0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to the sound of the '80s.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05It's a new year and a new chart and as young as ever,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07it's Top Of The Pops! Woo-hoo!
0:00:07 > 0:00:10MUSIC: Atomic by Blondie
0:00:10 > 0:00:131980 - start of a brand-new decade,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16with a whole new generation of British pop stars.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It had been all we'd been aiming for
0:00:18 > 0:00:22and it was just absolutely incredible to be on it at all.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I had Leo Sayer's wig
0:00:24 > 0:00:27and Phil Oakey had half of Diana Ross's wig.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30That was a Thursday night - on the Saturday morning we sold
0:00:30 > 0:00:31quarter of a million records
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and I couldn't walk down the street any more.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It would be a year of change for Top Of The Pops,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44which began 1980 still mired in its light entertainment past,
0:00:44 > 0:00:49with a long-serving orchestra and outdated working practices.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52He said, "Don't touch that, that someone else's job!"
0:00:52 > 0:00:56But later in this year, the show would get a new producer...
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Right and...cue track.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00MUSIC: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin
0:01:00 > 0:01:02..and go through a radical makeover.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Absolutely wonderful, it's just like New Year's Eve.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Let's start off with Madness.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07The whole place livened up a bit,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10it was a bit of an injection of enthusiasm into the whole show.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- Mind if I butt in?- You're Russ Abbot, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Complete with new showbiz guest presenters.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- Olivia Newton-John. - Adam and The Ants.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20- We're going to take you for a walk in the park.- Come here, you.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23- Careful, careful.- How come you always look so brown?
0:01:23 > 0:01:24It's rust, mate.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30MUSIC: Food For Thought by UB40
0:01:30 > 0:01:32But that was all to come.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35The year started very differently...
0:01:35 > 0:01:37ALL: What do we want? 20%.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40..With a distinctly 1970s hangover.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44And the government are determined to have a real go at the steelworkers.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Mrs Thatcher was in her second year of power,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50but her goal of an '80s economic revolution
0:01:50 > 0:01:52would be a long time coming.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55We knew the inflation figures were going to be bad,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57but at nearly 22%,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00they were beyond even the most pessimistic forecasts.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03And policies like selling off council houses
0:02:03 > 0:02:05divided the country...
0:02:07 > 0:02:09..but only stiffened her resolve.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The Lady's not for turning.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16MUSIC: My Girl by Madness
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Meanwhile, at Television Centre...
0:02:18 > 0:02:20And now, to get things under way
0:02:20 > 0:02:23for this first edition of Top Of The Pops of 1980,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25it's Madness.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29..Top Of The Pops still had the same production team,
0:02:29 > 0:02:30the same look
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and felt stuck in the mid-'70s.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37# My girl's mad at me
0:02:37 > 0:02:40# I didn't want to see the film tonight... #
0:02:40 > 0:02:43You know, it didn't feel in any way we were moving into
0:02:43 > 0:02:44the modern new future,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47having "1980" in giant polystyrene letters behind us.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51# Why can't she see... #
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Nothing had changed, you know? It was exactly the same.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57You know, those starburst lights and really static,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59prosaic, rock 'n' roll lighting.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01OK, stand by TK 37...
0:03:01 > 0:03:04You know, the technology was very limited.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Stand by VT 6.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08MUSIC: Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes
0:03:11 > 0:03:13There was a real sort of struggling with
0:03:13 > 0:03:15the identity of the show at that time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20It was kind of like a mixture of old and new
0:03:20 > 0:03:22and for the first time ever,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25they had this kind of like winding staircase
0:03:25 > 0:03:27that some of the acts and presenters used to use.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Of course, you still had a tiny audience in there.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33They're herding them around and you've still got
0:03:33 > 0:03:35cameras zooming in and people diving out of the way...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38MUSIC: Turn It On Again by Genesis
0:03:38 > 0:03:43..with a crowd who are making no sort of natural reaction
0:03:43 > 0:03:45to the bands in front of them.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48# I have known you for so very long
0:03:48 > 0:03:51# Feel like a friend
0:03:51 > 0:03:53# Can't you do anything for me?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56# Can I touch you for a while? #
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Another thing that was quite emblematic of the old school
0:03:59 > 0:04:00Top Of The Pops way of doing things -
0:04:00 > 0:04:03it's the unfortunate cutaway shots that you would see
0:04:03 > 0:04:07during The Vapors' performance of Turning Japanese.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10MUSIC: Turning Japanese by The Vapors
0:04:12 > 0:04:15I guess when I thought and dreamt about
0:04:15 > 0:04:17if I was ever going to be on Top Of The Pops,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I didn't think I would be sharing the screen with sumo wrestlers.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22That was never the plan.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24# I got your picture
0:04:24 > 0:04:27# Of me and you
0:04:27 > 0:04:29# You wrote I love you... #
0:04:29 > 0:04:31But what they did was, they put all these Japanese images up -
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I guess it was something to do with the lyrics of the song.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese
0:04:37 > 0:04:39# I really think so
0:04:39 > 0:04:42# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese
0:04:42 > 0:04:44# I really think so
0:04:45 > 0:04:47# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese
0:04:47 > 0:04:49# I really think so... #
0:04:49 > 0:04:51We thought, well, that's a nice touch and then
0:04:51 > 0:04:54these images just kept on coming, all through the song.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57You know, when we went home and watched it the next night, you know?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Everyone crowds into the living room
0:04:59 > 0:05:01and it seemed to be, we didn't really get much of a look-in.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Now this is The Vapors and Turning Japanese.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08So the second time we do it...
0:05:10 > 0:05:12You've got to remember,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I'm playing on a completely ridiculous drum kit,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17made of plastic cymbals, pads on the drums
0:05:17 > 0:05:19and in my naivete, I thought,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22"I'm on TV, so I've got to play along
0:05:22 > 0:05:25"exactly as it is on the record -
0:05:25 > 0:05:27"otherwise someone's going to notice that we're miming."
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And then I dropped a drumstick.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36And I thought, "That's OK, I can quickly retrieve it
0:05:36 > 0:05:39"from round the side and get back and no-one will notice."
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Or at worst, they will realise that they will edit that bit out -
0:05:42 > 0:05:43it's got to be easy to edit out.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese
0:05:46 > 0:05:47# I really think so... #
0:05:47 > 0:05:50The message came down from the gallery, we've got to go again.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52So we did a second take, but what they've done is,
0:05:52 > 0:05:53they've kept the first part -
0:05:53 > 0:05:56which includes Howard's Stick-Gate incident
0:05:56 > 0:05:58and then they do the edit afterwards,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00to what was presumably the second take.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04So they preserved his ignominious moment for posterity.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05My moment of glory.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10People sometimes can be,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12"Oh, you were on Top Of The Pops, weren't you?"
0:06:12 > 0:06:14And then you know the next question that's coming.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17"Did you drop your drumstick when you were on Top Of The Pops?"
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Yeah, yeah.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22What a catchy tune - Turning Japanese,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I really think so. Yes, I do.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27MUSIC: Love Enough For Two by Prima Donna
0:06:30 > 0:06:32In April 1980,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34the Top Of The Pops Orchestra kept the flag flying
0:06:34 > 0:06:37for old school light entertainment,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39with the British Eurovision entry by Prima Donna.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44And it'd be a close-run thing
0:06:44 > 0:06:48between them and a young, callow Irishman.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Italy, ten points.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52L'irlande, douze points.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56'That's really it now, that means that Ireland have done it.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58As you can see, there's Johnny Logan,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and the United Kingdom with 106, in third place.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Johnny Logan, just disappeared under a mountain of Dutch flowers there.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09MUSIC: What's Another Year by Johnny Logan
0:07:12 > 0:07:16I went from winning the Eurovision to arriving in London,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18to staying in a hotel in Shepherd's Bush,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21to being taken to the BBC studios and I sang the thing live.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I sang What's Another Year live.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It was all kind of surreal.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28# I've been waiting
0:07:28 > 0:07:31# Such a long time
0:07:31 > 0:07:33# Looking out for you
0:07:33 > 0:07:36# But you're not here
0:07:38 > 0:07:40# What's another year? #
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Johnny Logan was a number one artist really,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48in the tradition of Top Of The Pops from three or four years before -
0:07:48 > 0:07:49he looked like a '70s star.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51# Reaching out for you
0:07:51 > 0:07:54# But you aren't near... #
0:07:54 > 0:07:56I think he was really, really the housewife's favourite, because
0:07:56 > 0:07:58he was the sort of boy
0:07:58 > 0:08:01that mums would want their daughter to go out with.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02There was a huge innocence.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It was genuine. That's probably the real...
0:08:07 > 0:08:09The thing, it wasn't put on, it wasn't acted out.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12I wasn't trying to be kitsch, that's the way I was.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14# What's another year
0:08:14 > 0:08:18# To someone who's getting used to being alone? #
0:08:18 > 0:08:20So many decisions were made for me.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Somebody from the record company
0:08:23 > 0:08:25was given the job of taking me to a shop
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and getting me clothes to do Top Of The Pops -
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and the clothes were awful.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I don't wear jackets draped on my shoulder.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37That's just the way somebody saw me look, you know?
0:08:37 > 0:08:41They wanted a vocal version of a guy called Bobby Crush,
0:08:41 > 0:08:42who was a piano player.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44He was a huge guy, back in the '70s.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47MUSIC: Borsalino by Bobby Crush
0:08:47 > 0:08:49The record company said,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52"We've got somebody who's perfect for this market."
0:08:52 > 0:08:54And you know, that's what they wanted.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59But the bands that I was interested in...
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I really liked The Stranglers, The Pistols...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06I wanted to be doing the stuff that was happening at the time.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I wanted to suddenly leap from What's Another Year into...
0:09:09 > 0:09:13You know, like, sort of the New Romantic period, or...
0:09:13 > 0:09:14I was 24 years old.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19In one of his final appearances on Top Of The Pops,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22backstage, Johnny encountered a young band who thought
0:09:22 > 0:09:25they were about to be the future of pop music.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30We were thrown into a melting pot, with people who were,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34ostensibly, nothing like that wanted to be or aspire to.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37And so, we wanted to hate them.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39You know, the likes of OMD...
0:09:40 > 0:09:44I was going to twat the lead singer in the dressing room,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46because he was a bit...
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Shall we say, not as respectful as I thought he should have been.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52# What's another year? #
0:09:53 > 0:09:56But the truth is that on Top Of The Pops in 1980,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59old-fashioned Johnny might have had that encounter
0:09:59 > 0:10:03with any one of a vast range of musical tribes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04What's Another Year?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07MUSIC: Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Synth futurists, OMD fought for the limelight with
0:10:09 > 0:10:12head-bangers...
0:10:12 > 0:10:13..Mods,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Rude Boys,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Teddy Boys
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and this unique tribe of young soul rebels.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Come with me just a bit
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and I will introduce you to some people from Birmingham,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27by the name of Dexy's Midnight Runners.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30MUSIC: Burn It Down by Dexy's Midnight Runners
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Kevin's a friend of mine. I've got a lot of respect for Kevin.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35He's a very passionate guy -
0:10:35 > 0:10:38what you see and what you hear with them is real.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41# I'll only ask you once more... #
0:10:41 > 0:10:46They started out very much like a tribal or a gang mentality.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48With him it was a whole philosophy, it was a lifestyle
0:10:48 > 0:10:51and the music kind of embodied that.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54# You only want to believe... #
0:10:56 > 0:11:01It was my culture, you know? It was that feeling of belonging, you know?
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Of being a part of something.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I realised that people would want to feel again.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08That's what happened after punk for me.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12I realised that people would want to feel, feel more...
0:11:12 > 0:11:14And you know, be glamorous and look good.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It was everything. I was completely obsessed with it.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24With Dexy's Midnight Runners, I mean, I remember seeing them in
0:11:24 > 0:11:25The Music Machine -
0:11:25 > 0:11:29which was just a little club in Camden Town - to see another band.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And they all came marching in and this was a night out for Dexy's.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34They all had their bags, scarves and woollen hats
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and they all stood in a line at the front of the concert.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39MUSIC: Geno by Madness
0:11:41 > 0:11:43The New York dockers thing...
0:11:43 > 0:11:46How we got that was, Jim, who used to play the trombone,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48he walked into the rehearsal room one day
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and he had a woolly hat on, because it was winter.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52He had a donkey jacket, his collar up
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and he was playing the trombone and he looked fantastic.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55It was a great look.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59# Back in '68 in a sweaty club
0:11:59 > 0:12:01# Oh, Geno... #
0:12:01 > 0:12:04That image stuck in my mind - what you wore was everything.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06It always took loads of work.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Massive attention to detail.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10# Oh, Geno... #
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Unlike their punk predecessors -
0:12:12 > 0:12:13such as the Clash,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16who turned their nose up at Top Of The Pops...
0:12:19 > 0:12:23..these musical tribes wanted to be seen and to entertain
0:12:23 > 0:12:25and came drilled and dressed for every show.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32In 1980, Madness had a different look for every Top Of The Pops.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34It was always an idea that we'd dress up
0:12:34 > 0:12:37or do something theatrical when we appeared.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40We had a very good connection with a costumiers in Camden,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43called Berman and Nathan's, which was really serious.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46It wasn't like some crummy old fancy dress shop.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I remember once, we got our hands on these authentic copies uniforms
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and we heard that The Clash were rehearsing round the corner.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56And we steamed into their dressing room
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and there was just the sound of toilets flushing and doors slamming.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01And they never spoke to us for five years.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06We were doing Night Boat To Cairo
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and we were all going to wear these pith helmets and khaki shorts
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and I came out and no-one else had bothered.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14MUSIC: Night Boat To Cairo by Madness
0:13:14 > 0:13:16# It's just gone noon half past monsoon
0:13:16 > 0:13:17# On the banks of the River Nile... #
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Someone had put a fez on, but they were still wearing their suit
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and a couple of tea towels.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24# Oarsman grins a toothless smile
0:13:24 > 0:13:27# Only just one more to this desolate shore
0:13:27 > 0:13:30# Last boat along the River Nile. #
0:13:30 > 0:13:32And I remember looking across to the other stage and there were
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Dexy's Midnight Runners, having thrown their bags and scarves...
0:13:36 > 0:13:39All looking like On The Waterfront cool
0:13:39 > 0:13:40and I remember thinking,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42"Yeah, hang on, this has gone a bit far, actually."
0:13:42 > 0:13:44CHANTING: What do we want? 20%!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- That's right.- 20 %!
0:13:47 > 0:13:49What these 1980 tribes had in common,
0:13:49 > 0:13:54from young soul rebels to rude boys to synth futurists
0:13:54 > 0:13:56was working class roots.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Talks have been going on, but there's no sign of any agreement.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03The steel industry faces an unhappy Easter.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06And in contrast to art school middle-class punks,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09their upbringing gave them a different attitude
0:14:09 > 0:14:11to Top Of The Pops...
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Scargill was at the head of a march in Sheffield,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16to protest against government spending cuts.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18We're from working-class backgrounds
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and at the time, you know, the political scene and everything -
0:14:22 > 0:14:25there were some very depressed areas in the UK.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30If we did get the opportunity
0:14:30 > 0:14:33to go on a programme like Top Of The Pops,
0:14:33 > 0:14:34we were all going to take it,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37because it was our way out of, you know,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40not having to go into like,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43the steelworks or a job that your mum and dad have done.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46And you know, that's your chance and you're going to grab it.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50We were definitely a different generation.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52You know, we didn't hate Top Of The Pops.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55When it was offered to us, we were going to take it with both hands.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Ten, nine, eight...
0:14:58 > 0:15:01And the 8th May, 1980 would prove to be
0:15:01 > 0:15:04a historic show for fledgling synth pop...
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Pick up 65...
0:15:05 > 0:15:08..as old gent producer Robin Nash
0:15:08 > 0:15:10gambled on two records outside the top 50...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Nine... Run both.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15MUSIC: Red Frame White Light by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
0:15:15 > 0:15:18..handing debuts to both The Human League and OMD.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23We were in Brussels, just finishing a European tour.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24We got a phone call...
0:15:26 > 0:15:27We almost didn't make it,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29because this was in the time when
0:15:29 > 0:15:31there was no mobile phones, obviously.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Some guy came running out of the hotel as we were pulling out,
0:15:35 > 0:15:36just waving frantically
0:15:36 > 0:15:38and we thought, "OK, who's not paid the bill?"
0:15:38 > 0:15:40So we just put our foot down and floored it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42And so we stopped it and he said,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45"Oh, important phone call from your record label."
0:15:45 > 0:15:49The song had leapt into the charts at the giddy heights of number 54.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53We flew in. The problem was, our equipment was still on the ferry.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56The next day, I nearly didn't make it, because
0:15:56 > 0:15:58we'd been very kindly allowed to stay
0:15:58 > 0:16:01on Richard Branson's private barge.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Turns out that actually, it was being refurbished
0:16:03 > 0:16:06and on the day of my first ever Top Of The Pops, I was woken up
0:16:06 > 0:16:08by a 12 inch industrial drillbit,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11coming through the wall above my head.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I was almost lobotomised before I made it to the studio.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16From Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19this is going to be a smash. It's called Messages.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22MUSIC: Messages by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
0:16:22 > 0:16:26We get down there and because the song was only number 54,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29the audience didn't know who we were and had never heard the song.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Nobody wanted to stand in front of us.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Whilst we were standing there, I could hear them going,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40"Who are they?" "I don't know, have you heard of them?" "No, I haven't."
0:16:40 > 0:16:44And then there was a couple who were just waving to their mother.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49# It worries me this kind of thing
0:16:49 > 0:16:52# Hope you hope to live alone
0:16:52 > 0:16:57# And occupy your waking hours... #
0:16:58 > 0:17:01We were mortified that we were having to do Top Of The Pops
0:17:01 > 0:17:04with acoustic drums.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07# I just wept I couldn't understand... #
0:17:07 > 0:17:10We asked Malcolm if he'd just stand up, not sit down
0:17:10 > 0:17:15and they'd given him a kit and we'd basically started taking things -
0:17:15 > 0:17:17"No cymbals, no toms. Right, you've got that."
0:17:17 > 0:17:20He says, "I'm not standing up to play that, I'm going to sit down."
0:17:20 > 0:17:23So he looks really pissed off, if you look at the footage.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24He hated it.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29It was bad enough we played synthesisers,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33because they were taking away the jobs of Top Of The Pops musicians.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35And so when we asked if we could have the tape recorder,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38they were like, "Ooh, I don't know, we'll have to talk about that."
0:17:38 > 0:17:39We did get away with a tape recorder,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42but the Musicians' Union had bright yellow stickers that said
0:17:42 > 0:17:44"Keep Music Live",
0:17:44 > 0:17:47which we used to have on the spools of the tape recorder.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49They wouldn't let us keep them on!
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- I wonder why! - That was poking the snake.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54MUSIC: Rock 'n' Roll by The Human League
0:17:57 > 0:18:00A tape recorder that played percussion and backing tracks
0:18:00 > 0:18:03was an essential accessory for any synth band.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And OMD's machine didn't just rile the MU.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Their tape recorder had history.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I thought that OMD just nicked our stuff.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23We had been over to Manchester to play Tony Wilson's club.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25One of the guys there helped settle the stuff up.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29He was so interested in what we were doing, trying to get all the details.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31And he rang us up a few months later
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and asked for the sort of makes of the tape recorder and things
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and that I think, was OMD's manager at the time.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41So we felt a little bit like they'd borrowed quite a lot from us.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44# Do you still recall in the jukebox hall
0:18:44 > 0:18:46# When the music played? #
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Noses were a bit out of joint when we discovered each other.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54There was in no way an attempt by us to copy them.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56If we were copying anyone, initially,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59we were trying to be Kraftwerk, but realised quite early on
0:18:59 > 0:19:03that we didn't have the technology to be able to emulate Kraftwerk.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I was massively competitive in every way,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12to any band that could take any attention from us.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18I would do them down or avoid them.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20To claw your way into the charts was so hard,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23I wasn't really going to give any quarter.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24# Times are changing fast
0:19:24 > 0:19:26# But we won't forget
0:19:26 > 0:19:28# Though that age is past
0:19:28 > 0:19:31# We'll be rockin' yet. #
0:19:31 > 0:19:33The first time we went on Top Of The Pops,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35it had been all we'd been aiming for
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and although we were a bit sort of hip and standoffish,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41we religiously watched Top Of The Pops
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and it was just absolutely incredible to be on it at all.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And we knew we didn't deserve it - you weren't supposed to go on
0:19:48 > 0:19:50unless you went in the top 40
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and I think we were in at number 56.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53I don't think we went up -
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I think our appearance took it down, strangely.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02We thought that if you did weird music, you should look weird.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I grew up in a macho world and to see Roxy Music with their make-up on,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08high heels, I'd think, "Oh! I don't have to be macho,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11"I can be my own thing and not be horribly masculine."
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I think I still looked more like a woman in drag
0:20:16 > 0:20:17than a man in drag.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I watched it the other day and I actually thought it looked quite good.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I thought I'd done my make-up quite well.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Really, probably the biggest defining difference was that
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I had Leo Sayer's wig
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and Phil Oakey had half of Diana Ross's wig.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Oh, he's going to hate me for that!
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Stoking the fire again.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40No, we love The Human League.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43We do love The Human League, they're brilliant.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45MUSIC: Underpass by John Foxx
0:20:45 > 0:20:48While synth pop gave the show a taste of a future
0:20:48 > 0:20:50that was just round the corner,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52the upper reaches of the chart
0:20:52 > 0:20:56were still full of one '70s style that refused to go away.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58APPLAUSE
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I tell you, this disco business is thirsty business.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03This is liquid gold - or rather, this...
0:21:03 > 0:21:04is Liquid Gold.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06MUSIC: Dance Yourself Dizzy by Liquid Gold
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Disco's never died.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Especially at that time, when we were quite young,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15we were very much into the same sort of music.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19# Tonight
0:21:19 > 0:21:22# They're turning on the heat
0:21:22 > 0:21:23# Tonight. #
0:21:23 > 0:21:26If a disco tune came on anywhere, we'd be up there, dancing.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Yeah. Oh, I love disco.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- Never felt uncool about it, either...- No, never bothered.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33..because it's just brilliant. It makes people feel good.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35You get up, you have a dance, you smile.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40# Dance yourself dizzy
0:21:40 > 0:21:43# When they boogaloo. #
0:21:43 > 0:21:47In 1980, Top Of The Pops showcased huge disco hits
0:21:47 > 0:21:48for the likes of Liquid Gold.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52# ..an open door for you... #
0:21:52 > 0:21:55but the year's biggest selling disco hit was in fact
0:21:55 > 0:21:59written by a Top Of The Pops star from its '70s yesteryear...
0:21:59 > 0:22:02MUSIC: In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry
0:22:02 > 0:22:04..Ray Dorset, of Mungo Jerry.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10I was a big Elvis fan.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14He was going through this period of time where his star was changing
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and Barry Murray, who was the producer of In The Summertime
0:22:17 > 0:22:19was also a big Elvis fan.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23And he said to me that he could get a song to Elvis.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26And I got this idea of a '70s
0:22:26 > 0:22:29kind of a disco style thing, you know?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32MUSIC: Feels Like I'm In Love by Ray Dorset
0:22:32 > 0:22:34You know? And I got this...
0:22:34 > 0:22:36# My head is in a spin... #
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Like, in an Elvis-y voice...
0:22:38 > 0:22:39# My head is in a spin
0:22:39 > 0:22:41# My feet don't touch the ground
0:22:41 > 0:22:43# Because you're near to me
0:22:43 > 0:22:45# My head goes round and round
0:22:45 > 0:22:47# My knees are shakin' baby
0:22:47 > 0:22:49# My heart it beats like a drum
0:22:49 > 0:22:51# To the drum, boo-boo
0:22:51 > 0:22:52# To the drum
0:22:52 > 0:22:54# It feels like
0:22:54 > 0:22:57# It feels like I'm in love. #
0:23:00 > 0:23:02And that's how it went, right?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Before I had a chance to get it off to him,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Elvis passed away.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08And I thought, oh... I couldn't believe it.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10# My head is in a spin
0:23:10 > 0:23:12# My feet don't touch the ground
0:23:12 > 0:23:14# Because you're near to me
0:23:14 > 0:23:15# My head goes round and round. #
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I was played it on the guitar by Ray
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and it was sounding more like a country and western song
0:23:21 > 0:23:24than a pop song, which I was used to doing.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26# It feels like... #
0:23:26 > 0:23:29But when we went into the studio and the track was put down,
0:23:29 > 0:23:30the rest is history.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33MUSIC: Feels Like I'm In Love by Kelly Marie
0:23:34 > 0:23:36# My heart beats like a drum. #
0:23:36 > 0:23:39And I had a normal drum - du-du-dum, du-du-dum,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42OK, went out on my demo.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45But by this time, the Syndrum thing had come round, you see?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47This is a drum kit, would you believe?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50And you found that if you tweaked them,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52instead of sounding like a drum or a normal snare, you get this
0:23:52 > 0:23:53"doo-doo" sound.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- Tom-tom. - DOO-DOO DOO-DOO
0:23:55 > 0:23:57"Doo-doo", you know?
0:23:57 > 0:23:58But for years... I mean,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I had people following me in the street, going "doo-doo"!
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Before Top Of The Pops, we auditioned Tony and Pinky.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12The boys were very flamboyant.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Because it was such an energetic song,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I just thought it would be nice if we had
0:24:18 > 0:24:20a couple of nice boys either side.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28But Kelly, Tony and Pinky were never meant to appear on Top Of The Pops.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31The playlist is a selection of 40 records
0:24:31 > 0:24:34judged suitable for maximum exposure on the air.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36The decision at the end of the day is a crucial one -
0:24:36 > 0:24:38for the artists and the record companies.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Candidate in at 4 - oh, equals at 47.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Radio One's playlist police made or broke records
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and they never gave Kelly's single a chance.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52And the record company had actually stopped pressing the single,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55when Ray had a chance meeting in a northern club.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I gave the record to a DJ, because the DJ said,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00"I really like this, can I keep it?"
0:25:00 > 0:25:04And it started selling, you know? About three records a day.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06And then it went up to about 20 a day
0:25:06 > 0:25:08and then it went on and on and on.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11It became a kind of gay dance anthem.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And then the record company were getting orders and they were looking
0:25:14 > 0:25:17at the catalogue number saying, what is this record? You know?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22They decided to start repressing it,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25so the people made that record.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27# My knees are shakin' baby
0:25:27 > 0:25:29# My heart it beats like a drum. #
0:25:30 > 0:25:33It stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37It was nearly the highest selling single of 1980.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39And I beat The Jam.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41APPLAUSE
0:25:43 > 0:25:46From the West Coast of the states, produced by Phil Spector,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49a sound that's so big, it's going to go massive.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53It's The Ramones on Baby I Love You.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56MUSIC: Baby I Love You by The Ramones
0:26:01 > 0:26:04# Have I ever told you... #
0:26:05 > 0:26:07At the start of 1980,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10many disco and other acts on the show were still obliged
0:26:10 > 0:26:13to play with the veteran Top Of The Pops Orchestra.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17But in spring,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20the BBC sharpened their axe.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23The BBC has announced details of the cuts that could be on the way soon,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26so that the corporation can clear its overdraft.
0:26:26 > 0:26:291,500 jobs will go and five orchestras will disappear.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Now I think that losing five orchestras is a bit harsh,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38but losing the Top Of The Pops Orchestra...
0:26:38 > 0:26:39No, not harsh at all,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42because they shouldn't have been there by this time.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Their union says it will fight
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and talks of an all-out strike of BBC musicians.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50In a microcosm of what was happening elsewhere in Britain,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53the BBC was suddenly deep in a dispute.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57There was a union ban on any music being performed at the BBC,
0:26:57 > 0:27:02with the union mounting a noisy picket outside Broadcasting House...
0:27:04 > 0:27:06..outside Parliament...
0:27:07 > 0:27:10..and just outside Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham...
0:27:11 > 0:27:12..while they were live on air.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14BAND OUTSIDE PLAYS RULE BRITANNIA
0:27:14 > 0:27:16I feel like if I had had an auntie like you, Jenny,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I feel I would have grown up a lot quicker.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21- I do... Actually, I am an auntie. - Oh, is that right?
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I have two nephews and a niece and do have to say immediately,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26you didn't really have to bring a band for me.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27LAUGHTER
0:27:29 > 0:27:32It would take nine weeks for the dispute to be settled,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34resulting in no Top Of The Pops
0:27:34 > 0:27:37throughout the whole of June and July.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40But the strike was a crucial moment of change for the show,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43with the orchestra leaving and a brand-new producer arriving -
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Michael Hurll -
0:27:45 > 0:27:47who, during the strike,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50recorded a pilot for a new-look Top Of The Pops.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Hello and welcome from me
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and to be or not to be, it's got to be BA Robertson.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00The pilot was a testing ground for new ideas of dual presenters...
0:28:00 > 0:28:02..and just sit on your father's neck
0:28:02 > 0:28:03and then you'll be on Top Of The Pops.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Absolutely right.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08..state-of-the-art on-screen graphics...
0:28:09 > 0:28:12The face you see behind me - the voice you're just about to see...
0:28:12 > 0:28:16..and a giant - for 1980 - video screen
0:28:16 > 0:28:17that almost worked.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Right, are you set now for the bottom 10 of the top 30?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26This is how we start - with heavy metal at its best,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29it's Saxon, 747 Strangers In The Night.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31But as no musicians were available
0:28:31 > 0:28:34to play on the pilot during the strike,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37a cast of technicians and hired extras
0:28:37 > 0:28:39filled in the roles of Saxon...
0:28:39 > 0:28:42MUSIC: 747 Strangers In The Night by Saxon
0:28:42 > 0:28:43..Thin Lizzy...
0:28:43 > 0:28:46MUSIC: Chinatown by Thin Lizzy
0:28:50 > 0:28:51..and Leo Sayer.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56MUSIC: More Than I Can Say by Leo Sayer
0:29:03 > 0:29:06I personally was Leo Sayer that day.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Not exactly a spitting image -
0:29:10 > 0:29:13certainly not the haircut at the time anyway, that's for sure.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Mainly, it was just to be standing there for lighting -
0:29:19 > 0:29:21and of course my particular bit as Leo Sayer -
0:29:21 > 0:29:24there wasn't a lot of movement involved.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I just had to stand there and go through the motions of the song.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30I mean, just for my own interest, I suppose, really,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33I attempted to lip-sync the song as much as I could.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36Didn't know the lyrics, as you can see from the clip!
0:29:37 > 0:29:38So I was fooling no-one.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Live music programmes, from Top Of The Pops to the Proms,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50will be back on BBC radio and television next week.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51The Musicians' Union strike,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54that's kept live music off the air for nine weeks
0:29:54 > 0:29:56has been ended by an overwhelming vote
0:29:56 > 0:29:58from musicians working for the BBC.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Hello, we're back and you're welcome to Top Of The Pops.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Thank you for joining us this evening and when I say us,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- I say myself and one Elton John. - Good evening, Peter.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10- Hello, thank you for joining us on the show.- It's quite a pleasure. What have we got on tonight?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Let me tell you what we've got on the show tonight. Starting off with...
0:30:13 > 0:30:14MUSIC: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin
0:30:14 > 0:30:16ABBA, with a forthcoming album coming out soon.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18When the show returned in August,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22all of the changes tried out in the pilot were implemented.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Roxy Music are live on Top Of The Pops.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27The show started with an extended menu,
0:30:27 > 0:30:31as it spent more time building excitement...
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and explaining the arrows on the new-look chart.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38- If the arrows are going up, it means is going up, doesn't it? - I think so.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- If the arrows are going down, that means it's going down.- Definitely.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43- Would you like to know what's in the chart?- Yeah.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45It's a band called The Gibson Brothers.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48They are live and they are live right now, with Mariana.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52And the studio audience, having long seemed lost and bewildered,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56was now twice the size and seemingly happy.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58MUSIC: Mariana by The Gibson Brothers
0:31:01 > 0:31:04# Love of my life
0:31:04 > 0:31:06# I will never leave you. #
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Definitely things got more animated when Michael Hurll came in.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10And the whole place livened up a bit,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13it was a bit of an injection of enthusiasm into the whole show.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15They'd obviously sent out the press-gang
0:31:15 > 0:31:17and insisted that they got more kids in there.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20The whole thing did feel bigger and more professional.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Big change, of course, with the look of the show was that
0:31:27 > 0:31:30the audience wasn't just in front of the act that was playing.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33So you didn't have camera-audience-band,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36but the stages were made so that you could get people round the back
0:31:36 > 0:31:39or the sides or even above, up the gantries, looking down.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42So there was a feeling that the audience were part of the show.
0:31:42 > 0:31:43It's much more inclusive that way.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47MUSIC: Ace Of Spades by Motorhead
0:31:51 > 0:31:531980 was actually the first year
0:31:53 > 0:31:55that I set foot in a Top Of The Pops studio
0:31:55 > 0:31:57as a member of the audience.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58# If you like to gamble
0:31:58 > 0:32:00# I tell you I'm your man
0:32:00 > 0:32:02# You win some, lose some
0:32:02 > 0:32:04# It's all the same to me. #
0:32:04 > 0:32:07In that studio, there were genuine music fans.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09In particular, Motorhead -
0:32:09 > 0:32:10you actually see fans,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12for the very first time, of that band
0:32:12 > 0:32:14in the Top Of The Pops studio.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19# I don't share your greed
0:32:19 > 0:32:20# The only card I need is
0:32:20 > 0:32:22# The ace of spades
0:32:22 > 0:32:24# The ace of spades. #
0:32:25 > 0:32:27You've got people sort of head-banging
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and really thrashing about.
0:32:29 > 0:32:30That's a Michael Hurll thing,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34because he didn't just want anybody in that Top Of The Pops studio.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37If he could get fans in of the acts -
0:32:37 > 0:32:39that was the way that he wanted to go.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48And when the show's audience wasn't at its animated best,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52then Michael Hurll did have his methods.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54'One programme I presented...
0:32:54 > 0:32:57'The audience were, shall we say, a little lacklustre.'
0:32:57 > 0:33:01And this big shout came out of the tannoy system,
0:33:01 > 0:33:02which was very unusual -
0:33:02 > 0:33:06which was to cut, cut, cut, coming to the floor.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09He came down to the floor and he was puce with anger.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11And he said,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13"Unless this audience gets its act together,
0:33:13 > 0:33:16"I am going to clear the studio."
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Everybody was petrified
0:33:18 > 0:33:20and you'd never seen a more enthusiastic crowd
0:33:20 > 0:33:22than the one that followed that announcement.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Strange man.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Very, very powerful man in that studio.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29PHONE RINGS
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Hello?
0:33:31 > 0:33:34In truth, the man who was moving Top Of The Pops into the future
0:33:34 > 0:33:37had a style that was close to Thatcher,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41taking an old-fashioned authoritarian stance...
0:33:41 > 0:33:42Right and...cue track.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44MUSIC: Toccata by Sky
0:33:44 > 0:33:46..and fiercely enforcing Top Of The Pops rules
0:33:46 > 0:33:48on young '80s bands.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50He was very much the executive guy,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53he was pretty much the guy that was up in the box.
0:33:53 > 0:33:54He was God.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Occasionally, you know, instructions came down from God
0:33:57 > 0:33:58to move this or change that
0:33:58 > 0:34:01or "Hang on, we need to reshoot that and move the lights".
0:34:01 > 0:34:02OK, Steve.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04It was just this disembodied voice,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06- this instruction that came down from the gantry.- Yeah, you heard...
0:34:06 > 0:34:08And standby...
0:34:08 > 0:34:10You did feel like you were being talked down to
0:34:10 > 0:34:12by a headmaster at a public school.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13Right, where's that boy gone?
0:34:13 > 0:34:16And it did grate, you know? It grated a lot.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18And when you're recording a programme as live
0:34:18 > 0:34:21and you've got, you know, us and Dexy's Midnight Runners and UB40
0:34:21 > 0:34:24and Adam and The Ants, all running around, causing chaos,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27it obviously had to be a bit strict, to get the show done.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29He didn't suffer fools -
0:34:29 > 0:34:32if anybody played up in that studio,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35he would be straight down from the gallery.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38The pitter-patter of tiny feet as Michael Hurll's feet
0:34:38 > 0:34:40came down the metal staircase,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43because the director's thing was quite high up.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44And we knew that we were in trouble
0:34:44 > 0:34:47and you could just hear these feet coming down.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49And I remember one time, he just said to us,
0:34:49 > 0:34:53"You're an embarrassment to yourselves and the BBC."
0:34:53 > 0:34:56And I thought he was going to say, "..and the Queen".
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Our sax player first got us in trouble.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02He did all the rehearsals with a real saxophone
0:35:02 > 0:35:04and when it came to the shoot, somebody didn't notice and
0:35:04 > 0:35:06by the time they panned round to Lee,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08he was playing a plastic saxophone.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10More often than not, it would include Lee doing something
0:35:10 > 0:35:11that hadn't been rehearsed.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Like leaping into the audience.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15One time, Lee came on with a T-shirt that said,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17"I need the BBC..."
0:35:17 > 0:35:20And the next one said,.. "..like a hole in the head."
0:35:20 > 0:35:22As he peeled that one off,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24I think that was when we were banned for the fourth time.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Because we were banned a lot from Top Of The Pops.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28And it was a strange dichotomy,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31that Michael Hurll wanted you to have fun, but at the same time,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33wanted it to look like you were seriously playing
0:35:33 > 0:35:34when everybody -
0:35:34 > 0:35:37even people who didn't understand the recording process -
0:35:37 > 0:35:38knew that you were miming.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41MUSIC: Baggy Trousers by Madness
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Michael started to get us in earlier and earlier,
0:35:47 > 0:35:48but sometimes we'd disappear.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51I remember one time, we'd inveigle ourselves into the BBC bar,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54the subsidised BBC bar...
0:35:54 > 0:35:56We were getting in the lift, having left the bar
0:35:56 > 0:35:59and the doors opened and there were Hot Gossip
0:35:59 > 0:36:01and it was like, come on, what are you talking about?
0:36:01 > 0:36:03I think there were about six of them.
0:36:03 > 0:36:04The lift held about ten people
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and there were seven of us, but there was no way anyone in the band
0:36:07 > 0:36:09was going to miss out a chance of being squished in a lift
0:36:09 > 0:36:10with Hot Gossip.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Then the lift got stuck.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15You know, and it was kind of like, is it our fault, is not our fault?
0:36:15 > 0:36:17But then Michael Hurll went ballistic.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19He would literally say, "You're not coming on the show,
0:36:19 > 0:36:20"we're not recording you."
0:36:22 > 0:36:25You know, three or four, five weeks later, we'd have another hit
0:36:25 > 0:36:27and he would just have to ask us back.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29MUSIC: The Earth Dies Screaming by UB40
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Even with that conflict,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Michael Hurll's Top Of The Pops now saw hordes of young teens
0:36:35 > 0:36:37up and dancing to the tunes of the day.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Including - in a somewhat surreal fashion -
0:36:42 > 0:36:45UB40, singing The Earth Dies Screaming.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Released after the government decided to house
0:36:49 > 0:36:52US nuclear weapons on British soil.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Two sites have been named as bases for cruise missiles.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58The American Air Force standby base at Greenham Common
0:36:58 > 0:37:02and Molesworth, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08All we want to do is to protect our liberty and our freedom,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10by having adequate capability.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Over 100 villages will be living with
0:37:12 > 0:37:14a prime military target on their doorstep.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18You know, we go up quickly and the others might linger a little longer.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23This was a period of heightened tension in the Cold War,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26after Arms Limitation talks collapsed at the end of the '70s.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31If anyone dies while you are kept in your fallout room,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33move the body to another room in the house.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Label the body with name and address.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39And punk ska band, The Piranhas,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43began to climb the charts with their own take on the subject -
0:37:43 > 0:37:45the song, Tom Hark.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Does anybody know how long till World War Three?
0:37:48 > 0:37:52I want to know, I've got to book my holiday.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55They want me in the Army, but I just can't go.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58I'm far too busy listening to the radio.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01MUSIC: Tom Hark by The Piranhas
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Tom Hark is this kind of bouncy, play-go-round sing-along tune
0:38:04 > 0:38:06and yet it did have very apocalyptic lyrics,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09which were about the Third World War.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Basically, me being terrified and saying,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21"Look, I'm scared of this.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25"I'm not being macho about this, I'm terrified."
0:38:29 > 0:38:32The Piranhas had earned their indie band stripes
0:38:32 > 0:38:34and crafted their quirky style
0:38:34 > 0:38:38over three long years on the pub and college circuit.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41And now, The Piranhas, in a slightly less teasing mood.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44MUSIC: Space Invaders by The Piranhas
0:38:47 > 0:38:49We did six John Peel sessions.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53We quickly became kind of firmly entrenched as a John Peel band.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00We were playing gigs all over the country.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Often times, we weren't earning a great deal of money.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05We had a rusty old Transit van that fell apart.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08It was the kind of dirt under the fingernails,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12black-and-white grit of rock 'n' roll existence, if you like.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20But in August, The Piranhas' Tom Hark entered the charts
0:39:20 > 0:39:23and the band's rusty Transit van was headed for
0:39:23 > 0:39:28that very first edition of Michael Hurll's revamped Top Of The Pops.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30When we did Top Of The Pops,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32it was like walking through into Munchkinland.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36- Elton John.- Good evening, Peter.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Elton John comes over and says,
0:39:38 > 0:39:39"Welcome!"
0:39:39 > 0:39:41We're going, "Wow."
0:39:41 > 0:39:42Errol Brown and Hot Chocolate.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44"Wow, Errol Brown from Hot Chocolate!"
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Woo!
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Roxy Music and Oh Yeah.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50We were in the queue for make-up with Bryan Ferry.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53He'd just come back from a holiday in the Caribbean
0:39:53 > 0:39:54and he looked fantastic.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56And we said, "Why do you need to go to make-up?"
0:39:56 > 0:39:59And he said, "You know, just a little extra sparkle."
0:39:59 > 0:40:01# The whole thing's daft
0:40:01 > 0:40:02# I don't know why... #
0:40:02 > 0:40:06And The Piranhas debut on the first revamped Top Of The Pops
0:40:06 > 0:40:09saw their drummer discover his own brand of showbiz sparkle.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15The Piranhas' drummer was called Dick Slexia.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Dick was a little bit younger than us, very fit, he had a fine torso,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22which, on the day, he oiled up.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28I've got no idea whose idea it was for Dick to play the drums
0:40:28 > 0:40:29with fish instead of sticks.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33Playing the drums with a pair of plastic fish...
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Who am I to argue? I was wearing white gloves.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I think at that point,
0:40:40 > 0:40:42we had given up on any hope of having any credibility left
0:40:42 > 0:40:44after we'd done this.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51John Peel stopped playing us after we were on Top Of The Pops,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54which was a source of eternal regret.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56So you're going to end it like that, are you, you teasers?
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Those are The Piranhas. Good night and good riddance.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Without realising it, we'd, um...
0:41:01 > 0:41:02sold out.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Not for a very high price, I must say.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10APPLAUSE
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- No, I can't whistle either. - On that August night...
0:41:14 > 0:41:16The summer hit from The Piranhas...
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Peter Powell's double act with Elton was the first of many pairings...
0:41:19 > 0:41:21They're going to take you for a walk in the park.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24..as the new-look show brought a range of guest hosts
0:41:24 > 0:41:25onto Top Of The Pops.
0:41:25 > 0:41:26- Adam...- Adam and The Ants.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29And a thing called Dog Eat Dog.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30And a thing called Dog Eat Dog.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34- Anyway, I'm going to...- I'll be Nino, you be you.- Of course, OK.
0:41:34 > 0:41:35Sheena Easton.
0:41:35 > 0:41:36Not THE Sheena Easton?
0:41:36 > 0:41:39- What about me?- Who are you?
0:41:39 > 0:41:41- It's Super Cooper! - GIRLS SCREAM
0:41:41 > 0:41:44I can see why the guest host thing might have worked on paper,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47but often it's quite uncomfortable viewing.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50My name is Tommy Vance and to help me on the programme tonight,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52I've got the McVicar himself, Roger Daltrey -
0:41:52 > 0:41:54who's looking a bit miserable.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56With good reason, mate - with good reason.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57Why?
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I come all the way here to see The Clash and then I find they're not on.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Roger has to be the most unpredictable
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Top Of The Pops co-host ever.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09You just didn't know what he was going to say next.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Anyway, there's an awful lot I'd like to say about Legs and Co,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16but I'm afraid they'll probably bleep me out if I do.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19MUSIC: All Over The World by Electric Light Orchestra
0:42:23 > 0:42:26- Really trying to align himself to punk.- What about disco?
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- I can see you bopping along to disco.- Augh, can't stand it!
0:42:29 > 0:42:33Really pitching himself against disco in a way that is kind of...
0:42:33 > 0:42:36pretty distasteful... Borderline homophobic, I would say.
0:42:36 > 0:42:37It's terrible.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Terrible shame, Rog, because here come The Village People.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Maybe more than borderline. - Can't Stop The Music.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Watch your backs.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47MUSIC: Can't Stop The Music by The Village People
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Live before your very eyes - only Little and Large!
0:42:50 > 0:42:53CHEERING
0:42:53 > 0:42:55- Oy, oy!- Oy!
0:42:55 > 0:42:57As well as celebrity hosts,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59between the acts, the new-look show had sudden,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01almost spontaneous interviews.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Now earlier, I said we had a few surprise guests on the programme tonight.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07I wasn't expecting to have to do interviews
0:43:07 > 0:43:08when I did Top Of The Pops.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11'They would just suddenly thrust one of the Jacksons on me'
0:43:11 > 0:43:13and say, um...
0:43:13 > 0:43:15"Have a chat with him." And you just had to busk it.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- So we might do something together again.- The Jackson Five?
0:43:18 > 0:43:21The whole thing about Top Of The Pops
0:43:21 > 0:43:23that you have to accept is that it was very bizarre.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Here's a band I think you maybe haven't heard of -
0:43:25 > 0:43:27they're called Madness. Do you know Madness?
0:43:27 > 0:43:31And Jermaine Jackson being asked if he knew anything about Madness...
0:43:31 > 0:43:33No, but I hear that they're very exciting.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35..it's got to be right up there,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37in the most peculiar of those memories, yeah.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40He's just got his pilot's licence today, he's chuffed to bits -
0:43:40 > 0:43:43it Gary Numan and it's Wreckage, live!
0:43:43 > 0:43:46MUSIC: This Wreckage by Gary Numan
0:43:53 > 0:43:56# And what if God's dead
0:43:57 > 0:44:00# We must have done something wrong... #
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Gary Numan and I went back a bit,
0:44:02 > 0:44:04because we'd done a thing for a Radio One programme,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07where we'd both gone out in a helicopter and been
0:44:07 > 0:44:08thrown into the English Channel.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10So we kind of bonded quite well.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13And so, when I heard that I was going to be interviewing him on Pops,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16I thought, great, because he's a laugh, he's OK, he's a nice guy.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20# Would like to frame your voice. #
0:44:20 > 0:44:22One man who isn't out on tour at the moment
0:44:22 > 0:44:24but is with us today is Gary Numan.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27And he didn't have anything to say!
0:44:27 > 0:44:30I keep hearing rumours about you and your career
0:44:30 > 0:44:32and the fact that you're retiring.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33Yeah, that's right.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37He's there to announce his live retirement(!)
0:44:37 > 0:44:41When Richard Skinner asks him why, he doesn't know.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Why are you withdrawing from live appearances?
0:44:44 > 0:44:46I don't know.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49He just looks like he needs a holiday.
0:44:49 > 0:44:50Poor thing.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52How are you filling your days nowadays?
0:44:52 > 0:44:53- I'm flying.- Flying?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Yeah, not like that. I'm learning to be a pilot.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Really? Bit of a dangerous hobby.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00No, it's all right. I'm going to go to two engines -
0:45:00 > 0:45:03- if one goes, I've got the other one. - Oh, fine. That's good.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08# This wreckage I call me
0:45:08 > 0:45:11# Would like to frame your voice. #
0:45:11 > 0:45:15Gary Numan's unfortunately titled This Wreckage
0:45:15 > 0:45:17stalled at the lower end of the chart.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19And the failure of the face of '79
0:45:19 > 0:45:21pointed to a bigger problem.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26MUSIC: The Winner Takes It All by ABBA
0:45:28 > 0:45:30By autumn, the record business -
0:45:30 > 0:45:33hit by recession and raging inflation -
0:45:33 > 0:45:35saw a big drop in sales.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Decca sacked 1,200 staff...
0:45:40 > 0:45:43..Virgin was forced to drop artists
0:45:43 > 0:45:46and CBS's biggest act were struggling.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49It's ABBA and the winner still takes it all.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52- # The winner takes it all - Takes it all
0:45:53 > 0:45:56- # The loser has to fall - Has to fall... #
0:45:56 > 0:46:01In August, ABBA hit the number one spot with an all-time classic.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04# Why should I complain? #
0:46:04 > 0:46:08So far today, the ABBA single has sold 12,000-odd.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Probably a year ago, it would have been 25,000.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16That's strikingly less than I would expect.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18The charts were ripe for a takeover
0:46:18 > 0:46:21by a whole new tribe of younger acts -
0:46:21 > 0:46:24a tribe that would eclipse all others.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26MUSIC: To Cut A Long Story Short by Spandau Ballet
0:46:26 > 0:46:29The pop music scene and the fashion scene have been influenced
0:46:29 > 0:46:31by a new youth cult -
0:46:31 > 0:46:34the New Romantics, or the Blitz kids.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38I don't feel I'm part of the normal run-of-the-mill rat race.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41I don't want to be, put it like that.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44The kind of tectonic plates were really shifting.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48The younger generation, maybe kind of five years younger, coming in -
0:46:48 > 0:46:49the '80s kids and the Blitz kids.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52We were very aware of it, because we went out a lot,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54we went to the clubs and it was happening there.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58You know, you were aware that the ground was moving under your feet.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01# Questions, questions
0:47:01 > 0:47:04# Give me no answers... #
0:47:04 > 0:47:08Where we were on Top Of The Pops was actually on that fault line.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11After that, it was never going to be the same again.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14# Look at this strange boy... #
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Either adapt very quickly and start wearing kind of fencing shirts,
0:47:18 > 0:47:19or find something else to do.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21MUSIC: Dog Eat Dog by Adam and the Ants
0:47:21 > 0:47:23And on the sleeve of Spandau Ballet,
0:47:23 > 0:47:26one young man who'd failed as leader of a punk band
0:47:26 > 0:47:28raided the dressing up box
0:47:28 > 0:47:31and grabbed a golden chance to reinvent himself.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Adam Ant didn't have a band, a year previously.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37There is a man with a deadline which, if he doesn't make it,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39then it's kind of all over for him.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41# You may not like
0:47:41 > 0:47:43# Things we do
0:47:43 > 0:47:46# Only idiots ignore the truth. #
0:47:46 > 0:47:49I'd been waiting four years for the opportunity to be on television,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52because Adam and The Ants had been around since '77.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55And then someone dropped out of Top Of The Pops
0:47:55 > 0:47:57and then we got a slot and we did Dog Eat Dog.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01# It's dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog
0:48:01 > 0:48:03# Leapfrog the dog
0:48:03 > 0:48:04# And brush me Daddy-o. #
0:48:05 > 0:48:07One performance on Top Of The Pops,
0:48:07 > 0:48:09I remember standing looking at Stray Cats over there
0:48:09 > 0:48:11and Madness over there.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13It was like tribal and they were ready to go
0:48:13 > 0:48:15and you kind of knew what they could do
0:48:15 > 0:48:17and it made me up my game.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20As gung ho as Adam's performance was,
0:48:20 > 0:48:23the studio audience for his debut kept their distance
0:48:23 > 0:48:26from his unfamiliar Burundi beat.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29I remember Dog Eat Dog in particular - they didn't come anywhere near us,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33the crowd. They like, really stayed right away from it.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Never mind the studio audience -
0:48:35 > 0:48:38the nation at home made up its mind after his debut.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40MUSIC: Ant Music by Adam and The Ants
0:48:40 > 0:48:41And soon, Adam had a huge fan base -
0:48:41 > 0:48:44an army of young girls who bought into
0:48:44 > 0:48:47pop's biggest teen sensation since the Bay City Rollers.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52- Good morning.- Good morning.- You've sent the place into total turmoil.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54We've got hundreds and hundreds of young ladies,
0:48:54 > 0:48:56all ringing up and melting our phones.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58- Oh, dear.- I want to speak to him!
0:49:02 > 0:49:05When he returned to Top Of The Pops in December with Ant Music,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07the failed punk was a star
0:49:07 > 0:49:10and the re-fangled Top Of The Pops was his new home.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18With Ant Music, there was a lot more of the audience there.
0:49:18 > 0:49:19You had them right on the edge.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27That was the Thursday night - on the Saturday morning,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29we sold a quarter of a million records
0:49:29 > 0:49:32and I couldn't walk down the street any more, it was just...
0:49:32 > 0:49:37It was really the beginning of a whole different area in my life.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48But in the same week that Ant Music debuted on Top Of The Pops,
0:49:48 > 0:49:49tragedy struck.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52MUSIC: Imagine by John Lennon
0:49:54 > 0:49:57He emptied the Charter Arms .38 calibre gun
0:49:57 > 0:49:59that he had with him
0:49:59 > 0:50:01and um...
0:50:01 > 0:50:02shot John Lennon.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15John Lennon's death, on December 8th,
0:50:15 > 0:50:16shocked the world.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18He symbolised hope.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20A new life, a new beginning.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23He was a great, great, great man.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25I happened to hear it on BBC World Service -
0:50:25 > 0:50:29I'd gone to sleep with the radio on and I woke up at four
0:50:29 > 0:50:31and they were announcing that
0:50:31 > 0:50:33John Lennon had been shot.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36And I leapt out of my bed and jumped into my car
0:50:36 > 0:50:38and I drove into Radio One Newsbeat.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40And I suddenly see in my phone book,
0:50:40 > 0:50:44I've got Paul McCartney's home telephone number.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46I thought about it, because it's kind of a nerve-racking
0:50:46 > 0:50:48and responsible thing to do,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50but I did phone the number
0:50:50 > 0:50:52and somebody answered the phone.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55I asked if they knew about John and they didn't.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57And so I passed it on and said,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00could Paul phone back to Newsbeat,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03because obviously, we would value a comment,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06but would appreciate that he may not be able to.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07And today's headlines -
0:51:07 > 0:51:10after the murder earlier this morning of the former Beatle,
0:51:10 > 0:51:12John Lennon, police in New York have arrested...
0:51:12 > 0:51:15Suddenly, one of the girls came through and said,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17"Richard, Paul McCartney on the phone."
0:51:17 > 0:51:19So went to the back office - the editor's office -
0:51:19 > 0:51:20and shut the door
0:51:20 > 0:51:23and had a long conversation with Paul, who wouldn't go on air.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26He was so upset
0:51:26 > 0:51:28and we talked about John
0:51:28 > 0:51:30and we talked about plans -
0:51:30 > 0:51:32that he tells me, in the phone call -
0:51:32 > 0:51:36he and John had to get together and try and write music together again,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39that would've been happening that December.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42But the studio they wanted to use was booked out,
0:51:42 > 0:51:44so they didn't work together and they were hoping
0:51:44 > 0:51:46to meet up in the New Year.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50So John Lennon shouldn't even have been in New York on 8th December.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53MUSIC: Super Trooper by ABBA
0:51:53 > 0:51:55In the week John Lennon was murdered,
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Top Of The Pops broke with tradition
0:51:57 > 0:52:00and broadcast a special message,
0:52:00 > 0:52:01after the final credits.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05We've all been shocked this week
0:52:05 > 0:52:07by the news of John Lennon's death in New York.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09And I think the best thing we can do is to remember him
0:52:09 > 0:52:12as he was at his best, when he was performing.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15He's been a great influence on music, right the way through the '60s,
0:52:15 > 0:52:17was back again now and tonight, in Top Of The Pops,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19as a tribute to him...
0:52:19 > 0:52:22'I seem to remember we played the video for Imagine...'
0:52:22 > 0:52:24MUSIC: Imagine by John Lennon
0:52:24 > 0:52:28'..and everybody felt as upset as you can be.'
0:52:28 > 0:52:30I mean, it was just a tragic event.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33MUSIC: (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon
0:52:34 > 0:52:36In fitting tribute to John,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39two of his solo songs climbed the charts,
0:52:39 > 0:52:42seemingly destined for the 1980 Christmas number one.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45A week before Christmas,
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Starting Over made it to the top of the charts.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56But, given this was Top Of The Pops,
0:52:56 > 0:52:58it wasn't that straightforward.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06MUSIC: Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd
0:53:06 > 0:53:10# We don't need no education. #
0:53:13 > 0:53:15Just as in 1979...
0:53:15 > 0:53:19# We don't need no thought control. #
0:53:19 > 0:53:23..a kids' choir had a say in the Christmas number one.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29# No dark sarcasm in the classroom. #
0:53:29 > 0:53:33One choir practice, I remember Sister Aquinas coming in, going...
0:53:33 > 0:53:34WHISPERS
0:53:34 > 0:53:37..to Miss Foley, who was our music teacher, a brilliant teacher.
0:53:37 > 0:53:38WHISPERS
0:53:38 > 0:53:40- And it was all... - HEAVY BREATHING
0:53:40 > 0:53:43..and they said, "Children, we'd like to tell you something.
0:53:43 > 0:53:44"We've made it to number two."
0:53:44 > 0:53:47We went, "What? Number two?
0:53:47 > 0:53:49"Like on Top Of The Pops? What?"
0:53:49 > 0:53:50And we all went mental.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56So we all went - we got on this big chara
0:53:56 > 0:53:58and it took us ages to get there,
0:53:58 > 0:53:59because it was a big '80s school bus.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02And I can smell it now actually, I can absolutely smell
0:54:02 > 0:54:06getting on and everyone was sick on the way and you know?
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Everybody ate their sandwiches before we got on the A6, you know?
0:54:08 > 0:54:10It was just like a school trip.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15On the way in, I remember seeing Terry Wogan
0:54:15 > 0:54:17and I thought I was going to have a heart attack,
0:54:17 > 0:54:20because he was this magical man off the television.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22So we went into the studio, Top Of The Pops
0:54:22 > 0:54:24and we all got lined up.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27And at Christmas, all sorts of things happen in the British charts
0:54:27 > 0:54:29and this is proof they're so versatile, I guess.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31With a little lady in front who's only eight years of age,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34St Winifred's School Choir.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37MUSIC: There's No-One Quite Like Grandma by St Winifred's School Choir
0:54:37 > 0:54:40And I remember the teenagers that had obviously got
0:54:40 > 0:54:42this prized ticket to go on Top Of The Pops,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46the golden Charlie And The Chocolate Factory ticket to be at this place
0:54:46 > 0:54:48and they were so miffed.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52# Grandma, we love you
0:54:52 > 0:54:55# Grandma, we do. #
0:54:55 > 0:54:58They were staring at us, really, really miffed,
0:54:58 > 0:55:00because they had to watch these kids
0:55:00 > 0:55:02singing this stupid song about their grandma.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05# There's no-one quite like grandma. #
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Their studio floor manager said, "Come on now, everyone."
0:55:08 > 0:55:10It got a bit disgruntled!
0:55:10 > 0:55:12He started kicking off a bit.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14"Look, come on everyone", you know?
0:55:14 > 0:55:16"Give this kids a chance, they're only little."
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Then my music teacher, Terri Foley, stood up to go,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20"You give these children a chance,
0:55:20 > 0:55:22"they've come all the way down from Manchester!"
0:55:22 > 0:55:25And they all sort of stood in line then and...
0:55:25 > 0:55:28And just watched us and swayed, like that.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32"Bit annoying. I'm really annoyed I'm looking at this rubbish."
0:55:32 > 0:55:33Because it was rubbish.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36# There's no-one quite like grandma
0:55:36 > 0:55:41# She has helped us on our way. #
0:55:41 > 0:55:43# Grandma, we love you... #
0:55:43 > 0:55:46If you look at Top Of The Pops, you can see, for some reason
0:55:46 > 0:55:48I've got my head to the side, like this.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57And I think in my own little seven-year-old way,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59I was trying to be cute.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01MUSIC: Funkytown by Lipps Inc
0:56:01 > 0:56:03On Christmas Day 1980, Britain gathered round the TV
0:56:03 > 0:56:06for the festive edition of Top Of The Pops...
0:56:06 > 0:56:08I daren't tip it over too much, it might fall off.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11..to find out who had made it to the coveted number one.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Well, it kept John Lennon off the number one slot that Christmas,
0:56:20 > 0:56:21which I'm deeply sorry for.
0:56:23 > 0:56:24That little single
0:56:24 > 0:56:28was the answer to every grandma's wishes for Christmas,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31so every kid in the country went, "Pfft, sorted."
0:56:31 > 0:56:32They didn't have to worry about
0:56:32 > 0:56:35"Do I get them Yardley? Do I get them Bath salts?
0:56:35 > 0:56:37"Do I get them slippers?"
0:56:37 > 0:56:39No, get them the single.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41They love me, I love them, everyone's happy.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48But as the credits rolled on the final Top Of The Pops of 1980,
0:56:48 > 0:56:52the Christmas number one was anything but the whole story.
0:56:52 > 0:56:57# And we know you love us
0:56:57 > 0:57:01# Too. #
0:57:01 > 0:57:03MUSIC: Planet Earth by Duran Duran
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Top Of The Pops and music were changing
0:57:07 > 0:57:10and in a few months, the show would evolve again,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13as the new faces of 1980 would open the door
0:57:13 > 0:57:15for a legion of electronica and New Romantics...
0:57:17 > 0:57:20..all poised for an even glossier,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23multicoloured, carnival-like
0:57:23 > 0:57:26thoroughly 1981 Top Of The Pops.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28That New Year,
0:57:28 > 0:57:31music was starting to turn our way.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35It was new, it was fresh and they didn't look like
0:57:35 > 0:57:38they'd got The Ladybirds backing singing with them.
0:57:38 > 0:57:39They were real.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42They looked like people that you'd sort of seen on the street
0:57:42 > 0:57:44and thought, God, they look fantastic!
0:57:44 > 0:57:46And then the music that went with it
0:57:46 > 0:57:49and it was just fresh and refreshing
0:57:49 > 0:57:51and it felt like ours.
0:57:51 > 0:57:56# Can you hear me now?
0:57:56 > 0:57:59# This is planet earth
0:57:59 > 0:58:04# You're looking at planet earth
0:58:04 > 0:58:07# Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop
0:58:07 > 0:58:10# This is planet earth... #