Search for a Star (2)

Opportunity Knocks-style talent show, which made very small stars out of Dave Wolfe and Fogwell Flax. The winner got their own show. In the first series, voting was organised into five panels of local viewers (with some ITV regions taking it in turn to participate).

The original Steve Jones ("That Welsh lad nicked my monicker!") adds...

The show also paved the way for the mentoring which you now see on the X-Factor because the comedians were given tips from leading comedy writers and the singers were given advice on vocal styling by musical director Alyn Ainsworth. All competing artists also benefitted from advice from dance arranger Brian Rogers, most had a wardrobe makeover, some had their hair restyled and one female singer had a couple of teeth capped at the programme's expense!

In addition the show had a full dress run in front of a studio audience and the acts would then watch it back and be given notes by Head of Entertainment David Bell before the recording of the broadcast show. The promise was that all the artists would be treated as if they were established stars. It was a great show to host.

The regional voting presenters who mostly consisted of continuity announcers, newsreaders and presenters who were just on the verge of succeeding nationally...

LWT (London): Peter Lewis (chief announcer/newsreader)
ATV (Midlands): Nick Owen
HTV Wales: Arfon Haines Davies (announcer/presenter/newsreader/programme producer)
HTV West: Bruce Hockin (news anchor)
Scottish TV: Steve Hamilton (announcer/newsreader, noted for Wheel of Fortune)
Grampian: Selina Scott
Ulster TV: Jackie Fullerton (sports presenter)
Westward: David Rodgers (announcer/newsreader/presenter)
Anglia: Graham Bell (announcer/news anchor)
Border: Derek Batey
Tyne Tees: Bill Steel (chief announcer/newsreader)
Yorkshire: Richard Whiteley

Backing singer to the stars Tessa Niles says in her autobiography Backtrack that she was on this show as half of the duo Sam - though she also says it was a BBC programme and that she got featured in Radio Times, which is one clue that she's got her regionally-appraised talent shows mixed up. BBC Programmes confirms that Sam were in fact on the first series of the very similar BBC show Rising Stars.