Top of the Pops (TV Series) Episode #11.40 (1974) User Reviews

Not Quite TOP Of The Pops

[jimdoyle111 · 6/10 · 28 June 2017]

Introduced by Jimmy Savile, the Top 30 chart rundown is shown over the 'Whole Lotta Love' theme tune and kicks off with Pilot miming to what was soon to be their first hit, 'Magic' then Peter Shelley sings his #6, 'Gee Baby', live. Next up is Pan's People wearing silver style tops and shiny miniskirts dancing to the Tymes 'You Little Trustmaker' (#28) then David Essex does a live vocal over another vocal track with live backing on 'Gonna Make You A Star'. Live in the studio are some people in Womble costumes dancing slowly to the single of 'Minuetto Allegretto' then Jimmy Savile dances in the same style with a girl from the audience while incorrectly introducing that week's #6, Andy Kim who is in the studio singing 'Rock Me Gently' live which fades into Roxy Music doing 'All I Want Is You' with Bryan Ferry looking like the coolest guy on the planet. Savile then introduces a video of Paul Anka singing 'You're Having My Baby' (#29) which gets faded out after only 1 minute and 51 seconds to make way for a live rendition of 'Down On The Beach Tonight' by the Drifters. There follows a short film of a girl wandering round London while David Bowie's 'Knock On Wood' (#17) plays, then making his first TOTP appearance for ten years is Adam Faith with his new single 'I Survive'. Jimmy Savile introduces (and puts his arm around) the 1974 'Nurse Of The Year' - whose name we never find out - while introducing Andy Fairweather-Lowe doing 'Reggae Tune' (#18) live, then we cut back to Savile (still entwined with his nurse) who introduces the week's #1, Carl Douglas and a live version of 'Kung Fu Fighting', taken from an earlier TOTP performance. The play-out music is Rod Stewart and 'Farewell' (#27). This edition is strange because the records by Pilot, David Essex, the Wombles, Roxy Music and Adam Faith were all new releases and not yet in the chart. (Adam Faith's track never did chart.) This edition still exists in the BBC archives, but is unlikely to be shown because of the presenter's subsequent scandalous reputation.