Doctor and the Merries
25/12/86 (Simon Bates, Gary Davies, Janice Long & Peter Powell)
Billy Ocean – “When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going”
Billy gets the Christmas Day show of (almost) exclusively number ones underway with his one and only chart topper, from back in February.
The Communards – “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (video)
A-ha – “The Sun Always Shines On TV” (video)
Europe – “The Final Countdown” (video)
Doctor & The Medics – “Spirit In The Sky”
Cliff Richard & The Young Ones – “Living Doll” (video)
Spitting Image – “The Chicken Song” (video)
Boris Gardiner – “I Want To Wake Up With You”
Boris finally performs his only number one hit in the studio!
Diana Ross – “Chain Reaction” (video)
Berlin – “Take My Breath Away” (video)
Simply Red – “Holding Back The Years”
With the only song on the show not to make number one.
Nick Berry – “Every Loser Wins” (video)
Falco – “Rock Me Amadeus” (video)
George Michael – “A Different Corner” (video)
Pet Shop Boys – “West End Girls”
Madonna – “True Blue” (video)
Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach” (video)
Chris De Burgh – “The Lady In Red”
The Housemartins – “Caravan Of Love” (video)
Jackie Wilson – “Reet Petite” (video)
Pipping the Housemartins to the top spot, this was the first of four weeks at number one for Jackie Wilson.
Wham! – “Edge Of Heaven” (video/credits)
Next up is January 1st 1987.
Quite a dull, video-stuffed Xmas show really, though they obviously recorded this far closer to the big day than they had the previous year's, given that Reet Petite was announced as the festive number 1 in the studio. The presenters were all decent, though PP should have donned something a bit smarter than a tracksuit (was he inspired by Jim'll?), and Janice's hair now had a bit of a Betty Boop quality - I think this is the first time PP and Janice had presented a show together since the end of their relationship, so presumably they were getting on OK at this point. Funniest link was when Master Bates got through his piece to camera despite the woman linking arms with him clapping almost throughout, which no doubt led to a stern telling-off from the Headmaster off camera!
ReplyDeleteOne of the big problems of moving to just one Christmas show each year was that the number 1s inevitably dominated far more than previously, and as Angelo mentions Simply Red is the only non-chart topper featured here. Credit to Mick and the boys for another decent live performance, even if Mick looked to be doubled over with stomach cramp at the end! Elsewhere Billy Ocean and CDB looked to be wearing jackets made out of the shiniest wrapping paper possible, Boris made the most of the sole studio performance of his number 1 by caressing balloons and engaging with the audience, while Doctor & the Medics did their usual thing for their final TOTP appearance. As for PSB, Chris Lowe looked as if he was auditioning for a Bradford & Bingley ad, while I didn't like Neil's jacket at all. This, incidentally, is the only studio performance of this song to appear on BBC4.
At least among the preponderance of videos, there were a couple we had not seen properly before. I wonder how long The Housemartins had to wait for their hair to grow back and cover up those shaved crosses, and also how they got permission to film in that church? The Wham promo, meanwhile, was a surprisingly drab and dull final video from them, not helped by being filmed in monochrome. They could have done something a bit more imaginative than another "in performance" effort, though it was a nice touch to add in some clips of videos past.
Anyway, many thanks as ever to Angelo for steering us so efficiently through another year (make that two TOTP years) and I look forward to 1987. Happy New Year to all involved with this blog!
Not much to add to what Angelo and John G have said, I FF-ed through most of this because so much of it was videos we'd seen before, but I did take the time to watch Billy, The Housemartins and Wham! I will note Boris's section looked to have been filmed on linoleum for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI'll also take the time to thank Angelo and everyone else who contributes, we're a plucky band of commentators, so here's to a good New Year for us all.
A thoroughly lazy Christmas offering from Michael Hurll with just a handful of studio performances interrupting an otherwise evening of videos, and why so many hosts with such a dearth of studio acts?
ReplyDeletei'd have said it would have been a good idea to feature nothing but number ones of the past year in an xmas special, although i think the general feeling was (and probably still is) that "holding back the years" should have been one. when hucknall did finally get a chart topper nearly a decade later, it was with the much-more-maligned-and-then-promptly-forgotten-about "fairground"!
ReplyDeletei'd like to add thanks to angelo as well for continuing to give our what might now be our shrinking band of regular contributors a home to continue to relive the "good old days"... even if they aren't now quite so good as they were before! i shall certainly be carrying on here at least for the time being, although i wonder if sct will jack it in once "jack your body" is upon us?
ps - despite having ontributed to this blog and its predessessors for nearly a decade now, i still have absolutely no idea how many people read them!
DeleteWilberforce, I have been an avid reader of the blog since 2014 but have never contributed as I didn't feel that I had anything particularly useful to add to the already excellent contributions. I have enjoyed the blog immensely and I'd like to hope that there are plenty of others out there like me. So it's a big thank you from me to the contributors, those who upload the editions not shown on BBC4 and of course, to Angelo for running the blog. Long may you continue.
Deletethanks for that sonny - it's good to know there's someone out there other then my fellow contributors that appreciates my crazed scribblings!
DeleteCheers, Sonny. Feel free to comment as you like in future, don't be shy - it would probably make more sense and definitely be more concise than my ramblings!
DeleteWilby, like others on here, you've been nothing other than revered in my eyes.
arthur i'm flattered, but there's no need for reverence - you've been as consistent and valuable a contributor as i have over the years since this thing started, even though (unlike me it seems - i'm like "ole man river" just keeping rolling along ha ha) life gets in the way for you from time to time. as such i have nothing but respect for you and most of the other "usual suspects" on this blog, making time wherever you can to contribute not just in terms of regularity but quality too
DeleteSweet thing! Thanks.
DeleteWilberforce, here's some stats of page reads and country of origin for this blog for this month ~ some suprises!
DeleteUnited Kingdom
9402
Russia
1330
United States
986
Italy
709
Romania
478
Ireland
416
Germany
323
Georgia
186
Unknown Region
175
France
163
The most read post of all time on this blog is 'Top of the Pops Detective', from March 3rd 2017, which has had 6544 reads.
Deletethanks for that angelo - i like the fact that we seem to have an enclave of followers in romania!
DeleteThanks for those statistics Angelo. I guessed that there were 100s rather than 1000s of visitors to the blog who were readers rather than contributors. Im pleased that your blog is so popular.
DeleteVery interesting to see these stats, though I don't know whether to be impressed or worried about the large number of Russian readers...
Deletemention of our russian friends has reminded me of the "spitting image" sketches of mr & mrs gorby frugging to the beatles - the new musical fad in commieland in the mid/late 80's!
DeleteWOW - that's a lot of people. Hi everyone...
DeleteIf I talk nonsense just ignore me...
Merry Xmas
It's been very enjoyable reading again this year. Just wondering if the three recent Mike Smith editions could be uploaded again - I've missed them due to the Christmas rush, and have only had a chance to watch the two pre-Christmas editions from BBC Four today.
ReplyDeleteThanks on behalf of us forumites, Dan. As with my comments to Sonny, don't be a stranger. Dip your toe in the pool and feel free to comment.
Deletehere they are
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-XAQroQisDn
Thanks, Anonymous. you allowed me to catch up on the 13th November edition I missed, which was most poignant for Lee Thompson's reaction at the end of Madness's first swansong, looking round the studio in a state of nostalgic shock. Madness did the now annual 'either side of the chimes' BBC1 New Year concert and they were on very good form. There was one song in their set I'd never heard before which sounded like a 1980's album track of theirs, and I thought it was superb. It turned out to be "Mr. Apples", an old school style single from as recent as2016 which I iTuned very quickly.
DeleteA shame that we get a Christmas show that we can actually see in a year full of mostly terrible chart toppers by predominantly non-UK acts. The result is barely any studio performances and of those that did turn up, the only song I liked was 'West End Girls' anyway. Ah well, onwards to 87 where IMO the music gets better and thanks to Angelo, all the bloggers and the uploaders of course.
ReplyDeleteSlightly off topic, but where's the Facebook page?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/TOTPS1986/
DeleteLooking forward to this one with Boris Gardiner, last time i'd watched this was way back in 2012 on a copied DVD in which someone had sent me along with other TOTP's despite Mr Gardiner was missing on it on the UKGold copy what jimmyr6 (iOffer) sent me, only YouTuber Markjuk had a uncut copy when he recorded it back then in the mid 90s.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope the jiggles that BBC4 will start repeating 1984-86 episodes for the New Year in an albeit late-night slot, as having we may have caught up after 1987. At the moment having checked my TV magazine for the first proper week of the year, there is no actual 1984 episodes being repeated at that point at the moment.
Only 1986's biggest most-watched show which had a Christmas special in two parts got repeated first over a week ago on Drama before TOTP and in the words of Den Watts gave Angie a Christmas present she didn't expect... and for Only Fools' 1986 Xmas special was shown on Christmas Gold and Corrie's 1986 Xmas was shown on ITV3 last December.
Thanks once again to Angelo for giving me a different branch to cling to other than family, friends, football and that thing I leave in eight years' time (work), and for doing it in the usual effective 'here are the bare bones, add some flesh' manner. Happy New Year to all who sail here!
ReplyDeletearthur sorry to disappoint you, but as a peer of yours i have heard that the national retirement age for those our age has now been raised to 67. so that means another couple more years of working for the man!
DeleteI joined my employers in 2010 and my contract says retirement at 65, and 65 it will be. If I have to stay two more tears I'll make it (even more) unbearable for my colleagues! :-D
DeleteOo, I forgot...
ReplyDeleteWe were spared Boris Gardiner's attempt at a festive cash-in, with "The Meaning Of Christmas" peaking at a yuletastic number 69.
Also, I take it the object of Jackie Wilson's affection in "Reet Petite" was half Yorkshire half French?
never mind boris gardiner - i would have thought that most artists that have had chart breakthroughs would have at least thought about exploiting the xmas market? if successful, then you're pretty much set up for life - as jonah lewie once confessed in a music documentary, where he happily admitted that he might nowadays be struggling financially otherwise
Deletein the unlikely event i ever become a pop star, then i would certainly try and cash-in on that opportunity. in fact i've even already written a festive-themed song for if and when that ever happens ha ha
funnily enough when i've had to endure the xmas pop shit in supermarkets i keep hearing the likes of the waitresses and shakin' bloody stevens, but never the smurfs with their festive effort which was a much bigger chart hit than "christmas wrapping":
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghrE0PKIAgo&t=89s
although now overplayed, the waitresses' tune came from a highly-rated "alternative" xmas compilation released by the trendy ze records in the early 80's. i've not heard all of it, but the tracks by the three courgettes and in particular by cristina are excellent:
Deletehttps://www.discogs.com/Various-A-Christmas-Record-Special-1982-Edition/master/386336
The Waitresses' track is my joint favourite Christmas track along with Greg Lake's opus. A real alternative take on the festive period would be Cristina's "Things Fall Apart".
DeleteSix weeks ago I requested 5 episodes from 5/10/78,27/12/79,30/04/81,21/05/81 and 14/07/83, which Anonymous kindly uploaded for me. Unfortunately, just after i'd posted the request, my computer was stolen and I've been offline ever since. I've bought a new computer and just got back online. Could you please upload the shows again along with 23/04/81 which you uploaded and I missed as well.
ReplyDeleteyep here they are
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-fq3ieQV9ps
Thanks again for these, Anonymous and a Happy New Year!
Deletehi Anonymous hope you have had a good Xmas Just wondering could you upload some shows that i only have parts of can I start in 1977 and move forward year by a year each time
ReplyDeletethe 1977 ones are 12th May ,23rd June , 18th Aug and 17th Nov. also 4 from 1978 23rd March,11th May ,15th June and 7th Dec
thank you Meer
here you go
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-4y1NKKVwnn
thanks for the above shows when you get time can you complete the 70's with these few from 1979
Delete7th June 21st June 5th July 26th July 23rd Aug 27th Sept and 18th Oct Also ne show from before the strike period of 1980 the 6th March show thanks for filling the gaps in the collection of so many on here
here they are
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-j2dzE8q1ze
Fantastic stuff Anonymous! Have you got the original versions of 20/03/86 and 10/07/86 as these are the only two shows I missed in '86.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deleteyes here are bbc4 copies
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-hqZ9jVRQVl
Thanks for these, Anonymous.
DeleteAnonymous this is fab thanks so much Just a few from rest of 1980
Delete11th Sept 2nd oct 23rd oct 6th nov 20th nov and 25th Dec
and if you get a chance maybe 1981 19th feb 7th may 6th aug 20th aug 10th sept 8th oct 22nd oct 10th Dec and 25th Dec thank you and a happy 2018
A big thanks to Angelo for running the blog and grateful thanks to all those who upload the missing shows. You are stars!
ReplyDeleteRoll on 1987.
absolutely great job over the last few TOTP years hopefully many more to come happy new year Angelo enjoy 1987
DeleteHi Anonymous, Thank you very much for all the uploads.I really appreciate them. Would you have copies of 21/6/84, 30/8/84 and 24/1/85 as there were some sound and picture problems with the original uploads.
ReplyDeletesoory cant help with those i only have same copies that you refer to.
DeleteNo problem, thanks again for the all the uploads.
DeleteHere's a copy of 24/01/85 with different audio. It's not perfect but sounds a bit sharper to me:
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-36qFLjMjEH
Hi, Manorak! Are there any sites I could get any of your shows from now? I had quite a lot of yours when you were on Vimeo but since your account was taken down we haven't heard anything from you. I recently lost a lot of shows as I hadn't backed them up and wondered if you had them on another site like 4Shared?
DeleteHi Brie,
DeleteI don't upload to sites anymore. It's not worth the trouble. I still We Transfer stuff all the time so if you let me know what you are looking for I will upload them if I can.
I think Angelo highlighted this a few weeks back, but there is an excellent Google Drive page where you can download pretty much every extant TOTP between 1967 and 1986:
Deletehttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m5iTGsuPG2uy-k1awEGJDr0EsxzmhVyp
Thanks Manorak. I'll look through what shows i'm missing and let you know later.
DeleteHi folks. May I echo the sentiments from above about enjoying all contributions and views whether they differ or agree with my own! It’s fun to discuss the music and maybe find out things that you didn’t know before. Special thanks to Angelo and the ‘Smithy episode’ loaders. On to 1987 now and oh my goodness, it’s nearly time for ‘Jack your Body’; a number one event I have been dreading for many years and ties in nicely with Nigel’s opening salvo on his ‘Remember when..’ website (are you still there Nigel?). In fact looking at the 1987 number ones, there are quite a few I’m really not keen on!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this festive edition doesn’t prompt too much comment from me (and I definitely watched this one on transmission). Here are some random thoughts:-
1) Surprised Smithy wasn’t in the studio.
2) Same old cut in ‘Take my breath away’ and we still don’t see the openings to Madonna’s videos.
3) Surprised that they showed the Housemartins video.
4) Dr Medics were available yet again!
5) Chris de Burgh opted to mime having sung live on three previous appearances and only mimed once.
6) As others have remarked, there were few acts in the studio, although realistically a lot of the number one artists were never going to be able to pop along for ToTP when it wasn’t going to generate record sales.
I’d point everyone back to the previous week’s blog to submit their crackers and turkeys for 1986. So far it’s just Wilberforce and me.
Happy New Year!
My crackers and turkeys would be extremely lopsided - I would struggle for 10 of the former and could probably reel off 100 of the latter!!
Deleteyes - not surprisingly most of my top 10 crackers pretty much selected themselves, but it was hard work whittling down the turkeys! obviously the granny element a la su/nana/roger & des was considered, but among many others they made way for stuff that was considered cool and trendy at the time in most quarters (although not in mine!)
DeleteHi Anonymous, Could you upload 30/04/81 for me as it wasn't on the download list you put up for me. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteSorry Anonymous, my mistake! I didn't scroll the file down enough and have just found it! Thanks again.
Deletei see it's goodbye to ray sawyer, who many (mistakenly) thought was dr hook in the band of that name that were regulars on the show in the late 70's - presumably because he wore an eyepatch?
ReplyDeleteI noticed that there was an edited version of the 1976 video of A Little Bit More which was a No.2 in the charts for Dr Hook. The first version of the video in the marshes had Sawyer hold hands in a gay spoof with the lead singer in the second half of the video, and then this was part was then edited (at the time or later?) to show the lead singer without Sawyer in the same verses.
DeleteThe TOTP reruns of 1976 in 2011 I think had the original cut, but cannot be too sure. Nevertheless it stacks up as my second favourite single of Dr Hook, after their biggest hit When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman.
I was surprised to see Ray was 81! Didn't think he was that old.
Deleteyes, that took me back a bit too - he was already well into his thirties when dr hook first started having hits. the only other guys that come to mind as relatively-late starters in what was very much seen as a young man's game back then were bill wyman of the stones and ray manzarek of the doors. oh, and debbie harry of course!
DeleteI remember Dennis Locorriere complaining on more than one occasion that in the popular memory Ray became the lead singer, because his eyepatch was the first thing people remembered about the band!
Deletelocorriere apparently owns the rights to the dr hook name, but when he tours he still has to bill himself as "the voice of dr hook"... presumably so people won't be too disappointed when they see there's no guy with an eyepatch on stage?
DeleteYes, I think that is why he does it - I see from Wikipedia that he will be undertaking a "Dr Hook 50th anniversary world tour" this year.
DeleteAs if Ray wasn't enough, now The Captain from Captain and Tenille has died too. He was 76. Think he only appeared on TOTP on film clips, not in the studio.
ReplyDeleteThe couple divorced a few years ago, and many were surprised as they'd been married nearly 40 years, but apparently it was because if they had stayed married, his medical bills would have cancelled out her finances. Thank goodness for the NHS, is all I can say.
My chance to say Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to Angelo and all who contribute on the blog, Always fun to read and contribute,
ReplyDeleteFor anyone not sure if they want to post...just join in, I did a couple of years ago and never looked back. Looking forward to 1987 as I am now well into my peak TOTP watching and chart show taping (85-98).
A final thanks to whoever posts the Mike Smith episodes. Much appreciated - I was always a fan so more than happy to see them again
Morgie
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJust in case anyone watched the 2018 Xmas Special:
DeleteJess Glynne. Liked that. She has a great voice.
Clean Bandit. We're original when they started but it all just sounds too generic now.
Jax Jones. Not heard this one but quite good. Why is the singer in her PJs? Did they they not tell her she was going on TV.
Dancing 🎅. That's more like it.
Zara Larsson. Think we are going to Ruin Her Life.. Slightly repetitive. Ditch the chorus and this wasn't bad.
Years and Years. Now this is more like it. One of my favourite albums this year. Great song. 😀 Wonder if I cold pull off Zebra trousers at work 😂😂😂
Tom Walker. Never heard of him. Got a voice on him. Pleasant song. Liked that.
Keala Settle. Well this song has to be one of the most overplayed records of the year. It is rather fab though and she really gives a stunning performance. Like a lot. Seriously need to watch this film now.
Rita Ora. Back to the day job. Another one I recognise and like.
Had turned off this time last year. This year a huge improvement.
Freya Ridings. Talented lady. Heard this song loads and it's a very nice tune. She should of had an Ice pig in the background though. Michael Hurll would never have missed that opportunity 🐷🐷🐷
Drake with the most awful song on the show AND the biggest selling song of 2018. Enough said. Shame he couldn't be bothered to show up.
Sigrid. I have liked a couple of her songs this year but didn't realise she was about 12. 😀 Big future ahead for her I think.
Jonas, Liam and Lennon. The current trend for having everyone who turned up in the studio on the day getting a credit on the record throws up bollocks of the highest order. Fast forward... 😀
Rudimental and Jess Glynne. This is better but I must admit to being a bit sick of this song now. Does Jess Glynne just camp in the studio and pop her head out every time someone says "female vocal" 😂 she's on bloody everything.
George up next. Great album. Great song. Even got my 12 year old singing along.. 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Playing out with the Xmas Number 1 which because it is a spoof means we miss out on Ariana Grande which seems a big miss for a round up of the year.
Much better show than last year, even Fearne Cotton was bearable.
That Xmas number one is CRAP though.
Sausage Roll anyone...
Funnily enough, I really enjoyed the sausage roll song. I guess it is my age, but all the other songs seemed so lifeless and lacking in any spirit.
DeleteI'm glad the Beeb have kept the tradition of the Xmas and New Year Top of the Pops going ~ albeit with somewhat half-hearted shows, where all the performances are pretty much identical, with no groovy camera effects, or dance troupe routines. It would be nice if they did a few more specials throughout the year - one at Easter perhaps, one in the summer, and one for Halloween. There are still some decent pop songs around - it would be nice to see them being performed in context, and to see a chart rundown every now and again. Since TOTPs finished, I don't even know what today's pop stars look like, and I never know the current number one. It would be nice to be kept reasonably up to date.
DeleteSounds Like Friday Night is not a bad show (they tweaked it after the first series) and with maybe an added sales chart focus (official charts do publish one) would be a great replacement every week. Focusing on physical sales drags artists like Kylie and Paloma more into focus and makes for a good mix.
Deletei don't know what today's pop stars look or sound like... and i care even less!
DeleteLast year I tuned in and amongst all the dross was Ed Sheeran with 'Perfect' at no1. No sign of Ed this year.
DeleteOut of the artists Morgie lists as being on this year's Xmas show, I recognised fewer than 50% of the names! Is Sounds Like Friday Night actually coming back for another series? I assumed it would return in the autumn, and the fact it didn't seemed rather ominous for its future.
DeleteIncidentally, well done to Morgie for hanging on in there and catching up!
DeleteI finally got there John G
Deletemorgie's efforts to keep up reminds me of a brilliant scene from a spaghetti western called "five man army", where one of the five falls off a train they are riding on and has to try and catch them up again by running as fast as he can and taking short-cuts!
DeleteHey no shortcuts here. Watching hits of 1987 as I type. ..
Deletei've just seen the opening clip of "the story of 1987" on yt, and i didn't realise what shortarses the bee gees twins robin and maurice were compared to big brother barry!
Delete