In the early eighties, the stunningly gorgeous Kate Robbins looked destined to become a big star. She was first given regular television exposure in 1981 after appearing as a pop singer in ATV's long running soap 'Crossroads'. The song she performed in the show, 'More Than In Love' became a major hit single. She also composed the theme tune for Cilla Black's 'Surprise Surprise'. In 1986, Robbins decided to try her hand at comedy and joined the 'Spitting Image' team, providing the voices for The Queen and Margaret Thatcher among others. She then fronted with her family which included her brother Ted Robbins and sisters Amy, Jane and Emma a sketch show entitled simply 'Robbins', the success of which led the following year onto this short lived Granada Television show - 'Kate & Ted's Show' - a mixture of comedy sketches and music hall routines. Alongside Kate and Ted were Michael Fenton Stevens and Ainslie Foster. Sadly, whilst it was well performed, it was rarely ever funny.
Each episode would open with an animated sequence of an envelope being prized open to reveal an invitation reading 'Kate & Ted Invite You To...' before moving onto a sketch. Kate provided ( admittedly good ) impersonations of Cilla Black, Tina Turner, Victoria Wood, Sarah Ferguson and Nina Myskow among others whilst Ted did ( also well done ) send-up's of 'Cagney & Lacey' with Ainslie Foster. In between sketches were musical items. One funny item had Kate as both Cilla Black and Tina Turner duetting with each other on 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better'. Overall, it has to be said that this show was anything but Kate and Ted's best work.
It was not their fault. The material they were given to work off was not particularly good ( odd considering its scriptwriters included Geoff Atkinson and Bill Naylor, who both wrote for 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse' and 'Naked Video' among others ) and the obvious canned laughter ( which sounded not dissimilar to the one used on 'Wood & Walters', another Granada sketch show ) killed many of the sketches stone dead.
Any hopes Kate and Ted had of a second series would not come to anything, but they needn't have worried as a year later, they would be back with Granada again for the much funnier 'The Kate Robbins Show'.
Each episode would open with an animated sequence of an envelope being prized open to reveal an invitation reading 'Kate & Ted Invite You To...' before moving onto a sketch. Kate provided ( admittedly good ) impersonations of Cilla Black, Tina Turner, Victoria Wood, Sarah Ferguson and Nina Myskow among others whilst Ted did ( also well done ) send-up's of 'Cagney & Lacey' with Ainslie Foster. In between sketches were musical items. One funny item had Kate as both Cilla Black and Tina Turner duetting with each other on 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better'. Overall, it has to be said that this show was anything but Kate and Ted's best work.
It was not their fault. The material they were given to work off was not particularly good ( odd considering its scriptwriters included Geoff Atkinson and Bill Naylor, who both wrote for 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse' and 'Naked Video' among others ) and the obvious canned laughter ( which sounded not dissimilar to the one used on 'Wood & Walters', another Granada sketch show ) killed many of the sketches stone dead.
Any hopes Kate and Ted had of a second series would not come to anything, but they needn't have worried as a year later, they would be back with Granada again for the much funnier 'The Kate Robbins Show'.
