or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
29 used & new from £0.31
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
"Top of the Pops": Mishaps, Miming and Music
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

"Top of the Pops": Mishaps, Miming and Music (Hardcover)

by Ian Gittins (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
Price: £8.44 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £4.55 (35%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 10? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
14 new from £5.00 15 used from £0.31

Frequently Bought Together

"Top of the Pops": Mishaps, Miming and Music + ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CLASSIC SATURDAY NIGHT TELLY, THE + "Look-in": The Best of the Seventies
Price For All Three: £22.38

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CLASSIC SATURDAY NIGHT TELLY, THE

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CLASSIC SATURDAY NIGHT TELLY, THE

by Jack Kibble-White
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.49
"Look-in": The Best of the Seventies

"Look-in": The Best of the Seventies

by Graham Kibble-White
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  £7.45
TV Cream's Toys: Presents You Pestered Your Parents for

TV Cream's Toys: Presents You Pestered Your Parents for

by Steve Berry
4.7 out of 5 stars (15)  £7.41
Remember the 70s (General Books)

Remember the 70s (General Books)

by Michael Heatley
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £10.49
The Encyclopaedia of Classic 80's Pop

The Encyclopaedia of Classic 80's Pop

by Daniel Blythe
4.6 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.98
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 160 pages
  • Publisher: BBC Books; illustrated edition edition (25 Oct 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1846073278
  • ISBN-13: 978-1846073274
  • Product Dimensions: 28.2 x 21.6 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 156,634 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Top Of The Pops Music opens new browser window
www.Ask.com  -  Find the Best Results for Top Of The Pops Music 
  
 

Product Description

Product Description

Top of the Pops began life as a rebellious teenager, but unfortunately ended up as Grandpa at the disco. After decades as must-see Thursday-night TV, it was overtaken by the realities of a new multi-channel, digital age, was shunted disrespectfully between time-slots and even relegated to BBC2, an irrelevant shadow of its glory days gone by. But generations of Brits will never forget the pivotal role of "TOTP". It brought into our living rooms both unforgettable moments of pop brilliance, and also some of the clumsiest and most amateur performances possible (by artists and presenters alike).A very British institution, "TOTP" was there through the best and worst of pop times. Packed with glorious images from rediscovered archives, and drawing on over 60 original interviews with artists and DJs, this book will be an affectionate celebration of the artfulness and absurdities of "TOTP", not via a dry chronological history, but by focusing in on 40 highlights - some sublime, some bizarre, many plain daft - that made the show such a unique spectacle. From the pipe-smoking DLT to the narrative dance routines of Pan's People, from David Bowie to Clive Dunn, from the rebels who refused to mime for the cameras to the audience members who dressed up for them, "TOTP" really mattered to children of the seventies, and this book will be irresistible to them.


About the Author

Ian Gittins is currently a music critic on the Guardian, and has also written for Q, Melody Maker, Daily Telegraph, MTV and New York Times. He is the author of several other books, including Bjork: The Stories Behind the Songs and Talking Heads: The Stories Behind the Songs, both published by Carlton Books, and he has co-written The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star with Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, which will be published by Simon & Schuster this autumn.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

"Top of the Pops": Mishaps, Miming and Music
58% buy the item featured on this page:
"Top of the Pops": Mishaps, Miming and Music 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£8.44
The Encyclopaedia of Classic 80's Pop
12% buy
The Encyclopaedia of Classic 80's Pop 4.6 out of 5 stars (5)
£6.98
"Look-in": The Best of the Seventies
12% buy
"Look-in": The Best of the Seventies 4.8 out of 5 stars (4)
£7.45
Remember the 80s: Now That's What I Call Nostalgia
10% buy
Remember the 80s: Now That's What I Call Nostalgia 4.0 out of 5 stars (5)
£9.08
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars 'Wonderful, Memory Filled Fest For Fans', 29 Dec 2007
By Antony May (East Sussex, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
In July 2006 the very last edition of Top Of The Pops was aired. For me it was a very sad day and it felt somehow as if by losing the programme something fundamental about who I am and what I'd become was dying. In truth, the end had been coming for some time and the show had simply become outdated by the arrival of the internet generation and the birth of MTV and the like. Still, If you felt as strongly as I did and were worried by the fact, you will love this book which is a fitting and worthy monument to the lifetime of the show. Without giving too much away (I really don't want to dilute the enjoyment of reading this one bit for you!) the text is written with an amazing amount of affection for the programme and Ian Gittins has interviewed and used quotes from hundreds of the shows stars over the years to help tell his story. Full of fantastic colour photos of the stars and presenters from every era of the show (so good to see Sir Jimmy Savile's crazy costumes again!!), this is a real gem of a book and one that will evoke many a happy memory within those of us that grew up with what was a national institution. Who knows, it might even make you shed a few tears... ESSENTIAL.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars BUY IT!, 22 Jan 2008
If you're looking, then you'll love it. Made me wonder if the real reason for TOTP's demise was trying to compete with MTV, Later With Jools Holland et al - when instead they should have been trading on irony and nostalgia, re-hiring DLT, Paul Burnett and Jimmy Savile, putting together a new all-female dance troupe, and going deliberately camp and trashy...
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad epitaph for the world's greatest pop music show, 27 April 2009
By Vauxhall1964 (London, UK) - See all my reviews
I flicked through this when it first appeared in the shops and was put off by the slightly tacky graphics and the price tag. I've since picked up a copy for the price of half a pint which unfortunately shows, like the TV programme itself, there weren't ultimately a huge number of takers for this product. This book isn't anything other than a populist look back at the show that loomed so large over any British childhood of the 60s, 70s or 80s. It's all here, chapters on one hit wonders, Britpop, UK Eurovision hits, novelty records, the Christmas editions, the various Pan's People-style studio dance troupes, Radio 1 DJ presenters, glam rock, the show's Sixties genesis... To be fair, all that needs covering about the Top of the Pops story is here, even if the presentation is a bit naff (but, hey, so was the show). Surprisingly, the book pulls no punches about the show's mistakes in its later years (producer Andi Peters, we mean you!), including the disastrous decision to aim the show at young teens and use forgettable, charisma-free 'yoof TV' wannabes to present the programme. We can debate til the cows come home where it all went wrong and whether it could have been any different but the fact remains the BBC, yet again, managed to sabotage and ultimately destroy one of its leading brands. And what impeccable timing: just as singles sales were entering, thanks to downloads, a period of record sales figures that have surpassed even those of the late 70s, that legendary 'golden age' of both the single and Top of the Pops. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Yet, despite the Beeb's best efforts, the show refuses to die, with Christmas editions still pulling in big audiences (four million for the 2008 Xmas special). All of which suggests that the BBC deep down do realise they made a terrible mistake with their act of cultural vandalism, and that the argument that no-one wants pop music on TV is a spurious one. After all, anyone ever heard of a show called 'The X Factor'?
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
I could have helped with the book 0 June 2009
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.