The Rolling "Top of the Pops" BBC4 Revival thread.

I’d forgotten the Peter Powell era tweaks to the TOTP format, with tour date information and an interview with Paul Jones featuring between the acts.

Really enjoyed both 95 episodes overall, especially the first

Not sure why Oakey brought his microwave though.

here comes the dinner, man

He was tired of his meals being boiled.

Well, he's only human

He was after some lunch action

Jim Kerr trying to out-twunt Bono here but it's not working.

Holy crap that recap of Song For Europe candidates...

First episode not great, but second is making amends. U Sure Do builds such a great pop dance tune out of that Donna Allen sample.

so much screaming in the 95 shows, is that new?

original(?) of the first spiritualized single later.

ha, not even close

A lot of great stuff tonight. And that's probably the most I've enjoyed Some Might Say in years - it really cut through. Poor old Tony cracking a smile.

I guess he already knew Noel was going to sack him a few days later.

I'm a bit behind - that Keith Allen turn was truly repugnant.

I do wonder if a young Sacha Baron-Cohen was watching?

Nightcrawlers trying to reproduce the magic of the MK mix of ‘Push The Feeling On’ with the follow up single but missing the point completely

pj harvey looks a lot like naboo

What is naboo?

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music/clubs-boosh-fans-party-away-129255

Fascinating! No recollection of this whatsoever

https://x.com/archivetvmus71/status/1731614276559704378?s=46&t=bJOqpCuQneT7ju08y55VSA

Two acts in and I'm more or less certain the most exciting thing about this week's first episode is that it's hosted by Dale Winton.

but the first act was Jinny. Keep Warm what a record.

Why is Craig Mclachlan cosplaying as Hard Gay?

Christmas 1977 edition on at 7pm if anyone can stand it.

Since they went to the trouble of filming Kenny Rogers in a bar, I was hoping that they'd at least stop the song when it gets to the line "for a minute a thought I was dead" and just have Rogers staring up at some huge dude for a full 60 seconds before continuing.

Xmas 1977 made it seem like the most depressing year that ever existed, I wasn't born until 11 years later but everything seemed so brown and maudlin. Also that bar Kenny Rogers was singing at had far too many lamps at it, it would have been a nightmare to work at.

Xmas TOTP isn't til Thursday and New Years Day, eventually it's just not going to happen at all

Well, the Christmas special from 1969 got rebroadcast comparatively recently (jsav presented so not hugely recently) but I did recall from the original broadcast how terrible it was!

some of the listings mags have entire nights of totp repeats

5th jan, 10 episodes of either totp, big hits or story of

12th jan, same, but with two hours of snooker in the middle

Christmas 1983 TOTP - better that 1984 because the big records of 1983 haven't been played over and over as much since?

I'll say it again - I have absolutely no memory of JoBoxers.

I once saw JoBoxers supporting Gary Glitter, and that right there is the unfortunate story of my 1980s

ive been watching the 80s xmas specials and i could have lived the rest of my life happy without knowing who "shakin stevens" is (this dude DID NOT make it to the us)

joboxers did make it over here tho. just got lucky got played on kroq a lot.

one of joboxers did a lot of interesting stuff - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McLusky

Normal service resumed tonight from 7pm.

Agent Smith from The Matrix takes a break from chasing hackers to perform a cover of The Beatles' 'I'm Only Sleeping'. Or it might by Suggs (Suggs... Suggs...). The album this track is taken from ('The Lone Ranger') is actually pretty good.

Oh yes, the h-h-h-h-hilarious performance of 'Roll With It' where Noel and Liam swap places.

just catching up and lol what happened in that Tina Arena perf? Voice insanely louder than the backing track, feels like she's doing karaoke of her own song

all Steve Wright all of the time

Couldn't the BBC have picked an episode without Black Lace?

Tonight's first programme, starts with Roy Chubby Brown, ends with Mick Hucknall.

Did no-one tell you we would over-act this way?
Our show's a hit. It's shit. You watch it anyway...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exe7T9TpJZo

The Rembrandt's singer looks like Guy Pearce in Memento. No wonder he wanted to forget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9IDDLXcrMA

BEAT ft General Levy - Incredible - TOTP - 1994

Would love to know how Iron Maiden ended up thrashing through ‘Man on the Edge’ on top of an ancient hill fort in Israel

The pieces are beginning to slowly drift into place as we approach Spiceageddon. The shiny metallic look of the studio bathed in big washes of colour from the lights. Bryan Adams turning up to do odd duets with various people. East 17 looking like they might actually win the war of the boybands against Take That. Somehow even fewer people in the studio audience than before, and they have enough space to all do this non-commital sway-y/shuffle-y dance. Suggs keeps popping up either as the presenter or performing a song.

I'm behind. Hale & Pace's attempt at satire in their presenting capacity was hugely confused, to be charitable.

Camp ageing rockers in Blur and Oasis tees, for some reason? Still less loathable than Keith Allen's joke presenting a few months back.

Fairground's a pretty odd number one really. I kind of like it, Hucknall's obvious off-putting qualities aside. Nice groove in the verses, huge chorus drop.

Were they pre existing H&P characters? That would make more sense.