Something Else is a television show produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation and scheduled on its BBC2 channel between 1978 and 1982, targeted specifically at a youth audience. It began in 1978 on Saturday evenings and is an early example in British television of the genre known as "Youth TV" (later deliberately misspelled as "Yoof tv") encompassing unknown and largely untrained young presenters with undisguised regional accents, minimal scripting, magazine format, freeform discussion of contemporary concerns to young people, interspersed with performances by up-and-coming new bands.
The programme's innovative presentation style influenced subsequent shows in the genre such as The Tube, Oxford Road Show, Network 7 and The Word. It was also satirised by Not the Nine O'Clock News (as Hey Wow) which began that same autumn, and also in "The Young Ones" (as "Nozin' Aroun'").
During its run it captured on film The Clash performing 'Clash City Rockers' & 'Tommy Gun' in 1978 in their only televised performance for the BBC; the last (and only nationally broadcast) television appearance by Joy Division playing 'Transmission' and 'She's Lost Control' live in the studio in September 1979; The Jam appeared on the same show playing 'Eton Rifles' and U2 featured in May 1982 performing a three-song set consisting of 'Rejoice', I Will Follow' & 'With A Shout (Jerusalem)' promoting their second L.P. 'October'.
Links to Peel[]
John Peel's Something Else Interview
Peel appeared on Something Else in 1981, where he was interviewed by a young reporter outside the BBC asking about perception that radio DJs were out of touch. The episode of Peel's appearance was broadcast on 6th November 1981, where the show had live appearances from Orange Juice and Depeche Mode.