Did anyone else ever attend a Top of the Pops recording?

[Digerydont]

I always watch Top of the Pops on a Friday if I am staying in. I was in the audience for one show back in the 70s. I wondered whether anyone else ever got on a TOTP show. All I remember was how the BBC staff ordered everyone about. No choice over which act you would be part of. Even the stars were ordered around.

My blonde and pretty sister went in the late 1970s. She reported a particular presenter as being a bit ‘handsy’

Me. It was, I think, the 1978 post Christmas recording and few live/mimed performances. Mostly taped. I stood next to Kid Jensen when he introduced an act. I looked so shy. When I went back to school, I thought I’d be a minor celeb but sadly people just took the micky. And that was me done with my 15 mins of fame.

I went in 1976 as well! My friend’s Dad worked for the BBC. We tried to keep out of the way of the cameras so our school friends didn’t see us on TV & get jealous (she could only get 2 tickets). I was 15 & she was 14. I remember watching Barry Biggs and Liverpool Express. David Soul was number one & of course he wasn’t there, they showed a video. Diddy David Hamilton was introducing the acts. I got his autograph. I wore a denim dress & friend wore a rugby shirt & jeans. We saw her striped sleeve at the edge of the screen when we watched it.

Yep. Famously All About Eve sat on stage not realizing the recording had started - they couldn’t hear it because of sound problems - so they sat waiting while the audience listened to them “singing”.

TOTP bosses were furious one year when, in the middle of the fantastic Don’t Leave Me This Way, Jimmy and Sarah-Jane swapped parts, screwing up their cameras. You can see that the two singers are having great fun struggling not to laugh.

A school friend went in the mid-90s when we were 14/15. She wore a tartan mini-dungaree dress. I remain envious to this day (of being at a TOTP recording; I'd never have got away with the dress even then).

I did, the Jacksons were on, I think 1979. Can't remember who else, but I do remember having to keep looking over my shoulder to dodge the cameras chugging towards me, you just had to get out of the way quickly!

I would have loved to be there dancing to "come on eileen" but I was only 1 🤣. Ohhh t rex too, love to see marc bolan 😍 but apparently i was only a twinkle in my dad's eye then 🤣.

Sadly not. Lived miles and miles away from London with no means of getting there. Always been a dream of mine!

Ooh I went when Hot Chocolate were in the chart with “So you Win Again”. It was great, Franki Valley were there and they were a bit self important which we didn’t appreciate but the experience was fab!

I went in 2002. T.A.T.U were number one with “All the things she said” and only appeared via screen. Liam Gallagher was there (also saw Nicole Appleton as he was with her at the time).

I didn't enjoy it really - it went on and on and on with retakes etc …. If I sat down for one minute, a staff member would be over to pull me back up. It was tiny, hot and packed and my hands hurt from forced clapping! All in all though, I’m glad to have experienced it.

I went with my then boyfriend in 1973 for the Christmas show. I was seventeen. Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmonds were presenting. The acts I can remember were Slade, Wizard and Suzy Quattro. We were herded around and I remember being surprised at how few people there were in the audience. I’ve just seen myself on screen briefly as this prompted me to look the episode up! Pans people were dancing to You’re a bad dog baby - to real labradors sitting patiently on a podium.
I was wearing my favourite new black top shop dress with white stitching detail and black boots. I was actually a bit disappointed as it was very tame compared to some of the gigs I was going to in Brighton at the time!

Best Hot Chocolate track ever! There is a TOTP documentary and two of my schoolfriends are in it. I went again a few years later with the Pogues, who were mates, I think they were doing Fairytale of NY, could have been Fiesta, but we stayed in the bar and they came back after doing their bit. Didn’t bother to go to the studio 😆

@Digerydont - have you spotted yourself on the TOTP repeats on BBC4?

When I worked at the Beeb they used to occasionally put an email call out, if a coach party weren’t going to turn up on time, for staff members to fill out the audience. Me and a bunch of colleagues would go along and hang out in the Green room.

I went a couple of times during the mid 80’s , I wrote to the BBC and applied for tickets. I remember seeing Paul Owen, ‘my favourite waste of time’, I also stood on the raised platform behind Wham doing ‘edge of heaven’ - not sure if that was the same episode. I have since seen the Wham episode on BBC4 and can see myself dancing (badly). I remember being so excited as I was a big Wham fan.

I went twice, to a regular show and a Christmas one. Both in the mid noughties. The regular show was a bit pants, we went on a bad week! The good acts were just pre-records.

The Christmas show was good fun, we saw several high profile artists and the atmosphere was really good.

It is surprising how small it is and they really do shunt everyone around. My shows are too recent for repeats. I keep waiting.

I did get tickets a few years later to another Christmas show but due to work commitments couldn't get there super early and so didn't get in. They give out at lot more tickets than there are spaces. I didn't try again.

I did!

Went with my sister back in 1984: I was just turned 15, she was 12. You had to be 15 to get on, so for some reason my mum stuck my sister in a pair of heels and padded bra 🤣

We got there via someone we knew who worked at the BBC. We queued up with everyone else, then when we gave our tickets to the security guy he sent us to a different location to everyone else. Long story short: we unknowingly had VIP tickets, and we were put in the backstage area. It was completely empty, and we stood like a pair of idiots, not knowing what to do. All of a sudden, we could hear people coming up the stairs into the room… It was Depeche Mode. They were one of my favourite bands at the time and I could have passed out! As they walked past Dave Gahan smiled at me. One of the most amazing moments of my young life!

The staff were very nice, and they were telling us which bands were going to be on. When they mentioned Depeche Mode, my sister and I cheered, and one of the professional dancers said that she liked them too and told us which stage they were going to be on. So we kind of hung around that stage all the time! Nobody was told where to go, you just sort of moved around when each act came on.

When I watch repeats of TOTP and see performances by acts I don’t remember or don’t like, I realise how lucky we were to see who we did… Tears for fears, Depeche Mode, and The Smiths. Three of my favourite bands! Bucks Fizz were on as well.

unfortunately, our episode is never aired on the TV, because Jimmy Savile is on it. He wasn’t in the studio, they were doing an outside broadcast at the same time, something to do with a train.

BTW I’ve name changed for this as it’s very specific!

My cousin was in the audience mid 80s. Presenter was John Peel, cousin hoped to give JP a tape of his band, by the fabulous 80s name of “4 minute warning”.

Oh god I was at that Demis Roussos one OP. I remember him standing there in his giant kaftan picking his nose just before his performance. And that certain presenter in his gold lame tracksuit puffing away on his cigar in a cloud of smoke before the lights went on him. Being herded either side of him and him putting his hand on my friend's bottom, revolting. We stopped going after that. Also the giant floor cables as the cameramen zoomed around on those machines, quite scary to 15 year old me.

My friend went in the early 90s. She said it was disappointing, too small in the studio and told to move between sets as if she was being herded around ( her words)
I love watching the old ones, but the ones featuring vile people like Saville and others must all be in the archives or burnt to a crisp ( who knows ) so must be loads they can’t put out on tv now.

It'll be on YouTube

That was Owen Paul! I know cos I saw him at Butlins…

Yes I went to one and saw a very famous DJ who was presenting the show grope a girl on live TV. You know they would always choose a girl from the audience to announce a record? Well, he ruined her day.

Yes, I worked on it as a Runner in the mid 90s. I looked after the bands and got them to their stages in time. I swear I had nothing to do with the audience who were indeed ' hearded' around. You have one studio with 4 stages and need the audience to be moved from one to the next as it's filmed 'as live'. When Take That were in, studio security had to be upped and they would arm link in front of the audience to stop them rushing the stage! Happy Days!

I was watching an old one from 1977 last night. The people seemed to watching something else rather than the band on stage. It was so weird and nobody was dancing at all and looked bored. Noel Edmonds was the presenter. I’d like to think he didn’t do anything , but who knows in those days :(