Big Hits: TOTP 1964 to 1975BBC4, Friday 01 April 8:30pm - 10:00pm
A selection of performances from the first 12 years of Top of the Pops, featuring the Rolling Stones, Peter Sarstedt, Tom Jones, Stevie Wonder, Julie Driscoll, Queen, the Kinks, Procol Harum, Stealers Wheel, the Seekers and Status Quo.
RadiotimesTop of the Pops: The Story of 1976
BBC4, Friday 01 April 10:00pm - 10:50pmA pop-tastic evening of archive action. Central to the fl are flapping craziness is a documentary about colossally influential music circus Top of the Pops in a pivotal year for the programme. The OK-to-like Abba, Bowie and Queen were slowly giving way to colour-coordinated Brotherhood of Man, the tractor-balancing Wurzels, and even songs like Disco Duck, which, lest we forget, made number 15. Former hosts "Diddy" David Hamilton and Tony "Not Especially Diddy" Blackburn reflect on the show's inexorable slide towards middle-of-the- road family entertainment, and the wrecking-ball riposte that punk had waiting in the wings.
RadiotimesTop of the Pops: 1976
Friday 01 April
10:50pm - 11:20pm
BBC4
Tony Blackburn introduces an edition of the pop music show from April 1, 1976, a week which saw the Brotherhood of Man top the charts with Save Your Kisses for Me - which would go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest two days later. The show also features hits by Abba, John Miles, Diana Ross, Sailor and the Beatles, as well as performances by Australian duo Tarney and Spencer and pop band Fox, whose song S-S-S-Single Bed would become a top five hit later that year.
RadiotimesTop of the Pops - The True Story
BBC4, Friday 01 April 11:20pm - 12:20amMemories of the long-running music show, launched in 1964 from a converted church in Manchester. Featuring interviews with former presenters including Jimmy Savile, Tony Blackburn and John Peel, and artists such as Robbie Williams, Pan's People, Robin Gibb, Noddy Holder, Blondie, Holly Johnson, Noel Gallagher, Kylie Minogue and Suggs.
Radiotimes BBC To Screen Top Of The Pops RerunsThe BBC is to show reruns of classic Top Of The Pops shows every week on Thursday night at 19:30.
The shows will start on April 7 on BBC Four with the series starting at 1976 when the corporation began keeping every episode of Top of the Pops.
Richard Klein, the BBC Four controller, said the network planned to air the reruns for at least a year depending on how popular the shows were with viewers.
Top Of The Pops ran for 42 years until it was axed in 2006 over plummeting ratings.
The series will launch this Friday with a documentary, which focuses on the show in 1976 as 'barometer' of music and light entertainment.
Top Of The Pops is still revived every year for a special Christmas Day edition.
waveguide.co.uk
