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Café Continental

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Café Continental is a British television variety show on the BBC Television Service from 1947 to 1953. Broadcast live from the BBC's studios at Alexandra Palace, the programme opened with a "Maître d'hôtel" known as Pere Auguste, who welcomed the television audience to the "cafe" set and told them that "your table has been reserved, as always."

Overview

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Devised and produced by Henry Caldwell, Café Continental was broadcast on Saturday evenings at 8 pm. Lasting for 45 minutes, the episodes attracted many famous singers and dancers of the day: Josephine Baker appeared in an edition broadcast on 26 June 1948 and the Italian vocal group Quartetto Cetra appeared the same year.

Episode status

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Three scattered episodes from 1950 are known to exist. Introduced by Helene Cordet.

References

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Bibliography

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  • Vahimagi, Tise. British Television: An Illustrated Guide. Oxford. Oxford University Press / British Film Institute. 1994. ISBN 0-19-818336-4.