Ready Steady Go! (or
RSG!) was a British rock/pop music television programme every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by
Elkan Allan, head of
Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light entertainment programme different from the low-brow style of light entertainment transmitted by ATV. The programme was produced without scenery or costumes and with a minimum of choreography and make-up. Allan recruited a fellow journalist, Francis Hitching, as producer. Hitching became a major figure in light entertainment in the 1960s. Robert Fleming was the first director, followed by the documentary director Rollo Gamble, then
Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Daphne Shadwell and Peter Croft.