By the rate of presenters so far we must be missing one every 6 weeks then!

 

What a strange thing to do from Mike tho!

Just watched the overnight repeat with Heaven 17 included. I like that one as well as the Tom Robinson and Bucks Fizz songs. Cheryl and Jay both looking hot.

 

A shame Marillion's TOTP debut not shown last week as DLT presented.

On we go to the beginning of July 1983 and it’s John Peel and David Jensen again trying to look cool.

 

We begin with Roman Holliday. Spelling doesn’t appear to have been one of their strengths.

 

On the day Jesus and Mary Chain returned to the albums chart, the Mary Jane Girls should have been next but they have been cut.

 

So it’s on to some rock from Iron Maiden.

 

Now we get those vowel lovers from Freeeeeez.

 

ELO have also been dropped. How did Freeeeeeeeeeez survive the cut?

 

The Cure are up next. Cue comments about how young Robert Smith looks.

 

If you thought Henry was the first named vacuum cleaner, think again. Here are Jimmy The Hoover. I was going to say they should clean up with this. Then I heard it. The BBC4 Twitter person has suggested that the singer could be Brett Anderson’s dad.

 

First bit of the chart rundown from Peelie.

 

The programme gets some real class at last from Eurythmics.

 

The next bit of the chart lets us know that we have missed the highest new entry again. It was by Malcolm McLaren.

 

Next up are Funk Masters. Can’t wait ‘til it’s over.

 

The final bit of the chart (complete with some band called Heaven One Seven) ends with the sad news that Rod Stewart is still at number one.

 

Finally, we end with some Mike Oldfield.

Rod never fails to lose relevance!!

Loved the bucks fizz Sally Bowles tribute and the song is fab. Great episodes all round and baby Jane was rods best record since leaving the faces bar 2 or 3 goodies like killing of Georgie. His recent self penned stuff is his most decent material since he stopped songwriting ooh decades ago

Why were the Mary Jane Girls cut just out of interest?

Why were the Mary Jane Girls cut just out of interest?

 

Most 80s editions were 35 or 40 minutes long. When BBC4 show it at 7.30 to 8.00,they have to cut some songs out to fit the time slot. The full programme is shown later,normally after midnight. Because of this,I never watch it live but record the late night repeat and watch that when I have the time.

That's what I do too!

I record the repeat as well, but part of the fun of watching the early evening showing is following the comments on Twitter :lol:

 

The choice of songs to be cut often seems rather arbitrary. It's sometimes done to avoid too much repetition (particularly when songs appear on both the Thursday and Friday show because of skipped episodes), but some of the choices are not for that reason.

The '72 one with Children of the Revolution going almost seamlessly into Starman has got to be my favourite. In heaven, BBC 4 plays that every night.

oh how i wish 1972 TOTP's still existed! Glamtastic and I was a huge T.Rex and Bowie fan - you may like my All-time top 100 (when I eventually get round to it in 2 or 3 years!) :lol:

It’s Bastille Day 1983 and our hosts are Peter Powell and Andy Peebles. Later in the evening the BBC started a repeat run of The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George. Maybe BBC4 would like to add it to their schedule. In another sign of how times have changed, BBC1’s daytime schedule was devoted to the Open Golf while BBC2 showed Test cricket from The Oval.

 

We start with Elvis Costello back to performing under his usual name.

 

Malcolm McLaren has been cut again. The advert for t-shirts, however, survives.

 

Another chance to hear Paul Young. Malcolm McLaren would have been a lot better.

 

Heaven 17 have survived the cut this time - and a good thing too.

 

Echo and the Bunnymen next. This is definitely one of the better shows. The woman next to Peter Powell obviously had to leave the house before she had time to finish getting dressed.

 

The first bit of the chart - starting with that well-known drum machine and ends with a link into Bananarama at 21. In some weeks this would have been a high point. This week it marks a fall in quality.

 

The next bit of the chart with a distinct lack of mistakes.

 

David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto provide this week’s opportunity to bemoan the lack of variety in today’s charts.

 

I’m not a fan of this Rod Stewart song, but it’s still saying something when it’s the worst song on the show so far.

 

Donna Summer - long past her best - closes the show.

 

Expect some repeats tomorrow as we skip another week.

On to the end of July 1983 and we spend half an hour in the company of Mike Read and Janice Long. Who thought those shorts were a good idea?

 

KC and the Sunshine Band are on first. If only they’d taken the song’s title literally. The Sunshine Band must ahve gone on strike.

 

Ah, this is better - Depeche Mode. Plenty more of the Mode to come later tonight on BBC4.

 

The first repeat from last night comes courtesy of Elvis Costello. At least it’s a fresh performance without those idiots pretending to read books. Twitter is divided on Declan’s sweater.

 

Right now it’s The Creatures. Siouxsie has gone fully Robert Smith. Hs enyine ever seen them both in the same room?

 

Some 80s class from the Lotus Eaters.

 

Yet another set of new graphics for the chart.

 

Malcolm McLaren has been cut yet again. What is going on?

 

Robert Plant’s tribute to Norwegian industry has also been chopped.

 

George Benson up next. This dross has survived at McLaren’s expense. Puts on angry face.

 

More of the chart leading up to Bananarama with another repeat.

 

Paul Young is at number one. At least it’s an improvement on Rod Stewart.

 

Heaven 17 accompany the end credits.

I watched Depedge Mode On The BBC. It was good but they missed out most of their stuff after 1987 including Enjoy The Silence..

Everything Counts,The First Picture Of You and Big Log are all 80s classics.

We’ve missed another episode and are now into mid-August. Our hosts are Richard Skinner and Tommy Vance.

 

It’s a poor start with David Grant. Do they use this as the theme tune to Gogglebox?

 

The Style Council give us the weather forecast. Tommy Vance doesn’t seem to know the difference between a new entry and a climber. It’s a video with a topless Paul Weller.

 

More sun now from Level 42. I don’t remember this one at all. It’s utter dullness is probably the cause of that.

 

Coinciding with the first World Athletics Championships, here’s some gold from Spandau Ballet.

 

The first bit of the chart with this week’s graphics and with another former member of The Jam.

 

The Creatures and some classic 80s pop from The Lotus Eaters have been cut.

 

We do, however, get some classic Essex pop from Depeche Mode (or Depesh-ay Mode if you prefer). Dave Gahan seems to have turned into Julian Clary. And we get another bare torso.

 

Back to the chart.

 

Robert Plant is up next.

 

A dreadful number one (a big log you might say) from KC and the Sunshine Band. Still, it’s a return to the sun theme I suppose.

 

Herbie Hancock over the end credits.

I prefer any of KC's 70's disco hits to their only No.1. Never cared really for Depeche Mode but adore Johnny Cash's version of thir song Personal Jesus.

Edited April 14, 20178 yr by common sense

We’ve skipped two episodes this time so we’re already into September. Unfortunately one of the missing episodes included the wonderful Kinks with Come Dancing.

 

We’re back to John Peel and David Jensen tonight, dressed as cowboys for some reason. This episode was originally half-an-hour so there shouldn’t be anything missing.

 

We get off to a dreadful start with Modern Romance. At least things should improve from here. The other good news is that this is apparently their last ever appearance. We even get a caption to announce them although it did come rather late.

 

It does indeed get better with the return of Madness.

 

No cuts means we get John Peel’s look at the European charts. It starts with a long-running Italian number one sounding a bit like Guantanamera. Then we get some awful rubbish about Africa the Voodoo Master. Eh? On to an interview with Ryan Paris who is number one in Spain. The song is, shall we say, average. Brighton won again so I’m in a charitable mood. Then it’s a Dutch woman who is number one in Belgium as well as the Netherlands with a flute number. The top five rundown leads to Mike Oldfield at number one.

 

Oh, Gary Numan has been cut. I suppose BBC4 need the time to show umpteen trailers before the next programme.

 

That means it’s time for some Genesis, including that brief ET impression.

 

Now we get the British charts leading us in to Big Country at number 22. It reminds me a little of Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck Of The Edmund FItzgerald.

 

The next bit of the chart before a completely forgotten tune from Stray Cats.

 

The top ten now and while we’ve been away UB40 have reached number one.

 

We end with some New Order. The programme couldn’t have got off to a worse start but the rest wasn’t at all bad.

That gordon lightfoot song is fab. Id be tempted to enter it for bjsc if i didnt have an epic from 1980 in mind :lol:

That gordon lightfoot song is fab. Id be tempted to enter it for bjsc if i didnt have an epic from 1980 in mind :lol:

It would get points from me :D When I was writing that bit I did wonder whether to enter it into BJSC!