New series 1/3. Matthew Wright tells the story of - American and British music, identified as new wave, that evolved from mid-70s New York City punk but sounded less overtly angry and more reflective or romantic. The genre found favour with the wider public by April 1979, when Blondie's ravishing Heart of Glass reached number one in the States. UK acts like Elvis Costello and XTC helped define the sound. The series also looks at post-punk bands like Wire, Gang of Four and PiL, and modern new-wave-inspired acts the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Contributors include
Deborah Harry , Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads), Richard Hell (of both Television and the Voidoids), producer Tony Bongiovi , Sire
Records boss Seymour Stein - who coined the term "new wave"
- and music journalist Lester Bangs. Producer Simon Poole