Douglas William Squires (born 1932) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, known best for his work in television from the mid-1950s. He was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

Choreography

The groups he has choreographed for television include: *The Young Generation *The Dougie Squires Dancers *Dougie Squires' Second Generation *The Dougie Squires Dozen As well as TV work he has been involved with theatrical productions and fund-raising events. In 2009 he was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for his services to the Performing Arts and was appointed

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(MVO) in the

2017 New Year Honours The 2017 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours were awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to choreography and stage direction of royal pageants.

The Young Generation

The Young Generation were a dancing and singing group created specifically for BBC television in the late 1960s and thus were the first act of their kind to regularly appear on British TV. The troupe were choreographed originally by Dougie Squires who chose the founding members of the troupe. The group were mainly dancers, but also sang songs either accompanying other singers or performing stand alone numbers. Their BBC debut came on the 1967 series ''The Rolf Harris Show''. The line up for the Young Generation often changed, but the original teams consisted of: Sue Avory, Valerie Barrett, Bobby Bannerman, Mike Bevan, James Capehorn, Ann Chapman, Harvey Clark, Ray Cornell, Joanna Cram, Jackie Dalton, Ray Davies, Marlene Domanska, Dee Eldridge, Brian Evans, Pat Goh, Sally Graham, Johnny Greenland, Roger Hannah, David Hepburn, Jane Herbert, Linda Herbert, Harry Higham, Bob Howe, Roger Howlett,Terry Jones,

Lesley Judd Lesley Judd (born 20 December 1946) is an English former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme '' Blue Peter'' (1972–1979). Background Born in London, the daughter of Leslie T. Judd ...

, Janie Kells, Linda Laurence, Scott Mackee, Judy Monks, Jenny Morgan, Rhys Nelsen, John Parsons, Terry Roberts, Brian Rogers, Margie Rumney, Joseph Saber, Cheryl St. Claire, Frederick Share, Barrie Stevens, Ricky Stratful, Donald Torr, Maggie Vieler, Michael Tye-Walker, Pauline Wall, Andy Wallace, Rae Wallace, Gerry Wedge, Miranda Willis and Wei Wei Wong. The group continued working with

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...

on ''Show Of The Week'' hosted by Harris on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

, 19 May 1968. Later that year, they became the resident dance/singing act on BBC2's ''International Cabaret'', appearing alongside such acts as

Massiel María de los Ángeles Felisa Santamaría Espinosa (born 2 August 1947), professionally known as Massiel, is a Spanish pop singer. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "La, la, la", beating the British pop singer Cliff Richard' ...

, Georgia Brown,

Gilbert Becaud Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (Sout ...

and

Tessie O'Shea Teresa Mary "Tessie" O'Shea (13 March 1913 – 21 April 1995) was a Wales, Welsh entertainer and actress. Early life O'Shea was born in Plantagenet Street in Riverside, Cardiff to newspaper wholesaler James Peter O'Shea, who had been a soldie ...

. During this time, they also appeared with Rolf Harris on his own

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

TV series. During this TV run, new members joining the troupe included Heather Beckers, Marie Betts, Iain Burton, Catherine Collins. Chris Cooper, Roger Finch, Denise Fone, Danny Grover, Carolyn Heywood, Erik-Jack, Linda Joliff, Kay Korda, Patricia Lovet, Denis Morrissey, Peter Newton, Sandy Penson, Jeremy Robinson, Terry Robinson “Pippin” Her Majesty’s) (aka Terry Calloway, AEA Broadway “Pippin” for Bob Fosse, Mary McGinty “ Once a Catholic” Rockabye Hamlet, Gower Champion) Ricky Stratful and Trevor Willis.

Nigel Lythgoe Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949), also known as Nasty Nigel, is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the ...

and

Ken Warwick Ken Warwick is a British television executive producer and director, most noted for producing the reality television series ''American Idol'', and ''Pop Idol''. Before being a producer he was a dancer/choreographer, previously being a member of BBC ...

joined the group in 1969, before becoming two of television's most successful choreographers and producers later in their own right. In 1970, the troupe continued to appear on BBC2's ''Show Of The Week'' and other BBC series in which they appeared included ''Lulu at Berns Restaurant'', ''A Royal Television Gala Performance'', ''The British Screen Awards'', ''The

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

Show'' and ''

Fifty Years Of Music ''Fifty Years Of Music'' was a one-off BBC Television production, broadcast to coincide with the BBC's Fiftieth Anniversary in 1972. Originally broadcast on BBC 2 on 6 November 1972, from 8:50 – 10:05pm, it was later repeated on BBC1 on 27 ...

''. On Christmas Day 1969, they appeared simultaneously on BBC1 and BBC2, starring in ''Christmas Night With The Stars'', hosted by

Val Doonican Michael Valentine Doonican (3 February 1927 – 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening, and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed style. A crooner, he found popular success, especially in the Un ...

on BBC1 and in their own 'special' ''Jesus'' on BBC2. In January 1970, they were given their own self-titled BBC2 TV series, while concurrently running 'specials' on BBC1 included ''The Young Generation meet

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

'', ''The Young Generation meet

Esther Ofarim Esther Zaied, better known by her married name Esther Ofarim ( he, אסתר עופרים; born June 13, 1941), is an Israeli singer. She came second in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "T'en va pas", representing Switzerland. After ...

'' and ''The Young Generation meet

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...

'', Another regular series with Rolf Harris followed in 1970 and 1971 on BBC1 and on BBC2, they starred alongside

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 Car ...

in ''Meanwhile on BBC2''. Later in 1971, they appeared with

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

in ''Show Of The Week'' and

Don Lurio Donald Benjamin Lurio, better known by his stage name of Don Lurio (15 November 1929, in New York City – 26 January 2003, in Rome) was an American-born Jewish Italian dancer, choreographer and TV presenter for RAI, the Italian radio and televisi ...

temporarily replaced Squires as the troupe's choreographer. Their next BBC series came in 1972 on BBC1 in ''Engelbert with The Young Generation'' starring Engelbert Humperdinck. In 1973, they starred alongside

Vince Hill Vincent Hill (born 16 April 1934) is an English traditional pop music singer and songwriter who is best known for his recording of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (staying ...

in BBC2's series ''They Sold A Million''. The same year saw another series: ''The Young Generation Big Top'', which featured

Clodagh Rodgers Clodagh Rodgers (born 5 March 1947) is a retired singer and actress from Northern Ireland, best known for her hit singles including " Come Back and Shake Me", "Goodnight Midnight", and "Jack in the Box". Career Rodgers was born in Warrenpoint ...

The Bachelors The Bachelors were a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland, but primarily based in the United Kingdom. They had several international hits during the 1960s, including eight top-ten singles in the UK between 1963 and 1966. Car ...

Danny La Rue Danny La Rue, (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an Irish singer and entertainer, best known for his on-stage drag queen, drag persona. He performed in drag and also as himself in theatrical productions, television ...

and

Sandie Shaw Sandie may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Sandie Clair (born 1988), French professional racing cyclist * Sandie Fitzgibbon, Irish former camogie player * Sandie Jones (1950/1951–2019), Irish singer * Sandie Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker (1879 ...

. A second series of ''They Sold A Million'' aired in 1974, followed the same year by ''

Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A life ...

's World Of Laughter'' on BBC1. Their last BBC series was ''The Musical Time Machine'' which aired on BBC2 in 1977. They continued to appear regularly with

on BBC shows, including ''

A Jubilee Of Music ''A Jubilee of Music'' is a one-off BBC Television entertainment show lasting 75 minutes, broadcast on 31 December 1976 at 10:30pm on BBC1. The show was produced to celebrate the British music successes of the first 25 years of Elizabeth II's ...

'' in 1976. Later members of the group who had joined by 1973 included Vonnie Barnes, Walter Cartier, David Hampshire, Veronica France, Jerry Manley, Kay Frazer, John Melainey, Jackie Hall, Steven Payne, Martini Howard, Georgina Keane, Karen Knight, Sue Lake, Di Palmer, Liz Robertson, Benita Shawe, Michelle Thorne, Spencer Shires, Donald Torr, Trevor Willis and Geoff Richer who also went on to be a successful choreographer, launching his own troupe ''Geoff Richer's First Edition'' who appeared on many TV shows, including ''

Seaside Special ''Seaside Special'' is a European light entertainment show broadcast from 1975. It was an outside broadcast filmed at a big top around numerous British seaside resorts. Originally the big top belonged to various circuses (mainly Gerry Cottle's C ...

''. Although under contract and owned by the BBC, outside of television, the troupe also made stage appearances, including the 10-week run of ''Meet Me In London'' at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

with

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...

beginning in April 1971.

went on to become well-known, despite walking out of the troupe in breach of contract. Soon after she joined ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...

'' and became a regular TV and radio presenter through to the early 1990s. Wei Wei Wong had other minor TV roles (including ''

Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

'' and ''Spy!'') and appeared briefly in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' and was a hostess on both

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's ''

The Golden Shot ''The Golden Shot'' is a British television game show produced by ATV for ITV between 1 July 1967 and 13 April 1975, based on the German TV show '' Der goldene Schuß''. It is most commonly associated with host Bob Monkhouse, but three other ...

'' and ''

3-2-1 ''3–2–1'' was a British game show that was made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, from 29 July 1978 to 24 December 1988, with Ted Rogers as the host. It was based on a Spanish gameshow called '' Un, dos, tres... resp ...

''. Wong was also a member of the subsequent 'The Second Generation'. Sally Graham left the group early on to become one of the short-lived founder members of

The New Seekers The New Seekers are a British pop group, formed in London in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music would hav ...

. Singer

David Van Day David Van Day (born David Paul Day, 28 November 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and politician who was formerly a member of the pop music, pop vocal duet (music), duo Dollar (group), Dollar. He was also a member of the 1970s vocal group Gu ...

was a later member of the group, as was Mary Corpe who later joined

Pan's People Pan's People were a British all-female dance troupe most commonly associated with the BBC TV music chart show ''Top of the Pops'', from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. They appeared on many other TV shows in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, and al ...

. BBC TV Series: *1967 ''The Rolf Harris Show'' (BBC1) 12 Episodes *1968 ''International Cabaret from Sweden'' (BBC2) 3 Episodes *1968 ''International Cabaret from The Talk of the Town'' (BBC2) 3 Episodes *1969 ''The Rolf Harris Show'' (BBC1) 13 Episodes *1969 ''Show of the Week: The Young Generation Meet...'' (BBC2) 4 Episodes *1970 ''The Young Generation'' (BBC1) 16 Episodes *1970 ''The Young Generation Meet...'' (BBC1) 3 Episodes *1970–71 ''The Rolf Harris Show'' (BBC1) 14 Episodes *1971 ''Meanwhile on BBC2'' (BBC2) 10 Episodes *1971 ''Show of the Week: Vera Lynn'' (BBC2) 6 Episodes *1972 ''Engelbert with The Young Generation'' (BBC1) 13 Episodes *1973 ''They Sold A Million'' (BBC2) 15 Episodes *1973 ''The Young Generation Big Top'' (BBC2) 6 Episodes *1973–74 ''The Vera Lynn Show'' (BBC2) 7 Episodes *1974 ''They Sold A Million'' (BBC2) 13 Episodes *1974 ''Ken Dodd's World Of Laughter'' (BBC1) 6 Episodes *1975 ''The Vera Lynn Show'' (BBC2) 11 Episodes *1975 ''The Musical Time Machine'' (BBC2) 12 Episodes *1977 ''The Musical Time Machine'' (BBC2) 7 Episodes

The Second Generation

Squires developed a second, similar troupe in the early 1970s which was freelance and under his management, the similar, but short-lived concept troupe named The Second Generation, which included amongst many others Wei Wei Wong (who transferred from the Young Generation) and

Debbie McGee Debra Ann McGee (born 31 October 1958) is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the assistant and widow of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and for three years was artistic director of her ...

. Although this troupe appeared on BBC television, they were free to appear on rival broadcasters and independently of TV. The troupe had a short-lived series on ITV in 1972 ''2Gs and the Pop People'', that ran for six episodes and featured Slade, Sandie Shaw, The Bee Gees and Lulu. They also appeared on a 1974 edition of Sunday Night At The London Palladium on ITV. Some of the troupe reunited with Squires in 2016.

References

External links

*
Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Squires, Dougie 1932 births English choreographers People from Nottingham Officers of the Order of the British Empire Living people Members of the Royal Victorian Order