ToTP RIP

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

So farewell Top of the Pops.
Just like John Peel, you were always a bit rub,
If truth be told.
Yesterday's extended episode was a particular horror.
Talk about coming to bury not to praise.
Blimey eh?

Comments

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

bit of a damp squib, yeah? just a clips show. sort of wanted that and a few live acts. should have had quo on live in the bbc forecourt at the very least!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

nice to see Janice Long tho

DLT and Blackburn were pretty bad.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

bah, i missed it due to CRICKET, but watched the (slightly) updated doc later on.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I forgot it was on, aptly enough.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Pat Sharp looked good!

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Poor Janice Long was being sexually harassed by the old men -- it was like a horrible throwback to the dark ages (aka the 70s). But all the 'new' presenters were JUST AS AWFUL AS THE OLD ONES!!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

He looked THE SAME AS EVER. the man just will not age.

I was hoping for Gary Davies and Kid Jensen myself. I don't remember Pat Sharp ever presenting TOTP.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Worth it for the Jackson 5 clip (which has probably been on TOTP2 a gazillion times before but I'd never seen).

Proof that groups didn't always mime before the Great All About Eve Miming Disaster of etc.

I watched the two documentaries later on as well. The first one was almost exactly the same as the 7pm show, only with talking heads instead of naff stand-up links (plus a tacked on bit about why the show was axed). The Pan's People doc was good tho'.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

WHY WAS THE SHOW AXED?

Undead?

[(Anonymous)]

These days, what with every band in the universe having reformed and TV shows coming after years away, I refuse to believe that any cultural product is actually dead. Chances of the TOTP 'brand' being resurrected by the BBC at some point down the line – fairly high, I suspect.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

The conclusion seemed to be that nobody with any influence (inside or outside the BBC) could be bothered with it any more. Certainly couldn't be bothered to make it work for a 2006 audience.

Stated reasons however = ratings*; kid get their music from other sources.

*Mark Lawson popped up to point out the parallels with the way the US networks run flagging shows into the ground using scheduling.

At least one person seemed to agree with Anonymous below that the show will be back at some point, as do I.

Re: Undead?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

quite agreed. i wonder what the ratings are for E4's various musical programming chunks. no reason that bbc couldn't do the same thing - work out the right chunk of weekend viewing (hey, no popworld on sunday noon any more, how about that?) and put on TOTP and re-packages like TOTP2 plus some associated music programming from their output. (glasto performances, etc)

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

anyone else hear Neil Tennants mouthing off on the popjustice ppodcast about how crap the bbc are being over this. and how ANDREW NEIL agreed with him :-D

[mippy.livejournal.com]

The retrospective - or, if you will, retromentary - was great, though.

Re: Undead?

[joris-stereo.livejournal.com]

apparently the international versions will continue to air. i don't watch the dutch version often but it usually consists of some local stuff interspersed with performances from the original version, and sometimes even from other international edition. they make all the studios look the same... from the various articles i read on the axing of totp i got the impression that they haven't quite figured out if they're gonna continue recording stuff in the uk for these international versions...

Re: Undead?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i remember seeing a show about how they "internationalised the brand" in the v late 90s. Cowey i think it was made "kits" up eg of the totp banner, for other telly makers to use in a sort of franchise.

i've just thought: no xmas totp :-(

Re: Undead?

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Fear not, there IS going to be a WOBS special edition of TOTP this year. (Another thing confirmed on last night's documentary.)

Re: Undead?

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

BAH. they'll put it on when it suits THEM (i.e. "oh noes we'll need something on Christmas Day before the Queen's speech/second film of the day")

[raw-patrick.livejournal.com]

I think he did it about three times.

My brother worked with him on the voiceover for a video catalogue of vibrators and said he's a lovely man. I was kinda surprised.