Top of the Pops 27 Sept 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Anthea Turner: “Well hallo there! We're all raring to go here at Television Centre for another edition of Top of the Pops! Welcome to those of you who are joining us from Radio 1! In FM stereo! Tonight in the studio amongst other's we've Status Quo, and the Wedding Present but to start off it's Monie Love!”

 [21] MONIE LOVE Featuring True Image: It's A Shame (My Sister). The nice long track in to Monie Love gives me a chance to take a proper look at the new colour screen where the Crows Nest used to be.

I wasn't sure what it was for last week. Now I can see the idea is the point a camera at the audience and give the impression the crowd extends up above the Main Stage. The question is, where is that camera? There's a circular thing in the background which looks like one of the round Top of the Pops symbols so we must be seeing at a picture from one of the studio bridges.

It's a clever idea and the illusion is weirdly convincing. The problem, it ties up one of the studio's two camera cranes for a single static image which is frequently not all that visible. It seems like an odd allocation of resources to me, but I'm not a BBC producer. Maybe it's as much about building atmosphere in the studio as it is for the viewer.

Alien: Earth ep 8 review

 

For a series that has undercut expectations and taken unexpected routes, its fitting that this final episode maintains a similar strategy. Rather than pick up straight away from the tense moments at the end of episode seven, The Real Monsters, a little time has passed and while the hunt is on, its not quite the hunt we expected.

 

 

Top of the Pops 20 Sept 1990

20/09/1990

Nicky Campbell: “For seven days and seven nights we have waited, Top of the Pops is here at last. Want you to try at home first of all, clear a space in your living room, kick up the heels, and join in this routine. Copy it precisely. Twenty 4 Seven and Captain Hollywood, shall we dance.”

 [28] TWENTY 4 SEVEN Featuring CAPTAIN HOLLYWOOD: There has been a minor change to the set design for the main stage. The Crow's nest is no more. It has been long abandoned by the programme but, even after the hosts stopped using it, there were normally a few audience members sent up there to have “fun”. From, I think, the first show in September 1990 the Crow's Nest has been removed from above the centre column of the main stage, replaced by another colour projection screens; making a triptych with one of the screens above each of the wings of the Main Stage and the centre.

Orca- Killer Whale (1977)

 

Whilst Orca may have been inspired by the success of Jaws and superficially appears similar (plus Orca was the name of that film’s iconic boat) it is something of a different beast. While the shark in Jaws was simply the creature from the wild that attacked people for no other reason than because that’s what sharks do, the killer whale in this movie is given a motivation. The viewer is encouraged to understand why it is acting as it does and rather than random attacks it's targets are shown to be considered to achieve a certain end. Whether a real killer whale has such cognisance is another thing but what the films writers want us to believe is that this is a personal battle.

 

Alien: Earth ep 7 review

 

Can we say something about the opening titles of the series which gradually form the words Alien Earth over artfully collaged clips from the previous episodes and suggestions as to the tone of the series. It solves that problem of having to front load an episode with a Last Week on… bit and also with the eerie music draws us straight into the dark heart of the show. Right from the start it shows how this is a series determined to be different.

 

Spoilers after the break

 

Top of the Pops 13 Sept 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Gary Davies: “Hello. Very good evening to you. Welcome to Top of the Pops in stereo on Radio 1FM. In the studio tonight we have Sonia, and KLF, and Bass-O-matic, and Maria McKee but we start off with a new entry at twenty seven, a song that's been number one in Holland for the last three weeks. I've Been Thinking About You. It's Londonbeat.

 [27] LONDONBEAT: I've Been Thinking About You. Londonbeat have a well practiced routine, observe the way the two backing singers move easily from the front of the stage for the chorus to their instruments for the verses (and vise versa). There are times when they appear in shot like magic. It's really well done.

Alien: Earth eps 5 and 6 reviews

 

High praise has been lauded on this episode by many online reviews, with some even describing it as the best the franchise has been since Aliens. As the title `In Space, No-One…` suggests episode five is basically Noah Hawley making his own mini Alien movie. I suppose this is what some people imagined the whole series would be like and some have been critical of the till now differently presented show producing a more standard concept. Yet it is important and I can see why it wasn’t shown first because it would have misled people as to what the series was really like. No wonder they built such a fantastic set; that in itself deserved an encore. The results are fantastically gripping.

Spoilers after the break 

Top of the Pops 30 Aug & 6 Sep 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

 30/08/1990

 The observant among you might be wondering why the last write up confidently asserted it  covered the 16/08/1990 edition, for a second time. It didn't. It was supposed to read 23/08/1990. This was the cat's fault. It has now been banned from jumping on the keyboard. (John- And my fault for not noticing either but it shows we are not A.I)

 Mark Goodier: “Ah! Good evening. Hello. Welcome to Top Of the Pops. Britain's favourite TV and radio pop show. Tonight, the complete top forty. Who's number one? You'll see the number one later and of course we have all the major climbers on the charts and big stars. We start with a band who are always the sound of sunshine. Here's Aswad.

 [25] ASWAD: Next To You. Back to business as usual for Top of the Pops with Paul Ciani credited as the producer and director. It's been just over a year since Asward last appeared, 10/08/1989 with On And On. What have they been doing in the meantime? Shopping for keytars. Three of them, issued to everyone on stage who isn't Brinsley Forde or the drummer.

Wednesday season two eps 5 - 8 reviews

 

The series sometimes burns off plotlines so quickly that sometimes they barely register and part five is a case in point. In stretching to incorporate everything rather than leaving some plots to simmer off screen the end result with episode five is something a little over crowded even for this series. On the other hand, the remaining three episodes are excellent leading to a terrific full blooded gothic as you like finale.