The Old Grey Whistle Test The Old Grey Whistle Test The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) was a British television music show. It was commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco 2", which ran between September 1970 and July 1971, while continuing to feature non-chart music. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers. The original producer, involved in an executive capacity throughout the show's entire history, was Michael Appleton. According to presenter Bob Harris, the programme derived its name from a Tin
The Old Grey Whistle Test of the show as part of "Rutland Weekend Television" in 1975, featuring Eric Idle as Harris, is the first known mention of the fictional band, "Toad The Wet Sprocket" – a later reference on a Monty Python album gave rise to the real-life band of the same name. The parody also featured "all-dead" musician Stan Fitch, whose silent, motionless performance was treated with quick zooms, close-ups, and other visual effects typical of shows like "Whistle Test". The show was parodied on an episode of "The Benny Hill Show", originally aired on 24 September 1975, being called "Old Grey Whistle Tester".