I watched this BBC one-hour programme on the UK tour by the leading of acts what we here have always called the Tamla Motown label in early 1965, as a companion piece to the for me, rather patchy longer-form tribute to the studio's band of session musicians the Funk Brothers in the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" documentary. I enjoyed this more, simply because it was better made.

The running time alone tells you it was more concise even as I admit that the subject matter was smaller in scale. It starts by explaining the dull and bland state of the British music scene before 1963 and the explosion of the Merseybeat sound pioneered by the Beatles. In the wake of both their and the follow-through success of others like them, most notably the Rolling Stones, it was noted that both bands were covering songs from Motown artists on their albums. Motown had already come to prominence in the States earlier in the decade with hits by Little Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles to name but a few, but partly thanks to the enthusiasm and support of one British fan in particular, a guy called Dave Godin, the decision was made to bring over some of the major acts on the label to try to win over the UK market.

Before the actual tour commenced, they signed up to collectively appear on a special episode of the hit national TV music show "Ready Steady Go" showcasing all the groups on the tour, as introduced by big fan Dusty Springfield. The tour then traversed the whole country taking in England Scotland and Wales and we are told by everyone who was there, that although the attendences were low, the tour is well remembered both by fans and performers alije. Then, just after the tour ended, the exciting TV special what's showing on British television,, when suddenly everyone out there now wished they'd attended one of the gigs.

The programme highlights a number of British Motown fans from the era looking back fondly on how the music excited them at the time. Whilst they all describe the shows as poorly attended by the general public, they also talk fondly of the enthusiastic performances by the acts and and how personable all the acts were to them afterwards. Godin, now deceased is singled out in particular for his boundless enthusiasm in spreading the world as he set up the UK fan club and deliver to all its members a homemade fan magazine. This didn't go unnoticed by Berry Gordy or even the artists themselves, to the extent that he was later given a job in the company by the Motown boss.

Unlike the "Standing in the Shadows..." documentary to which I referred earlier, this show used much more vintage footage including much from the "Ready Steady Go" special and present-day interviews with the likes of Claudette Robinson (Mrs Smokey) of the Miracles and Otis Williams of the Temptations. Although racism towards the black community was an issue in early 60s Britain, it seems not to have affected this particular tour in an adverse way.

Also drawing on home movies and candid photographs taken at the time, although the only footage of any of the shows is both silent and very grainy. Nevertheless as one of the participants states, the combination of the tour and the TV special did at least ensure that Motown broke through in the UK market and of course has never looked back since, although for many, and I include myself in that number, the label wasn't the same once it moved from Detroit.

Still, can you imagine now getting the chance to see Little Stevie Wonder, the Supremes and the Miracles all in the one show. Those were the days indeed.