I was watching the repeat of The story of TOTPs 1980 last night on BBC 4 and goodness those episodes were long ago but it could have been 20 years before it as it looks so old fashioned - the aul studio and extras have really changed things in 3 years!!

I saw that programme last night, a lot definitely changed in the 3 years.

 

 

Yeh 1983 is actually really modern and starting to look like my generation for the first time - even tho I was only born that year lol. The next musical change isn't until the 1987-89 acid house era. Now we just get all the bands doing mainstream synth pop as the sound became so mainstream from 1983 onwards!

We move on to the next week in September with Peter Powell and Andy Peebles hositing the show. Powell is dressed smartly, Peebles is dressed for a hike.

 

Heaven 17 get things going. Younger viewers tonight may have needed to ask their parents what the wheels of industry are.

 

Rod Stewart and Annabel Lamb have been dropped.

 

Status Quo give us their latest remix of their signature song. They’ve gone out on a limb and made it (just) recognisably different from the usual mix.

 

On to JoBoxers. It looks like the singer has been swimming and forgot to take his cap off. Oops. Maybe it was an attempt to distract us from an inferior song.

 

#TOTP is trending on Twitter already. It normally takes a bit longer.

 

This week’s dullest offering (at least I hope there isn’t worse to come) is from Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. What sort of a name is Peabo? I wonder if he had a brothr called broccolibo.

 

Anyway, it’s on to the chart rundown, featuring Depeche Mode (no extra ay sound).

 

After his appearance in John Peel’s European round-up, Ryan Paris gets to perform for us. He even tweeted his 1,000 followers (I’m not one of them) to let them know he was going to be on. How sweet.

 

The next bit of the chart.

 

Paul Young following up his number one smash. Apparently he has travelled from Norway to be on the show. His backing singers have got their dancing and marching lessons muddled up.

 

The top ten rundown, and the actual number one is from UB40 again.

 

Level 42 accompany the end credits to make it three acts with a number on their name.

We’re up to October 1983 and it’s another John Peel / David Jensen episode. Their costume this time? Warriors obviously. It was Labour conference week. In the general election a few months earlier Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Blair were both elected for the first time. At the conference Neil Kinnock was elected Labour leader and decided to go for an unconventional dip in the sea while dressed in a suit.

 

Freeeeeeez are on first. Things can really only go uphill from here.

 

From the atrocious to the brilliant. We move on to David Bowie.

 

Depeche (or Depesh-ay) Mode next. The opening song is becoming a distant memory.

 

Meat Loaf and Nick Heyward have been cut. Maybe they thought Blue Hat For A Blue Day could be interpreted differently in an election period.

 

Howard Jones has also been cut now that his song is not quite so new.

 

Some rubbish from David Grant survived the editor’s scissors unfortunately.

 

The chart with yellow bits starts with Cliff and even Peelie says Depesh-ay and includes a reference to the demise of Soft Cell.

 

Things improve again with The Alarm and this week’s “dragged through a hedge backwards” haircut.

 

On to the next bit of the chart. Who or what is Monyaka?

 

The second outstanding song of the episode with New Order - a repeat of the live version from earlier in the year. Note how The Other Two are shoved to the back.

 

On to the top nine and Culture Club are still number one.

 

We end as we began, with some rubbish in the form of the Rock Steady Crew.

The cameraman with The Rock Steady Crew was a bit seedy with the close ups. 1984 to come soon then?

Yes, it looks like we might get to 1984 before there's a break for the Proms.

Always look forward to the Story of episodes!

Good to see New Order's legendary "we are not going to move around" performance of Blue Monday again. New Song and Love In Itself were also great pop songs.

 

The missing DLT episode that preceded this one marked the final appearance of a dancing group with Zoo dancing to What I Got Is What You Need by Unique.

cutting Nick Heyward's best record by far is unforgiveable when The Alarm or Freeez are available!

 

One of Depeche's best too, under-rated that one.

 

The Other Two...arf! I'd try to get a Monaco reference in there but that would be a bit of a gamble :lol:

Yes, it looks like we might get to 1984 before there's a break for the Proms.

 

 

What do you think they'll do for the weeks that Relax was No.1? Wonder if it'll be missed out as it was in '84 or if they'll insert it. If it was up to me I'd leave it out as that's what happened in 1984 and these are looking back.

Several long running chart toppers in 1984. Hello and I Just Called To Say I Love You were both 6 weeks. Two Tribes was 9 weeks and Relax 5 weeks.

Another week in October, this time overseen by Peter Powell and Richard Skinner. I wonder what catalogue they got their sweaters from.

 

Roman Holliday are on first. Let’s hope this is the low point of the show.

 

Tracey Ullman next.marking a massive improvement over the opening song. This is, of course, a Kirsty MacColl song. Oh look, there’s Pauil McCartney in the video.

 

Thankfully, Black Lace have been cut so we continue with the good stuff as Siouxsie and the Banshees return with a great Beatles cover. I’ll even go so far as saying that I prefer it to the original.

 

Time for a snooze while George Benson is on.

 

Now it’s the first bit of the chart with some orange bits. It’s still Depesh-ay Mode.

 

Bucks Fizz have been axed.

 

Lydia Murdock, whoever she was / is, is next. Thankfully, her career didn’t last long.

 

On to the next bit of the chart.

 

Lionel Richie with a typically terrible song. Apparently Peter Powell likes it.

 

Culture Club get another week at number one. This time we get the video.

 

Two giants of pop, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, bring the show to an end.

They Don't Know is a great song and should have been a No.1. Hope Black Lace are on tonight's repeat as I liked Superman but wasn't one of them jailed for sex with underage girls? The song may be Yewtreed then!

 

All Night Long is a fantastic classic song and far better than the soppy Hello.

Edited April 29, 20178 yr by common sense

Second time David Grant has performed 'Love Will Find A Way' on TOTP?

 

 

Janice Long and Andy Peebles are our hosts for this edition from October 1983. Long promises us Depesh-ay Mode. Later in the evening viewer could see an interview with Harold McMillan to mark the twentieth anniversary of his resignation as Prime Minister.

 

It’s a rubbish start with David Grant.

 

The rubbish continues with The Rock Steady Crew.

 

Howard Jones’ song is now even less new than the last time we heard it.

 

Billy Joel and Gary Numan have been cut.

 

Back to the rubbish with Freeeeeeez.

 

Elton John with a fairly undistinguished number. Long tries a football joke. The video includes a Poundland Meat Loaf lookalike.

 

It’s chart time!

 

The Basildon boys of Depeche Mode are here again. Pronunciation wars break out as Peebles only uses two syllables for Depeche. Long uses three again in her back announcement before the next bit of the chart.

 

The Daily Mail goes apoplectic as we get The Safety Dance from Men Without Hats. Apparently Margaret Trudeau (mother of Canada’s current PM) is on backing vocals. According to Ms Long anyway.

 

Andy Peebles tells us in the top ten run down that Black Lace have the dance record of the moment. Hmm. Anyway, Culture Club are still number one. The BBC have to observe strict neutrality while the polling stations are open today but the line “red, gold and green” is OK.

 

Meat Loaf closes the show. Long seems to think Meat Loaf is a band.

We’ve skipped another week so we are now at the beginning of November. Not long until Christmas. Peter Powell and Mike Read are on presenting duties meaning that this programme has more presenters than UKIP have county councillors. Even though it is November Read is wearing sunglasses indoors. He probably thinks it makes him look cool. It makes him look a dick. Peter Powell went forward in time to buy a sweater from the Sarah Lund collection.

 

ABC are on first which is quite appropriate really.

 

Donna Summer and Musical Youth are next. Not exactly the finest hour for either of them.

 

On to an Elton John again - in the studio this time.

 

The Police have been cut. Yes, more Tory cuts.

 

Time to yawn to Status Quo.

 

The first bit of the chart before some Madness and a slightly bonkers video. Who’d have thought it? The Sun and The Rain has now been renamed The Sun and Oasis although in Liverpool it’s just called And.

 

The next bit of the chart followed by Shakin’ Stevens with more of the same.

 

The chart rundown ends with Billy Joel’s entry in the Stevie Wonder club.

 

We play out with another chance to hear Men Without Hats but not before Read demonstrates that doing accurate impressions of other DJs is not among his talents. The search goes on for anything that is among his talents.

I've just watched it now. Good to see that ABC song performed. The Beauty Stab album wasn't well received but I've always liked it almost as much as The Lexicon Of Love.

 

If you add up the number of top 40 hits by the line-up in this episode up to that point in time,it must surely be close to a record for any episode.

Depeche Mode were never off totps between 1981-84 were they?!

As the weather warms up in 2017 we have reached an episode from November 1983, one day before Remembrance Day. No B-Movie though. David Jensen and John Peel team up again. It;s the Robin Hood look this week.

 

Musical Youth get things going with another song that isn’t Pass The Dutchie.

 

With pantomime season approaching we get Adam Ant and a very cheesy video. The bloke at the end looked rather like Lionel Jeffries. Was it him?

 

Marilyn has been dropped. Of course, if they’d dropped Marilyn Dreams by B-Movie that would have been annoying but it never got on the show in the first place.

 

Anyway, on with the show and it’s Eurythmics time.

 

Chart - first bit leading us into Limahl without Kajagoogoo. Oh dear, it’s not very good.

 

Next bit of the chart and Peelie has a comedy arrow through his head.

 

A definite up and down show this week. Now it’s up again with one of The Cure’s best-known songs. Is there a better song about cats? The Cat Crept In by Mud? Maybe not that one.

 

The top ten video show is back. Well, top nine actually. And at the end of it all, Billy Joel is still at number one.

 

We end with a true classic from Joy Division back in the chart again. Let’s Dance to Joy Division indeed.

 

Now it’s time for Eurovision. Two hours of quality music. Well, two hours of music. OK, two hours of something or other.