The Hitman and Her
Encyclopedia
The Hit Man And Her was a British television
dance music show hosted by Pete Waterman
and Michaela Strachan
. The programme was produced by Granada Television
in Manchester, Clear Idea Productions and Music Box and it ran almost continuously for over four years and three months September 1988 until December 1992.
The show toured various nightclub
s. The first show came from Mr Smiths in Warrington
on 3 September 1988, and the final show aired on 5 December 1992 from The Discothèque Royale in Manchester
. The programme was often recorded on a Saturday night, edited on-the-fly, and shown a few hours later in the early hours of Sunday morning, the second half of the Saturday/Sunday version being repeated during the following night. The earlier shows were split into two halves: the first at 1am and the second at 4am, with the LWT's Night Network
magazine show sandwiched in between. During 1988 The Hit Man And Her was moved to 2am in some areas, while London still broadcast the show at 4am. The Hitman and Her remained at the 2am slot from April 1989 until its very last broadcast. A special edition of The Hit Man And Her was broadcast as part of the ITV Telethon
in 1992.
The programme was sponsored by Eric Baskind's Ultimate Response group between 1989 and 1991.
Clubbers would arrive at the featured club hoping to have their moment of glory on television. Often members of the crowd would be plucked out to participate in games such as "Pass The Mic!", "Showing Out", and "Clothes Swap". It was produced for Granada Television
at first by Music Box Productions, then by Granada TV itself, and later by Clear Idea Productions through to the final edition. The original on-screen title of the show was "The Hit Man And Her", but is nowadays more commonly spelt "The Hitman And Her".
In I love 1988, Pete Waterman said that the idea for The Hit Man And Her came to him when he turned on the TV late one night and the only TV station still on-air was featuring guest Elvis Costello
talking about Irish politics.
, and Pete also used it as the signature tune for his Saturday morning Radio City show. It is still today used as the theme tune for Barnsley Football Club and is played as the team comes out onto the pitch at every home game.
Latterly, the show's theme tune changed to "Rofo's theme" by Rofo
.
The show featured many artists from that era, particularly from the Stock, Aitken and Waterman
stable, including Sonia and Sinitta. A CD was released in 2006 featuring a selection of some of the tracks regularly played on the show. Later editions of the show featured acts signed to Pete's international label PWL
Continental for UK releases, such as 2Unlimited and Cappella.
was a regular dancer on the show, and thus was invited to later join famous boy band
Take That
. Another boy band, 911
, included former "Hitman" dancers Jimmy Constable Wayne Stokes, Clive and Simon Dawbarn.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
dance music show hosted by Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
and Michaela Strachan
Michaela Strachan
Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan is an English television presenter.-Personal life:Strachan attended Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, a Christian Science school. Later, while at college, she briefly held jobs as an Avon lady and as a kissogram...
. The programme was produced by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
in Manchester, Clear Idea Productions and Music Box and it ran almost continuously for over four years and three months September 1988 until December 1992.
Background
The programme presented a taste of late-night clubbing, with long segments showing crowds dancing to popular hits, occasional celebrity performances, and party games — with Waterman and Strachan acting as masters of ceremony.The show toured various nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. The first show came from Mr Smiths in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
on 3 September 1988, and the final show aired on 5 December 1992 from The Discothèque Royale in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The programme was often recorded on a Saturday night, edited on-the-fly, and shown a few hours later in the early hours of Sunday morning, the second half of the Saturday/Sunday version being repeated during the following night. The earlier shows were split into two halves: the first at 1am and the second at 4am, with the LWT's Night Network
Night Network
Night Network, Night Time and Night Shift were names given to the overnight schedule of the ITV network in the United Kingdom. The first ITV company began 24 hour broadcasting in 1986, with all of the companies broadcasting through the night by 1988...
magazine show sandwiched in between. During 1988 The Hit Man And Her was moved to 2am in some areas, while London still broadcast the show at 4am. The Hitman and Her remained at the 2am slot from April 1989 until its very last broadcast. A special edition of The Hit Man And Her was broadcast as part of the ITV Telethon
ITV Telethon
The ITV Telethons were three charity telethons organised and televised in the UK by the ITV network. They took place in 1988, 1990 and 1992. Each lasted for 27 hours and all were hosted by Michael Aspel.- Thames Telethon :...
in 1992.
The programme was sponsored by Eric Baskind's Ultimate Response group between 1989 and 1991.
Clubbers would arrive at the featured club hoping to have their moment of glory on television. Often members of the crowd would be plucked out to participate in games such as "Pass The Mic!", "Showing Out", and "Clothes Swap". It was produced for Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
at first by Music Box Productions, then by Granada TV itself, and later by Clear Idea Productions through to the final edition. The original on-screen title of the show was "The Hit Man And Her", but is nowadays more commonly spelt "The Hitman And Her".
In I love 1988, Pete Waterman said that the idea for The Hit Man And Her came to him when he turned on the TV late one night and the only TV station still on-air was featuring guest Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
talking about Irish politics.
Music
The theme tune was called "Cocoon" and it was performed by Timerider. The track also appeared in the film The Fruit MachineThe Fruit Machine (film)
The Fruit Machine was known as Wonderland in the United States.The Fruit Machine is a British Film thriller directed by BAFTA-winner Philip Saville about two bud gay teens running from an underworld assassin and the police...
, and Pete also used it as the signature tune for his Saturday morning Radio City show. It is still today used as the theme tune for Barnsley Football Club and is played as the team comes out onto the pitch at every home game.
Latterly, the show's theme tune changed to "Rofo's theme" by Rofo
Rofo
Rofo is an italo-disco project formed by Fonny de Wulf in the early eighties. Along with Ronny Verrept, they produced two songs, "Watch Out Rofo is an italo-disco project formed by Fonny de Wulf in the early eighties. Along with Ronny Verrept, they produced two songs, "Watch Out Rofo is an...
.
The show featured many artists from that era, particularly from the Stock, Aitken and Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
stable, including Sonia and Sinitta. A CD was released in 2006 featuring a selection of some of the tracks regularly played on the show. Later editions of the show featured acts signed to Pete's international label PWL
PWL
Pete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
Continental for UK releases, such as 2Unlimited and Cappella.
Stage Dancers
Jason OrangeJason Orange
Jason Thomas Orange is an English musician and dancer. He is a member of the pop band Take That who gained popularity in the 1990s and are currently enjoying further success since their reunion in 2005.-Early fame and Take That:...
was a regular dancer on the show, and thus was invited to later join famous boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. Another boy band, 911
911 (band)
911 is a British boyband that consists of Lee Brennan, Jimmy Constable Spike Dawbarn and for a short period Lee Womack who left the band to study at Huddersfield University. The band were formed in 1995 and released their debut single in May 1996...
, included former "Hitman" dancers Jimmy Constable Wayne Stokes, Clive and Simon Dawbarn.
External links
- Pete Waterman Ltd Q and A about Media (TV/Radio/Web)