The Story of 1980 Top of the Pops


The Story of 1980

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Welcome to the sound of the '80s.

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It's a new year and a new chart and as young as ever,

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it's Top Of The Pops! Woo-hoo!

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MUSIC: Atomic by Blondie

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1980 - start of a brand-new decade,

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with a whole new generation of British pop stars.

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It had been all we'd been aiming for

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and it was just absolutely incredible to be on it at all.

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I had Leo Sayer's wig

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and Phil Oakey had half of Diana Ross's wig.

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That was a Thursday night - on the Saturday morning we sold

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quarter of a million records

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and I couldn't walk down the street any more.

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It would be a year of change for Top Of The Pops,

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which began 1980 still mired in its light entertainment past,

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with a long-serving orchestra and outdated working practices.

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He said, "Don't touch that, that someone else's job!"

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But later in this year, the show would get a new producer...

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Right and...cue track.

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MUSIC: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin

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..and go through a radical makeover.

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Absolutely wonderful, it's just like New Year's Eve.

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Let's start off with Madness.

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The whole place livened up a bit,

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it was a bit of an injection of enthusiasm into the whole show.

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-Mind if I butt in?

-You're Russ Abbot, aren't you?

-Yeah.

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Complete with new showbiz guest presenters.

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-Olivia Newton-John.

-Adam and The Ants.

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-We're going to take you for a walk in the park.

-Come here, you.

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-Careful, careful.

-How come you always look so brown?

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It's rust, mate.

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MUSIC: Food For Thought by UB40

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But that was all to come.

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The year started very differently...

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ALL: What do we want? 20%.

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..With a distinctly 1970s hangover.

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And the government are determined to have a real go at the steelworkers.

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Mrs Thatcher was in her second year of power,

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but her goal of an '80s economic revolution

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would be a long time coming.

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We knew the inflation figures were going to be bad,

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but at nearly 22%,

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they were beyond even the most pessimistic forecasts.

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And policies like selling off council houses

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divided the country...

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..but only stiffened her resolve.

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The Lady's not for turning.

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MUSIC: My Girl by Madness

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Meanwhile, at Television Centre...

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And now, to get things under way

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for this first edition of Top Of The Pops of 1980,

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it's Madness.

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..Top Of The Pops still had the same production team,

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the same look

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and felt stuck in the mid-'70s.

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# My girl's mad at me

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# I didn't want to see the film tonight... #

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You know, it didn't feel in any way we were moving into

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the modern new future,

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having "1980" in giant polystyrene letters behind us.

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# Why can't she see... #

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Nothing had changed, you know? It was exactly the same.

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You know, those starburst lights and really static,

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prosaic, rock 'n' roll lighting.

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OK, stand by TK 37...

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You know, the technology was very limited.

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Stand by VT 6.

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MUSIC: Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes

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There was a real sort of struggling with

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the identity of the show at that time.

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It was kind of like a mixture of old and new

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and for the first time ever,

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they had this kind of like winding staircase

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that some of the acts and presenters used to use.

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Of course, you still had a tiny audience in there.

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They're herding them around and you've still got

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cameras zooming in and people diving out of the way...

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MUSIC: Turn It On Again by Genesis

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..with a crowd who are making no sort of natural reaction

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to the bands in front of them.

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# I have known you for so very long

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# Feel like a friend

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# Can't you do anything for me?

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# Can I touch you for a while? #

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Another thing that was quite emblematic of the old school

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Top Of The Pops way of doing things -

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it's the unfortunate cutaway shots that you would see

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during The Vapors' performance of Turning Japanese.

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MUSIC: Turning Japanese by The Vapors

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I guess when I thought and dreamt about

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if I was ever going to be on Top Of The Pops,

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I didn't think I would be sharing the screen with sumo wrestlers.

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That was never the plan.

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# I got your picture

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# Of me and you

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# You wrote I love you... #

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But what they did was, they put all these Japanese images up -

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I guess it was something to do with the lyrics of the song.

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# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese

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# I really think so

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# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese

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# I really think so

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# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese

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# I really think so... #

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We thought, well, that's a nice touch and then

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these images just kept on coming, all through the song.

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You know, when we went home and watched it the next night, you know?

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Everyone crowds into the living room

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and it seemed to be, we didn't really get much of a look-in.

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Now this is The Vapors and Turning Japanese.

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So the second time we do it...

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You've got to remember,

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I'm playing on a completely ridiculous drum kit,

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made of plastic cymbals, pads on the drums

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and in my naivete, I thought,

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"I'm on TV, so I've got to play along

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"exactly as it is on the record -

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"otherwise someone's going to notice that we're miming."

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And then I dropped a drumstick.

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And I thought, "That's OK, I can quickly retrieve it

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"from round the side and get back and no-one will notice."

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Or at worst, they will realise that they will edit that bit out -

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it's got to be easy to edit out.

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# Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese

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# I really think so... #

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The message came down from the gallery, we've got to go again.

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So we did a second take, but what they've done is,

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they've kept the first part -

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which includes Howard's Stick-Gate incident

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and then they do the edit afterwards,

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to what was presumably the second take.

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So they preserved his ignominious moment for posterity.

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My moment of glory.

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People sometimes can be,

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"Oh, you were on Top Of The Pops, weren't you?"

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And then you know the next question that's coming.

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"Did you drop your drumstick when you were on Top Of The Pops?"

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Yeah, yeah.

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What a catchy tune - Turning Japanese,

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I really think so. Yes, I do.

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MUSIC: Love Enough For Two by Prima Donna

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In April 1980,

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the Top Of The Pops Orchestra kept the flag flying

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for old school light entertainment,

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with the British Eurovision entry by Prima Donna.

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And it'd be a close-run thing

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between them and a young, callow Irishman.

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Italy, ten points.

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L'irlande, douze points.

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'That's really it now, that means that Ireland have done it.

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As you can see, there's Johnny Logan,

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and the United Kingdom with 106, in third place.

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Johnny Logan, just disappeared under a mountain of Dutch flowers there.

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MUSIC: What's Another Year by Johnny Logan

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I went from winning the Eurovision to arriving in London,

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to staying in a hotel in Shepherd's Bush,

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to being taken to the BBC studios and I sang the thing live.

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I sang What's Another Year live.

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It was all kind of surreal.

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# I've been waiting

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# Such a long time

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# Looking out for you

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# But you're not here

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# What's another year? #

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Johnny Logan was a number one artist really,

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in the tradition of Top Of The Pops from three or four years before -

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he looked like a '70s star.

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# Reaching out for you

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# But you aren't near... #

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I think he was really, really the housewife's favourite, because

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he was the sort of boy

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that mums would want their daughter to go out with.

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There was a huge innocence.

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It was genuine. That's probably the real...

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The thing, it wasn't put on, it wasn't acted out.

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I wasn't trying to be kitsch, that's the way I was.

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# What's another year

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# To someone who's getting used to being alone? #

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So many decisions were made for me.

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Somebody from the record company

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was given the job of taking me to a shop

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and getting me clothes to do Top Of The Pops -

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and the clothes were awful.

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I don't wear jackets draped on my shoulder.

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That's just the way somebody saw me look, you know?

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They wanted a vocal version of a guy called Bobby Crush,

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who was a piano player.

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He was a huge guy, back in the '70s.

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MUSIC: Borsalino by Bobby Crush

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The record company said,

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"We've got somebody who's perfect for this market."

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And you know, that's what they wanted.

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But the bands that I was interested in...

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I really liked The Stranglers, The Pistols...

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I wanted to be doing the stuff that was happening at the time.

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I wanted to suddenly leap from What's Another Year into...

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You know, like, sort of the New Romantic period, or...

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I was 24 years old.

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In one of his final appearances on Top Of The Pops,

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backstage, Johnny encountered a young band who thought

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they were about to be the future of pop music.

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We were thrown into a melting pot, with people who were,

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ostensibly, nothing like that wanted to be or aspire to.

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And so, we wanted to hate them.

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You know, the likes of OMD...

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I was going to twat the lead singer in the dressing room,

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because he was a bit...

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Shall we say, not as respectful as I thought he should have been.

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# What's another year? #

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But the truth is that on Top Of The Pops in 1980,

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old-fashioned Johnny might have had that encounter

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with any one of a vast range of musical tribes.

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What's Another Year?

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MUSIC: Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs

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Synth futurists, OMD fought for the limelight with

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head-bangers...

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..Mods,

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Rude Boys,

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Teddy Boys

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and this unique tribe of young soul rebels.

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Come with me just a bit

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and I will introduce you to some people from Birmingham,

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by the name of Dexy's Midnight Runners.

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MUSIC: Burn It Down by Dexy's Midnight Runners

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Kevin's a friend of mine. I've got a lot of respect for Kevin.

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He's a very passionate guy -

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what you see and what you hear with them is real.

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# I'll only ask you once more... #

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They started out very much like a tribal or a gang mentality.

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With him it was a whole philosophy, it was a lifestyle

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and the music kind of embodied that.

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# You only want to believe... #

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It was my culture, you know? It was that feeling of belonging, you know?

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Of being a part of something.

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I realised that people would want to feel again.

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That's what happened after punk for me.

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I realised that people would want to feel, feel more...

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And you know, be glamorous and look good.

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It was everything. I was completely obsessed with it.

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With Dexy's Midnight Runners, I mean, I remember seeing them in

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The Music Machine -

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which was just a little club in Camden Town - to see another band.

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And they all came marching in and this was a night out for Dexy's.

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They all had their bags, scarves and woollen hats

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and they all stood in a line at the front of the concert.

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MUSIC: Geno by Madness

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The New York dockers thing...

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How we got that was, Jim, who used to play the trombone,

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he walked into the rehearsal room one day

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and he had a woolly hat on, because it was winter.

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He had a donkey jacket, his collar up

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and he was playing the trombone and he looked fantastic.

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It was a great look.

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# Back in '68 in a sweaty club

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# Oh, Geno... #

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That image stuck in my mind - what you wore was everything.

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It always took loads of work.

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Massive attention to detail.

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# Oh, Geno... #

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Unlike their punk predecessors -

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such as the Clash,

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who turned their nose up at Top Of The Pops...

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..these musical tribes wanted to be seen and to entertain

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and came drilled and dressed for every show.

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In 1980, Madness had a different look for every Top Of The Pops.

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It was always an idea that we'd dress up

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or do something theatrical when we appeared.

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We had a very good connection with a costumiers in Camden,

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called Berman and Nathan's, which was really serious.

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It wasn't like some crummy old fancy dress shop.

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I remember once, we got our hands on these authentic copies uniforms

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and we heard that The Clash were rehearsing round the corner.

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And we steamed into their dressing room

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and there was just the sound of toilets flushing and doors slamming.

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And they never spoke to us for five years.

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We were doing Night Boat To Cairo

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and we were all going to wear these pith helmets and khaki shorts

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and I came out and no-one else had bothered.

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MUSIC: Night Boat To Cairo by Madness

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# It's just gone noon half past monsoon

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# On the banks of the River Nile... #

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Someone had put a fez on, but they were still wearing their suit

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and a couple of tea towels.

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# Oarsman grins a toothless smile

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# Only just one more to this desolate shore

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# Last boat along the River Nile. #

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And I remember looking across to the other stage and there were

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Dexy's Midnight Runners, having thrown their bags and scarves...

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All looking like On The Waterfront cool

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and I remember thinking,

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"Yeah, hang on, this has gone a bit far, actually."

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CHANTING: What do we want? 20%!

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-That's right.

-20 %!

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What these 1980 tribes had in common,

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from young soul rebels to rude boys to synth futurists

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was working class roots.

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Talks have been going on, but there's no sign of any agreement.

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The steel industry faces an unhappy Easter.

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And in contrast to art school middle-class punks,

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their upbringing gave them a different attitude

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to Top Of The Pops...

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Scargill was at the head of a march in Sheffield,

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to protest against government spending cuts.

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We're from working-class backgrounds

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and at the time, you know, the political scene and everything -

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there were some very depressed areas in the UK.

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If we did get the opportunity

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to go on a programme like Top Of The Pops,

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we were all going to take it,

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because it was our way out of, you know,

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not having to go into like,

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the steelworks or a job that your mum and dad have done.

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And you know, that's your chance and you're going to grab it.

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We were definitely a different generation.

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You know, we didn't hate Top Of The Pops.

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When it was offered to us, we were going to take it with both hands.

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Ten, nine, eight...

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And the 8th May, 1980 would prove to be

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a historic show for fledgling synth pop...

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Pick up 65...

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..as old gent producer Robin Nash

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gambled on two records outside the top 50...

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Nine... Run both.

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MUSIC: Red Frame White Light by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

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..handing debuts to both The Human League and OMD.

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We were in Brussels, just finishing a European tour.

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We got a phone call...

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We almost didn't make it,

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because this was in the time when

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there was no mobile phones, obviously.

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Some guy came running out of the hotel as we were pulling out,

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just waving frantically

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and we thought, "OK, who's not paid the bill?"

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So we just put our foot down and floored it.

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And so we stopped it and he said,

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"Oh, important phone call from your record label."

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The song had leapt into the charts at the giddy heights of number 54.

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We flew in. The problem was, our equipment was still on the ferry.

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The next day, I nearly didn't make it, because

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we'd been very kindly allowed to stay

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on Richard Branson's private barge.

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Turns out that actually, it was being refurbished

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and on the day of my first ever Top Of The Pops, I was woken up

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by a 12 inch industrial drillbit,

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coming through the wall above my head.

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I was almost lobotomised before I made it to the studio.

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From Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,

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this is going to be a smash. It's called Messages.

0:16:160:16:19

MUSIC: Messages by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

0:16:190:16:22

We get down there and because the song was only number 54,

0:16:220:16:26

the audience didn't know who we were and had never heard the song.

0:16:260:16:29

Nobody wanted to stand in front of us.

0:16:310:16:35

Whilst we were standing there, I could hear them going,

0:16:350:16:37

"Who are they?" "I don't know, have you heard of them?" "No, I haven't."

0:16:370:16:40

And then there was a couple who were just waving to their mother.

0:16:400:16:44

# It worries me this kind of thing

0:16:450:16:49

# Hope you hope to live alone

0:16:490:16:52

# And occupy your waking hours... #

0:16:520:16:57

We were mortified that we were having to do Top Of The Pops

0:16:580:17:01

with acoustic drums.

0:17:010:17:04

# I just wept I couldn't understand... #

0:17:040:17:07

We asked Malcolm if he'd just stand up, not sit down

0:17:070:17:10

and they'd given him a kit and we'd basically started taking things -

0:17:100:17:15

"No cymbals, no toms. Right, you've got that."

0:17:150:17:17

He says, "I'm not standing up to play that, I'm going to sit down."

0:17:170:17:20

So he looks really pissed off, if you look at the footage.

0:17:200:17:23

He hated it.

0:17:230:17:24

It was bad enough we played synthesisers,

0:17:270:17:29

because they were taking away the jobs of Top Of The Pops musicians.

0:17:290:17:33

And so when we asked if we could have the tape recorder,

0:17:330:17:35

they were like, "Ooh, I don't know, we'll have to talk about that."

0:17:350:17:38

We did get away with a tape recorder,

0:17:380:17:39

but the Musicians' Union had bright yellow stickers that said

0:17:390:17:42

"Keep Music Live",

0:17:420:17:44

which we used to have on the spools of the tape recorder.

0:17:440:17:47

They wouldn't let us keep them on!

0:17:470:17:49

-I wonder why!

-That was poking the snake.

0:17:490:17:52

MUSIC: Rock 'n' Roll by The Human League

0:17:520:17:54

A tape recorder that played percussion and backing tracks

0:17:570:18:00

was an essential accessory for any synth band.

0:18:000:18:03

And OMD's machine didn't just rile the MU.

0:18:040:18:07

Their tape recorder had history.

0:18:080:18:10

I thought that OMD just nicked our stuff.

0:18:130:18:16

We had been over to Manchester to play Tony Wilson's club.

0:18:180:18:23

One of the guys there helped settle the stuff up.

0:18:230:18:25

He was so interested in what we were doing, trying to get all the details.

0:18:250:18:29

And he rang us up a few months later

0:18:290:18:31

and asked for the sort of makes of the tape recorder and things

0:18:310:18:34

and that I think, was OMD's manager at the time.

0:18:340:18:37

So we felt a little bit like they'd borrowed quite a lot from us.

0:18:370:18:41

# Do you still recall in the jukebox hall

0:18:410:18:44

# When the music played? #

0:18:440:18:46

Noses were a bit out of joint when we discovered each other.

0:18:460:18:49

There was in no way an attempt by us to copy them.

0:18:510:18:54

If we were copying anyone, initially,

0:18:540:18:56

we were trying to be Kraftwerk, but realised quite early on

0:18:560:18:59

that we didn't have the technology to be able to emulate Kraftwerk.

0:18:590:19:03

I was massively competitive in every way,

0:19:060:19:09

to any band that could take any attention from us.

0:19:090:19:12

I would do them down or avoid them.

0:19:140:19:18

To claw your way into the charts was so hard,

0:19:180:19:20

I wasn't really going to give any quarter.

0:19:200:19:23

# Times are changing fast

0:19:230:19:24

# But we won't forget

0:19:240:19:26

# Though that age is past

0:19:260:19:28

# We'll be rockin' yet. #

0:19:280:19:31

The first time we went on Top Of The Pops,

0:19:310:19:33

it had been all we'd been aiming for

0:19:330:19:35

and although we were a bit sort of hip and standoffish,

0:19:350:19:38

we religiously watched Top Of The Pops

0:19:380:19:41

and it was just absolutely incredible to be on it at all.

0:19:410:19:45

And we knew we didn't deserve it - you weren't supposed to go on

0:19:450:19:48

unless you went in the top 40

0:19:480:19:50

and I think we were in at number 56.

0:19:500:19:52

I don't think we went up -

0:19:520:19:53

I think our appearance took it down, strangely.

0:19:530:19:55

We thought that if you did weird music, you should look weird.

0:19:590:20:02

I grew up in a macho world and to see Roxy Music with their make-up on,

0:20:020:20:05

high heels, I'd think, "Oh! I don't have to be macho,

0:20:050:20:08

"I can be my own thing and not be horribly masculine."

0:20:080:20:11

I think I still looked more like a woman in drag

0:20:130:20:16

than a man in drag.

0:20:160:20:17

I watched it the other day and I actually thought it looked quite good.

0:20:170:20:20

I thought I'd done my make-up quite well.

0:20:200:20:23

Really, probably the biggest defining difference was that

0:20:230:20:26

I had Leo Sayer's wig

0:20:260:20:28

and Phil Oakey had half of Diana Ross's wig.

0:20:280:20:31

Oh, he's going to hate me for that!

0:20:340:20:36

Stoking the fire again.

0:20:370:20:39

No, we love The Human League.

0:20:390:20:40

We do love The Human League, they're brilliant.

0:20:400:20:43

MUSIC: Underpass by John Foxx

0:20:430:20:45

While synth pop gave the show a taste of a future

0:20:450:20:48

that was just round the corner,

0:20:480:20:50

the upper reaches of the chart

0:20:500:20:52

were still full of one '70s style that refused to go away.

0:20:520:20:56

APPLAUSE

0:20:560:20:58

I tell you, this disco business is thirsty business.

0:20:580:21:00

This is liquid gold - or rather, this...

0:21:000:21:03

is Liquid Gold.

0:21:030:21:04

MUSIC: Dance Yourself Dizzy by Liquid Gold

0:21:040:21:06

Disco's never died.

0:21:060:21:08

Especially at that time, when we were quite young,

0:21:090:21:12

we were very much into the same sort of music.

0:21:120:21:15

# Tonight

0:21:180:21:19

# They're turning on the heat

0:21:190:21:22

# Tonight. #

0:21:220:21:23

If a disco tune came on anywhere, we'd be up there, dancing.

0:21:230:21:26

Yeah. Oh, I love disco.

0:21:260:21:27

-Never felt uncool about it, either...

-No, never bothered.

0:21:270:21:30

..because it's just brilliant. It makes people feel good.

0:21:300:21:33

You get up, you have a dance, you smile.

0:21:330:21:35

# Dance yourself dizzy

0:21:370:21:40

# When they boogaloo. #

0:21:400:21:43

In 1980, Top Of The Pops showcased huge disco hits

0:21:430:21:47

for the likes of Liquid Gold.

0:21:470:21:48

# ..an open door for you... #

0:21:480:21:52

but the year's biggest selling disco hit was in fact

0:21:520:21:55

written by a Top Of The Pops star from its '70s yesteryear...

0:21:550:21:59

MUSIC: In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry

0:21:590:22:02

..Ray Dorset, of Mungo Jerry.

0:22:020:22:04

I was a big Elvis fan.

0:22:080:22:10

He was going through this period of time where his star was changing

0:22:100:22:14

and Barry Murray, who was the producer of In The Summertime

0:22:140:22:17

was also a big Elvis fan.

0:22:170:22:19

And he said to me that he could get a song to Elvis.

0:22:190:22:23

And I got this idea of a '70s

0:22:230:22:26

kind of a disco style thing, you know?

0:22:260:22:29

MUSIC: Feels Like I'm In Love by Ray Dorset

0:22:290:22:32

You know? And I got this...

0:22:320:22:34

# My head is in a spin... #

0:22:340:22:36

Like, in an Elvis-y voice...

0:22:360:22:38

# My head is in a spin

0:22:380:22:39

# My feet don't touch the ground

0:22:390:22:41

# Because you're near to me

0:22:410:22:43

# My head goes round and round

0:22:430:22:45

# My knees are shakin' baby

0:22:450:22:47

# My heart it beats like a drum

0:22:470:22:49

# To the drum, boo-boo

0:22:490:22:51

# To the drum

0:22:510:22:52

# It feels like

0:22:520:22:54

# It feels like I'm in love. #

0:22:540:22:57

And that's how it went, right?

0:23:000:23:02

Before I had a chance to get it off to him,

0:23:020:23:04

Elvis passed away.

0:23:040:23:06

And I thought, oh... I couldn't believe it.

0:23:060:23:08

# My head is in a spin

0:23:080:23:10

# My feet don't touch the ground

0:23:100:23:12

# Because you're near to me

0:23:120:23:14

# My head goes round and round. #

0:23:140:23:15

I was played it on the guitar by Ray

0:23:150:23:18

and it was sounding more like a country and western song

0:23:180:23:21

than a pop song, which I was used to doing.

0:23:210:23:24

# It feels like... #

0:23:240:23:26

But when we went into the studio and the track was put down,

0:23:260:23:29

the rest is history.

0:23:290:23:30

MUSIC: Feels Like I'm In Love by Kelly Marie

0:23:300:23:33

# My heart beats like a drum. #

0:23:340:23:36

And I had a normal drum - du-du-dum, du-du-dum,

0:23:360:23:39

OK, went out on my demo.

0:23:390:23:42

But by this time, the Syndrum thing had come round, you see?

0:23:420:23:45

This is a drum kit, would you believe?

0:23:450:23:47

And you found that if you tweaked them,

0:23:470:23:50

instead of sounding like a drum or a normal snare, you get this

0:23:500:23:52

"doo-doo" sound.

0:23:520:23:53

-Tom-tom.

-DOO-DOO DOO-DOO

0:23:530:23:55

"Doo-doo", you know?

0:23:550:23:57

But for years... I mean,

0:23:570:23:58

I had people following me in the street, going "doo-doo"!

0:23:580:24:02

Before Top Of The Pops, we auditioned Tony and Pinky.

0:24:060:24:10

The boys were very flamboyant.

0:24:100:24:12

Because it was such an energetic song,

0:24:130:24:16

I just thought it would be nice if we had

0:24:160:24:18

a couple of nice boys either side.

0:24:180:24:20

But Kelly, Tony and Pinky were never meant to appear on Top Of The Pops.

0:24:230:24:28

The playlist is a selection of 40 records

0:24:280:24:31

judged suitable for maximum exposure on the air.

0:24:310:24:34

The decision at the end of the day is a crucial one -

0:24:340:24:36

for the artists and the record companies.

0:24:360:24:38

Candidate in at 4 - oh, equals at 47.

0:24:380:24:40

Radio One's playlist police made or broke records

0:24:400:24:44

and they never gave Kelly's single a chance.

0:24:440:24:47

And the record company had actually stopped pressing the single,

0:24:490:24:52

when Ray had a chance meeting in a northern club.

0:24:520:24:55

I gave the record to a DJ, because the DJ said,

0:24:550:24:58

"I really like this, can I keep it?"

0:24:580:25:00

And it started selling, you know? About three records a day.

0:25:000:25:04

And then it went up to about 20 a day

0:25:040:25:06

and then it went on and on and on.

0:25:060:25:08

It became a kind of gay dance anthem.

0:25:080:25:11

And then the record company were getting orders and they were looking

0:25:110:25:14

at the catalogue number saying, what is this record? You know?

0:25:140:25:17

They decided to start repressing it,

0:25:190:25:22

so the people made that record.

0:25:220:25:25

# My knees are shakin' baby

0:25:250:25:27

# My heart it beats like a drum. #

0:25:270:25:29

It stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.

0:25:300:25:33

It was nearly the highest selling single of 1980.

0:25:330:25:37

And I beat The Jam.

0:25:370:25:39

APPLAUSE

0:25:400:25:41

From the West Coast of the states, produced by Phil Spector,

0:25:430:25:46

a sound that's so big, it's going to go massive.

0:25:460:25:49

It's The Ramones on Baby I Love You.

0:25:490:25:53

MUSIC: Baby I Love You by The Ramones

0:25:530:25:56

# Have I ever told you... #

0:26:010:26:04

At the start of 1980,

0:26:050:26:07

many disco and other acts on the show were still obliged

0:26:070:26:10

to play with the veteran Top Of The Pops Orchestra.

0:26:100:26:13

But in spring,

0:26:160:26:17

the BBC sharpened their axe.

0:26:170:26:20

The BBC has announced details of the cuts that could be on the way soon,

0:26:200:26:23

so that the corporation can clear its overdraft.

0:26:230:26:26

1,500 jobs will go and five orchestras will disappear.

0:26:260:26:29

Now I think that losing five orchestras is a bit harsh,

0:26:310:26:34

but losing the Top Of The Pops Orchestra...

0:26:340:26:38

No, not harsh at all,

0:26:380:26:39

because they shouldn't have been there by this time.

0:26:390:26:42

Their union says it will fight

0:26:420:26:43

and talks of an all-out strike of BBC musicians.

0:26:430:26:46

In a microcosm of what was happening elsewhere in Britain,

0:26:460:26:50

the BBC was suddenly deep in a dispute.

0:26:500:26:53

There was a union ban on any music being performed at the BBC,

0:26:530:26:57

with the union mounting a noisy picket outside Broadcasting House...

0:26:570:27:02

..outside Parliament...

0:27:040:27:06

..and just outside Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham...

0:27:070:27:10

..while they were live on air.

0:27:110:27:12

BAND OUTSIDE PLAYS RULE BRITANNIA

0:27:120:27:14

I feel like if I had had an auntie like you, Jenny,

0:27:140:27:16

I feel I would have grown up a lot quicker.

0:27:160:27:18

-I do... Actually, I am an auntie.

-Oh, is that right?

0:27:180:27:21

I have two nephews and a niece and do have to say immediately,

0:27:210:27:24

you didn't really have to bring a band for me.

0:27:240:27:26

LAUGHTER

0:27:260:27:27

It would take nine weeks for the dispute to be settled,

0:27:290:27:32

resulting in no Top Of The Pops

0:27:320:27:34

throughout the whole of June and July.

0:27:340:27:37

But the strike was a crucial moment of change for the show,

0:27:370:27:40

with the orchestra leaving and a brand-new producer arriving -

0:27:400:27:43

Michael Hurll -

0:27:430:27:45

who, during the strike,

0:27:450:27:47

recorded a pilot for a new-look Top Of The Pops.

0:27:470:27:50

Hello and welcome from me

0:27:500:27:52

and to be or not to be, it's got to be BA Robertson.

0:27:520:27:55

The pilot was a testing ground for new ideas of dual presenters...

0:27:550:28:00

..and just sit on your father's neck

0:28:000:28:02

and then you'll be on Top Of The Pops.

0:28:020:28:03

Absolutely right.

0:28:030:28:05

..state-of-the-art on-screen graphics...

0:28:050:28:08

The face you see behind me - the voice you're just about to see...

0:28:090:28:12

..and a giant - for 1980 - video screen

0:28:120:28:16

that almost worked.

0:28:160:28:17

Right, are you set now for the bottom 10 of the top 30?

0:28:190:28:23

This is how we start - with heavy metal at its best,

0:28:230:28:26

it's Saxon, 747 Strangers In The Night.

0:28:260:28:29

But as no musicians were available

0:28:290:28:31

to play on the pilot during the strike,

0:28:310:28:34

a cast of technicians and hired extras

0:28:340:28:37

filled in the roles of Saxon...

0:28:370:28:39

MUSIC: 747 Strangers In The Night by Saxon

0:28:390:28:42

..Thin Lizzy...

0:28:420:28:43

MUSIC: Chinatown by Thin Lizzy

0:28:430:28:46

..and Leo Sayer.

0:28:500:28:51

MUSIC: More Than I Can Say by Leo Sayer

0:28:530:28:56

I personally was Leo Sayer that day.

0:29:030:29:06

Not exactly a spitting image -

0:29:080:29:10

certainly not the haircut at the time anyway, that's for sure.

0:29:100:29:13

Mainly, it was just to be standing there for lighting -

0:29:160:29:19

and of course my particular bit as Leo Sayer -

0:29:190:29:21

there wasn't a lot of movement involved.

0:29:210:29:24

I just had to stand there and go through the motions of the song.

0:29:240:29:27

I mean, just for my own interest, I suppose, really,

0:29:270:29:30

I attempted to lip-sync the song as much as I could.

0:29:300:29:33

Didn't know the lyrics, as you can see from the clip!

0:29:330:29:36

So I was fooling no-one.

0:29:370:29:38

Live music programmes, from Top Of The Pops to the Proms,

0:29:430:29:47

will be back on BBC radio and television next week.

0:29:470:29:50

The Musicians' Union strike,

0:29:500:29:51

that's kept live music off the air for nine weeks

0:29:510:29:54

has been ended by an overwhelming vote

0:29:540:29:56

from musicians working for the BBC.

0:29:560:29:58

Hello, we're back and you're welcome to Top Of The Pops.

0:29:580:30:01

Thank you for joining us this evening and when I say us,

0:30:010:30:03

-I say myself and one Elton John.

-Good evening, Peter.

0:30:030:30:06

-Hello, thank you for joining us on the show.

-It's quite a pleasure. What have we got on tonight?

0:30:060:30:10

Let me tell you what we've got on the show tonight. Starting off with...

0:30:100:30:13

MUSIC: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin

0:30:130:30:14

ABBA, with a forthcoming album coming out soon.

0:30:140:30:16

When the show returned in August,

0:30:160:30:18

all of the changes tried out in the pilot were implemented.

0:30:180:30:22

Roxy Music are live on Top Of The Pops.

0:30:220:30:24

The show started with an extended menu,

0:30:240:30:27

as it spent more time building excitement...

0:30:270:30:31

and explaining the arrows on the new-look chart.

0:30:310:30:34

-If the arrows are going up, it means is going up, doesn't it?

-I think so.

0:30:350:30:38

-If the arrows are going down, that means it's going down.

-Definitely.

0:30:380:30:41

-Would you like to know what's in the chart?

-Yeah.

0:30:410:30:43

It's a band called The Gibson Brothers.

0:30:430:30:45

They are live and they are live right now, with Mariana.

0:30:450:30:48

And the studio audience, having long seemed lost and bewildered,

0:30:480:30:52

was now twice the size and seemingly happy.

0:30:520:30:56

MUSIC: Mariana by The Gibson Brothers

0:30:560:30:58

# Love of my life

0:31:010:31:04

# I will never leave you. #

0:31:040:31:06

Definitely things got more animated when Michael Hurll came in.

0:31:060:31:09

And the whole place livened up a bit,

0:31:090:31:10

it was a bit of an injection of enthusiasm into the whole show.

0:31:100:31:13

They'd obviously sent out the press-gang

0:31:130:31:15

and insisted that they got more kids in there.

0:31:150:31:17

The whole thing did feel bigger and more professional.

0:31:170:31:20

Big change, of course, with the look of the show was that

0:31:250:31:27

the audience wasn't just in front of the act that was playing.

0:31:270:31:30

So you didn't have camera-audience-band,

0:31:300:31:33

but the stages were made so that you could get people round the back

0:31:330:31:36

or the sides or even above, up the gantries, looking down.

0:31:360:31:39

So there was a feeling that the audience were part of the show.

0:31:390:31:42

It's much more inclusive that way.

0:31:420:31:43

MUSIC: Ace Of Spades by Motorhead

0:31:430:31:47

1980 was actually the first year

0:31:510:31:53

that I set foot in a Top Of The Pops studio

0:31:530:31:55

as a member of the audience.

0:31:550:31:57

# If you like to gamble

0:31:570:31:58

# I tell you I'm your man

0:31:580:32:00

# You win some, lose some

0:32:000:32:02

# It's all the same to me. #

0:32:020:32:04

In that studio, there were genuine music fans.

0:32:040:32:07

In particular, Motorhead -

0:32:070:32:09

you actually see fans,

0:32:090:32:10

for the very first time, of that band

0:32:100:32:12

in the Top Of The Pops studio.

0:32:120:32:14

# I don't share your greed

0:32:170:32:19

# The only card I need is

0:32:190:32:20

# The ace of spades

0:32:200:32:22

# The ace of spades. #

0:32:220:32:24

You've got people sort of head-banging

0:32:250:32:27

and really thrashing about.

0:32:270:32:29

That's a Michael Hurll thing,

0:32:290:32:30

because he didn't just want anybody in that Top Of The Pops studio.

0:32:300:32:34

If he could get fans in of the acts -

0:32:340:32:37

that was the way that he wanted to go.

0:32:370:32:39

And when the show's audience wasn't at its animated best,

0:32:450:32:48

then Michael Hurll did have his methods.

0:32:480:32:52

'One programme I presented...

0:32:520:32:54

'The audience were, shall we say, a little lacklustre.'

0:32:540:32:57

And this big shout came out of the tannoy system,

0:32:570:33:01

which was very unusual -

0:33:010:33:02

which was to cut, cut, cut, coming to the floor.

0:33:020:33:06

He came down to the floor and he was puce with anger.

0:33:060:33:09

And he said,

0:33:090:33:11

"Unless this audience gets its act together,

0:33:110:33:13

"I am going to clear the studio."

0:33:130:33:16

Everybody was petrified

0:33:160:33:18

and you'd never seen a more enthusiastic crowd

0:33:180:33:20

than the one that followed that announcement.

0:33:200:33:22

Strange man.

0:33:230:33:25

Very, very powerful man in that studio.

0:33:250:33:27

PHONE RINGS

0:33:270:33:29

Hello?

0:33:290:33:31

In truth, the man who was moving Top Of The Pops into the future

0:33:310:33:34

had a style that was close to Thatcher,

0:33:340:33:37

taking an old-fashioned authoritarian stance...

0:33:370:33:41

Right and...cue track.

0:33:410:33:42

MUSIC: Toccata by Sky

0:33:420:33:44

..and fiercely enforcing Top Of The Pops rules

0:33:440:33:46

on young '80s bands.

0:33:460:33:48

He was very much the executive guy,

0:33:480:33:50

he was pretty much the guy that was up in the box.

0:33:500:33:53

He was God.

0:33:530:33:54

Occasionally, you know, instructions came down from God

0:33:540:33:57

to move this or change that

0:33:570:33:58

or "Hang on, we need to reshoot that and move the lights".

0:33:580:34:01

OK, Steve.

0:34:010:34:02

It was just this disembodied voice,

0:34:020:34:04

-this instruction that came down from the gantry.

-Yeah, you heard...

0:34:040:34:06

And standby...

0:34:060:34:08

You did feel like you were being talked down to

0:34:080:34:10

by a headmaster at a public school.

0:34:100:34:12

Right, where's that boy gone?

0:34:120:34:13

And it did grate, you know? It grated a lot.

0:34:130:34:16

And when you're recording a programme as live

0:34:160:34:18

and you've got, you know, us and Dexy's Midnight Runners and UB40

0:34:180:34:21

and Adam and The Ants, all running around, causing chaos,

0:34:210:34:24

it obviously had to be a bit strict, to get the show done.

0:34:240:34:27

He didn't suffer fools -

0:34:270:34:29

if anybody played up in that studio,

0:34:290:34:32

he would be straight down from the gallery.

0:34:320:34:35

The pitter-patter of tiny feet as Michael Hurll's feet

0:34:350:34:38

came down the metal staircase,

0:34:380:34:40

because the director's thing was quite high up.

0:34:400:34:43

And we knew that we were in trouble

0:34:430:34:44

and you could just hear these feet coming down.

0:34:440:34:47

And I remember one time, he just said to us,

0:34:470:34:49

"You're an embarrassment to yourselves and the BBC."

0:34:490:34:53

And I thought he was going to say, "..and the Queen".

0:34:530:34:56

Our sax player first got us in trouble.

0:34:570:35:00

He did all the rehearsals with a real saxophone

0:35:000:35:02

and when it came to the shoot, somebody didn't notice and

0:35:020:35:04

by the time they panned round to Lee,

0:35:040:35:06

he was playing a plastic saxophone.

0:35:060:35:08

More often than not, it would include Lee doing something

0:35:080:35:10

that hadn't been rehearsed.

0:35:100:35:11

Like leaping into the audience.

0:35:110:35:13

One time, Lee came on with a T-shirt that said,

0:35:130:35:15

"I need the BBC..."

0:35:150:35:17

And the next one said,.. "..like a hole in the head."

0:35:170:35:20

As he peeled that one off,

0:35:200:35:22

I think that was when we were banned for the fourth time.

0:35:220:35:24

Because we were banned a lot from Top Of The Pops.

0:35:240:35:27

And it was a strange dichotomy,

0:35:270:35:28

that Michael Hurll wanted you to have fun, but at the same time,

0:35:280:35:31

wanted it to look like you were seriously playing

0:35:310:35:33

when everybody -

0:35:330:35:34

even people who didn't understand the recording process -

0:35:340:35:37

knew that you were miming.

0:35:370:35:38

MUSIC: Baggy Trousers by Madness

0:35:380:35:41

Michael started to get us in earlier and earlier,

0:35:440:35:47

but sometimes we'd disappear.

0:35:470:35:48

I remember one time, we'd inveigle ourselves into the BBC bar,

0:35:480:35:51

the subsidised BBC bar...

0:35:510:35:54

We were getting in the lift, having left the bar

0:35:540:35:56

and the doors opened and there were Hot Gossip

0:35:560:35:59

and it was like, come on, what are you talking about?

0:35:590:36:01

I think there were about six of them.

0:36:010:36:03

The lift held about ten people

0:36:030:36:04

and there were seven of us, but there was no way anyone in the band

0:36:040:36:07

was going to miss out a chance of being squished in a lift

0:36:070:36:09

with Hot Gossip.

0:36:090:36:10

Then the lift got stuck.

0:36:100:36:12

You know, and it was kind of like, is it our fault, is not our fault?

0:36:120:36:15

But then Michael Hurll went ballistic.

0:36:150:36:17

He would literally say, "You're not coming on the show,

0:36:170:36:19

"we're not recording you."

0:36:190:36:20

You know, three or four, five weeks later, we'd have another hit

0:36:220:36:25

and he would just have to ask us back.

0:36:250:36:27

MUSIC: The Earth Dies Screaming by UB40

0:36:270:36:29

Even with that conflict,

0:36:290:36:31

Michael Hurll's Top Of The Pops now saw hordes of young teens

0:36:310:36:35

up and dancing to the tunes of the day.

0:36:350:36:37

Including - in a somewhat surreal fashion -

0:36:390:36:42

UB40, singing The Earth Dies Screaming.

0:36:420:36:45

Released after the government decided to house

0:36:470:36:49

US nuclear weapons on British soil.

0:36:490:36:52

Two sites have been named as bases for cruise missiles.

0:36:520:36:55

The American Air Force standby base at Greenham Common

0:36:550:36:58

and Molesworth, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.

0:36:580:37:02

All we want to do is to protect our liberty and our freedom,

0:37:040:37:08

by having adequate capability.

0:37:080:37:10

Over 100 villages will be living with

0:37:100:37:12

a prime military target on their doorstep.

0:37:120:37:14

You know, we go up quickly and the others might linger a little longer.

0:37:140:37:18

This was a period of heightened tension in the Cold War,

0:37:200:37:23

after Arms Limitation talks collapsed at the end of the '70s.

0:37:230:37:26

If anyone dies while you are kept in your fallout room,

0:37:260:37:31

move the body to another room in the house.

0:37:310:37:33

Label the body with name and address.

0:37:330:37:37

And punk ska band, The Piranhas,

0:37:370:37:39

began to climb the charts with their own take on the subject -

0:37:390:37:43

the song, Tom Hark.

0:37:430:37:45

Does anybody know how long till World War Three?

0:37:450:37:48

I want to know, I've got to book my holiday.

0:37:480:37:52

They want me in the Army, but I just can't go.

0:37:520:37:55

I'm far too busy listening to the radio.

0:37:550:37:58

MUSIC: Tom Hark by The Piranhas

0:37:580:38:01

Tom Hark is this kind of bouncy, play-go-round sing-along tune

0:38:010:38:04

and yet it did have very apocalyptic lyrics,

0:38:040:38:06

which were about the Third World War.

0:38:060:38:09

Basically, me being terrified and saying,

0:38:170:38:19

"Look, I'm scared of this.

0:38:190:38:21

"I'm not being macho about this, I'm terrified."

0:38:220:38:25

The Piranhas had earned their indie band stripes

0:38:290:38:32

and crafted their quirky style

0:38:320:38:34

over three long years on the pub and college circuit.

0:38:340:38:38

And now, The Piranhas, in a slightly less teasing mood.

0:38:380:38:41

MUSIC: Space Invaders by The Piranhas

0:38:410:38:44

We did six John Peel sessions.

0:38:470:38:49

We quickly became kind of firmly entrenched as a John Peel band.

0:38:490:38:53

We were playing gigs all over the country.

0:38:580:39:00

Often times, we weren't earning a great deal of money.

0:39:000:39:03

We had a rusty old Transit van that fell apart.

0:39:030:39:05

It was the kind of dirt under the fingernails,

0:39:050:39:08

black-and-white grit of rock 'n' roll existence, if you like.

0:39:080:39:12

But in August, The Piranhas' Tom Hark entered the charts

0:39:170:39:20

and the band's rusty Transit van was headed for

0:39:200:39:23

that very first edition of Michael Hurll's revamped Top Of The Pops.

0:39:230:39:28

When we did Top Of The Pops,

0:39:280:39:30

it was like walking through into Munchkinland.

0:39:300:39:32

-Elton John.

-Good evening, Peter.

0:39:340:39:36

Elton John comes over and says,

0:39:360:39:38

"Welcome!"

0:39:380:39:39

We're going, "Wow."

0:39:390:39:41

Errol Brown and Hot Chocolate.

0:39:410:39:42

"Wow, Errol Brown from Hot Chocolate!"

0:39:420:39:44

Woo!

0:39:440:39:45

Roxy Music and Oh Yeah.

0:39:450:39:47

We were in the queue for make-up with Bryan Ferry.

0:39:470:39:50

He'd just come back from a holiday in the Caribbean

0:39:500:39:53

and he looked fantastic.

0:39:530:39:54

And we said, "Why do you need to go to make-up?"

0:39:540:39:56

And he said, "You know, just a little extra sparkle."

0:39:560:39:59

# The whole thing's daft

0:39:590:40:01

# I don't know why... #

0:40:010:40:02

And The Piranhas debut on the first revamped Top Of The Pops

0:40:020:40:06

saw their drummer discover his own brand of showbiz sparkle.

0:40:060:40:09

The Piranhas' drummer was called Dick Slexia.

0:40:110:40:15

Dick was a little bit younger than us, very fit, he had a fine torso,

0:40:150:40:19

which, on the day, he oiled up.

0:40:190:40:22

I've got no idea whose idea it was for Dick to play the drums

0:40:240:40:28

with fish instead of sticks.

0:40:280:40:29

Playing the drums with a pair of plastic fish...

0:40:310:40:33

Who am I to argue? I was wearing white gloves.

0:40:350:40:38

I think at that point,

0:40:380:40:40

we had given up on any hope of having any credibility left

0:40:400:40:42

after we'd done this.

0:40:420:40:44

John Peel stopped playing us after we were on Top Of The Pops,

0:40:480:40:51

which was a source of eternal regret.

0:40:510:40:54

So you're going to end it like that, are you, you teasers?

0:40:540:40:56

Those are The Piranhas. Good night and good riddance.

0:40:560:40:59

Without realising it, we'd, um...

0:40:590:41:01

sold out.

0:41:010:41:02

Not for a very high price, I must say.

0:41:050:41:07

APPLAUSE

0:41:080:41:10

-No, I can't whistle either.

-On that August night...

0:41:110:41:14

The summer hit from The Piranhas...

0:41:140:41:16

Peter Powell's double act with Elton was the first of many pairings...

0:41:160:41:19

They're going to take you for a walk in the park.

0:41:190:41:21

..as the new-look show brought a range of guest hosts

0:41:210:41:24

onto Top Of The Pops.

0:41:240:41:25

-Adam...

-Adam and The Ants.

0:41:250:41:26

And a thing called Dog Eat Dog.

0:41:260:41:29

And a thing called Dog Eat Dog.

0:41:290:41:30

-Anyway, I'm going to...

-I'll be Nino, you be you.

-Of course, OK.

0:41:300:41:34

Sheena Easton.

0:41:340:41:35

Not THE Sheena Easton?

0:41:350:41:36

-What about me?

-Who are you?

0:41:360:41:39

-It's Super Cooper!

-GIRLS SCREAM

0:41:390:41:41

I can see why the guest host thing might have worked on paper,

0:41:410:41:44

but often it's quite uncomfortable viewing.

0:41:440:41:47

My name is Tommy Vance and to help me on the programme tonight,

0:41:470:41:50

I've got the McVicar himself, Roger Daltrey -

0:41:500:41:52

who's looking a bit miserable.

0:41:520:41:54

With good reason, mate - with good reason.

0:41:540:41:56

Why?

0:41:560:41:57

I come all the way here to see The Clash and then I find they're not on.

0:41:570:42:00

Roger has to be the most unpredictable

0:42:000:42:04

Top Of The Pops co-host ever.

0:42:040:42:06

You just didn't know what he was going to say next.

0:42:060:42:09

Anyway, there's an awful lot I'd like to say about Legs and Co,

0:42:090:42:13

but I'm afraid they'll probably bleep me out if I do.

0:42:130:42:16

MUSIC: All Over The World by Electric Light Orchestra

0:42:160:42:19

-Really trying to align himself to punk.

-What about disco?

0:42:230:42:26

-I can see you bopping along to disco.

-Augh, can't stand it!

0:42:260:42:29

Really pitching himself against disco in a way that is kind of...

0:42:290:42:33

pretty distasteful... Borderline homophobic, I would say.

0:42:330:42:36

It's terrible.

0:42:360:42:37

Terrible shame, Rog, because here come The Village People.

0:42:370:42:40

-Maybe more than borderline.

-Can't Stop The Music.

0:42:400:42:42

Watch your backs.

0:42:420:42:44

MUSIC: Can't Stop The Music by The Village People

0:42:440:42:47

Live before your very eyes - only Little and Large!

0:42:470:42:50

CHEERING

0:42:500:42:53

-Oy, oy!

-Oy!

0:42:530:42:55

As well as celebrity hosts,

0:42:550:42:57

between the acts, the new-look show had sudden,

0:42:570:42:59

almost spontaneous interviews.

0:42:590:43:01

Now earlier, I said we had a few surprise guests on the programme tonight.

0:43:010:43:05

I wasn't expecting to have to do interviews

0:43:050:43:07

when I did Top Of The Pops.

0:43:070:43:08

'They would just suddenly thrust one of the Jacksons on me'

0:43:080:43:11

and say, um...

0:43:110:43:13

"Have a chat with him." And you just had to busk it.

0:43:130:43:15

-So we might do something together again.

-The Jackson Five?

0:43:150:43:18

The whole thing about Top Of The Pops

0:43:180:43:21

that you have to accept is that it was very bizarre.

0:43:210:43:23

Here's a band I think you maybe haven't heard of -

0:43:230:43:25

they're called Madness. Do you know Madness?

0:43:250:43:27

And Jermaine Jackson being asked if he knew anything about Madness...

0:43:270:43:31

No, but I hear that they're very exciting.

0:43:310:43:33

..it's got to be right up there,

0:43:330:43:35

in the most peculiar of those memories, yeah.

0:43:350:43:37

He's just got his pilot's licence today, he's chuffed to bits -

0:43:370:43:40

it Gary Numan and it's Wreckage, live!

0:43:400:43:43

MUSIC: This Wreckage by Gary Numan

0:43:430:43:46

# And what if God's dead

0:43:530:43:56

# We must have done something wrong... #

0:43:570:44:00

Gary Numan and I went back a bit,

0:44:000:44:02

because we'd done a thing for a Radio One programme,

0:44:020:44:04

where we'd both gone out in a helicopter and been

0:44:040:44:07

thrown into the English Channel.

0:44:070:44:08

So we kind of bonded quite well.

0:44:080:44:10

And so, when I heard that I was going to be interviewing him on Pops,

0:44:100:44:13

I thought, great, because he's a laugh, he's OK, he's a nice guy.

0:44:130:44:16

# Would like to frame your voice. #

0:44:160:44:20

One man who isn't out on tour at the moment

0:44:200:44:22

but is with us today is Gary Numan.

0:44:220:44:24

And he didn't have anything to say!

0:44:240:44:27

I keep hearing rumours about you and your career

0:44:270:44:30

and the fact that you're retiring.

0:44:300:44:32

Yeah, that's right.

0:44:320:44:33

He's there to announce his live retirement(!)

0:44:330:44:37

When Richard Skinner asks him why, he doesn't know.

0:44:370:44:41

Why are you withdrawing from live appearances?

0:44:410:44:44

I don't know.

0:44:440:44:46

He just looks like he needs a holiday.

0:44:460:44:49

Poor thing.

0:44:490:44:50

How are you filling your days nowadays?

0:44:500:44:52

-I'm flying.

-Flying?

0:44:520:44:53

Yeah, not like that. I'm learning to be a pilot.

0:44:530:44:56

Really? Bit of a dangerous hobby.

0:44:560:44:58

No, it's all right. I'm going to go to two engines -

0:44:580:45:00

-if one goes, I've got the other one.

-Oh, fine. That's good.

0:45:000:45:03

# This wreckage I call me

0:45:030:45:08

# Would like to frame your voice. #

0:45:080:45:11

Gary Numan's unfortunately titled This Wreckage

0:45:110:45:15

stalled at the lower end of the chart.

0:45:150:45:17

And the failure of the face of '79

0:45:170:45:19

pointed to a bigger problem.

0:45:190:45:21

MUSIC: The Winner Takes It All by ABBA

0:45:230:45:26

By autumn, the record business -

0:45:280:45:30

hit by recession and raging inflation -

0:45:300:45:33

saw a big drop in sales.

0:45:330:45:35

Decca sacked 1,200 staff...

0:45:370:45:39

..Virgin was forced to drop artists

0:45:400:45:43

and CBS's biggest act were struggling.

0:45:430:45:46

It's ABBA and the winner still takes it all.

0:45:460:45:49

-# The winner takes it all

-Takes it all

0:45:490:45:52

-# The loser has to fall

-Has to fall... #

0:45:530:45:56

In August, ABBA hit the number one spot with an all-time classic.

0:45:560:46:01

# Why should I complain? #

0:46:010:46:04

So far today, the ABBA single has sold 12,000-odd.

0:46:040:46:08

Probably a year ago, it would have been 25,000.

0:46:090:46:12

That's strikingly less than I would expect.

0:46:120:46:16

The charts were ripe for a takeover

0:46:160:46:18

by a whole new tribe of younger acts -

0:46:180:46:21

a tribe that would eclipse all others.

0:46:210:46:24

MUSIC: To Cut A Long Story Short by Spandau Ballet

0:46:240:46:26

The pop music scene and the fashion scene have been influenced

0:46:260:46:29

by a new youth cult -

0:46:290:46:31

the New Romantics, or the Blitz kids.

0:46:310:46:34

I don't feel I'm part of the normal run-of-the-mill rat race.

0:46:350:46:38

I don't want to be, put it like that.

0:46:380:46:41

The kind of tectonic plates were really shifting.

0:46:410:46:44

The younger generation, maybe kind of five years younger, coming in -

0:46:450:46:48

the '80s kids and the Blitz kids.

0:46:480:46:49

We were very aware of it, because we went out a lot,

0:46:490:46:52

we went to the clubs and it was happening there.

0:46:520:46:54

You know, you were aware that the ground was moving under your feet.

0:46:540:46:58

# Questions, questions

0:46:580:47:01

# Give me no answers... #

0:47:010:47:04

Where we were on Top Of The Pops was actually on that fault line.

0:47:040:47:08

After that, it was never going to be the same again.

0:47:080:47:11

# Look at this strange boy... #

0:47:110:47:14

Either adapt very quickly and start wearing kind of fencing shirts,

0:47:140:47:18

or find something else to do.

0:47:180:47:19

MUSIC: Dog Eat Dog by Adam and the Ants

0:47:190:47:21

And on the sleeve of Spandau Ballet,

0:47:210:47:23

one young man who'd failed as leader of a punk band

0:47:230:47:26

raided the dressing up box

0:47:260:47:28

and grabbed a golden chance to reinvent himself.

0:47:280:47:31

Adam Ant didn't have a band, a year previously.

0:47:310:47:34

There is a man with a deadline which, if he doesn't make it,

0:47:340:47:37

then it's kind of all over for him.

0:47:370:47:39

# You may not like

0:47:390:47:41

# Things we do

0:47:410:47:43

# Only idiots ignore the truth. #

0:47:430:47:46

I'd been waiting four years for the opportunity to be on television,

0:47:460:47:49

because Adam and The Ants had been around since '77.

0:47:490:47:52

And then someone dropped out of Top Of The Pops

0:47:520:47:55

and then we got a slot and we did Dog Eat Dog.

0:47:550:47:57

# It's dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog eat dog

0:47:570:48:01

# Leapfrog the dog

0:48:010:48:03

# And brush me Daddy-o. #

0:48:030:48:04

One performance on Top Of The Pops,

0:48:050:48:07

I remember standing looking at Stray Cats over there

0:48:070:48:09

and Madness over there.

0:48:090:48:11

It was like tribal and they were ready to go

0:48:110:48:13

and you kind of knew what they could do

0:48:130:48:15

and it made me up my game.

0:48:150:48:17

As gung ho as Adam's performance was,

0:48:170:48:20

the studio audience for his debut kept their distance

0:48:200:48:23

from his unfamiliar Burundi beat.

0:48:230:48:26

I remember Dog Eat Dog in particular - they didn't come anywhere near us,

0:48:260:48:29

the crowd. They like, really stayed right away from it.

0:48:290:48:33

Never mind the studio audience -

0:48:330:48:35

the nation at home made up its mind after his debut.

0:48:350:48:38

MUSIC: Ant Music by Adam and The Ants

0:48:380:48:40

And soon, Adam had a huge fan base -

0:48:400:48:41

an army of young girls who bought into

0:48:410:48:44

pop's biggest teen sensation since the Bay City Rollers.

0:48:440:48:47

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-You've sent the place into total turmoil.

0:48:480:48:52

We've got hundreds and hundreds of young ladies,

0:48:520:48:54

all ringing up and melting our phones.

0:48:540:48:56

-Oh, dear.

-I want to speak to him!

0:48:560:48:58

When he returned to Top Of The Pops in December with Ant Music,

0:49:020:49:05

the failed punk was a star

0:49:050:49:07

and the re-fangled Top Of The Pops was his new home.

0:49:070:49:10

With Ant Music, there was a lot more of the audience there.

0:49:150:49:18

You had them right on the edge.

0:49:180:49:19

That was the Thursday night - on the Saturday morning,

0:49:250:49:27

we sold a quarter of a million records

0:49:270:49:29

and I couldn't walk down the street any more, it was just...

0:49:290:49:32

It was really the beginning of a whole different area in my life.

0:49:320:49:37

But in the same week that Ant Music debuted on Top Of The Pops,

0:49:440:49:48

tragedy struck.

0:49:480:49:49

MUSIC: Imagine by John Lennon

0:49:490:49:52

He emptied the Charter Arms .38 calibre gun

0:49:540:49:57

that he had with him

0:49:570:49:59

and um...

0:49:590:50:01

shot John Lennon.

0:50:010:50:02

John Lennon's death, on December 8th,

0:50:130:50:15

shocked the world.

0:50:150:50:16

He symbolised hope.

0:50:160:50:18

A new life, a new beginning.

0:50:180:50:20

He was a great, great, great man.

0:50:200:50:23

I happened to hear it on BBC World Service -

0:50:230:50:25

I'd gone to sleep with the radio on and I woke up at four

0:50:250:50:29

and they were announcing that

0:50:290:50:31

John Lennon had been shot.

0:50:310:50:33

And I leapt out of my bed and jumped into my car

0:50:330:50:36

and I drove into Radio One Newsbeat.

0:50:360:50:38

And I suddenly see in my phone book,

0:50:380:50:40

I've got Paul McCartney's home telephone number.

0:50:400:50:44

I thought about it, because it's kind of a nerve-racking

0:50:440:50:46

and responsible thing to do,

0:50:460:50:48

but I did phone the number

0:50:480:50:50

and somebody answered the phone.

0:50:500:50:52

I asked if they knew about John and they didn't.

0:50:520:50:55

And so I passed it on and said,

0:50:550:50:57

could Paul phone back to Newsbeat,

0:50:570:51:00

because obviously, we would value a comment,

0:51:000:51:03

but would appreciate that he may not be able to.

0:51:030:51:06

And today's headlines -

0:51:060:51:07

after the murder earlier this morning of the former Beatle,

0:51:070:51:10

John Lennon, police in New York have arrested...

0:51:100:51:12

Suddenly, one of the girls came through and said,

0:51:120:51:15

"Richard, Paul McCartney on the phone."

0:51:150:51:17

So went to the back office - the editor's office -

0:51:170:51:19

and shut the door

0:51:190:51:20

and had a long conversation with Paul, who wouldn't go on air.

0:51:200:51:23

He was so upset

0:51:230:51:26

and we talked about John

0:51:260:51:28

and we talked about plans -

0:51:280:51:30

that he tells me, in the phone call -

0:51:300:51:32

he and John had to get together and try and write music together again,

0:51:320:51:36

that would've been happening that December.

0:51:360:51:39

But the studio they wanted to use was booked out,

0:51:390:51:42

so they didn't work together and they were hoping

0:51:420:51:44

to meet up in the New Year.

0:51:440:51:46

So John Lennon shouldn't even have been in New York on 8th December.

0:51:460:51:50

MUSIC: Super Trooper by ABBA

0:51:500:51:53

In the week John Lennon was murdered,

0:51:530:51:55

Top Of The Pops broke with tradition

0:51:550:51:57

and broadcast a special message,

0:51:570:52:00

after the final credits.

0:52:000:52:01

We've all been shocked this week

0:52:030:52:05

by the news of John Lennon's death in New York.

0:52:050:52:07

And I think the best thing we can do is to remember him

0:52:070:52:09

as he was at his best, when he was performing.

0:52:090:52:12

He's been a great influence on music, right the way through the '60s,

0:52:120:52:15

was back again now and tonight, in Top Of The Pops,

0:52:150:52:17

as a tribute to him...

0:52:170:52:19

'I seem to remember we played the video for Imagine...'

0:52:190:52:22

MUSIC: Imagine by John Lennon

0:52:220:52:24

'..and everybody felt as upset as you can be.'

0:52:240:52:28

I mean, it was just a tragic event.

0:52:280:52:30

MUSIC: (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon

0:52:300:52:33

In fitting tribute to John,

0:52:340:52:36

two of his solo songs climbed the charts,

0:52:360:52:39

seemingly destined for the 1980 Christmas number one.

0:52:390:52:42

A week before Christmas,

0:52:430:52:45

Starting Over made it to the top of the charts.

0:52:450:52:47

But, given this was Top Of The Pops,

0:52:530:52:56

it wasn't that straightforward.

0:52:560:52:58

MUSIC: Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd

0:53:020:53:06

# We don't need no education. #

0:53:060:53:10

Just as in 1979...

0:53:130:53:15

# We don't need no thought control. #

0:53:150:53:19

..a kids' choir had a say in the Christmas number one.

0:53:190:53:23

# No dark sarcasm in the classroom. #

0:53:240:53:29

One choir practice, I remember Sister Aquinas coming in, going...

0:53:290:53:33

WHISPERS

0:53:330:53:34

..to Miss Foley, who was our music teacher, a brilliant teacher.

0:53:340:53:37

WHISPERS

0:53:370:53:38

-And it was all...

-HEAVY BREATHING

0:53:380:53:40

..and they said, "Children, we'd like to tell you something.

0:53:400:53:43

"We've made it to number two."

0:53:430:53:44

We went, "What? Number two?

0:53:440:53:47

"Like on Top Of The Pops? What?"

0:53:470:53:49

And we all went mental.

0:53:490:53:50

So we all went - we got on this big chara

0:53:530:53:56

and it took us ages to get there,

0:53:560:53:58

because it was a big '80s school bus.

0:53:580:53:59

And I can smell it now actually, I can absolutely smell

0:53:590:54:02

getting on and everyone was sick on the way and you know?

0:54:020:54:06

Everybody ate their sandwiches before we got on the A6, you know?

0:54:060:54:08

It was just like a school trip.

0:54:080:54:10

On the way in, I remember seeing Terry Wogan

0:54:120:54:15

and I thought I was going to have a heart attack,

0:54:150:54:17

because he was this magical man off the television.

0:54:170:54:20

So we went into the studio, Top Of The Pops

0:54:200:54:22

and we all got lined up.

0:54:220:54:24

And at Christmas, all sorts of things happen in the British charts

0:54:240:54:27

and this is proof they're so versatile, I guess.

0:54:270:54:29

With a little lady in front who's only eight years of age,

0:54:290:54:31

St Winifred's School Choir.

0:54:310:54:34

MUSIC: There's No-One Quite Like Grandma by St Winifred's School Choir

0:54:340:54:37

And I remember the teenagers that had obviously got

0:54:370:54:40

this prized ticket to go on Top Of The Pops,

0:54:400:54:42

the golden Charlie And The Chocolate Factory ticket to be at this place

0:54:420:54:46

and they were so miffed.

0:54:460:54:48

# Grandma, we love you

0:54:480:54:52

# Grandma, we do. #

0:54:520:54:55

They were staring at us, really, really miffed,

0:54:550:54:58

because they had to watch these kids

0:54:580:55:00

singing this stupid song about their grandma.

0:55:000:55:02

# There's no-one quite like grandma. #

0:55:020:55:05

Their studio floor manager said, "Come on now, everyone."

0:55:050:55:08

It got a bit disgruntled!

0:55:080:55:10

He started kicking off a bit.

0:55:100:55:12

"Look, come on everyone", you know?

0:55:120:55:14

"Give this kids a chance, they're only little."

0:55:140:55:16

Then my music teacher, Terri Foley, stood up to go,

0:55:160:55:18

"You give these children a chance,

0:55:180:55:20

"they've come all the way down from Manchester!"

0:55:200:55:22

And they all sort of stood in line then and...

0:55:220:55:25

And just watched us and swayed, like that.

0:55:250:55:28

"Bit annoying. I'm really annoyed I'm looking at this rubbish."

0:55:280:55:32

Because it was rubbish.

0:55:320:55:33

# There's no-one quite like grandma

0:55:330:55:36

# She has helped us on our way. #

0:55:360:55:41

# Grandma, we love you... #

0:55:410:55:43

If you look at Top Of The Pops, you can see, for some reason

0:55:430:55:46

I've got my head to the side, like this.

0:55:460:55:48

And I think in my own little seven-year-old way,

0:55:540:55:57

I was trying to be cute.

0:55:570:55:59

MUSIC: Funkytown by Lipps Inc

0:55:590:56:01

On Christmas Day 1980, Britain gathered round the TV

0:56:010:56:03

for the festive edition of Top Of The Pops...

0:56:030:56:06

I daren't tip it over too much, it might fall off.

0:56:060:56:08

..to find out who had made it to the coveted number one.

0:56:080:56:11

Well, it kept John Lennon off the number one slot that Christmas,

0:56:160:56:20

which I'm deeply sorry for.

0:56:200:56:21

That little single

0:56:230:56:24

was the answer to every grandma's wishes for Christmas,

0:56:240:56:28

so every kid in the country went, "Pfft, sorted."

0:56:280:56:31

They didn't have to worry about

0:56:310:56:32

"Do I get them Yardley? Do I get them Bath salts?

0:56:320:56:35

"Do I get them slippers?"

0:56:350:56:37

No, get them the single.

0:56:370:56:39

They love me, I love them, everyone's happy.

0:56:390:56:41

But as the credits rolled on the final Top Of The Pops of 1980,

0:56:450:56:48

the Christmas number one was anything but the whole story.

0:56:480:56:52

# And we know you love us

0:56:520:56:57

# Too. #

0:56:570:57:01

MUSIC: Planet Earth by Duran Duran

0:57:010:57:03

Top Of The Pops and music were changing

0:57:050:57:07

and in a few months, the show would evolve again,

0:57:070:57:10

as the new faces of 1980 would open the door

0:57:100:57:13

for a legion of electronica and New Romantics...

0:57:130:57:15

..all poised for an even glossier,

0:57:170:57:20

multicoloured, carnival-like

0:57:200:57:23

thoroughly 1981 Top Of The Pops.

0:57:230:57:26

That New Year,

0:57:260:57:28

music was starting to turn our way.

0:57:280:57:31

It was new, it was fresh and they didn't look like

0:57:320:57:35

they'd got The Ladybirds backing singing with them.

0:57:350:57:38

They were real.

0:57:380:57:39

They looked like people that you'd sort of seen on the street

0:57:390:57:42

and thought, God, they look fantastic!

0:57:420:57:44

And then the music that went with it

0:57:440:57:46

and it was just fresh and refreshing

0:57:460:57:49

and it felt like ours.

0:57:490:57:51

# Can you hear me now?

0:57:510:57:56

# This is planet earth

0:57:560:57:59

# You're looking at planet earth

0:57:590:58:04

# Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop

0:58:040:58:07

# This is planet earth... #

0:58:070:58:10

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