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When Motown Came to Britain
The story of how a small group of dedicated British music fans paved the way for the first Motown tour of Britain, changing the country’s popular culture forever.
In 1965, some of Motown’s brightest new stars, including The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Martha and the Vandellas, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, arrived in London for a tour that would change the face of British music history.
At that time, pop music fans in the UK were unlikely to hear black music on mainstream radio, and names like Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson still meant nothing to most British people.
But thousands of miles away from where these exciting new sounds were being recorded in Detroit, a small group of dedicated British music fans had stumbled across the songs and began championing its artists.
This is the story of how, by doing so, they paved the way for the first Motown tour of Britain, changing the country’s popular culture forever and helping propel the Motown artists to international stardom.
Last on
Clips
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How one fan joined Stevie Wonder on stage in Leicester
Duration: 01:25
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Making the tour bus feel like home
Duration: 01:12
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:00
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Dancing In The Street
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00:05
Marv Johnson
Come to Me
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00:07
The Marvelettes
Please Mr. Postman
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00:10
Cliff Richard With The Shadows
A Matter of Moments (From The Elstree Distributors Film "Wonderful Life"
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00:11
Marvin Gaye
Pride And Joy
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00:11
The Miracles
Mickey's Monkey
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00:14
Manfred Mann
Hubble Bubble (Toil And Trouble)
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00:14
Stevie Wonder
I Call It Pretty Music, But The Old People Call It The Blues
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00:16
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Heat Wave
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00:17
Mary Wells
My Guy
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00:22
Earl Van Dyke
Soul Stomp
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00:26
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Nowhere To Run
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00:29
Stevie Wonder
Kiss Me Baby
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00:32
The Temptations
It's Growing
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00:33
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Shop AroundÂ
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00:36
Georgie Fame, The Blue Flames
Yeh Yeh
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00:39
Smokey Robinson
Going to a Go Go
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00:39
Stevie Wonder
High Heel Sneakers
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00:41
Stevie Wonder
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
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00:42
The Beatles
Money (That's What I Want) (2009 Stereo Remaster)
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00:44
The Supremes
A Hard Day's Night
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00:48
The Supremes
Stop In The Name Of Love
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00:54
Marvin Gaye
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
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00:55
Stevie Wonder
Superstition
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Production Manager | Katie Neilan |
Production Manager | Anna Selby |
Director | Kate Siney |
Producer | Kate Siney |
Executive Producer | Mark Robinson |
Production Company | Wise Owl Films |
Broadcast
- New Year's Day 2023 22:00
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