Top of the Pops 7 December 1989

Words: Chris Arnsby.

Mark Goodier: “Hello. Good evening. Welcome to Britain's favourite pop show. We have the charts and we have Britain's number one and all the new entries and it's all in stereo on Radio 1FM. Let's start tonight with a huge Top 10 smash. Here comes Big Fun. Can't Shake The Feeling.”

 [8] BIG FUN: can't shake the feeling. Big Fun are on the Main Stage and it doesn't look like it did last week. The wings of the stage are back where they usually are. Clearly the unusual placement last week was a one off.

When Top of the Pops starts, the camera cranes up to find Mark Goodier in the Crow's Nest over the main stage. Stanley Appel doesn't like doing that, has Paul Ciani returned? Nope. This week's Producer (and Director) is Brian Whitehouse, not seen since 22/12/1988.

Where is Paul Ciani? In previous years he's the autumn away from Top of the Pops to tend to his other shows. In 1988 he was away from 14/08/1988 and didn't return until the 08/12/1988 edition, but there was a series of Call My Bluff in between. This year he doesn't appear to have any other projects and yet he's been away since 31/08/1989. BBC Genome and The Radio Times list him as returning to Top of the Pops on 02/11/1989 but that didn't happen; they also list him as Producer/Director on the 09/11 and 30/11 shows which also didn't happen. Sadly, it's quite possible Paul Ciani was not well during this time. He died untimely, aged just 49 in December 1991. I'm also aware that IMDB claims he died of an AIDs related illness but IMDB is not famous for its accuracy.

[25] KATE BUSH: this women's work. Sorry, this write up got gloomy. Here's the Promo VT for This Women's Work to cheer us all up. Except, the no-more-than-two-minutes-of-each-video rule means the Top of the Pops audience sees Tim McInnerny weeping in a hospital waiting room and being visited by a serious looking nurse; then we see the shots of Kate Bush, as his wife, collapsing; and Tim McInnerny driving her to hospital; and then her being rushed inside on a stretcher; and then... Top of the Pops ends the video. No happy ending for viewers in 1989.

CHARTS FROM 40 TO 31

[5] SOUL II SOUL: get a life. Promo VT.

[27] SYDNEY YOUNGBLOOD: sit and wait. Exciting news from Mark Goodier. Four new FM stereo transmitters will be turned on, on December 19^th. See CEEFAX page 641 for more details. Alas, this news is too exciting. It stops me having any cogent thoughts about Sydney Youngblood.

[19] DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: in private. Promo VT.

CHARTS FROM 30 TO 11

[3] JEFF WAYNE: the eve of the war. Promo VT.

BREAKERS:

[22] LATINO RAVE: deep heat '89

[21] QUEEN: the miracle

[18] SIMPLE MINDS: the amsterdam ep

[16] ERASURE: you surround me. Promo VT, again. This is going to be one of those episodes which splutters out in a run of videos. If I was structuring this show I'd be tempted to move Sydney Youngblood later, maybe to just before or after the Breakers.

[7] JASON DONOVAN: when you come back to me. Oh look, I was wrong. There's at least one more studio performance to go. Jason Donovan, you say? Oh dear.
TOP 10

[1] NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: you got it (the right stuff). Promo VT.

[38] ALEXANDER O'NEAL: hitmix. Promo VT. At the end of the show there's a lovely shot tracking in on Mark Goodier. The audience has been assembled on the main stage and they cheer and applaud as the camera zooms over them to Mark Goodier in the Crow's Nest. What makes the shot really work is the lighting. Alan Jeffery has effectively divided the picture into three coloured bands. The crowd at the front are silhouetted and backlit in red. The top of the wings of the main stage and the Crow's Nest are lit in sheets of red and orange. And the very top of the  studio is a deep blue fading to purple. The middle section of the picture is lightest and it draws the eye in. It's a small thing, and it's not on screen for long but I like to occasionally mention stuff like this to compensate for just hitting CTRL-V on “Promo VT” repeatedly.

Nicky Campbell next week.

 Bonus master tape bit: “...so much were gonna do it again.” The tape blurs back into life on a shot of Mark Goodier talking to the audience from the main stage as someone in a gold lame jacket walks off. Is it Rob or Raz again? Evidentially not because Mark Goodier says: “That actually rather suits you Sarah... wouldn't suit me... but it suits you.” Then there's a long pause while Mark Goodier buttons up his jacket.  

Mark Goodier:  “When's this gonna...” [Top of the Pops theme begins playing].
[Audience cheer and applaud].
Mark Goodier:  “Top of the Pops on Radio 1FM and later we'll have Britain's number one. Will it be Jason? Will it be Kylie? Or...
Sarah: [interrupting]. “Oi Mark. Shaddup shut'cha face [Sarah walks on wearing a gold lame jacket, with frills, a large black hat and dark glasses].

Mark Goodier:  “Sarah Donner!” [or something that sounds like this name].
Sarah: “Ahhh! Right mate. Try this on. You was at my party. I wanna see if it fits.
[camera angle changes to show Mark Goodier's feet. He tries on a shoe. This is confusing because the shoe he tries on is nearly indistinguishable from the other one he is wearing. Try harder, wardrobe]
Mark Goodier: “I'll try it.”
Sarah: “Naah! Does it fit or not?”

Mark Goodier: “No” [audience join in with the “no”]
Sarah: “Giz it back.”
[Mark Goodier gives back the shoe]

Sarah: “Ta. Big feet 'e's got!” [she walks off].
Mark Goodier: Sarah Donner... now later we'll do the top forty breakers. See what's hip and what's happening this week.”

 What the hell was that?

 Performance of the week: I guess it's Sydney Youngblood, Sit and Wait.