Stevie Nicks'Stevie Riks' is a United Kingdom comedian and Impressionist ....
    , highest scoring contestant ever on the show
  • Max Bacon
    Max Bacon

    Max Bacon is the former lead singer for 1980s arena rock supergroup GTR as well as the frontman for lesser known bands like Moby Dick , Nightwing , Phenomena , and Bronz....
  • Andy Cameron
    Andy Cameron

    Andy Cameron is a Scotland comedian, Television & radio Presenter....
  • Sheer Elegance (Pop trio who went on to have two hit singles in 1976)


Not so famous winners & contestants

  • Pete Price
    Pete Price

    Pete Price is a local radio presenter based in Merseyside, United Kingdom. He is best known for the Sunday night talk radio show Pete Price: Unzipped, broadcast across sister stations City Talk 105.9 and Radio City 96.7....
  • Son of a Gun
  • Walker and Cadman
  • Professor Steve Green (1976), pianist and doctor
  • David Gold vocalist
  • Jimmy Tamley - beat Joe Pasquale
  • Crick's Canine Wonders
  • Darren Stuart


See also

The Summer Show
The Summer Show

A British comedy sketch show from 1975 featuring winners of the Associated Television talent show New Faces.Designed to emulate the fast moving style of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, it featured Marti Caine, Lenny Henry, Victoria Wood, impressionist Aiden J Harvey and singer Trevor Chance....


External links

  • at UKGameshows.com
    UKGameshows.com

    UKGameshows.com is a website dedicated to United Kingdom game shows. The site currently provides information on more than 1,500 British game show formats from 1938 to the present day, over 500 mini-biographies of hosts, along with numerous other background articles....
  • Steve Cassidy 3 times winner at www.stevecassidy.co.uk