The Old Grey Whistle Test The host was parodied by Benny Hill. The show's title was parodied in the comedy series "Father Ted", in the episode "Old Grey Whistle Theft". The series was also parodied on "The Fast Show", with "Jazz Club", hosted by the eccentric (but quiet) Louis Balfour (a parody of Bob Harris). In 2006, the series was parodied in the sketch comedy show "Snuff Box". The host was played by Richard Ayoade. The Jon Holmes radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music had a feature called the "Old Gay Whistle Test", a parody where a homosexual pensioner whistled a tune for 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.