Hearts of Gold

Hearts of Gold was a BBC television programme devised and presented by Esther Rantzen, with Michael Groth and Carol Smillie as co-presenters. Running for six years in the 1980s and 1990s, the programme commended members of the public for their good deeds.[6][7]

For other uses, see Heart of Gold.

Hearts of Gold
Created byEsther Rantzen[1]
Directed byRobin Bextor
Malcolm Smith
Phil Chilvers (1990 Christmas special)[1]
Presented byEsther Rantzen
Michael Groth (1988 - 1991)[2]
Carol Smillie (1995-1996)
Mike Smith (1992-1993)
Theme music composerLynsey de Paul
Production
ProducersJane Elsdon-Dew (1990 Christmas special)[1]
Nick Vaughan-Barratt[3]
Bryher Scudamore
Richard Woolfe
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release29 October 1988 (1988-10-29)[4] –
1 May 1996[5]

Rantzen devised the show in 1988.[8] The premise of the show was to commend those who had done good deeds to others. They would usually be tricked into appearing on the show using a practical joke, a device which some critics (such as The Independent's Geraldine Bedell) compared to Beadle's About.[9] Journalist Bedell explains that participants "are inviegled into the studio under false pretences and presented with gold hearts on blue ribbons while they wonder where to put themselves. (There is also a sub-Beadle segment in which Esther and chums dress up as folk in distress and wait for passers-by to come to their aid)."[9] For some of its life, the show was filmed at The Fountain Studios in Wembley.[10]

Transmission details
  • Series 1: 29 October - 17 December 1988: 7 Episodes.
  • Series 2: 28 October - 24 December 1989: 9 Episodes.
  • Series 3: 14 October - 23 December 1990: 6 Episodes. (five normal episodes plus a Christmas special)
  • Series 4: 6–20 December 1991: 3 Episodes
  • Series 5: 4–18 December 1992: 3 Episodes
  • Series 6: 5 October - 9 November 1993: 6 Episodes
  • Series 7: 8 March - 26 April 1995 : 8 Episodes
  • Series 8: 27 March - 1 May 1996 : 6 Episodes

Theme song

The 1988 theme song was written by Lynsey de Paul[11][12] and released as a single by Gold on the CBS record label in 1988.[13]

References
  1. "Sunday 23 December". Radio Times. BBC Magazines. 267 (3497): 76. 22 December 1991 – 4 January 1991.
  2. Jones, Ian (2004). Morning Glory: A History of British Breakfast Television. Kelly. p. 151. ISBN 190305320X.
  3. Dyja, Eddie (1998). BFI film and television handbook. British Film Institute. p. 373. ISBN 0851706371.
  4. BROWN, CRAIG (31 October 1988). "The deadly peril of the big gusher". The Times. in a fit of exasperation on Saturday night, I turned on the television ... In the first of a new series called Hearts of Gold...
  5. The international who's who, 1997-98 (61 ed.). Europa Publications. 1997. p. 1240. ISBN 1857430220.
  6. "Rantzen's years in the limelight". BBC News. 16 June 2006.
  7. Karen Ross; Deniz Derman, eds. (2003). Mapping the margins: identity, politics, and the media. Hampton Press. ISBN 1572734213.
  8. Wynter Bee, Peter. People of the Day 2. People of the Day Limited. p. 97. ISBN 0954811011.
  9. Bedell, Geraldine (29 August 1993). "The end of life as we know it; After 21 years, That's Life! is coming off the air. It made Esther Rantzen into the people's champion. It also made her a powerful woman within the BBC, where her image is not so sunny. Esther knows the people, but do the people know her?". The Independent.
  10. "Fountain: A Brief History". Fountain Studios. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  11. Webber, Richard (21 April 2012). "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO... Lynsey de Paul". The Express. p. SATURDAY MAGAZINE; FEATURES; p. 19.
  12. "Esther Rantzen on being a widow and learning truth about Jimmy Savile". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  13. "Gold (30) - Hearts of Gold". Discogs. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
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