Farewell TOTP
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
jimmy saville
It\'s the end of an era – after more than 40 years, poor old Top of the Pops has finally shuffled off to the big nostalgia-bin in the sky. We\'re already thinking about the good old days and the best of the slip-ups with our top ten TOTP moments.
Jackie or Jocky?
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
dexys midnight runners
In 1982, dungaree\'d soul boys and girls Dexys Midnight Runners performed \'Jackie Wilson said\' – but instead of a picture of the soul legend, their backdrop showed a shot of unlovely darts star Jocky Wilson. It\'s now a legendary TOTP foul-up, but still no one\'s sure if it was a mistake, or just the band having a laugh…
Morrissey\'s proposal
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
morrissey
The Smiths were big news for a year or two before vanishing, but Morrissey certainly made his mark on Top of the Pops in 1984. Taking the stage in a half-undone shirt, a bunch of gladioli sticking out of his back pocket and \'Would you like to marry me?\' scrawled on his scrawny chest, he made sure he wouldn\'t be forgotten in a hurry.
Hendrix and the dancing bear
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
jimi hendrix
Whether singing or miming was in, you could be sure of the odd disaster. Poor Jimi Hendrix was mouthing to one of his songs in 1967 when he found his music replaced by a song called \'Simon Smith and his amazing dancing bear\'. He good-naturedly shrugged \'I don\'t know the words to this one, man.\'
Oh the shame
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
all about eve
Another oops happened to newcomers All About Eve in 1988. Their song \'Martha\'s harbour\' started up, but they didn\'t – due to technical issues they couldn\'t hear a thing, and so could neither mime nor sing. It gave them 15 minutes of fame as well as red faces all round…
Madonna does her thing
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
madonna 240x370
Madonna has never been the shy retiring type, and her debut performance on TOTP in 1985 was true to form. Wriggling around the stage, she caused a whole nation to blush and run into the kitchen. It was a long 11 years before she returned to TOTP – rather richer but still only semi-clothed...
Kurt goes moo
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
kurt cobain
Many artists got the hump about being asked to mime, but others got grumpy about being asked to sing live over a pre-recorded backing track. Nirvana\'s Kurt Cobain just about managed it in 1991, but due to either throat problems or mischievousness, sang the whole of the classic \'Smells like teen spirit\' in a low moo. Good old Kurt!
One in the eye
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
Fran Healy
Scottish indie heroes Travis were always up for a laugh, and proved it with their 2001 performance. With a careless disregard for health and safety, they decided to re-enact the video for \'Sing\' with a live custard pie fight. Still, in TOTP\'s long history, there have definitely been messier performances…
Girls on film
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
Tatu Eurovision
You could always rely on Russian minxes tATu to spice things up, and in 2002 they gave TOTP a bit of a shock. Yes, they had a snog onstage. It might have been more shocking if they\'d actually put some clothes on. Later the BBC had to deny that it had banned the now-classic video for \'All the things she said\' from the show.
Bums and drunks
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
the pogues
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl performed the classic \'Fairytale of New York\' in 1987, and managed to make a spectacle of themselves. A slightly too happy Shane MacGowan fell over the drumkit, and Kirsty, having been asked to mime \'ass\' rather than \'arse\', gave the offending area a good slap just in case the audience hadn\'t got it…
JT performs with The Flaming Lips
music,TV,pop,top of the pops
the flaming lips
US quirky popsters The Flaming Lips had fun in 2003 – their debut performance featured a man-sized dolphin on lead guitar. When their song \'Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots\' finished, the dolphin was revealed to be a grinning Justin Timberlake. One of his finest and certainly sweatiest moments…
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The final episode of Top Of The Pops was broadcast on Sunday 30 July 2006 on BBC Two.
