Tag Archives: Simon Bates

Soft Cell

“Time just rolls on and on” – Top of the Pops, 13 August 1981

Simon BatesAh, it’s Housewives’ Favourite (“Favourite what?” I hear you cry) Simon Bates, bringing a much needed air of decorum to proceedings in his sensible beige blazer, black slacks and salmon pink shirt which he probably thinks a bit daring. Looking at him now, he still looks like he could be my dad, yet I’m ten years older now than he was then. Glitch in the Matrix? Eddies in the space time continuum? Or is he just the embodiment of bloated, self-satisfied Radio 1 that prevailed for a remarkably long time before being swept away by Matthew Bannister in 1993? I think we all know the answer to that. Seemingly employed by Richard Skinner to make him look fashionable, Bates bids us “Welcome to the summer” in the middle of August – what’s been happening for the past six weeks then? – and with a cheeky tilt of the head, points us in the direction of Duran Duran.


See the full top 75 for this week on the Official Charts Website.
read more

“You’ve got to get up to get down” – Top of the Pops, 25 June 1981

Depeche Mode

Rush rush, busy busy, rush rush, busy busy! A combination of a condensed thirty minute show due to Wimbledon fortnight, the continuing lack of a proper opening sequence and a poorly chosen first song with a short intro means that … read more

“You said it all, though not many had ears” – Top of the Pops, 28 May 1981

Hazel O'Connor

Hey everyone, let’s play “good news / bad news”! The good news is, after missing a huge chunk of musical history due to presenters’ off-screen activities and someone’s inability to record a live programme for the archive, BBC Four viewers … read more

“Strong are the bonds that we make” – Top of the Pops, 2 April 1981

Shakin' Stevens

Another week, another two editions of TOTP on BBC Four as we attempt to crack on through the whole year before the Proms, the Olympics and whatever else has been displaced by the closure of BBC Three as a linear … read more

“The sounds are too loud and there’s too much smoke” – Top of the Pops, 5 February 1981

Dire Straits

February already, so let’s pause and take stock of how 1981 is going so far. The charts are currently dominated by John Lennon (who remains dead) and Adam Ant (who is still very much alive), but the New Romantics are … read more