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Top of the Pops

1990 on BBC Four (January 2018)

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PF
PFML84
Christ, some of those lines from Pennis were very risque for the time slot. Did he ever present again after that episode? I'm surprised there wasn't some form of uproar about it, or maybe there was, I dunno.
GE
thegeek Founding member
Ahh, Bis, who's career reached the dizzy heights of doing the theme tune for the Powerpuff Girls.

They're still going! Manda Rin doesn't appear to have aged at all.

Amusingly, the copy of their performance on their own YouTube channel starts with a few frames of whatever was on the VHS tape beforehand.
UKnews, bilky asko and Blake Connolly gave kudos
TI
TIGHazard
Ahh, Bis, who's career reached the dizzy heights of doing the theme tune for the Powerpuff Girls.


Of course, there was that other british cartoon they ended up doing the theme tune to.
JA
james-2001
What cartoon was that?
PF
PFML84
I believe it was BB3B - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BB3B
SW
Steve Williams
I must admit, in some ways, I always found the idea of having a random celeb presenting each week very entertaining. If nothing else, I'd say it was worth it for such moments as Oasis making rude gestures behind Damon Albarn, Chris Eubank introducing Suggs' Cecilia at number six, and my personal favourite - Dennis Pennis (who, of course, is one of those characters played by comedians you mention) hosting and being incredibly rude about all of that week's perfomers:


There were some good ones, Damon Albarn as you say was a bit of a coup, and Dennis Pennis was very amusing. I also had on tape for ages Lee and Herring's links from when they did it as well. But some of them weren't very good. The cast of The Fast Show did it one week which seemed a bit bizarre, doing a Ted and Ralph sketch in the middle of the Top of the Pops studio. I'm not sure many of the target audience had a clue who they were. Impressive they managed to grab so many people to do it, anyway.

Frankie Dettori did it one week and constantly referred to Moby as "Craaaazy Moby!".
Blake Connolly and Woodpecker gave kudos
BU
buster
The other problem with guest presenters was that while they could be a good selling point for the show, they would rarely from what I recall be promoted much in advance, apart from perhaps at the end of the previous week's show, and they would certainly never make it into the Radio Times, so it wasn't much use from a PR angle.

Also this was the era when the links were extremely short which could be a bit counterproductive...the Lee and Herring one is a good example as they do some great stuff given they only have 10 seconds each link!
Last edited by buster on 18 April 2019 1:53pm - 2 times in total
LL
Lottie Long-Legs
Ian Wright hosting was also Ric Blaxill’s final show as producer.
WO
Woodpecker
Christ, some of those lines from Pennis were very risque for the time slot. Did he ever present again after that episode? I'm surprised there wasn't some form of uproar about it, or maybe there was, I dunno.


Dennis Pennis hosting was a one-off; not long after his TOTP spot, there was that infamous incident where he asked Steve Martin 'How come you're not funny anymore?', and then Paul Kaye decided to retire the character afterwards.

In fact, there's a list on Wikipedia containing every host TOTP ever had. Of note is the section on the period when it was on BBC Two, where they brought back the guest hosts, albeit this time alongside either Fearne Cotton or Reggie Yates. Some curious choices in there, such as Jeremy Bowen, Jeremy Clarkson and Diarmuid Gavin, as well as one edition which was co-hosted by Sue Baker and Colin Jackson from the Winter Olympics in Turin. Shocked
MA
Markymark

In fact, there's a list on Wikipedia containing every host TOTP ever had. Of note is the section on the period when it was on BBC Two, where they brought back the guest hosts, albeit this time alongside either Fearne Cotton or Reggie Yates. Some curious choices in there, such as Jeremy Bowen, Jeremy Clarkson and Diarmuid Gavin, as well as one edition which was co-hosted by Sue Baker and Colin Jackson from the Winter Olympics in Turin. Shocked


Kevin Keegan and DLT presented an episode ! (Almost into Partridge territory there)

When did Susie Mathis leave Manchester's Piccadilly Radio ? She might be the closest to a current ILR presenter
doing a TOTP, (Andy Peebles first appearance was shortly after he joined R1 from Piccadilly)
SW
Steve Williams
The other problem with guest presenters was that while they could be a good selling point for the show, they would rarely from what I recall be promoted much in advance, apart from perhaps at the end of the previous week's show, and they would certainly never make it into the Radio Times, so it wasn't much use from a PR angle.


That's true enough, they would mention them on the show the previous week - I remember they would sometimes mention a couple that were coming up in future weeks - but they were barely mentioned in the Radio Times so it meant nothing to the wider audience. I think one of the few that was mentioned in the Radio Times was Luther Vandross, who didn't even do it in the end. It's perhaps another example of how Pops could do all they liked to attract attention but, like when they kept it opposite Corrie for a decade, it was never going to break through as the casual audience all just stuck with ITV.

In fact, there's a list on Wikipedia containing every host TOTP ever had. Of note is the section on the period when it was on BBC Two, where they brought back the guest hosts, albeit this time alongside either Fearne Cotton or Reggie Yates. Some curious choices in there, such as Jeremy Bowen, Jeremy Clarkson and Diarmuid Gavin, as well as one edition which was co-hosted by Sue Baker and Colin Jackson from the Winter Olympics in Turin. Shocked


Yes, some very strange hosts in that period, of course that was the era when they were emphasising it was a family show so they would have archive clips and guest presenters to give the older audience something of interest. The Clarkson appearance was talked about quite a lot of the time, he slagged pretty much all the bands off. The Winter Olympics one was actually part of a determined drive from the Beeb to illustrate to sports rights holders the benefit of being the Beeb in all the support programming they could do alongside it. They did a Top Gear special for those Olympics which went down well. The Pops less so.
BH
BillyH Founding member
There was also a Comic Relief 'Top Gear of the Pops' about the same time, that started as if it was genuinely going to be an actual new TOTP episode with Clarkson & Co hosting, only for the hosts to pull the plug on the first act (Lethal Bizzle playing himself) and instead just do a music-themed Top Gear episode. I remember being a bit stunned to hear uncensored swearing from Clarkson, but I think it was just after the watershed.

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