Top of the Pops

I didn't think about this till yesterday, but Erasure were the first act to perform on both the 1989 and 1991 revamps.

You're right, well spotted!

Interesting that both revamps started with the same act seeing as they had virtually nothing else in common. I think 1991 and 2003 were the only "clean break" revamps, every other revamp had some sort of continuity with what went before.

And the first to perform on The Roxy, to boot.

Horribly rushed edition again tonight. We barely saw any of Roy Orbison which almost feels disrespectful seeing as he'd recently died. Mike and The Mechnics too, we barely got a minute of them. Far too many breakers crammed in again too.

A tight programme indeed, but lots of hits to get through, including five new studio performances. Sorry for a double negative, but they couldn't not feature the Roy Orbison and Mike and the Mechanics tracks given their decent chart climbs.

Surprised they didn't play the whole of the glorious "Wait" by Doctor Robert and Kym Mazelle, even though it's just a shade under three minutes long!

Edit: Brief blasts of feedback aside, no difference in the audio levels on the presenter mics on that edition.

Your fog lamps are on! Your fog lamps are on, there's no fog! THERE'S NO FOG! NO FOG! Ohhh, a cuddly toy, that's my only joy…


When Chris Moyles played that song on the Platinum Hour recently he included that as part of the song, probably because anyone who's seen that film more than once can't think of the song now without it!

Also did anyone hear someone shouting in the background during Fine Young Cannibals? Instructions for the audience?

The shouting during the performances, usually "HANDS IN THE AIR!" and the like, is from the "cheerleaders" hyping the audience up.

The same bunch of people who you used to see week after week, among the audience or dancing on podia, during the Michael Hurll area.

Did they intentionally turn down the volume on Anthea Turner's Mic on this edition?

Not low enough, we could still hear her

Looks like they discovered they can animate the captions more than just having them fold up and down the screen by now as well.

He's also a massive Alan Partridge fan. Great he went to the effort to do that