The documentary pretty much echoed the final programme in the way it was handled. Take something old, bolt something new on to it and shove it on air. Rush job after rush job.
That'll be why its 70 minutes long then. The first hour being a repeat from 5 or 6 years ago, the last 10 mins being the only new bit. It should have been billed as a revised repeat at least
Well it was a disappointing way to go, totally forgettable. Surely the Beeb could have splashed out and tried to get some live performances from 'vintage' acts. I seem to remember they did this for the show's 25th anniversary in 1988. Surely the following acts could have been prevailed upon to film a live performance:
The Rolling Stones
The Who
Paul McCartney
Sting
Blondie
Duran Duran
Kim Wilde
Kylie
Oasis
Madonna
Robbie Williams
Justin Timberlake
I list these acts as they are still very much active. The Stones are in Britain for their new tour, and had a new single out the other week. The Who have a new song out this week as well. McCartney is always willing to play 'Hey Jude' for a good cause, and he needs good publicity at the minute!! As regards Sting and Blondie they were both very successful in the 70's and are still going strong today. Likewise Duran Duran and Kim Wilde are still with us, making new music. I think the final TOTP would have been a great place for Kylie to announce her musical return. Madonna is in town for her new tour, and new single. Oasis just for being brilliant, as they always were on TOTP. And Robbie and Justin have new material which I'm sure they would have loved the opportunity to plug. Even if they couldn't have got all these acts surely some of them would have recorded messages for the show.
If the BBC had really cared they would have made it a show to remember and a fitting tribute to the show's history.
They've added very latest moments at the end but its all in 4:3 ratio anyway.. Urggh.
That's surely not a bad thing?? I'm glad they had the sense to keep the show 4:3 rather than crop everything bar the last 10 minutes!!
It was a bit tacked on although pretty frank about the show's demise and how the news of its axing was announced. Jamie's introduction etc. should have been re-recorded really.
Heh, was just about to say! Jimmy Savile looks ridiculously young! Very early-90s feel with graphics etc all round.
But yeah, you can tell the TOTP documentary was made in about 2002, especially with Jamie Theakston walking around the old set and saying how the show's almost 40 years old. And then suddenly disappearing five minutes before the end.
The old 'turn the lights off' gag had been done before and much better on the last SM:TV Live. Jimmy just turning the switch and then walking off was a bit of an anticlimax
What a bodge job this revised documentary is. They've added very latest moments at the end but its all in 4:3 ratio anyway.. Urggh..
Agreed. It was an absolute mess, cobbled together on the cheap, which the BBC should be thoroughly ashamed of.
The end of the original part of the show ended on a triumphant note, with the narrator Jamie Theakston wrapping things up by telling us how Top Of The Pops is just as popular "today" (ie. 2000) and is entering yet another golden era. Since it was billed as a "new" documentary rather than a repeat of a 6-year old documentary, the least they could have done was to edit this bit out, since it is now completely irrelevant.
Then 10 minutes were added, to bring us up to the present day, in a totally different editorial style, without any of Theakston's narration.
It was also apparent that much of the material on the final edition of TOTP was lazily taken from this 6-year old tribute show.
The old 'turn the lights off' gag had been done before and much better on the last SM:TV Live. Jimmy just turning the switch and then walking off was a bit of an anticlimax
It was like that on L&K but with a red handle saying do not pull.
I'd say around 1992