Top of the pops BBC4.

Lucky we have Ed and the other bloke now.

For me anyway, the 80's was the best ever decade musically wise and I would normally watch or record TOTP episodes from that era but I didn't see this one after knowing who was on. I do like a bit of Erasure though I have to say when I've had a few gargles of an evening

Agree mainly with Slippyblue,personally the later 70's earlier 80's up till around 85/86
but also a fair bit of the 60's and early 70's.
Apart from the odd one or two since mid 80's music has rapidly gone backwards imo

Indeed, the 80's were great until the latter years. This is 88, and just about to start turning with all the rapping and the likes. Still some very good stuff from this era, but deffo when the worm turned and never as good after imo.

I watch all the old TOTP on BBC 4.

Some times I like none of the songs , 3 or 4 is a good episode.

It wasn't all about the top 40 , classic albums like Rumours , Dark Side Of The Moon , Bat Out Of Hell etc barely touched the singles charts and the programme.

All the lost episodes we have now doesn't help. Would imagine some fair songs get missed altogether. Even now on there, we can't have any with Mike Smith hosting and he wasn't even a nonce! Just doesn't want any with him in replayed as far as I know. Selfish feck.

ONLY ONE PERSON EVER SANG WITHOUT MIMMING ON TOP OF THE POPS,  TOM JONES ..they wanted him to mime but he refused , and sang live

Not true. Many did. New Order also made the same point.

Mike Smith's last episode is 31/3/88 so we should be able to see them all from now on.

I agree that 77-84 were the best years for TOTP but I continue to watch these repeats.

TOTP2, BBC4 @ 21.30. "Featuring JLS, The Four Tops, The Monkees, Westlife and more..". Quite a varied line up there to say the least!

Ah that's good to know anubis. Going back to the LIVE singing. Currently on the repeats, they had singers being recorded in their American studios and they were all had to sing live, yet most mimed here.

Boyband special by any chance slippy?

Yes Hall Green, not my cup of tea that line up mate.

JLS Just Like Singing?

Don't understand how Mike Smith was able to block repeats

You host a show for the BBC. They pay you to do that . And they pay some repeat fee when they rebroadcast it. How can you tell them whether or when they can put it on again ?

David Bowie also sang live on TOTP ,can find it on you tube ,very good it was too.

I could never understand either tobes.

From wiki

Also, BBC Four are not showing any episodes with Mike Smith presenting, as he decided not to sign the licence extension that would allow the BBC to repeat the Top of the Pops episodes that he presented.

Still very strange for me.

have to admit the charts did  go downhill from 1988 onwards (about this time )  ...they did pick up though,  but never to the same extent ...

  another thing as you get over 25/30 youre never likely to listen to the chart stuff as much unless you have a younger g/f  so it's inevitable you miss out on a lot .

I stick radio 1 on from time to time and i don't feel i'm missing much   ...usually songs about knife crime / money/ drugs  etc    ...although i see they have a talent  it's not my kind of music but then that's good , it should be for the under 25s  tbf 

Radio 2  i cannae stand

though Mike Smith had died

Tom Jones wasn't the only person to sing live on TOTP, in fact, it's not unusual.

I literally could not name one single that's been in the charts in the last year and I'm sure that's the same for many people.
TOTP was a different era.

Don`t suppose the repeats with Uncle Jimmy will be shown either, the BBC thought the world of him.

Got no time for watching people mime.

I'd rather watch something life and far from perfect.

To be fair to Sinitta, you have to get into her prog concept double albums and famous political trilogy to really "get" her.

Apparently Erasure are still going and have made 17 albums !!!!!