'It's Number One... it's Top Of The Pops', for every generation from 1964, until the show ended in 2006, that was the sentence every young television viewer sat down to hear. At its peak, a quarter of the UKs entire population was watching. 'Top Of The Pops' was the pivotal pop television programme over its 2,000 weekly episodes, the programme gave peak airtime to every act, from The Beatles to Beyonce... from Cream to Coldplay... from Pink Floyd to Pink! From its humble beginnings in 1964 from a disused church through to the programme's pan-global appeal in the 1990s, 'Top Of The Pops' became synonymous with the best in pop television. This book tells the incredible story of 'Top of the Pops'. It is not just the story of a long-running television programme. The story of 'Top of the Pops' is the story of British popular music. It is a shadow history of British rock & roll, and beyond. It is the story of how a 6-week show turned into a pan-global phenomenon and how for 40 years, 'Top of the Pops' was a British institution. With a span of nearly half a century, there are so many highlights: The Beatles only live appearance, in 1966, promoting Paperback Writer... the Who getting banned... the first colour edition in 1969... David Bowie's breakthrough performance of Starman in 1972... Nirvana's chaotic 1991 appearance promoting Smells Like Teen Spirit... the Blur versus Oasis battle... Justin Timberlake playing bass with the Flaming Lips in 2003... 'Top Of The Pops II' was launched in 1994, bringing the programme to a whole new audience. Around the same time, the BBC licensed the 'Top Of The Pops' brand to over 90 countries, with an estimated audience of 100 million. Though it ceased broadcasting in 2006, thanks to the internet, compilation CDs; and repeated viewing on BBC4... 'Top Of The Pops' lives on.

Contents v Acknowledgements ix Sir Cliff Richard: Foreword xi Stanley Dorfman: Top of the Pops Co-creator, Producer and Director xv Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The 1960s: Skipping the Light Fandango 41 Chapter 2 The 1970s: Feel the Noize 97 Chapter 3 The 1980s: Don't Look Back in Anger 133 Chapter 4 The 1990s: Shiny, Happy People 151 Chapter 5 The 21st Century: I predict a Riot 171 Chapter 6 Music and Fashion 1964-2006 181 Harry Goodwin: Uncrowned King of Pop Photography 185 Those Top of the Pops Themes in Full 187 The Top of the Pops Crossword 188 57 Things You Never Knew About Top of the Pops 190 Bibliography