Get It Straight, Or Say Good Night

Ready Steady Go!

Television House, Kingsway, London, 7:00p.m, 4th October 1963

The set was panned over, the entire studio visible to the aerial camera capturing the views that the show always started with. A high shot showing the audience dancing then a light flashed on a floor-level camera indicating it was live, moving in on guest presenter singer Dusty Springfield ready for her to deliver the regular "Well, hi there!" intro. 'The weekend starts here!' was then blasted about the room making the live audience cheer wildly.

Friday night television at it's very finest.

Lou danced like her life depended on it. Somewhat forgetting to smile and have fun, so worried she would look like a loon. She seemed destined to fulfil her fears. That was until she heard a loud slap of a clap and shot her head up only to see Richy smiling and doing a slow twist off to the side, out of camera shot; His cheeky grin encouraging her to relax and remember to have fun.

First up was Helen Shapiro preforming the song 'Look Who It Is.' Lou moved, mingled, slow twisted with around 200 other dancers plucked from London nightclubs, each chosen for having great moves or wearing the height of fashion.

Although it was far away from the days and nights of the Cavern Lou relaxed now, entirely enjoying her time as a fan... watching and dancing to the wonderful singer.

She didn't care if she was dancing erratically with no sense of rhythm, she only cared that her boys were going to be on telly.

As rehearsed and with loads of screams, Sharpiro, in a sequence with three of the four Beatles who were facing away from the cameras, turned them around as she sang each of the three verses. Lou would find out later why Paul was dancing across the room and not turning about with the others - They had flipped a coin to see who would be on stage for the song, and Paul came up short. He mustn't have cared as he had oodles of girls around him Lou noted.

The show was broadcast from the small Kingsway studio facility and as the Beatles and their small entourage arrived it was plainly obvious the band were rising quickly in the fame department. The studio staff almost useless at keeping the hundreds of fans who were crowded around the outside of the building away from the boys. Lou stayed hidden in the motor, walking in later with the driver of one car and Mal, thankfully without issue.

"Ok having fun!!?!?" Dusty Springfield yelled at the crowd and camera.

Yeses and applause rang out.

Lou, knew this bit, knew what was about to happen and stood almost ramrod straight as she waited with baited breath. It wasn't so much that the cameras were crowding in closer or even that Dusty and Helen, some of Lou's favourite recording stars, were present. Lou just really didn't want to embarrass John or any of the boys, Brian included.

"Now everybody, we are going to have a fun competition now" Dusty grinned down and over the audience she was on a small riser just a foot or so higher with Paul, he was jiffling his tie, smiling and shaking hands beside her with some of the audience that were milling just inches away. "Who wants to win some goodies!?...... All the girls this time, fellas next time, alright!"

Excited squeals sounded, female hands shot up all over, then Lou, a little slower raising her own hand but nonetheless, started clicking her fingers like a few others around her, hoping to get noticed by Dusty.

"Alright you, you, you and lucky last..... you" Dusty pointed everyone, including 'lucky last' Louise to walk to the left hand side of studio. "Now to some commercials, we'll be right back"