# The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club

The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club was a British television variety show created and produced by Johnnie Hamp for Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a fictional working men's club in the North of England and was hosted by comedian Colin Crompton as the club's chairman. The show's compere was usually Bernard Manning, who as well as telling jokes and introducing acts often started and often finished the show with a song. Crompton was frequently the butt of his jokes, acting as Manning's stooge.
The set was arranged like a club, so that, rather than being arranged in terraced seating the studio audience would be seated around tables and be served beer and snacks, join in a singalong and otherwise engage in audience participation.
Crompton, as chairman of the club, would sit at a small table in the corner watching proceedings with apparent lack of interest. He had a large manual fire bell which he would wind and sound purportedly to attract the audience's attention after an act, announcing various notices from "the Committee" (that is, the officials of the social club of which he was chairman), usually misdemeanours by the club's members or the committee itself. For example: "On behalf of the Committee, I should like to tell you we made a mistake in offering the raffle prize of a diving suit. It is in fact a divan suite."
Special episodes were broadcast on New Year's Eve 1974 and 1975.

## Acts

The show featured acts regularly seen on the Northern club circuits and often well-established performers who did well in theatres and clubs but did not succeed so well on British television, such as 1950s crooner Johnnie Ray. It also gave newer acts their first television exposure, such as Cannon & Ball, The Grumbleweeds, The Dooleys and Paul Daniels. Some artists to appear on the show were:
* Winifred Atwell
* Alvin Stardust
* The Bachelors
* Brotherhood of Man
* The Crickets
* Bill Haley & His Comets
* The Dubliners
* Jim Bowen
* Frank Carson
* David Copperfield
* Design
* Stuart Damon
* The Three Degrees
* Lonnie Donegan
* Karl Denver
* Freddie Garrity
* Buddy Greco
* Kathy Kirby
* The Krankies
* Susan Maughan
* George Melly and John Chilton's Feetwarmers
* Nana Mouskouri
* Roy Orbison
* Lyn Paul
* Terri Rogers
* George Roper
* Tessie O'Shea
* Malcolm Roberts
* The Kaye Sisters
* The Dooleys
* Gene Pitney
* Lena Zavaroni
* Dukes and Lee
* Paul Daniels
* Mrs Mills
* Max Wall
The show was produced by Johnnie Hamp at Granada Studios in Manchester, although one episode (Series 2, ep. 2) was filmed at the Layton Institute, Blackpool.
Actress Liz Dawn appeared as a waitress before she became more famous for her role as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street (also recorded by Granada in Manchester).
A clip from the show can be seen in the film 24 Hour Party People (2002), where Shaun Ryder, in his formative years, is seen watching Karl Denver perform "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (a.k.a. "Wimoweh").
The music video to Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' single "Black Star Dancing" depicts the band performing on the show.
The series was, for at least part of its run, confined to a midnight slot by London Weekend Television and Southern Television, who felt it did not suit their, perceived, more upmarket demographics.
In December 2024 the UK channel Talking Pictures TV began broadcasting the series.

## Origins of the name

Wheeltappers and shunters are railway workers. They were commonly employed by steam railways in Britain and elsewhere, but are still found both on British railways and in Eastern Europe.
Although often called "working men's clubs", most such clubs admitted the wives and other women family of the working man, at least some days of the week. This is echoed in the programme's audience being as much female as male.

## Episodes
### Series 1

* Episode 1: original air date – 13 April 1974
** Ukrainian Cossack Brotherhood
** Lambert and Ross
** Barbara Law
** La Vivas
** Freddie Garrity
** Tessie O'Shea
* Episode 2: original air date – 20 April 1974
** Bill Haley and his Comets
** The Krankies
** The Three Degrees
** Ronnie Hilton
** Brandy di Frank
** Martin and Sylvia Konyot
* Episode 3: original air date – 27 April 1974
** Stephane Grappelli and Diz Disley Trio
** Little and Large
** Tony Brutus
** The Barcias
** Terri Rogers
** Lonnie Donegan
* Episode 4: original air date – 4 May 1974
** Buddy Greco
** Jimmy Jewel
** The Wedgewoods
** Beryl Calvert
** Marie
** Valentino
** Johnnie Wager, Union Man
* Episode 5: original air date – 11 May 1974
** Splinter
** Frank Ifield
** Norman Collier
** Kathy Kirby
** Jackie Allen & Barbara
** Victor Burnett and June
* Episode 6: original air date – 18 May 1974
** Springfield Revival
** Cannon and Ball
** Julie Rogers
** Eric Delaney
** Tina Townsley
** The Bachelors
* Episode 7: original air date – 25 May 1974
** Mrs Mills
** Peter Wheeler (Ernest Farringdon, schoolmaster)
** The Leaways
** Gene Pitney
** Dave and Amos
** Eve Boswell
** Fivepenny Piece

### Series 2

* Episode 8: original air date – 27 July 1974
** P. J. Proby
** Brotherhood of Man
** Franklyn James
** Los Tres Hermanos
** Alex Sisters
** Russ Conway
* Episode 9: original air date – 3 August 1974
** Amazing Bavarian Stompers
** David Copperfield
** Barbara Sharon
** Susan Maughan
** Paul Wynter
** Winifred Atwell
* Episode 10: original air date – 10 August 1974
** Remember This
** Duggie Brown
** The Multichords
** The Playmates
** Roy Orbison
* Episode 11: original air date – 17 August 1974
** Aphrodite and the Grecian Kings
** Los Magicos
** The Crickets
** The Grumbleweeds
** Yana
** Johnnie Ray
* Episode 12: original air date – 24 August 1974. The episode was filmed at the Layton Institute due to the 'club' being on a day trip to Blackpool.
** Shep's Banjo Boys
** Dave Evans
** Rain featuring Stephanie De Sykes
** Colin Crompton singing as the club's chairman
** Malcolm Roberts
** Johnny Hackett
** Kaye Sisters
* Episode 13: original air date – 31 August 1974
** The Wheeltappers Waiters
** Syd Francis
** Peter Gordeno
** Dermot O’Brien
** Wilma Reading
** Enrico
** Marty Wilde
* Episode 14: original air date – 7 September 1974
** Morton Fraser and his Harmonica Gang
** Mike Reid
** David Whitfield
** Marion Ryan
** Max Wall
** Stuart Damon
Special:
* Episode 15: original air date – 31 December 1974
** Design
** Charlie Williams
** Kristine Sparkle
** The Brother Lees
** Matt Monro
** Freddie Garrity, Frank Carson (uncredited) and Duggie Brown (uncredited) as one comedy act

### Series 3

* Episode 16: original air date – 15 February 1975
** Karl Denver Trio
** George Roper
** The Platters
** Ronnie Dukes and Ricki Lee
* Episode 17: original air date – 22 February 1975
** The Vernons
** Ray Fell
** Elaine Delmar
** Paul Daniels
** Alvin Stardust
* Episode 18: original air date – 1 March 1975
** The Settlers
** Johnnie More
** Bert Weedon
** Keeley Ford
** Steve Sabre
** Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch
* Episode 19: original air date – 8 March 1975
** The Flirtations
** The Krankies
** George Melly with John Chilton’s Feetwarmers
** Richard and Lara Jarman
** Joe ‘Mr Piano’ Henderson
* Episode 20: original air date – 15 March 1975
** Roger Whittaker
** Saffron
* Episode 21: original air date – 22 March 1975
* Episode 22: original air date – 29 March 1975
** Howard Keel
** Frank Carson
** Kenny Ball
** Marti Caine
** Cool Breeze
* Episode 23: original air date – 5 April 1975

### Series 4

* Episode 24: original air date – 19 July 1975
** Gene Pitney
** Paul Daniels
** Royal Polynesian Revue
** Rivendell
* Episode 25: original air date – 26 July 1975
** Wild Honey
** Dukes and Lee
** Julie Rogers
** Dustin Gee
* Episode 26: original air date – 2 August 1975
** New World
** David Copperfield
** Ronnie Hilton
** Valentino
** Jimmy Marshall
* Episode 27: original air date – 9 August 1975
** Stu Francis
** Terry Lightfoot and his band
** Pat Mooney
** Sheila Southern
** Wee Willie Harris
* Episode 28: original air date – 16 August 1975
** Joe Henderson
** George Roper
** Lorne Lesley
** Jim Bowen
* Episode 29: original air date – 23 August 1975
** Ray Ellington
** Frank Carson
** The Grumbleweeds
* Episode 30: original air date – 30 August 1975
Special:
* Episode 31: original air date – 31 December 1975

### Series 5

* Episode 32: original air date – 15 May 1976
** The Caravelles
** Eddie Flanagan
** Judy Moxon
** Josef Locke
* Episode 33: original air date – 22 May 1976
* Episode 34: original air date – 29 May 1976
* Episode 35: original air date – 5 June 1976
** Mark Channing (Singer of the Year)
** Cannon and Ball
** Paul Daniels ('Unusualist')
** Pete Price (Stage Compere)
* Episode 36: original air date – 12 June 1976
* Episode 37: original air date – 19 June 1976
* Episode 38: original air date – 26 June 1976
** Mark Channing (Singer of the Year)
** Cannon and Ball
** Paul Daniels ('Unusualist')
** Pete Price (Stage Compere)
** Madame
** Bernie Clifton
** The Swinging Blue Jeans
Special:
* Episode 39: original air date – 23 February 1977

### Series 6

* Episode 40: original air date – 14 April 1977
* Episode 41: original air date – 21 April 1977
* Episode 42: original air date – 28 April 1977
* Episode 43: original air date – 5 May 1977
* Episode 44: original air date – 12 May 1977
* Episode 45: original air date – 19 May 1977
* Episode 46: original air date – 26 May 1977
* Episode 47: original air date – 2 June 1977
* Episode 48: original air date – 9 June 1977

## Reception

Leslie Halliwell wrote: "Attempt to do for club acts what Stars and Garters had done for pub entertainers, i.e. present them in a fictitious and larger-than-life club setting. Thanks to a droll running performance by Colin Crompton as the entertainments committee chairman and insults from ex-Comedians comic Bernard Manning it became popular viewing. There were also one or two special (e.g. New Year) editions and a seaside outing".

## DVD releases

The complete first series of The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club was released on DVD in September 2009 and the second series (including the New Year's Eve Special) was released in July 2010 with the complete third and fourth series being released in February and June 2011. The complete fifth series was released on 23 April 2012, followed by th complete sixth (and final) series. The format for the sixth series has changed, each episode being 30 minutes with just one major performer in each.