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
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