The Old Grey Whistle Test 1973, the show changed to an entirely live format. On 23 February 2018, the BBC broadcast a special programme, hosted by Bob Harris, to mark the 30 years since the legendary series was last broadcast. This live studio show featured music, special guests and rare archive footage. It featured performances from Peter Frampton, Richard Thompson, Albert Lee and others. Bob Harris chatted to Whistle Test alumni, including Dave Stewart, Joan Armatrading, Ian Anderson, Chris Difford and Kiki Dee, as well as fan Danny Baker. The programme hosted many seminal acts of the era, including the first British TV performance of
The Old Grey Whistle Test the glam metal scene of the 1980s. The show became the template for many successive "serious" British music programmes, such as the BBC's "Later... with Jools Holland" and "From the Basement" as well as OGWT's independent television rivals Alright Now", "Revolver" and "The Tube". In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, "The Old Grey Whistle Test" was placed 33rd. The Arctic Monkeys referenced the show in the track Four Out of Five, from their 2018 release "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino". A parody