The Old Grey Whistle Test Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys – doormen in grey suits. Any song they could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test. On 23 February 2018, a one-off three hour special of The Old Grey Whistle Test was broadcast on BBC Four, hosted by Bob Harris to mark 30 years since the final episode aired. The show's focus on "serious" rock music, rather than chart hits covered on BBC1 by
From the Basement From the Basement From the Basement is a web television series created by music producer Nigel Godrich and producer Dilly Gent. It features live music performances without a host or audience. In September 2006, it was announced that Godrich, along with producer Dilly Gent, producer James Chads and John Woollcombe, were shooting the music series "From the Basement", filmed from London’s Maida Vale Studios. Godrich took inspiration from "The Old Grey Whistle Test", a BBC music television series that broadcast in the 1970s and 1980s, and the 1996 concert film "Rock and Roll Circus", which documents concerts by the Rolling