Insp. George Gently Does Ns

[Steve G]

Just seen a trailer for the new series - apparently an ep. with a Northern Soul 'theme'. Wonder how they'll cover it

[Mick Holdsworth]

Just saw the trailer too - Never seen the show, but I thought it was set in the late fifties, or very early sixties. I must be wrong

[Pete S]

Is this the one set in Newcastle? It's 1964 or thereabouts.

[ChrisOD1964]

they were at some of the soul nights up here looking for dancers pete

[Naughty Boy]

could be about speeding

[Roburt]

I wonder if they will use a 'real' club in their NS episode .... if so, we may get a version of the Club A Go Go on the show.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Roburt

[Roburt]

In early 1963, the Club A'GoGo was still mainly featuring jazz nights (Eric Burton used to perform there as a solo singer back then).

But later that year & into 64, the club went over to blues & soul, thus becoming a major influence on groups such as the Animals.

[Cunnie]

This might help.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mg5n9

[Ted Massey]

what ever they do it will get a slagging on here

[Mike Lofthouse]

There was an episode in series 3 centered around the Russia in 1966 world cup which was held at Roker Park Sunderland ( as well as Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough). So time may have ''moved on so as to be able to accurately feature the early burgeoning scene in the north, although i'm sure it will be full of inaccuracies which will be picked up and noted here

Mike

[Cunnie]

Set in 1968 according to this.

Inspector George Gently: Gently Northern Soul

It's 1968 and the racial unrest sweeping the United States has reached British shores, with the National Front launching a tirade against immigration and "multiculturalists' policies".

But racial harmony can be found at the all-nighters, where disillusioned young people, black and white, escape the boredom of factory life to dance the night away to obscure soul music. In Newcastle, the haven of equality found at the Carlton all-nighter is destroyed when a young black girl Dolores Kenny (Pippa Bennett-Warner) is murdered.

Chief Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) soon uncovers a disturbing and malevolent racist undercurrent lurking both within the local community and his own police force.

Set against the backdrop of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Gently and Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) have their eyes opened to the shocking consequences of casual racism, as racial tension spirals out of control, leaving a path of destroyed friendships, love affairs and families in its wake.

Refusing to let deep-seated prejudices cloud their vision, Gently and Bacchus work tirelessly to unmask how Dolores died.

[Roburt]

_{I think it (the show) is mainly about local blacks & whites getting together at a soul club AND how everything changes after a murder (the different crowds attending the club coming into conflict). So I think it will actually be about a typical 60's soul club rather than a 70's NS club ... but as NS seems to fascinate TV producers, I guess it makes sense (to them) to say it's a NS club (& feature NS tracks not really known in the 60's).}

Like many northern cities (Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham -- if that's still a northern city), Newcastle was hosting mod / soul allnighters by around 1965.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Roburt

[spot]

Yes just heard Dean Parrish - I'm on my way, as the trailer for Inspector George Gently, twice infact, wonder if he's DS?

Spot.

[Roburt]

Club A'Gogo ..... One of the coolist spots in town ....

..... they play Rhythm & Blues there every day and night.

..

[Amsterdam Russ]

The producers did post here some months back asking for extras.

With the single voice presented by Soul Source members as guidance, how could the programme makers go wrong?

Found it...

Edited August 19, 2012 by Russell Gilbert

[Mike]

The producers did post here some months back asking for extras.

With the single voice presented by Soul Source members as guidance, how could the programme makers go wrong?

here's the link

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/articles/articles/soul-news/bbc-tv-drama-needs-assistance-r2414

did anyone on here follow it up ?

[KevH]

Set in 1968 according to this.

Inspector George Gently: Gently Northern Soul

It's 1968 and the racial unrest sweeping the United States has reached British shores, with the National Front launching a tirade against immigration and "multiculturalists' policies".

But racial harmony can be found at the all-nighters, where disillusioned young people, black and white, escape the boredom of factory life to dance the night away to obscure soul music. In Newcastle, the haven of equality found at the Carlton all-nighter is destroyed when a young black girl Dolores Kenny (Pippa Bennett-Warner) is murdered.

Chief Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) soon uncovers a disturbing and malevolent racist undercurrent lurking both within the local community and his own police force.

Set against the backdrop of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Gently and Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) have their eyes opened to the shocking consequences of casual racism, as racial tension spirals out of control, leaving a path of destroyed friendships, love affairs and families in its wake.

Refusing to let deep-seated prejudices cloud their vision, Gently and Bacchus work tirelessly to unmask how Dolores died.

Sorry Cunnie,thougth that was a lookback in the wrong section.

[MrsWoodsrules]

Got back from pub at tea time, just watched a great programme about Britians heritage.....feet up, chillin out Sunday evening.......Dean bleeding Parish bangs out in my ears.....I'm On My Way........, I look up at the t.v. Can't believe it, BBC Cop drama about Nothern Soul, nearly choked on me pork scratchings.

Blow me, what's all that about......

Aid.

P.s it was called George Gentry

Edited August 19, 2012 by MrsWoodsrules

[Amsterdam Russ]

here's the link

https://www.soul-sour...ssistance-r2414

did anyone on here follow it up ?

I did send an enquiring email and the friendly people there said sure, come along. Sorry to say I didn't follow it up though as coming all the way from Amsterdam would have been a bit too much. Would have loved to have participated - George Gently is great.

[Chalky]

There is already a topic in All About The Soul.

[MrsWoodsrules]

There is already a topic in All About The Soul.

Ops. Sorry bout that, just jumped online & posted, close this down then or move it if you would please chalks, not sure I know to how to kill my previous posts.

Cheers ears

Aid.

Edited August 19, 2012 by MrsWoodsrules

[Mike]

Ops. Sorry bout that, just jumped online & posted, close this down then or move it if you would please chalks, not sure I know to how to kill my previous posts.

Cheers ears

Aid.

just merged both threads

[Pete S]

So this has been on has it?

[Guest Matt Male]

So this has been on has it?

No, Sunday 8.30. BBC1.

[Pete S]

No, Sunday 8.30. BBC1.

Thanks Matt.

[Guest Matt Male]

Set in 1968 according to this.

Inspector George Gently: Gently Northern Soul

It's 1968 and the racial unrest sweeping the United States has reached British shores, with the National Front launching a tirade against immigration and "multiculturalists' policies".

But racial harmony can be found at the all-nighters, where disillusioned young people, black and white, escape the boredom of factory life to dance the night away to obscure soul music. In Newcastle, the haven of equality found at the Carlton all-nighter is destroyed when a young black girl Dolores Kenny (Pippa Bennett-Warner) is murdered.

Chief Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) soon uncovers a disturbing and malevolent racist undercurrent lurking both within the local community and his own police force.

Set against the backdrop of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Gently and Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) have their eyes opened to the shocking consequences of casual racism, as racial tension spirals out of control, leaving a path of destroyed friendships, love affairs and families in its wake.

Refusing to let deep-seated prejudices cloud their vision, Gently and Bacchus work tirelessly to unmask how Dolores died.

Sounds the producers might have got it right time-wise then. Even though Dave Godin didn't use the term until 1970 in B&S, he said he used it in 1968 in his shop, so conceivably it could have got back to the northeast via record buying geordies back from London.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Matt Male

[spot]

Watch Hairy Bikers in Memphis, the show was peppered with Northern, they even went to Stax, wonder if they go to the Big Club?

Spot.

[Headsy]

they interviewed me for a cameo role at a soul night up here in march.

needless to say I didnt get it but a great story about it which will happily tell when out next

[Guest Matt Male]

It's funny because his Sergeant in the series started as a Mod and (i'm assuming) is now into northern. If the series goes on long enough will he end up as a 50+ fat bloke in a primark shirt sitting in the corner moaning about over-played oldies?

Edited August 20, 2012 by Matt Male

[Winnie :-)]

It's funny because his Sergeant in the series started as a Mod and (i'm assuming) is now into northern. If the series goes on long enough will he end up as a 50+ fat bloke in a primark shirt sitting in the corner moaning about over-played oldies?

Nearer 70 if he's a mod in 64 surely

[macca]

Bloody stereotypical leaden existence factory fodder references again. A lot of us were penpushers, you know.

[Ady Croasdell]

Sounds the producers might have got it right time-wise then. Even though Dave Godin didn't use the term until 1970 in B&S, he said he used it in 1968 in his shop, so conceivably it could have got back to the northeast via record buying geordies back from London.

I'm afraid that's stretching it Matt, I doubt there was much of a Northern scene in Newcastle in the late 60s and it was only in the context of soul records for Northerners in the shop so it wasn't really a term Northerners would use until he used it in the mag. Ady

[Roburt]

There was certainly a mod / soul club scene in Newcastle in the mid 60's ..... but NS style clubs & NS dancers wouldn't have been about up there till around 1972/73 I would guess.

With this episode being set in 1968, I guess they are stretching the truth a fair bit, but hell, in Heartbeat they played 1970/71 tracks for episodes set in 1966/67 ...... I think it's called 'artistic license'.

Anyone know if Newcastle (Sunderland / Middlesboro) had a regular club venue back in 68/69 where the acts playing clubs such as the Wheel and London's Uppercut would get to perform on a regular basis ??

[Guest Andy Kempster]

Yes just heard Dean Parrish - I'm on my way, as the trailer for Inspector George Gently, twice infact, wonder if he's DS?

Spot.

no he's an inspector the clues in the title

[Denbo]

what ever they do it will get a slagging on here

Starting NOW.

[spot]

no he's an inspector the clues in the title

Come on Andy DS, not Detective Super but Drug Squad or doesn't the DS have Inspectors?

Spot.

[Mick Sway]

You'd have thought that they'd have researched the time frame properly, not that it matters to most punters.

Quote from Wikipedia:

It was in their shop that Godin coined the term 'northern soul',^[4] a description that he would popularise through his work as a music journalist. In a 2002 interview with Chris Hunt of Mojo, he explained that he had first come up with the term in 1968 as a sales reference to help staff in his shop differentiate the more modern funkier sounds from the smoother, Motown-influenced soul of a few years earlie:

:"I had started to notice that northern football fans who were in London to follow their team were coming into the store to buy records, but they weren't interested in the latest developments in the black American chart. I devised the name as a shorthand sales term. It was just to say "Ëœif you've got customers from the north, don't waste time playing them records currently in the US black chart, just play them what they like - "ËœNorthern Soul'.

[Guest Andy Kempster]

Come on Andy DS, not Detective Super but Drug Squad or doesn't the DS have Inspectors?

Spot.

oh i getcha he he

[Roburt]

This is just a TV show, can't we cut them a bit of slack.

Back in the 90's I was on an MBA course in Oxford with a load of nurses. We had to work on various assignment projects in teams, so had to get 'friendly' to help the work progress well.

Thought I'd help things along by mentioning that all I knew about medical matters came from watching shows like ER, Chicago Hope, St. Elsewhere, etc. All the nurses went mad, saying that they couldn't watch any of those shows because they were so far from the truth.

When I asked what was so wrong with them, I was told that all those events / diseases wouldn't crop up in a real hospital in a 10 year period, never mind week after week as happened in those shows. They couldn't seem to get the fact that if the plots closely followed real-life, the ratings would be through the floor & the shows pulled instantly.

[Steve G]

It's light entertainment, not a scientific history. Enjoy it for what it is. Sunday evening TV. The story will either be good or not good. I am not going to be dissecting how well or not they portray the scene.

The sort of thing that should be upsetting people is when TV do something like a Burt Bacharach special and find the worst possible versions of many of his songs.

[manus]

There was certainly a mod / soul club scene in Newcastle in the mid 60's ..... but NS style clubs & NS dancers wouldn't have been about up there till around 1972/73 I would guess.

With this episode being set in 1968, I guess they are stretching the truth a fair bit, but hell, in Heartbeat they played 1970/71 tracks for episodes set in 1966/67 ...... I think it's called 'artistic license'.

Anyone know if Newcastle (Sunderland / Middlesboro) had a regular club venue back in 68/69 where the acts playing clubs such as the Wheel and London's Uppercut would get to perform on a regular basis ??

The Club A Go Go closed in 1968 but had hosted acts similar to the Wheel among them John Lee Hooker , Garnett Mimms , Spencer Davis , Root & Jenny Jackson, Howlin Wolf , Ike & Tina Turner , Mary Wells , Screaming Jay Hawkins , Sonny Boy Williamson , Zoot Money , Jimi Hendrix , T Bone Walker and more.

I was only 12 in 1968 but I remember a lot of the local mods I knew going to the Go Go and being pretty down when it closed - I agree that it's just a bit of entertainment and shouldn't be judged too harshly in terms of period accuracy but I do thing they would have been better setting it in a mod club akin to the Go Go in terms of credibility. But I'm going to watch it with an open mind and being a Tynesider I always like to watch dramas set in the North East.

Brian Ferry ( who I don't have a lot of time for) described Newcastle as " a leading mod town"

Cheers

Manus

[Wally Francis]

^{My Mother used to attend a club im Middlesbrough called The Outlook which was owned by the McCoy family, I remember my Mam telling me about her night's in there dancing to all the American Soul Music (her words ). I have some great pictures of my Mam from the early 60's wearing some fantastic oufits.}

[Guest db121]

The Club A Go Go closed in 1968 but had hosted acts similar to the Wheel among them John Lee Hooker , Garnett Mimms , Spencer Davis , Root & Jenny Jackson, Howlin Wolf , Ike & Tina Turner , Mary Wells , Screaming Jay Hawkins , Sonny Boy Williamson , Zoot Money , Jimi Hendrix , T Bone Walker and more.

I was only 12 in 1968 but I remember a lot of the local mods I knew going to the Go Go and being pretty down when it closed - I agree that it's just a bit of entertainment and shouldn't be judged too harshly in terms of period accuracy but I do thing they would have been better setting it in a mod club akin to the Go Go in terms of credibility. But I'm going to watch it with an open mind and being a Tynesider I always like to watch dramas set in the North East.

Brian Ferry ( who I don't have a lot of time for) described Newcastle as " a leading mod town"

Cheers

Manus

The Go Go did close in 68 but by early 67 it had changed to a more prog rock club like a lot of others including The Mojo

With acts such as Jimmi Hendrix,Pink Floyd,Status Quo,The HerdThe Family and Cream etc

The Chris Rea song The Twisted Wheel song was written in 1968 about his mates going to The Wheel from Middlesbrough.

Not that it matters it's just a TV show .

Regards

Dave

[macca]

Glad to see the fires of discontent are being stoked already. Stick a bunch of NS folk in a room and it'll soon turn into the Council of Trent.

[manus]

The Go Go did close in 68 but by early 67 it had changed to a more prog rock club like a lot of others including The Mojo

With acts such as Jimmi Hendrix,Pink Floyd,Status Quo,The HerdThe Family and Cream etc

The Chris Rea song The Twisted Wheel song was written in 1968 about his mates going to The Wheel from Middlesbrough.

Not that it matters it's just a TV show .

Regards

Dave

Yes that makes sense Dave looking at the later acts there had been a shift towards prog rock in terms of live acts but I think maybe vinylwise Motown, Stax and Atlantic were still tops - I know the older ones that lived near me and went to the Go Go were very much into Motown.

Cheers

Manus

[Ady Croasdell]

The Club A Go Go closed in 1968 but had hosted acts similar to the Wheel among them John Lee Hooker , Garnett Mimms , Spencer Davis , Root & Jenny Jackson, Howlin Wolf , Ike & Tina Turner , Mary Wells , Screaming Jay Hawkins , Sonny Boy Williamson , Zoot Money , Jimi Hendrix , T Bone Walker and more.

I was only 12 in 1968 but I remember a lot of the local mods I knew going to the Go Go and being pretty down when it closed - I agree that it's just a bit of entertainment and shouldn't be judged too harshly in terms of period accuracy but I do thing they would have been better setting it in a mod club akin to the Go Go in terms of credibility. But I'm going to watch it with an open mind and being a Tynesider I always like to watch dramas set in the North East.

Brian Ferry ( who I don't have a lot of time for) described Newcastle as " a leading mod town"

Cheers

Manus

I know this is pedantic and its only a show but I'm interested in the scene in the North East. When do you reckon the first Northern nights were held in the area Manus? I like Geordie TV too especial;ly When The Boat Comes In and even Spender but I hated Our Friends In The North, I've never been able to take Daniel Craig seriously since.

[manus]

I know this is pedantic and its only a show but I'm interested in the scene in the North East. When do you reckon the first Northern nights were held in the area Manus? I like Geordie TV too especial;ly When The Boat Comes In and even Spender but I hated Our Friends In The North, I've never been able to take Daniel Craig seriously since.

Hello Ady

I don't think you are being pedantic as I'd go further and say that it would be inaccurate to set a drama based around a "Northern Soul" club in any city in the UK in 1968. There were certainly clubs mainly in the North West and Midlands playing what would become Northern classics but surely they were played alongside new commercial Soul releases and mainstream Soul classics. I would have thought it was the latter days of the Wheel that it became predominantly what we would class as Northern Soul. I remember reading an article by one of the DJs at the Blue Orchid and recalled how they played new releases like Freda Payne alongside the rarer sounds.

In terms of Newcastle I would probably class it a bit like London a Black music stronghold in the early to mid 60s but lost it's way into hippydom a bit musically but with enough like minded Soul fans who were prepared to travel to hear their music and eventually build up their own scene.

Somebody older and better informed than me like Billy Swift , John Howard or Matty Turner might know when the first nights were held but the first time I personally saw "Northern" dancing was in 1971 at the Copacabana in Gateshead in the late skin/suede days. A group of lads from the North West came to Gateshead to live and work and brought some sounds in - these blokes left a lasting Northern Soul legacy in Gateshead which was channelled through people like Matty Turner and Davy Mason. I think it was often the case that people picked up on the scene this way - often at holiday spots like Skegness, Torquay and the like or through staying over in a city after football. I know that places like Middlesborough and Darlo have very strong Soul traditions and of course Newton Aycliffe a real stronghold in terms of Soul music. Got to say for me Billy Swift is a bit of an unsung hero on Tyneside for keeping things going locally too.

First time I met you Ady was at a Tyneside allnighter when Sylvia brought you up - I think about 1984 ? Eddie Holman was on.

I'm going to watch this programme in the spirit it was made - a TV detective series and like a lot of period dramas a little off kilter in terms of period but it's only entertainment - disappointed though that Headsy's not in it.

All the best

Manus

Edited August 22, 2012 by manus

[Paul Conroy]

A couple of months ago Toma had the Cricket Club on in Gateshead, DJing were Davy Mason and Matty Turner, anyway one of the producers of this programme came along with a wardrobe woman and asked for extra's for the show, as it was to be filmed in Hartlepool later that month, it was so funny as we were nearly all in our 50's and we were all measured up for costumes, our names and mobile taken and we were all told if we received a call we would be in the show, needless to say I know no one from that night that is in the episode.Can you inamgine the expense with makeup and CGI effects to make us lot teenagers again would have busted the whole of the BBC's budget!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was mentioned by quite a few of us that if the episode was set in 1968, Northern as they knew it was in it's infancy and that the fashions they were expecting was'nt worn untill the 70's, it sort of fell on deaf ears, I did tell the wardrobe woman I still had some 40'' in the house and could still get into them, she looked quite surprised, and said 'if your picked will you wear them' I said 'yeah but would'nt it be a bit strange me on wearing them with the bottom of one trouser leg's round me waist!!!' it did'nt go down well

Am sure there are a load of photographs some where of us all being measured i'll try and dig them out and post them

[Roburt]

RE: The Go Go did close in 68 but by early 67 it had changed to a more prog rock club like a lot of others including The Mojo

Sheffield's King Mojo never gave up on soul, at least not for the alldayer / allnighter sessions (didn't go to the midweek normal disco night sessions as I wasn't from Sheff)

The last ever session at the Mojo was Sunday 8th October 67 (alldayer) with Stevie Wonder on. The last allnighter had been a week earlier (Sat/Sun 1st October) with Jimmy Cliff & his Shake Down Sound on (Jimmy was still in his soul period).

..... Prior to those sessions, other live acts on there at niters / dayers were ..........

Sat 15th April LAST ALLNIGHTER: Geno Washington & R.J.Band

..... ALLNITER SESSIONS SUSPENDED

Sun 16th July dayer: Drifters (Invitations?)

Sun 30th July dayer: Garnett Mimms

Sun 20th Aug dayer: Alan Bown Set + Wynder K Frog

Sun 3rd Sept Dayer: Temptations (Velours / Fantastics)

Sun 17th Sept Dayer -- didn't note down who the act were.

.... ALLNIGHTERS reinstated as obvious club wasn't going to be licensed by Council

Sat 23rd September (niter): Drifters.

Stringfellow did go along with the 'flower power' thing that summer. Mixed in with all the soul tracks, he would play Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco" and Dion's "My Girl The Month of May" (which had come out in the UK at the end of 66 but Pete didn't start playing it till spring 67). Pete did go all 'kaftan & joss-sticks' that year but I think he was just following the London fashion trend.

Pete hit the road after the Mojo was closed, running the King Mojo Roadshow & playing nights all over Yorks & Notts. He ran soul nights in Castleford, Wakefield, etc. and then got his own replacement clubs in Sheffield. The 'Down Broadway' (titled after Johnny C's Boogaloo soul hit) and the Penthouse (that in the 80's would be used for NS / MS nights).

Edited August 22, 2012 by Roburt

[Roburt]

Getting way off topic now ..... but the Alan Bown Set was always a top draw at every mid 60's soul club in the UK (including Newcastle & Sheffield).

The group really liked playing the Mojo & were 'affected' by the club's decision to feature a couple of 'flower power tracks' in 1967.

Coz of the popularity of "My Girl The Month of May" at the Mojo, Alan Bown started to include the song in their live sets. The group went on to record their own version some months later (when they had evolved into a psychedelic group) ........

...

...