TEENAGE Topics

For teenage viewers, last week saw—

A WHOLE SCENE GONE . . .

“A WHOLE SCENE GOING,” which finished its 24-programme run on B.B.C. T.V. last week, was very much a new departure so far as television teenage shows are concerned.

Several years ago the B.B.C. launched “Six-Five Special” and created a new kind of entertainment—aimed entirely at a youthful audience. After “Six-Five Special” came other, similar shows. I.T.V. latched on to the idea too.

Although the names of these programmes changed, the basic formula didn’t and it was not until “A Whole Scene Going” that someone came up with anything new.

In a way “Scene” is the descendant of the old “Tonight” programme. The someone whose brainchild it was was Elizabeth Cowley, formerly assistant editor with the “Tonight” team. One could say that “A Whole Scene Going” was really the “Tonight” model, drastically remodelled by Miss Cowley to suit a teenage audience.

Auditions

Elizabeth Cowley did a lot of research among teenagers in their clubs and elsewhere to find out just what kind of features would be popular on the new programme.

On 5th January, “Scene” had its first airing, with Miss Cowley as producer. Keeping the programme threads together on the set were two 26-year-olds: Wendy Varnals, an actress and journalist, and artist Barry Fantoni.

These two had been chosen to compete the programme after a number of people had been given auditions for the jobs. Some weren’t strictly speaking auditions at all, just impromptu conversations in teenage clubs.

Fan mail

From the outset, “Scene” got mostly good reviews from the critics and there was plenty of fan mail.

One of the programme’s big successes was getting David McCallum—Illya of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” It was one of very few television shows that managed to interview him.

It was part of Elizabeth Cowley’s policy that the programme should change its character as it progressed. At the beginning, there was an emphasis on pop music, but slowly, the discussion and audience participation aspect gained prominence.

Among the subjects which came up in “Scene” were such diverse topics as; surfing, teenagers abroad, holidays and votes at 18.

Next time

The programme was originally scheduled for 13 performances but this was increased to 24 early on. “Scene” may or may not start up again, but even if it does not the B.B.C. are likely to build on its best features next time a show for teenagers is prepared.

Next week the “Guardian” interviews Barry Fantoni.

“A Whole Scene Going” can claim to have launched two new pop personalities. One was Wendy Varnals, the other—Barry Fantoni.

Twenty-six-year-old Barry spoke to a “Teenage Topics” reporter over the telephone last week about both “Scene” and himself.

Like Wendy Varnals he was known to a limited degree before the programme started. Wendy acts, reads scripts for Columbia pictures, and writes a fashion column for a provincial evening newspaper.

Barry’s career has been as an artist. His self-consciously brash, somehow old fashioned-looking portraits have appeared in “Town,” the Observer colour supplement, and other magazines.

Art school

He was born in London on February 28, 1940, and was educated at Archbishop Temples School. Later he went to the Camberwell School of Art.

His one-man art show in London in 1963 was a sell-out to the U.S.

Barry worked as a freelance for “Private Eye” and contributed to “That was the Week . . .”

His “Nude Reclining 63” was described as an outrage when it was submitted under a false name to the Royal Academy Summer Show in 1963.

Everything pop

He told us: “I was approached by Elizabeth Cowley, the producer, about joining the show and I accepted because I like to know about things that go on in the pop world.

“Everything that is — music, art writing, everything.

"The show had its successes and some things were very bad. But if you try to do so much more than what is currently accepted you are bound to get this kind of thing.

Besides painting, Barry is a musician. He plays tenor sax, guitar, clarinet, piano, trumpet and drums—and composes too.

Composer

At the moment he says he prefers singing most of all.

But he is also doing a lot of composing:

“I suppose using a piano and a guitar The two instruments have different “feels.” For instance, slow ballads are often easier to create if you use a piano.

"I’ve given all my jazz and classical records away. I bury my head now. You can listen to a piece of that kind of music over and over again and it gets in your way when you are composing.

Records

“I have about 50 pop records. I never buy a record unless it’s applicable to what I’m doing—I can hear the others on the wireless. I will buy a record once in every eight weeks probably.

In his first film, Barry appears as a pop singer. In real life, it is towards pop music that he is heading currently:

“I’ve started my own pop group now. It hasn’t got a name yet but you’ll be hearing about us before long I hope. The group won’t be tied down to any recognised style of pop music but it will be orientated around my own music.

THIS picture was taken on the set at the first "Whole Scene Going" programme last January. Guest Caroline Munro (Evening News "Face of 1966") is the girl in the foreground and behind her are Wendy Varnals and Barry Fantoni.