On this Day 1960: Noele Gordon visits Kam Ling Bamboo Rooms

OTD, December 1st, 1960…

The refurbished Kam Ling Bamboo Rooms in Birmingham, a Chinese restaurant, was reopened by ATV stars Noele Gordon and Jerry Allen, best known for their television series Lunch Box.

Noele Gordon arrives at the eatery in a rickshaw, one of the men pulling it is Jerry Allen, dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. Noele is then led into the Kam Ling Bamboo Rooms where she performs the opening ceremony by cutting a ribbon. Others from Lunch Box at the event included the ‘TV Trio’ Alan Grahame, Ken Ingarfield and Lionel Rubin who also are dressed in traditional Chinese outfits.

Devised by Noele Gordon ATV’s Lunch Box was ITV’s first daytime magazine show running from 1965 to 1964. It was produced by Reg Watson who went on to produce series such as Crossroads (ATV/ITV), The Young Doctors (Grundy/Nine) and Neighbours (Grundy/Seven/Ten).

The Kam Ling was an early Chinese restaurant in Birmingham at 7, Livery Street. The outlet First opened in the city in the 1950s and expanded with a second establishment at Colmore Circus in 1965. In December 1974, following ownership changes, the outlets were rebranded as The Frashima Restaurant. This was brought about after a court case in May of the same year that found the previous owner guilty of selling intoxicants without a justice’s licence and having no music licence at the Livery Street restaurant. In the 1980s most of the street was redeveloped and the site was replaced with ‘Queens Court’ flats.