Jim'll Fix It

Filmed: Thursday 7 December 1978

Location: CBS Studios, London, UK

Broadcast: Saturday 24 February 1979, BBC1, UK

Release status: This programme has not been included on any officially released video or DVD

Duration: 2:58 minutes; whole programme 33:24

Shown in: UK

Additional information

Jim'll Fix It was a programme broadcast early Saturday evenings and it granted the wishes of the people (mainly children) who wrote in. The presenter was extravagant DJ Jimmy Savile (who was later knighted ie. Sir Jimmy Savile).

Jim "Fixed It" for two ABBA fans Claire Lindeman and Clare Doggett to meet ABBA. They got the opportunity to see ABBA at work putting together the backing tracks to Thank You For The Music and If It Wasn't For The Nights for The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show which was also recorded on this particular visit to London. 

ABBA stood around microphones with the two girls and mimed Thank You For The Music while the girls sang along with their microphones turned up loud. At the end, Frida and Agnetha gave the girls their "Jim'll Fix It" badges.

The running order of the programme including the other 'fix-its':

  1. Claire Lindeman & Clare Doggett met ABBA
  2. Stephen Berry climbed up Bristol & West Building Society tower block
  3. Andrew Holt visited The Bank Of England to see their supply of gold
  4. Clare Raygold carried a large piece of wood
  5. Helen Cooke played harp with Mary O'Hara then was joined in song by Albert Bayfield


Sir Jimmy Savile died on 29 October 2011 and was subsequently revealed to be a manipulative and predatory character over many decades.  (Have I put that delicately enough?!)


Clare Doggett's memories of the day:
Claire and I are still best friends and still ABBA fans. When we met ABBA it really was a dream come true! We only found out about it the evening before and were both very excited.

Our letter was, as you can imagine, picked out of thousands. My memories of ABBA are that they were all really nice people. Benny and Frida were more outgoing and spoke better English. Benny was a laugh and joked a lot. Agnetha was more quiet but lovely. I can remember being the envy of all my male friends when she kissed my cheek as she gave me my Jim'll Fix It badge (which we both still have).

They made us feel very relaxed and welcome and went out of their way to make our mums feel the same too.

It was a brilliant experience! We spent 3 hours with them!

Clare Doggett 2005
(now married with young children)

Agnetha's cream silk blouse - it's the same one she wore for the UK cover of the Head Over Heels single 3 years later. (It also made a brief appearance in the When All Is Said & Done PROMO, but only from the back.  She had also worn it in Japan in ぎんざNOW! (Ginza Now!).

Archive data from BBC’s written archive:

LLVA259B
Feb 24, 1979
Archive : BBC
Programme/Item : Programme
Catalogue : LONPROG
Item Duration : 00:33:24.000+01:00
Catalogue Page : 1723364
Page Number : 1/1
Jimmy SAVILE makes more dreams come true, with help from Mary O'HARA, Andrew BREECH, Joe TASKER, John PAGE & Abba.
> vt, film inserts
FIXES:ABBA:FILM:Claire LINDEMAN & Clare DOGGETT meet Abba in a recording studio, singing Thank You For The Music (2m58s)
SKYSCRAPER:FILM:fixed for Stephen BERRY to climb up Bristol & West Building Society tower block. With Andrew BREECH, Bristol & West (dur3m32s) In studio with Joe TASKER, mountaineer & Andrew BREECH.
BANK OF ENGLAND:FILM:fixed for Andrew HOLT to visit Bank of England to see the gold. With John PAGE, chief cashier, Alan WATSON & Mr KELLY, Museum curator. (dur8m50s)
WOOD:fixed for Clare RAYGOLD to carry large piece of wood.
O'HARA:Helen COOKE plays harp with Mary O'HARA, then Albert BAYFIELD sings
with her.

Information from ABBA Magazine No.20. Thanks to David Faltskog, Jozsef, Richard Knight, Erik Liebstaedter, Oscar Alejo Smirnov, Kym Gallego and Clare Doggett.
YouTube link c/o Brightnights1 and Barry Grey

Got any information to add?
Spotted a mistake?
Contact me at abbaontv@yahoo.co.uk