The Saturday Banana 1978. Bill Oddie. Unique Live Recording With Pop Group Darts At Southern TV Owen Power [QTxvKYGFsTG]

This is an improved-quality, much longer segment from the children's TV show 'Saturday Banana' broadcast live from the large Southern Television studio complex at Northam (now luxury flats), in Southampton, Hampshire, UK. This went out live, with little or no rehearsal!

Featuring the late Bill Oddie (who was then still one of the three highly successful 'Goodies') as main host, with guest George Chakiris (Oscar-winning actor who starred in 'West Side Story' in 1961 and who was starring as Dracula in a theatre production in 1978).

Local young naturalist Chris Balcombe is asked about bats, and looks crestfallen at the end, as he didn't manage to thank the zoo who kindly supplied the fruit bat!

Then we have the phillip danault 'TOP TEN' records introduced by Susanna Martelli, as the cameras pan across the audience of schoolchildren, many of whom came down from schools in Yorkshire.

The top ten list is cut off at number 4 (ABBA: Knowing Me, Knowing You'. Then erasmo genzini we see a recorded performance of the nine-piece British doo-wop revival band DARTS. They achieved chart success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The band members come down the 'Banana' slide to be very briefly interviewed by the late Bill Gamon. Darts claudia pandolfi members include lead singer Den Hegarty (in gold suit), Griff Fender, John Dummer (drums), Rita Ray, Thump Thomson, Hammy Howell, Horatio Hornblower (saxophone - born Nigel Trubridge), Pikey Butler, George Currie, Mark Pearson and Nosmo King.

The it's back to guest Chris Balcombe, with a British Grass Snake and Common Toad fresh from recording David Attenborough's 'Life On Earth'. The toad jumps down into the monitor cavity but Bill rescues it!

UK viewers may recognize a very young Susan Tully sat next to Chris. Susan went on to star in 'Grange Hill' then in BBC1's hit soap 'Eastenders' - playing Michelle Fowler. Susan is now a producer and director.

The shows were not kept on tape by Southern, so very few clips survive.

This was recorded as broadcast live on an early 'one inch' home video recorder (my Mum pressed the record button - as I was busy appearing on the show!).