Tom Jones: Later…with Jools Holland: Singing superstar takes centre stage

On June 7, singing superstar Tom Jones turned 84. That’s as good an excuse as any for BBC Two to turn their Saturday night schedule over to him, especially as they are spoilt for choice when it comes to footage of him in action.

Born Thomas John Woodward in Treforest, Wales, he first found fame in 1965 with the release of It’s Not Unusual (the song had been recorded as a demo for Sandie Shaw, but she sensibly decided she couldn’t improve on his version).

Follow-ups like the movie themes Thunderball and What’s New Pussycat cemented his status as a pop star – and a heartthrob.

By the late 1970s, it had seemed like his star was starting to wane, but he made an incredible comeback in 1987 with the big ballad A Boy from Nowhere, and then followed it up a year later with a cover of Prince’s Kiss, made in collaboration with the Art of Noise, which endeared him to a new generation.

An evening dedicated to Tom Jones

That ability to win over new fans without alienating the older ones is something Tom has continued to make look deceptively easy, whether he’s collaborating with contemporary bands on his 1999 album Reload or being a judge on The Voice UK. His most recent album, 2021’s Surrounded by Time, made him the oldest man to earn a number-one UK album.

He admitted that the title was inspired by thoughts of his mortality. Speaking after its release, he said: “As soon as you are born, you are on the clock – and that clock starts ticking.

“When I used to work in a paper mill on a 12-hour shift, I used to think, ‘I’ll be glad to get this 12 hours over with’. But then afterwards, you realise that’s 12 hours coming off your life.

“It is a strange thing once you start to think about how much time we have.”

Tonight, we’ll get to see just how much Tom has crammed into his 84 years with a selection of programmes celebrating his life.

It begins with a special edition of Later with Jools Holland, and is followed at 9.30pm by Tom Jones at the BBC, which rounds up classic clips from across his remarkable career.

Then, after a break for a new, Tom-free edition new of Later (which features Yard Act, Gabrielle, Jordan Rakei, Adrianne Lenker, Lava La Rue and Fat Dog), there’s chance to see Tom Jones: In Concert 1971.

That’s followed by Imagine: Tom Jones – What Good Am I?, which initially aired in 2010 and features contributions from the aforementioned Jools Holland and Sandie Shaw, as well as Robbie Williams, Cerys Matthews and Kelly Jones.

Then it’s time for 2009’s Tom Jones at Glastonbury, which saw him rocking the Sunday teatime ‘legends’ slot with hits like Delilah, It’s Not Unusual, What’s New Pussycat?, Kiss and Sex Bomb, before the night concludes at 2.05am with Tom Jones’ 1950s: The Decade That Made Me.