Tag Archives: Peter Powell

Dexys Midnight Runners

“You think you only know me when you turn on the light” – Top of the Pops, 16 July 1981

Peter Powell“Hi folks, welcome to this week’s edition of Top of the Pops, it is jam packed with good music!” Peter Powell there, rudely jabbing his finger into your face to emphasise just how jam packed the show is. As well as being the first “proper” edition of TOTP in the clattering-drums-swooshing-synths-and-flying-records era after last week‘s nostalgia fest, it was the first “new era” show in the BBC Four run, where the non-appearance of the last of the old editions and the first of the new meant that the dawning of the new age appeared to have gone completely unremarked upon, as if you’d just imagined it. Not everything is new though, as there are a couple of repeats left over from the dark days of two weeks ago and Powell is wearing one of the TOTP T-shirts that were shamelessly advertised on the show as far back as last October, which seems like the Dark Ages compared to this.


See the full top 75 for this week on the Official Charts Website.
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“I feel my spirit’s getting old” – Top of the Pops, 18 June 1981

Odyssey

“Hi folks! Welcome to Top of the Pops once again!” Well, hello sailor. It’s solid, reliable Peter Powell in charge this week, in a strangely nautical white shirt with navy blue stripes and – yes! – red trousers. A full … read more

“The devil take your stereo and your record collection” – Top of the Pops, 7 May 1981

Ossie Ardiles

By this stage of the BBC Four reruns the audience has formed itself into two distinct groups. One one hand there’s the casual viewer who isn’t really following the timeline but will greet every deviation from the norm – anything … read more

“The more we know, the less we show” – Top of the Pops, 16 April 1981

Department S

“Hi.” Hi yourself, Peter Powell, in your monogrammed shirt, white blazer with the sleeves rolled up and, let’s not beat about the bush here, beige slacks. Powell seems to have taken on the mantle of “senior presenter” of TOTP recently, … read more

“Try to look as if you don’t care less” – Top of the Pops, 19 March 1981

Bucks Fizz

So the industrial dispute we were pretending wasn’t happening last week has been resolved, the audience has been allowed back out of the tiny airless booths from where they were encouraged to cheer and applaud in sound only, and everything’s … read more

“There’s a new wave coming, I warn ya” – Top of the Pops, 26 February 1981

Kim Wilde

Never let it be said that this site doesn’t get results. After carping on for weeks about how this new look Top of the Pops needs an opening sequence instead of just crashing straight into the grinning host over the … read more

“Girls are foreign and strange to me” – Top of the Pops, 22 January 1981

Spandau Ballet

Well, this is awkward. Keen to get 1981 over and done with as soon as possible, BBC Four have hit the turbo button and scheduled two editions per week for the foreseeable future, meaning that the idea of the show … read more