The Old Grey Whistle Test "Stone Fox Chase" by a Nashville band, Area Code 615. The first host was Richard Williams, features editor of "Melody Maker", the music weekly. From 1972, the programme was presented by disc jockey Bob Harris (nicknamed "Whispering Bob Harris", because of his quiet voice and "laid back" style). He later became notorious among the younger generation for distancing himself on air from Roxy Music's first performance on the show and calling the New York Dolls "mock rock" and left "OGWT" in 1978. After Harris's departure, Anne Nightingale took over as host. In December 1980, Nightingale presented the show in the
The Late Show (UK TV programme) of "The Old Grey Whistle Test" the programme became one of the few spaces on BBC television for live music performances. The programme originally featured a round-table discussion hosted by Clive James on Friday nights. However this format was dropped after the second series. "The Late Show" pulled in heavyweight popular music acts live or pre-recorded, including Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Public Enemy, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Roses, Dick Dale, and Jeff Buckley. At the time, "The Late Show" came under the now defunct Music and Arts Department at the BBC, which also produced the long-form "Omnibus" and "Arena" programmes.