White Heather Club

The White Heather Club was a BBC TV Scottish variety show that ran on and off from 7 May 1958 to 1968. It was an early evening BBC television programme. Until 1957 there was a silent period in BBC TV broadcasting, between 6pm and 7pm, called the Toddlers' Truce. When this ended, the BBC was unsure of what type of programme to broadcast. A topical news magazine programme Tonight was broadcast on some days, and The White Heather Club on others. In the 1958 the so-called "VERA" was invented. This was the BBC's first videotape recording device. "The White Heather Club" was recorded and is therefore one of the earliest TV programmes that can still be viewed today, although only six episodes survive in the BBC archives. It started at 6.20, and Jimmy Shand composed a melody "The Six Twenty Twostep" as the theme tune. This was usually followed by Andy Stewart singing "Come in, come in, it's nice to see you...." The show always ended with Andy Stewart and the cast singing, "Haste ye Back": Robert Wilson was an early presenter of the Club and recorded with them. The show was so successful that in the early '60s there was a company touring Scottish theatres, containing many of the performers. The show was filmed in Glasgow, at that time the only large TV studio in Scotland, and produced by Ian MacFayen.