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The first origins of That'll be The Day can be traced back to 1985 when a variety show called 'The Happy Days of Rock n Roll' was launched by Bristol-based agent John Mills for the club and cabaret circuit for a six week autumn tour.
The show had a varied cast of rockers including Fred The Ted, Margo and Trevor, Terry Denton, The Rock 'n' Roll Circus band, and a one-boy, three-girl singing and dancing group called Fizzical.
Fizzical was the creation of Trevor Payne, who had enjoyed previous success with The Medium Wave Band in the 70s, including a number one hit record in Malta, which Trevor also wrote.
The success of the first short tour of 'The Happy Days of Rock n Roll' were followed by further spring and autumn tours, and in 1986 Mills secured a summer season for the review at Butlins' Minehead and Bognor holiday centres. While Mills pulled in more dates for this fledgling show, Trevor Payne took on the responsibility of writing and staging the production. Following a successful Christmas show tour in 1986, Trevor started writing a new show for 1987, which he called 'That'll Be The Day', for the first time.
Show History - 1980s
Photo taken by Paul Simpson
The show starred Trevor with Fizzical, Elvis impressionist Kenny G, The Sound Of Sunrise band, and TV comic and impressionist Dave Evans (father of the then unknown comedian Lee Evans).
In 1988 Trevor and John Mills decided to dispense with the individual artistes billing, as by now the cast appearing in the show were working as part of one company instead of performing as separate acts, combining their individual strengths and talents into one integrated production.
It was during the summer of 1988 that Trevor was introduced to Gary Anderson, a club comic and impressionist who, at the time, was working the same circuit as Trevor and Fizzical. After rehearsing some new material together, Gary joined That'll be The Day for the show's autumn season at Butlins in Minehead. After this short season, the individual artistes went their own way and joined up again in the spring of 1989, playing holiday centres around the south of the UK.
MORE HISTORY: 1980| 1990 | 2000 - 2006| 2007 - 2010 | 2011 - 2014