Best of the 60s: The Story of Ready, Steady, Go!

Best of the 60s collects vintage performances and television moments pulled from the archives of Ready, Steady, Go!, giving viewers a front-row seat to a pivotal period in popular music. Rather than presenting a modern narration, the film strings together live clips, brief backstage glimpses and contemporary footage to let the artists' energy drive the experience. You'll see early televised appearances from major acts and hear songs performed with the rawness and spontaneity of live TV. The movie focuses on musical highlights and the atmosphere of the era, so it reads like a curated playlist of peak moments that shows how pop, soul and rock sounded and looked on British screens during the 1960s. It leans on performance over commentary.

Released in 2021, the documentary compiles footage from the original Ready, Steady, Go! television series, presenting restored broadcast clips and archival material. It relies on existing film and tape rather than new dramatizations or a standalone narrative voice, and includes archive appearances by James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and John Lennon.

Best of the 60s saw limited theatrical play, reaching audiences mainly through festivals, specialty screenings and home release. Its commercial reach was modest, with most viewers encountering it on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming platforms aimed at music aficionados and collectors.

The clips preserve moments that influenced fashion, dance and performance style, capturing how British television helped export youth culture worldwide. For fans and historians the program serves as a visual time capsule, showing early televised appearances by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and other 1960s icons.

Critics and viewers tend to value the collection mostly for its archival richness and unvarnished performances, praising scenes that convey the era's excitement while sometimes noting uneven audio or picture quality. Themes include the merging of pop and soul, the rise of youth-driven media and the power of live television.