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.

It was 1977 or 1978 when I was there. It's not how it appears on screen!

Bravo

I went , can’t remember the year but we saw The Pretenders and Dean Friedman . The dancers were Legs and Co

I thought that pans people and legs and co were pretty good. Despite being very cheesy and so on, they were coordinated and had to learn a new routine within a week. Ruby flipper had men in it. I don’t think they lasted long before the show was axed.

Me too! Just saw the new tour with Tamsin Outhwaite and it was superb!

It was my absolute life’s dream from age 12 to be on TOTP so I am very jealous of you all.

I always think its amazing when some huge star is on, like Bob Marley or Diana Ross or Bowie, and the audience are just looking blankly at them. The funniest I saw was, I think, Donna Summer(or another hugely iconic black woman singer)they has obviously rounded up all the black girls for good optics. There was a group just stood with arms folded looking her up and down like she was another lass down the disco.

Some of the 70s audience look like they have been taking drugs. Or maybe just bored and fed up with moving around between acts! Whatever it was back then, they all look like they would rather be elsewhere.

No, but I was and am absolutely obsessed with 70s and 80s TOTP. I watched it religiously, and always watch the Friday episodes.

I watched a 70s edition today and it had Thin Lizzy and Bob Marley on. (unclear if Bob was in the studio). Imagine being in that sort of audience!

My brother was a cameraman on the shorter lived TOTP2 and I met some cool bands such as Misteeq. Just missed out on meeting Girls Aloud. Alesha Dixon is SO nice.

I hadn’t been taking drugs when I went in 1974. Might have had a few slurps of voddy

I did in the 90s, saw the Spice girls! It was long but fun.

The one I watched last night , the audience seemed disinterested in all the acts and bored.

I record all TOTPs, I’m just watching one from 06/05/1982 and it’s got the England World Cup team singing “We’ll Take more Care of Them”, thinly veiled ad for BA. What a bunch of munters squeezed into Farah trousers with Kevin Keegan front and centre (aw lovely Kevin). Simon Bates talked to Ray Clements and Glenn Hoddle who are singing Come on You Spurs with Chas ‘n’ Dave, FA cup. The Scottish squad is still to come “I Have a Dream”, John Gordon Sinclair and BA Robertson (I think). Dreadful, I’ll keep this recording

I used to like BA Robertson.
Kate bush always seemed to be on there , or legs and co doing a dance to one of her many hits.

Little drink Tone 😜 was iconic back in the day !

A friend of mine was actually in one of the performing bands that featured on Top of the Pops. He was the guitarist!

Two girls from my year at school played saxophone with one of the bands on TOTP
when we were in the 6th form. Our wonderful but very strait-laced RS teacher came in for the next lesson and asked what they’d been doing on stage with “those dodgy men”!

The RE teacher probably had a point there , especially with some of the presenters they had back then :(
Grim.

A school friend of mine was on, c. 1970. I think her aunt worked for the bbc. She was caught on camera. I can't remember what acts were on.

One time the act wasn't miming was when Steve Harley messed up the words to Make Me Smile.

No but I briefly had a very very cool physics teacher called Grant Serpell and he was the drummer in Sailor and he performed on Top of the Pops - the song was Girls, Girls, Girls

DM was a science teacher. He also worked with her.

Me too!!

Yes, in about 1973/4. It was a TOTPs special though as The Osmonds were here and did a show everynight after Nationwide. On the Thursday they did TOTPs and presented it.
I went with the girl next door who was in the fan club and won tickets in the Fan Club Lottery.
I was only 14 and dont remember who else was on.

@dizzydizzydizzy and Glass of Champagne which I actually prefer. The song I mean

I like to watch old TOTPs and imagine the band members / backing singers thinking “ Yeah ! I’m really famous!” And I bet ten years later they were on a cruise ship or running a chippy somewhere!

I went to a 1999 December recording. Also had some Xmas special songs recorded that night. I remember seeing Tom Jones and Carys Matthew’s. Not sure who else I think Mambo no 5.
i think my shoulder made it to TV!
Also got into CDUk but I have no recollection on that one.

I love all these stories! I loved TOTP and I still do.

It never occured to me to apply for tickets back in the 80's when I was old enough to go. So now when I watch the reruns, if I like an episode, I work out how old I was and if I would have been too young or too old to go.

I do feel slightly annoyed by the very last eps of TOTP when it was on its last legs because the auidence was way too old and all made up of BBC people. They were clearly wearing office wear in one U2 special I was watching.

I wish they could edit the "cancelled" TOTP episodes that feature the criminal presenters so we can just enjoy the performances.