Top of the Pops

Possibly but The Beatles were doing "videos" as such in the 1960s, though they weren't "music videos" as we know them now. They'd have done the same job, providing something to play when they couldn't be in person somewhere.

The Beatles did some promotional films when they got big enough to not bother going to TV studios, for the likes of Ed Sullivan to show. Some of them couldn't be shown over here because they were miming in them and that was against union rules I think, like this Hello Goodbye video.

Also with regards to lyric videos - the first one I remember being big because of a lack of music video was Cee-Lo Green's Forget You/F*** You in 2010.

EDIT: Neil beat me to it.

I've seen some things you could argue were proto-music videos even in the 30s and 40s. I've read about films made for film-based jukebokes back then for example:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundies

Queen’s “ Bohemian Rhapsody “ is often credited as being the first “ proper “ pop promo video. Again, as stated, there are other examples pre this.

Bohemian Rhapsbody's video was knocked together quickly for airing on that week's TOTP I believe. Quicker to edit on tape as well, plus the feedback effect you see could only be done on video (as IIRC it was done on the fly). If they had more time they may have decided to do the video on film, but...

As an uber-Queen fan, I remember my Mam and Dad telling me that everyone remembered and loved the BoRhap video when it came out and it was part of the reason it stayed at No 1 for 9 weeks.

Of course, it it essentially a stage performance video with the exception of the opening section and the mock opera section whose appearance is inspired by the Queen II album cover. And it was those sections and the rudimentary special effects which got people so excited, I'm told.

They were worried that people would get sick of it after 4-5 weeks and they released a second version. The second version is remembered for the flame but the biggest change is actually in the stage performance section which is full of new camera angles.

Has anyone ever spotted the mistake in the original BoRhap (flameless) video just after the song exits the opera section and enters the heavy rock section?

Been watching watching every 1990 episodes of Top of the Pops. It's great to see all the songs we remember, and some we don't. It's interesting to see the changes they made to the set in just 6 months like relying less on the neon lights and the addition of new lighting banks.
Also have they changed the cameras recently on Top of the Pops? I've noticed a lot less comet trailing and black spots on the pictures?

I think TOTP at TVC moved between 4 different studios- 3, 4, 6 and 8, so presumably what cameras they used would have depended on which studio it was in. Though I imagine it was possible that it at least one of those studios had their cameras placed around this time.

Noticed as well tonight's episode was produced/directed by Stan Appel rather than Paul Ciani. Obviously Stan would be taking over for good a little over 6 months later.

Top of the Pops actually started in TC2 and then moved into one of the four main studios TC3, TC4, TC6 and TC8, but TC3 was the studio it used the most at Television Centre.

It might have started in T2, but it definitely wasn't still in there by 1990, which is what I was talking about.

In a year's time it will be permanently in Elstree studio C.

For the sake of clarity, TOTP was based for the first two years in Manchester, before relocating to London and settling eventually at various studios at Television Centre in the late 1960s.

Wasn't it usually at Lime Grove after the move from Manchester until the move to colour?