[2] As a follow-up, Boulton negotiated a deal to put on a television series[2] to be set at the Talk of the Town nightclub, a well-known London nightspot known for entertainment.
[5] During October 1971, Bennett and Canadian-born, British-residing composer and conductor Robert Farnon met in New York to discuss ideas for what the series would be like.
[8] Bennett had control over the format and other details of the show[9] and felt he was on a mission of "bringing good music back to television.
You turn the radio on, and it absolutely blasts you right out – two or three chords; you can't believe it" – albeit praising the contemporary songwriting of The Beatles and Burt Bacharach[8] (material from each of which he would perform on the show).
[12] Farnon was generally less critical of popular trends, and praised those who sought to break down barriers between traditional and pop forms.
[5] In the London area, they aired on Thames Television on Wednesday evenings at 10.30 pm and ran from 5 July 1972 to 18 October 1972.
[7] These included Kenny Baker on trumpet, Bobby Lamb and Don Lusher on trombone, Danny Moss on tenor saxophone, and numerous others.
[15] Also included in the orchestra were the members of Bennett's supporting combo at the time, John Bunch on piano (and thereby had prominent role in the show given the style of music being played), Arthur Watts on bass, and Kenny Clare on drums.
[7][15] Guests for the show included singers such as Annie Ross, Cleo Laine, Matt Monro, and Tommy Leonetti.
[18] In addition each episode had a scene outside the club, where Bennett and his daughter Joanna were filmed visiting the sights of London, with the soundtrack playing light instrumentals composed by Farnon.
[4] Places so visited included Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the London Zoo, and Kensington Gardens.
[15] The propensity of the audiences not to realize that the instrumental compositions were being recorded as these films were shown, and hence to chatter away, annoyed the Farnon Society members no end.
[8] The announced plan for the American version of the show was that it would appear in broadcast syndication starting in the Fall of 1972 and running into 1973.
Neither the show nor did the English sojourn helped Bennett in terms of career trajectory; he found no renewed commercial success overall, and in a couple more years he was without a recording contract.