New Faces
New Faces is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
Original series: 1973–1978
The show first aired as a pilot on the ATV network on 31 May 1973 with host Leslie Crowther and a judging panel consisting of Noele Gordon, Tony Hatch, Clive James and John Smith assessing performances from ten acts looking for a break in show business. Welsh singer Jennifer Jones won the show that also featured a man who blew up a hot water bottle until it burst followed by a few choruses of "Spanish Eyes".A further pilot aired on 7 July 1973 with new host Derek Hobson and a full series followed from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978. It was recorded at the ATV Centre in Birmingham. The show's theme tune, "You're a Star!", was performed by singer Carl Wayne, formerly of The Move, and it was eventually released, becoming a minor hit.
Winners went on to have careers in television entertainment, such as Lenny Henry. Many top entertainers began their careers with a performance on this programme. The acts were evaluated by a panel of experts, including Tony Hatch, Mickie Most, Clifford Davis, Arthur Askey, Ted Ray, Ed Stewart, Jack Parnell, Alan A. Freeman, Muriel Young, Lonnie Donegan, Lionel Blair, Ingrid Pitt, Shaw Taylor, Terry Wogan and Noel Edmonds.
Four judges would make up the panel each week. Contestants received marks out of ten from the four judges in three categories such as "presentation", "content" and "star quality" – The "star quality" category was later replaced by "entertainment value". The highest score any act could attain was thus 120 points. Patti Boulaye was the only act who ever attained the maximum mark, doing so in the programme's final season. Les Dennis received 119 points, with only Tony Hatch giving him less than a perfect '10' for Presentation. Arthur Askey was on the same panel and started singing "Tony is a spoilsport" when Hatch awarded Dennis 9 as his final score.
Series 1–6 Winners
Series One Final (1973)
| Order | Score | Artist | Act |
| 257 | Tom Waite | Vocalist | |
| ! | 250 | Showaddywaddy | Eight-piece group |
| ! | 233 | Jackie Carlton | Comedian |
| 4 | 217 | Jean De Both | Vocalist |
| 5 | 215 | John D. Bryant | Guitar/vocalist |
| 6 | 213 | Charlie James | Female vocalist |
| 7 | 205 | Ricki Disoni | Vocalist |
| 8 | 203 | Yakity Yak | Four-piece group |
| 9 | 185 | Anthony Waters | Actor/vocalist |
| 10 | 184 | George Huxley's Dixieland Jazz Band | six-piece jazz band |
| 11 | 176 | Dri Jinja | Folk trio |
| 12 | 171 | Elaine Simmons | Vocalist |
| 13 | 143 | Trotto | Folk trio |
Series Two Final (1974)
| Order | Score | Artist | Act |
| 396 | Aiden J. Harvey | Impressionist | |
| ! | 353 | Nicky Martyn | Comedian |
| ! | 337 | Michelle Fisher | Vocalist |
| 4 | 333 | Art Nouveau | Group |
| 5= | 327 | Susan Cope | Vocal / Piano |
| 5= | 327 | Jeffrey Hooper | Vocalist |
| 7 | 322 | Johnny Carroll | Comedian |
| 8 | 312 | The Cosmopolitans | Vocal Trio |
| 9 | 306 | Sweet Sensation | Group |
| 10 | 301 | Nicola Christie | Vocalist |
| 11 | 300 | Tony Gerrard | Comedian |
| 12 | 234 | Jimmy Lister | Comedian / Impressionist |
Series Three Final (1975)
| Order | Score | Artist | Act |
| 539 | Marti Caine | Comedian | |
| ! | 538 | Al Dean | Comedian |
| ! | 528 | Ofanchi | six-piece group |
| 4 | 478 | Lenny Henry | Impressionist |
| 5 | 475 | Mike Felix | Comedy/vocalist |
| 6 | 472 | Tony Maiden | Impressionist |
| 7 | 441 | 20th Century Steel Sound | Nine-piece group |
| 8 | 431 | Toby | Six-piece group |
Series Five Final (1977)
| Order | Score | Artist | Act |
| 369 | Koffee 'n' Kreme | Vocal Duo | |
| ! | 363 | Bryan Taylor | Vocalist |
| ! | 341 | Simone | Vocalist |
| 4 | 338 | Kite | Three-piece group |
| 5= | 337 | Mike 'Stand' Douglas | Comedian |
| 5= | 337 | The Bob Clarke Ensemble | Jazz trio |
| 7 | 333 | Peter Collins with Style | Group |
| 8 | 319 | Mr Carline & Mr Walling | Comedy duo |
Series Six Final (1978)
| Order | Score | Artist | Act |
| 565 | Patti Boulaye | Vocalist | |
| ! | 554 | Stella Starr | Vocalist |
| ! | 543 | Kirk St. James | Vocalist |
| 4 | 534 | Pat O'Hare | Vocalist |
| 5 | 530 | Civvy Street | Five-piece group |
| 6 | 524 | Mike Johnson | Jazz guitarist |
| 7 | 522 | Alan J. Bartley | Comedian |
| 8 | 509 | Poacher | Six-piece country group |
| 9 | 498 | Bazz Harris | Comedian |
Revived version
The series was revived by Central for three series between 1986 and 1988, presented by past winner Marti Caine. Her catchphrase was bellowed at the voting studio audience: "Press your buttons... NOW!". The show also featured a panel of experts including the journalist Nina Myskow, who often made critical comments. In this incarnation, the home audience decided who won by sending in postcards, though, the audience did vote for its favourite act using a gigantic lightboard known as Spaghetti Junction lighting up to a varying degree as they pushed their buttons.1986 final
| Order | Finished | Artist | Act |
| 1st overall in panellists' vote | Duggie Small | Comedian | |
| 2 | 7 points | Walker & Cadman | Comedians |
| 3 | 5 points | Billy Pearce | Comedian |
| 4 | 0 points | Wayne Denton | Club singer |
| 5 | 22 points | Julie A. Scott | Soprano |
| 6 | 56 points | Gary Lovini | 17-year-old violinist |
| 7 | 43 points | James Stone | Soul singer |
| 8 | Pauline Hannah | Impressionist | |
| 9 | Freddy Philips | Singer/comedian | |
| 10 | Scott Randele | ||
| 11 | Maggie Dee | ||
| 12 | High Jinks |
Note: The James Stone who appeared in this final is the same one who appeared in the Britain's Got Talent semi-finals of 2008.
1987 final
| Order | Finished | Artist | Act |
| 94 points | Jimmy Tamley | Ventriloquist | |
| 92 points | Joe Pasquale | Comedian | |
| 70 points | Brothers Demented | ||
| 4 | 32 points | Mike Sterling | Musical theatre-style singer |
| 5 | 26 points | Richard Courtice | Tenor vocalist |
| 6 | 10 points | Billy Jones | Rock 'n' roll singer/guitarist |
| 7 | Lea Cassell | Impressionist | |
| 8 | Derek Barron | Pianist/organist | |
| 9 | Paul Duffy | Saxophonist | |
| 10 | Denny Waters | Comedian | |
| 11 | Barbara Allan | Vocalist | |
| 12 | Stiles and Drewe | Singing duo |
1988 final
The 1988 final took place at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre on Saturday 3 December 1988 and was hosted by the 1975 winner Marti Caine.| Key | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
| Performance Order | Finished | Artist | Act |
| 118 points | Stephen Lee Garden | Musical theatre-style singer | |
| 102 points | Steve Womack | Comedian | |
| 80 points | Donimo | Comedy Mime | |
| 2 | 54 points | Stevie Riks | Impressionist |
| 4 | 6 points | Tim Murray | Vocalist |
| 1 | Max Bacon | Vocalist | |
| 3 | The Mad Hatters | Comedy Group | |
| 5 | Steve Tandy | Comedian | |
| 6 | Janice Watson | Soprano Vocalist | |
| 7 | The Brothers Condo | Comedy Group | |
| 8 | T.J. King | Vocalist | |
| 10 | Louisa Shaw | Vocalist |
Note: Vocalist Tim Murray is the son of 1950s singer Ruby Murray.