Starship Trooper

Top of The Pops was regular viewing in our house in the late 1960's and right through to the late 70's.

 

It was, amazingly, by todays TV output, just about the most progressive and wild show being broadcast on all of the three main channels.

 

It was a must see listing in the week's schedule if you wanted to be part of the school playground in-crowd and the inevitable Friday morning discussions on the performers, whether a particular act were miming (as I suspected most of them were), the fashions of the time, on which wrist to tie your tartan scarf or in what ear your should consider piercing and wearing a stud. I cannot recall if it was the right or left lobe that determined your sexual preference.

 

The formula for every week was startlingly similar.

 

One or two presenters who had attained top celebrity status through radio held forth in front of a very square looking studio audience, you know lads in tank tops, wide collars and Oxford Bag trousers, the lasses in their best flowery flocks and freshly coiffured hair. The position of media superstars was obviously too potent for some of the individuals as we now hear about in the investigations and prosecutions arising from longstanding sexual misconduct.

 

In the early years of TOTP there were of course no videos and so bands were on stage. In  the pre-internet times the Pop Chart Countdown with still photo's of the entries was the first opportunity to find out the risers and fallers.

 

Up to about that point the show was very modern and progressive but then there would be a bit of a relapse to the Old Variety Days. The wartime and 1950's to 60's radio broadcasts of comedy and general entertainment always featured a musical interlude. The Goon Shows had Max Geldray on Harmonica and Ray Ellington vocalist, Round the Horne had The Fraser Hayes Four a close harmony singing group amongst the most popular. For some reason a ground breaking Pop Show had to follow the tried and tested routines and that was where we were introduced to Pans People, or who were regularly referred to as "Sex on Legs" amongst my playground chums.

 

Of course they, as me, did not actually know what sex on legs meant. It was probably a matter of mimicking older siblings or our Dads who were more likely to be the target market for the performances of the dancing troupe.

 

The classic and best known line up consisted of what became household names of Dee Dee, Ruth, Flick, Andi, Babs and the rather boringly named, by comparison, Louise.

 

There were some tweaks in the members over the main televised years from 1968 to 1976 but a core element persisted to bring us interesting interpretations of Pop Songs which became a highlight of our Thursday night viewing, as long as, that is we had our pyjamas on and drank all of our drinking chocolate.

 

It was difficult not to laugh at some of the routines which were literal translations into dance of the lyrical content of some rather bland and one hit wonder type chart toppers or bubbling-unders. Six dancers did tend to physically fill the stage at TV Centre which did not leave much space for the inevitable props to embellish the gyratory movements and basic choreography. The photograph below depicts a typical mode of attire and stance. If anyone knows what the song behind this particular dance was then I would be pleased to hear. Also one of the ladies is missing from the picture if anyone can shed some light on that.

The Christmas Day TOTP in 1973 saw Pans People's interpretation of "Get Down" by Gilbert O'Sullivan involving pet dogs on pedestals with, inevitable chaos as the animals got distracted by the lights and sounds in the studio and one went off camera for a wee.

 

I was, in the halcyon days of Pans People, of the age 5 years to 13 years. I am sorry, but to a young lad of sheltered upbringing the ladies were quite a fascination even though they did look very, very old to me. As I said, they were more popular with older siblings and our Dads.

In fact, the classic line up were only themselves in their late teens and early twenties at the time. Denim numbers were popular but no two weeks were the same. I seem to recall quite hazily some very floaty frocks, big hats and a lot of military uniforms for some strange reason.

It was the peak time for sexism and political incorrectness in the 70's and Pans People did have more than their fair share of oglers, crude jibes and knockers. In the BBC TV series of Porridge with Ronnie Barker a typical line referred to the dancers, "There's one Special One,......beautiful Babs....dunno what her name is".

1976 saw the final performance of Pans People although the dance slot was briefly taken up by something called Ruby Flipper and then Legs and Co who just carried on the tradition. One of the latter troupe woke up the whole nation to proper dance routines by leaving for Hot Gossip, definitely the best thing that Sarah Brightman ever did, by far.