One for the Dads

Ruby Flipper - Come On People Now

2012-02-11T09:02:00.000Z

Another appearance from Ruby Flipper with Lena Martell on her 1979 BBC TV series. I'm afraid I don't know who wrote this song (or even if I've got the title right). Thanks yet again to PattiforPM for finding this rare clip.

Download from Mediafire ().

Pan's People - Funky Street

2012-02-07T08:17:00.014Z

Here's a rarity, posted by Flight14 over at panspeople.com. It's Pan's People on Lulu's* TV show, Happening for Lulu on February 1 1969, dancing to Lulu's Funky Street along with a couple of blokes.

Quality is not the best, and we mostly only get wide shots of the dancers, but I reckon it's the full 1969 line-up. Thanks to Flight14 and pp.com for the clip.

*Not that one.

Hot Gossip - Naughty Naughty

2012-02-06T07:26:00.001Z

Here's the last clip of a Hot Gossip performance from their return to Kemmy Everett's show, in 1986. Herte they're dancing to their own version of John Parr's Naughty Naughty.

A slight return to their pervy outfit roots here: but perhaps because this is an auntie beeb show, the whole feeling is less dark, and more playful: or maybe it's just an eighties thing.

Download from Mediuafire (39.9 MB)

Zoo - Layla

2012-02-03T07:29:00.001Z

Here's a clip that Suefan requested, and Carl sent me: it's Maureen from Zoo dancing to Derek & the Dominos' Layla on Top of the Pops, 18the March 1982.

Notice the early eighties freeze-frame video effects: back them this must have been the height of high-tech cool. Nowadays, when most of us are used to watching video on various phones, computers, laptops, pads, and TVs, transient still frames like this in a video don't mean "cool video effect" any more. These days they say: "connection too slow", "hardware not powerful enough" or "stupid machine not working". How times have changed.

Thanks to carl for the clip.

Mediafire download (22.1 MB)

Pan's People - Love's Theme

2012-02-01T07:18:00.000Z

This Pan's People routine, dancing to Love Unlimited Orchestra's Love's Theme, seems only to have survived in either a complete black & white version, or in a short colour clip: I've embedded both here.

Black & white version:

Colour clip:

Thanks to Ryan for tracking down these clips on YouTube.

Pan's People - Back Stabbers

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000Z

Here's another return to a Pan's People clip that I posted in the early days of this blog, before I'd got the hang of embedding playable video. This routine from 1972 is danced to The O'Jays' Back Stabbers.

Rapidshare download link (22.2 MB)

Legs & Co. - British Rock & Pop Awards 1979

2012-01-28T22:07:00.003Z

Here's a rare and strange clip: Legs & Co. appearing at the 1979 British Rock & Pop Awards, dancing to a medley of hits from 1978. But what's going on? There are three separate sections, with three sets of costumes, but they're fairly obviouslly designed for a quick on-the-fly change: the basic colour-coded one piece outfits stay the same throughout, with accessories added (forst the tied-on skirts, then the big overcoats and spangly bowler hats, and finally the sparkling tops). So why then is there an obvious video edit at each costume change? Did the quick changes not really work properly? Whatever the reason, the edits do weaken the whole live-on-stage performance feel. I couldn't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure that these sorts of event weren't usually broadcast live on the night back then: more likely would be an edited hoighlights show on the next evening.

The records featured in the medley are: Rod Stewart's "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy?", The Bee Gees' "Night Fever", Brian & Michael's "Matchstalk Men" and "You're the One That I Want" from The Grease Soundtrack. The less said about the choreography to the third number the better: except that I doubt anyone else could do better, giving the awefulness of the material.

I would guess that Flick (I'm assuming the choreography is hers) didn't have any say in the camera positions, moves & angles, or even any knowledge of them beforehand: so she's had to choreography the performance towards the audience in the room, rather than to the cameras. This, combined with the music being a live studio band arrangement of the music, rather than the hit records themselves, gives the whole performance a light-entertainment, ITV, Brian Rogers/Dougie Squires "feel". Even Davis "Kid" Jensen has been made to wear a tie. Aesthetically unsatisfying, but a fascinating piece of history nonetheless.

Thanks once again to pattiforPM for this clip.

Download from Mediafire (52.3 MB)

Hot Gossamer - Supernature

2012-01-23T07:34:00.002Z

Cringe Alert: the following video clip is a historical document from the nineteen seventies: back then although "blacking-up" was on the way out, Old school comedians like Benny Hill were still happy with that kind of racial-stereotype "humour". If you don't want to be offended, look away.

Here's a Benny Hill Show parody of Hot Gossip, complete with a Kenny Everett-style "naughty bits" introduction from Henry McGee. Featuring Benny's usual cast of beautiful Girls (Pauline Crawford, Louise English, Nola Haynes, Abigail Higgins, Sue Upton, Francesca Whitburn and Sarah Woollett) Benny and Jackie Wright in some seriously dodgy make-up. And Jackie's stereotypicall "afro" fright wig seems calculated to offend.

Benny's chosen the obvious piece of music to dance to here: his studio orchestra's version of Supernature, since Cerrone's original was already associated with Kenny Everett's Show and Hot Gossip in the public's mind.

This routine seems an obvious precursor to the Hill ANgels routines that later became a regular feature of Benny's shows.

Mediafire cownload (37.5 MB)

Hot Gossip - Control

2012-01-20T07:08:00.008Z

Here's another Hot Gossip performabce from their 1986 return to Kenny Everett's TV show. Music here is their own version of janet Jackson's Control.

Mediafire link (43.1 MB)

Ruby Flipper - Beautiful Noise

2012-01-18T14:13:00.001Z

Thanks again to PattiforPM, who sent me this clip of Ruby Flipper from Lena Martell's show, dancing to her singing Neil Diamond's Beautiful Noise. Lots of literal choreography here...

Mediafire download (23 MB)

Legs & Co - Don't Give Up on Us

2012-01-11T06:44:00.008Z

Legs & Co dancing to David "Hutch" Soul's Don't Give Up on Us: January 6th 1977.

Upgrade: I've already posted this routine, in a clip taken from a grainy VHS recording of a UK Gold TOTP repeat. Here's a much clearer version, from BBC 4's ongoing series of TOTP reruns.

Download from Mediafire (23 MB)

Heart-Throb Celebrate Summer

2012-01-09T08:56:00.001Z

Here's Heart-Throb, Teri Scoble's dance group from Marc Bolan's 1977 ITV series Marc, dancing to his Celebrate Summer. With more of that analog bluescreen video compositing that made the seventies groovy.

Posted by special request for Jez.

Download from Mediafire (14 MB)

Legs & Co. - Stars on 45 Vol. 2

2012-01-08T08:09:00.002Z

Here's another performance from Legs & Co dancing to Stars on 45 Vol. 2, built around massacring Abba songs. Once again they're dancing behind the show's end credits, this time with some lucky audience blokes joining in (including one in full evening dress).

I'm afraid I've lost track of which kind person sent me this clip. If you're out there, please let me know who your are, so that I can credit you properly.

Mediafire download (24.8 MB)

Ruby Flipper - Games People Play

2012-01-07T10:02:00.002Z

My thanks once again go to PattiforPM, who has sent me another Ruby Flipper clip from Lena Martell's TV show.

In this clip, Lena sings Joe South's Country classic Games People Play, while the Flipsters dance dressed as arguing petulant kids.

Download from Mediafire (30.3 MB)

A short Flick Colby tribute clip

2012-01-02T12:59:00.000Z

Here's a short collage of Flick Colby performances on the BBC's Review of the Year 2011. Also featuring the Sainted Sir Jimbo. Music? The Weavers Answer by Family is the consensus on the discussion board.

Thanks to the good folks at PansPeople.Com who were on the ball enough to catch this, and Katy Miss Queenie who brought it to my attention.

Legs & Co - I Love Music

2012-01-02T12:27:00.002Z

There are two reasons to consider the early eighties as the nadir of Top of the Pops: one is the mushrooming of souless cut-and-paste medley records: occasionally by original artists, but more often as here, by Tin Pan Alley Zombies like Enigma. The other, of course, is the slow sidelining, and eventual disappearance, of dancers Legs & Co. Here they are, in one of their too-often front-of-the-audience appearances.

Mediafire link coming soon.

Zoo - Ticket to the Moon

2011-12-27T13:14:00.000Z

Though Zoo were often more audience cheerleaders than Stage performers, occaisionally Flick would produce a more traditional Choreographed routine for Top of the Pops. Here's one, danced to ELO's Ticket to the Moon.

Thanks to bucksby for the clip.

Download from Mediafire (29 MB)

Legs & Co - Instant Replay (Christmas)

2011-12-25T07:03:00.008Z

I've posted Lulu, Patti and Pauline dancing to this song on Top of the Pops before: but here's an entirely different version. This clip is from the 1978 BBC VT technicians' traditional christmas blooper tape, and features Legs & Co visiting the VT blokes in their cavernous dungeon. As PattiforPM points out, these outfits are from their Sweet Talking Woman routine, broadcast 26/10/78, so we can roughly date the recording to the last week in October. Sorry for the crummy tape quality, but it's the best I can find.

"The good old BBC Blooper Tapes ... thought up and created by a really clever and funny guy ...Grant Watkins. Sadly no longer with us but such a decent chap wit a wicked sense of humour and who had a big soft spot for Legs and Co. We happily helped out on a few of his classic tapes ... Some Girls ... Nice Legs, Shame about the Face and this rendition of White Powder Xmas. The VT department were all great fun when we did these tapes and a great laugh. Grant, I think was very kind to us and spared us some of our worst moments, but then we did help out by participating!" – Sue

I've already posted their performance from the 1979 blooper tape, Nice Legs, a while ago.

Merry Christmas, folks!

Mediafire download link (8.7 MB)

Super Troupers

2011-12-21T08:19:00.002Z

A BBC Radio 2 Documentary in which Arlene Phillips looks back at the rise and fall of the TV dance troupes - the Beat Girls, Go Jos, Ruby Flipper, Legs & Co, her very own Hot Gossip, and Pan's People.

Originally heard on BBC Radio 2, 19 December 2011.

Legs & Co - The Shuffle (again)

2011-12-19T14:20:00.000Z

I've already posted a clip with all of Legs & Co dancing to Van McCoy's The Shuffle a while ago, but here's a different version. This time, it's only Sue & Lulu, although it's the same routine, as far as I can see.

Thanks as ever to PattiforPM for the clip.

Mediafire download (21.1 MB)

Pan's People - The Clapping Song

2011-12-17T15:08:00.000Z

Legs has sent me a second Pan's People performance from German TV's Eurovision 1970 waiting-for-the-results show. The music here is The Clapping Song: Legs is sure (and I agree) that this version is by Alan Price & Georgie Fame, which makes sense, since Flick and PP worked on their BBC show in 1969. This might even be a repeat of a routine from that show that hasn't otherwise survived.

It still seems to me that Flick had no information about sets, camera angles and lighting while devising these routines: which explains the slightly stagey, all-in-a-row nature of the choreography. I don't mean any criticism here: she's done a creditable job in difficult circumstances. Thanks again to Legs.

Mediafire download (13.9 MB)

Hot Gossip - Animals

2011-12-16T11:16:00.000Z

Continuing Hot Gossips's later work with Kenny Everett, on his 1986 fourth BBC series. Their music here is Animals originally by (Prince protogé) Vanity.

Downlaod from Mediafire (58.6 MB)

Legs & Co. - Lady

2011-12-14T17:19:00.001Z

Here's a routine PattiforPM sent to me ages ago (many thanks). Legs & Co. dance to Kenny Rogers' Lady, a song written by Lionel Ritchie. I love those groovy medieval hats! I'm afraid ignorance means I can't name them all, and Google & Wicky Peeja aren't helping much. I know the pointy hat Gill, Patti and Lulu are wearing is called a hennin, but I can't identify amy of the others.

Download from Mediafire (21.1 MB)

Pan's People - Get Back

2011-12-12T07:54:00.016Z

Here's a rare non-TOTP Pan's People performance: from 1970, on German TV, dancing to The Beatle's Get Back.

The occasion is the Eurovision Song Contest: back in those dark analogue days, there was always a break of about half an hour between the performance and the vote counting parts of the event. In 1970, the German's seem to have had the good taste to invite Pan's People to deance as part of this hiatus show.

The chereography is pretty understated, but we can assume from the nature of the event that Flick would probably have had to create a routine "blind", i.e. without any say in or information about size and decor of the set, and number and angles of cameras: possibly without even a lighting or camera rehearasal.

Many thanks to discussion-board regular Legs, who sent me this rare routine via the widget (at the bottom of this page). He's sent another performance from the same event, which I'll post soon.

Download from Mediafire (15.3 MB)

Legs & Co. - Move your Body

2011-12-10T16:19:00.003Z

Another great Legs & Co. routine: dancing as Gene Farrow sings Move your Body on Top of the Pops, introduce by ole' Toe Knee.

It's the 13th of April 1978, and Dad's paper must have gone almost unread that Thursday: he'd already stopped reading to watch Legs & Co. dancing to Chic's Everybody Dance early in in the show. He's enjoyed Dee D. Jackson and Suzy Quatro: and after scoffing at the Bee Gees and Child, he had to admit that Alan Price and Gerry Rafferty were doing "proper" music. Now the pages of his paper lay unturned again, as we get a second helping of Legs & Co., in charmingly tiny minidresses.

Some hapless wardrobe assistant (let's call him "Kevin") must have washed those dresses on the wrong setting, shrinking them to this tiny size. They can't have made them that short deliberately, surely?

I'm sure Dad will have enjoyed Rafaella Carra's appearance later, too. Thanks to PattiforPM for this clip.

Mediafire download(20 MB)

Pans People - The Love I Lost

2011-12-08T09:38:00.002Z

Here's a clip contributed by forum regular beautifulbabs. Many thanks. Pans People dancing to Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' The Love I Lost.

Picture quality is not the best, but it's still very watchable, and well worth posting. Thanks again.

Mediafire download link (40 MB)

Legs & Co. - Can You Handle It

2011-12-07T11:26:00.004Z

Here are Legs & Co. dancing behind Sharon Redd as she performs Can You Handle It on TOTP. Though relegated to a supporting role, as so often happened later in their TOTP carreer, at least they're still on stage and performing: not just enhancing the audience.

In these wispy little tunic dresses, they look like a classical Greek dance class from Miss Colby's Terpsichorean Academy for Young Ladies. Their dance is decidedly un-classical though: a sort of modified version of The Slosh. in fact.

Thanks to Pauline's Dimples for correcting my spelling.

Mediafire download link (27 MB)

Legs & Co. (Pauline) - Hey Mr. Dream Maker

2011-12-04T13:28:00.000Z

For Pauline fans only. Here's a rare clip from the 26 November 1976 edition of Top of the Pops. Cliff Richard sings Hey. Mr. Dream Maker in the studio while Pauline wanders around Richhmond Park amongst the Psychedelic solarisation effects so popular at the time.

Many thanks to Col on the discussion forum who brought this piece to my attention, and all the other experts who confirmed it.

Mediafire download (28.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - Lonely Together

2011-12-02T12:33:00.003Z

Here's a heartwrenching performance: Legs & Co. get all moody & sad, dancing to Barry Manilow's Lonely Together on Top of the Pops. I'm certainly mellowing out in my old age: back when this was a hit, I hated Marry Banilow and all his fellow Middle-of-the-Road singer-songwriters, with all the righteous cool fire of Youth. These days, while I can't quite say I love the stuff, I can at least appreciate the artistry.

Update: I'd assumed that Barry himself wrote this song: but Carl has pointed out that Kenny Nolan wrote it. A prolific hit writer of the seventies, Kenny also wrote Labelle's Lady Marmalade, and Jim Gilstrap's Swing Your Daddy which Pan's People danced to. Thanks, Carl!

Mediafire download link (22.3 MB)

Ruby Flipper - All You Need is the Music

2011-11-30T07:19:00.009Z

Another clip featuring the revived Ruby Flipper, performing on the Lena Martell Show. Here Lena perform's Neil Sedaka's All You Need is the Music while the Flipperers dance, and we get some slightly eighties analogue video solarization effects.

Helpfully, the dancers are named in this clip, so I can finally identify the blokes as David, Nick and Okon. That's a weight off my mind. Thanks as ever to PattiforPM, who contributed this clip.

Mediafire Download link (28.5 MB)

Hot Gossip - Girls & Boys

2011-11-29T07:35:00.000Z

From Hot Gossip's reunion with Kenny Everett, for his fourth BBC series, here's their version of Prince's Girls & Boys.

Mediafire download link (39.3 MB)

Love Machine - The Best is Yet To Come

2011-11-28T11:40:00.001Z

Here's my last clip of Love Machine: dancers on The Benny Hill Show, from before he developed his Hills Angels troupe. More of an extended gag than a dance routine proper I think. The song is The Best is Yet To Come which I think is original.

Mediafire download link (21 MB)

Legs & Co. - Red Light Spells Danger

2011-11-25T07:05:00.001Z

PattiforPM, my most constant source for new clips, has sent me another one: Legs & Co. (well. just Gill and Rosie here) dancing while Billy Ocean sings Red Light Spells Danger. The costume designers have taken over the "literal interpretation" job here: Big red circles on their outfits, to represent the "red light" I suppose. But charming costumes they are, none the less.

Thanks as ever to pattiforPM.

Mediafire download (19.7 MB)

Gojos - Reflections

2011-11-24T07:36:00.002Z

Discussion board regular Jez has pointed out that we don't have any examples featuring The Gojos on this blog. He points out that as "the pioneers of dance on TOTP" they deserves some recognition.

Quite right Jez: my only problem is that only one single Gojos Top of the Pops performance seems to have survived the Philistine Tape Wipers of the sixties: dancing to Diana Ross & the Supremes' Reflections on the 1967 Boxing Day Special show.

So if you've watched any documentaries or clip shows, you've probably seen this before. But in the interests of fair representation, here it is.

Our friends over at panspeople.com havea lots more information about the Gojos, including some non-totp clips they've unearthed.

Download from Mediafire (15.7 MB)

Zoo - The Crown

2011-11-23T09:13:00.000Z

Here's another clip of Zoo, Flick Colby's post-Legs dance troupe dance to Gary Byrd's The Crown in 1983.

Gosh, doesn't this early rap music soumd dated nowadays? That relentless bragging. and that Chic 'Good Times" funky guitar figure. And robotic dancing, body-popping, the full late-seventies hip-hop package.

Thanks again to bucksby for supplying the clip.

Mediafire Download (26.5 MB)/p>

Legs & Co - The Greatest Love of All

2011-11-20T07:46:00.008Z

Here's another Legs & Co clip kindly supplied by PattiforPM. What's going on here? Clearly this dance routine is a stylised version of airplane marshalling: arm movements are emphasised using sticks (here hidden under the loose flowing outfits) in the same way that airport ground marshalls gesture with coloured sticks or lights to communicate with pilots of airplanes under their instruction. The girls headresses poetically mimic the ear protectors that on-tarmac airport staff wear to stop themselves being deafened by aircraft noise. And the outfits themselves are a reference to air travel, in that they mimic parachutes. The music here is George Benson's original hit version of The Greatest Love of All: not my favourite song at all, but standing up well in comparison to old Whitney's histrionic bellowing.

Mediafire download (21.7 MB)

Legs & Co. - Love's Unkind

2011-11-18T07:45:00.004Z

Here's another update to an old, non-embedded clip post. This time, Legs & Co. dance to Donna Summer's Love's Unkind. Lots of classic literal interpretation here. I would observe that the set decor seems to have an "Homage to Tetris" theme, except I'm pretty sure this clip predates the addictive Russian game by a few years. So Tetris is, in fact, a tribute to this dnace routine! Or something. Yay!

Download from Medifire (22.3 MN)

Love Machine - Think of the Boys

2011-11-17T06:27:00.003Z

Here's another routine from Benny Hill's early group, Love Machine. This time they'e actually singing too: the song's Think of the Boys which seems to be original to them (I can't finf any other mention of it anyway).

Thanks again to tvdancers for sending the clip.

Downnload from Mediafire (24.9 MB)

Hot Gossip - Obscene Phone Caller

2011-11-16T08:15:00.004Z

Here's another Hot Gossip routine from Kenny Everett's 1986 series. The music here is their version of Obscene Phone Caller originally by Rockwell, Motown's eighties next-big-thing oh-wait-not-really guy.

Mediafire download link (35.8 MB)

Zoo - Yellow Pearl

2011-11-15T07:31:00.004Z

Here's another performance from Zoo, Flick Colby's early eighties TOTP dance troupe. The music here is Phil Lynott's Yellow Pearl.

The title is a reference which, back in the early eighties, was already quite obscure: nowadays only social historians and trivia quiz pundits would be able to tell you that it's a punning reference to "The Yellow Peril", an expression from the late 19th century to obsessive European and American xenophobic ideas about China & Japan. Phil must have understood xenophobia himself at first hand, as a mixed-race child growing up in Dublin, a racially homogenous, though historically sensitive (ethnically and religiously) society.

Pardon me: I seem to have swallowed a dictionary.

For once I enjoyed this performance: the choreography is overt, and entertaining, and the usual early eighties TOTP ovedubbed whooping, cheering and clapping is pretty subdued. Thanks again to bucksby for supplying this clip.

Download from Mediafire (23.3 MB)

"Pan's People" - Love for Sale

2011-11-14T07:32:00.019Z

Here's a rarity: Pan's People on the Benny Hill show. Sort of. If you look closely, you'll see there's only one classic Pan's Person involved here: Dee Dee. So this is the version of Pan's People that Dee Dee continued with after the group left Top of the Pops.

Since it's the Benny Hill show, as usual this "dance routine" is not really about dance or music at all: it's another excuse for Benny and his overgrown schoolboy viewers to oggle half naked ladies on the telly. Shocking depraved I'm sure you'll agree. I'm only posting this for historical reasons, you see, to demonstrate how terrible things were back in the seventies. Yes, that's it.

Most of the "dancers" you see here went on to become Benny's regulars, particularly Louise English, who became a full blown protogé of Svengali Benny. Thanks to tvdancers for the clip.

Mediafire download (15.3 MB)

Legs & Co. - Them Heavy People

2011-11-13T07:26:00.011Z

Here's another updated version of clip I posted long ago: this time, Ked Jensen introduces Legs & Co. dancing to Kate Bush's Them Heavy People. So with its repeated "rolling the ball" motif, what sorts of outfits could L & C's designers have dreamed up for this song? Cricket whites? Crown green bowling old ladies with navy blue blazers, pleated white skirts and sensible shoes? Croquet mallets and sensible tweed suits? Ten-pin-bowling fat American slob shirts with slacks and unpleasent bowling alley shoes?

Nope. None of the above. They seem to have just given up, and dressed the girls in skimpy lingerie.

Oh well (sigh): I suppose that'll have to do.

Mediafire download (20.2 MB)

Hot Gossip - Masquerade

2011-11-12T07:16:00.003Z

Here's another Hot Gossip routine from Kenny Everett's 4th BBC Series (1986). Dancing to Berlin's Masquerade, although i think this is their own version of the song: that seems to have been their normal practice in later years.

Mediafire dowmload link (50.7 MB)

Legs & Co. - Come back and finish what you started

2011-11-11T07:26:00.017Z

Yet another clip from the generous PattiforPM. He's dedicated this clip to two people:

Amy: a long-time discussion board regular (Hi Amy!) who's not been around of late.
Pauline's Dimples: a recent newcomer to the discussion board.

A rare solo performance from Pauline here, to Gladys Knight & the Pips' Come back and finish what you started.

Some classic literal choreography, particularly the use of the trapeze when the lyrics mention "hanging". Thanks again, PattiforPM.

Media fire download link (23 MB)

Zoo - Love's in Control

2011-11-10T07:04:00.001Z

Here's another of bucksby's Zoo clips. David "Grown-up" Jensen introduces them dancing to Donna Summer's Love's in Control, with that incomprehensible vocoder hookline that's just so eighties. I can believe that the loud clapping noises we can hear over the music are genuinely made by the audience: but the whoops and yells sound pretty fakey-overdubby to me.

Download from Mediafire (21.6 MB)

Love Machine - Dancing in the Nude

2011-11-09T08:27:00.009Z

Here's another Love Machine routine from tvdancers (thanks!). While Benny Hill regular Eddie Buchanan sings Dancing in the Nude, Love Machine dance. But this is prime-time Thames TV in the seventies, so anyone expecting a literal interpretation of the title will be disappointed. Not that there isn't plenty of oggling opportunity: has a female dancer troupe ever begun a routine wearing trenchcoats/overcoats and not removed them during the routine? Yes, it's a typical Benny Hill cheap thrills piece. Perfect for the thirteen-year-old that I was when I first saw it: charmingly quaint to the old bloke I seem to have morphed into these days.

Mediafire download link (25.1 MB)

Legs & Co. - Oh What a Night

2011-11-08T07:45:00.011Z

Here's an improved version of a clip I posted long ago, in the days before I'd got the hang of embedded video. It's Legs & Co. dancing to The Four Seasons' Oh What a Night from the 1976 Boxing Day TOTP. Presented by the Sainted Jimmy amd the Shallow Tony.

mediafire link (27.8 MB)

Zoo - Candy Girl

2011-11-07T07:32:00.002Z

Discussion-board regular Bucksby has sent me a few clips of Zoo performances, from mid-eighties TOTPs (Thanks, bucksby!). Here's one from the celebratory 1,000th show, where they're dancing to New Edition's Candy Girl.

This is a good example of why I was watching TOTP less and less by this time: the producer's desperate need for a "party" atmosphere means we get lots of overdubbed whooping and yelping: this on a flagship music show, where hearing the music is the most important feature for a large portion of the audience. Harrumph.

Download from Mediafire (25.3 MB)

Hot Gossip - Purple Rain

2011-11-06T08:24:00.000Z

Here's another Hot Gossip clip from their reunion with Kenny Everett, on his fourth BBC series in 1986. Here, they're dancing to their own version (I think) of Prince's Purple Rain.

Mediafire download link (47.9 MB)

Legs & Co. - Talking in Your Sleep

2011-11-05T06:56:00.002Z

Here's the late Jimmy Saville, introducing a slow one: Legs & Co. dancing to Crystal Gayle's Talking in Your Sleep, with Gill featuring. Thanks once again to PattiforPM, who sent me this clip.

Mediafire download link (24.1 MB)

Introducing Love machine

2011-11-04T07:19:00.000Z

Thanks to tvdancers, who sent me this clip of Love Machine, a dance group who appeared on The Benny Hill Show in 1976. Ver much the precursors of Benny's Hill's Angel's troupe, this clip seems to be more about ogling scantily-clad women than music or choreography. Hardly surprising, really, from The Benny Hill Show.

Members of Love Machine became part of Benny's regular troupe of performers, and between their appearances and the start of Hill's Angels was one appearance from Dee Dee's post-TOTP incarnation of Pan's People, which I really should dig out and post sometime.

Download from Mediafire (36.45 MB)

Pan's People - Barbara Allen

2011-11-03T08:19:00.001Z

Here's anpther of those clips from Pan's People's residency on John Denver's 1973 BBC series. This time, John sings a traditional folk ballad, Barbara Allen, while Babs wanders around the countryside in a bodice.

I'm trying out a new video host here: please let me know how well or badly it works for you (and what browser & platform you're using).

Mediafire download (28.7 MB)

Hot Gossip - Freezing

2011-11-02T07:05:00.005Z

I remember finding kenny Everett's BBC TV output a little disappointing: after the rough & ready, "Kenny & Chums running riot in a TV studio" anarchy of the Thames series. the beeb material seemed tame: production standards were higher, but that seemed to stifle the ad-lib nature of Kenny's work. And the studio audiemce's laughter instead of the Thames studio crew's guffaws, seem to add to the mainstream showbiz light entertainment feel. And Cleo Rocos? I never got her at all.

Of course the other missing element was Hot Gossip. And I think I must have stopped bothering to watch kenny by his fourth BBC series, when Kenny & HG were reunited.

So thanks to Floid Fan over on the discussion board, I've tracked down a couple of Hot Gossip routines from this series. And the good news for Ruby Flipper fans is that Floyd was a member of Hot Gossip by this period, and is well featured. Except he's "Floid" by this time, of course.

I can't say I'm too excited by this first clip, dancing to Philip Glass & Linda Ronstadt's Freezing. I'm afraid both music and choreography leave me cold. But an interesting find, nonetheless

So why the Everett & Gossip reunion? Seems like expediency to me: reading between the lines Kenny's series needed the extra draw of old favourites HG: he only got one more series after this one before the BBC axed the show, after all. And Hot Gossip would fold soon after this: by the mid eighties music-video boom years, their must have been less work around for dance troupes, as less and less producers could justify the expense of hiring a dance group when they could easily shove on another video.

Mediafire download link (30.4 MB)

Legs & Co. - Theme from "Jaws"

2011-10-31T10:30:00.000Z

More signs of my developing senility: I could have sworn I'd posted this clip long long ago. But when PattiforPM sent me a copy (pointing out that Ryan had requested it over on the discussion board) I searched the blog, and found nothing.

So here are Legs & Co (well not L&C yet: the clip starts with the postal address for the their naming competition) in wetsuits, dancing to Lalo Schifrin's funked up take on John Williams' Jaws theme.

Mediafire download link (17.8 MB)

Thanks to PattiforPM, and YouTube poster nyrainbow4.

Legs & Co. - Hopelessly Devoted to You

2011-10-30T08:14:00.003Z

It's cutesy time again: Legs & Co. are having a slumber party in their baby-doll nighties as they dance to Olivia Neutron Bomb's Hopelessly Devoted to You, yet another hit from the movie Grease. Were there any hits from that movie that they didn't dance to? I should have done my homework and found out before I started typing this, I suppose.

Thanks yet again to the generous PattiforPM, who sent in this clip.

Mediafire Download link (24.4 MB)

Legs & Co - September

2011-10-28T07:44:00.001+01:00

Legs & Co dance to Earth, Wind & Fire's September in strapless posh frocks, on Top of the Pops: January 4th 1979.

Thanks again to PattiforPM, who provided the clip.

Download from Mediafire (19.11 MB)

Pan's People - John Denver's Egg

2011-10-27T08:01:00.000+01:00

Here's another solo appearance on the John Denver Show. I'll refrain from identifying exactly which dancer it is, to avoid spoiling the surprise.

Unfortunately, the previous episode, with the egg costume dance that JD mentions, doesn't seem to have survived.

Mediafire Download (13.8 MB)

Ruby Flipper - Forever In Blue Jeans

2011-10-25T06:55:00.003+01:00

There's been a lot of activity on the discussion board about the tantalsing idea that Ruby Flipper's television career didn't end with their appearance on TOTP on October 14 1976. Supersleuth Jez found a mention of the dance troupe appearing on a few edition's of Lena's Music, a BBC Scotland show featuring Lena Martell, in 1979 (here, for example). Now PattiforPM has managed to track down a clip for one of those appearancea:

Wow! What's going on here? Rosie? In Ruby Flipper? In 1979? And who are these three blokes?

My guess is that Flick was asked to choreograph this show in a separate deal with the Scottish arm of the beeb: she wanted to take the opportunity to go back to the boys & girls line-up that she had enjoyed working with in Ruby Flipper: and she (or all of the girls together) still had the rights to the Flipper name. So Lulu, Patti & Rosie were willing to tak part, and Flick recruited three boys.

Girls' Costumes here are clearly the same ones from Legs & Co's piece dancing to Neil Diamond's original version of this song: except that while Lulu and Rosie have stuck with their baby-doll and playboy bunny outfits, Patti has dumped her frumpy old lady outfit in favour of the denim gymslip worn by Sue in the original: a decision I wholeheartdly endorse — for purely aesthetic reasons naturally.

Thanks are due to both Jez and PattiforPM for their detective work: I can only hope P4PM comes up with further clips...

Download from Mediafire (30.56 MB)

Pan's People - Louise Solo

2011-10-23T07:19:00.003+01:00

Here's another low-grade recording of Pan's People on John Denver's 1973 BBC TV show. This time it's a solo performance by Louise on a giant wedge. I'm afraid I've no idea what the music is. Can anybody out there identify it?

>Mediafire Download (32.5 MB)

Legs & Co. - From Here to Eternity

2011-10-22T07:20:00.007+01:00

Worried your spending too much time here watching clips? Here's a simple test: as Legs & Co. dance to Georgio Moroder's From Here to Eternity, can you identify each dancer just from their silhouette?

It's strange how Moroder's seventies synth noises, which sounded so futuristic back then, have become so dated, so retro, so quaint. My thanks once again to PattiforPM for another great clip.

Download from Mediafire (20.7 MB)

Legs & Co, - Used to be My Girl

2011-10-21T06:28:00.006+01:00

Legs & Co. dancing to the O'Jays Used to be My Girl on Top of the Pops. Such delightfully see-through outfits too: even though my brain can spot those white leotards (shut up, brain!), my heart is too imaginative to notice them: and given the groups name, it's always a treat to see their perfectly talented pins. Many thanks to Suefan for providing this rare clip, and my apologies for taking so long to post it.

Mediafire download link (18.6 MB)

Legs & Co - Waiting In Vain

2011-10-20T18:27:00.001+01:00

Here's Ed "Stewpot" Stewart introducing Legs & Co, dancing to Bob Marley's Waiting In Vain. Thanks again to PattiforPM for sending in this clip.

Apologies for the long, long, posting pause. It's been a Hectic month. Back to normal soon, I hope.

Download link (17.8 MB)

Pans People - Welcome to My Morning

2011-09-20T07:00:00.011+01:00

Another rare Pans People performance from John Denver's 1973 BBC show. If I hadn't already mentioned the year it wouldn't be hard to guess from those outfits: long, following maxi-dresses, hair in headband-style scarves: and those colours: orange and fuscia: pure 1973, man. John Sings his own Welcome to My Morning. Ropey picture quality again, I'm afraid.

Update: Videbam doesn't seem to like this clip: let's give megavideo a try:

Thanks again to my anonymous donor.

Mediafire download link (38.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - Saturday Night

2011-09-19T11:00:00.001+01:00

Here's Legs & Co. on Top of the Pops dancing to Earth, Wind & Fire's Saturday Night. Once again the costume budget couldn't stretch to trousers or skirts. Oh dear!

Thanks again to PattiforPM for the clip.

Mediafire download link (22.8 MB)

Pan's People - It's a Sin to Tell a Lie

2011-09-18T14:13:00.003+01:00

Here's another rare Pan's People appearance from their regular gig on John Denver''s 1973 BBC light entertainment series, Babs dressed as an angel leads the audience participation, while JD sings "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" (an old Fats Waller number). The rest of Pan's People join in on kazoos, wearing rather silly devil's-horns headgear.

Apologies for the ropey video quality, but with material this rare, I doubt we'll see any better. Thanks to the modest anonymous donor, who sent me this a while ago.

Mediafire download link (23.1 MB)

Legs & Co. - Blue Peter

2011-09-09T13:33:00.001+01:00

Here's ole Sir Jimmy introducing Legs & Co in suitably nautical outfits, dancing to Mike Oldfields electro update of the Blue Peter theme. From the 20 December 1979 TOTP

Yet another generous donation from PattiforPM. Many thanks.

Mediafire download (18.1 MB)

Rosie's Twenty-First Birthday

2011-09-02T12:59:00.000+01:00

Here's a special short clip from TOTP, which follows on immediately from Up the Hill Backwards: Mike Read announcing Rosie's twenty-first birthday! Thanks once more to PattiforPM for this clip.

Download from Mediafire (4.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - One day in Your Life

2011-08-31T16:22:00.001+01:00

I've already posted a Legs & Co routine for this song on this blog, back in November 2010. Here's a different routine, thanks to PattiefdorPM.

Mediafire link (28.4 MB)

Pan's People - Yesterday

2011-08-26T19:40:00.001+01:00

Yet another generous contribution from PattiforPM: here are Pan's People dancing to the Fab Four's Yesterday, part of the great Beatles reissued single chart onslaught of 1976.

Download link Mediafire (17.1 MB)

Legs & Co. - Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)

2011-08-22T17:51:00.000+01:00

Here's a sad occasion: Legs & Co. in their last-ever Top of the Pops appearance, and they're relegated to dancing within the audience, while Haircut 100 perform Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl). Thanks again to PattiforPM for the clip.

Download from Mediafire (23.5 MB)

Pan's People - Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto

2011-08-19T19:40:00.001+01:00

Here's Blue Peter's Lesley Judd making a special guest appearance with Pan's People, for a Blue Peter feature, dancing to Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto by Manuel & His Music of the Moutains. Another gift from PattiforPM: many thanks.

Mediafire download link (25.3 MB)

Pan's People - Island Girl

2011-08-12T16:12:00.001+01:00

Katy miss queenie requested this routine a while ago: I didn't have it, but beautifulbabs pointed me to this YouTube video, which I think was uploaded by our good friends over at panspeople.com. It's a recording of a TOTP rehearsal (PP appear around the 3:57 mark), and while it's fascinating stuff, the performance itself is hampered by audio from the studio gallery drowning out ole' Reg Dwight.

So at katy miss queenie's suggestion, I've dubbed audio from the original record, to get a better idea of the performance. That's meant a further slight degradation of video quality, which wasn't to great to start with, but it seems like the best we can get. Unless of course, someone out there has a better quality version.

Download from Mediafire (19.4 MB)

Pan's People - Midnight Rider

2011-08-10T10:43:00.002+01:00

Here's another generous gift from PattiforPM: Pan's People dancing to Paul Davidson's reggae cover version of the Allman Brothers' Midnight Rider. Many thanks.

Mediafire download link (19.5 MB)

Pan's People - I Want You Back

2011-08-05T06:46:00.001+01:00

My apologies for the poor quality of this clip. I've had a lot of requests to post this performance, and I've been searching for a better-quality version, but so far, without any luck. And it's a shame, because this really is a vintage Flick-&-Andi-era Pans People Performance. Begging mode: If any of you kind folks out there can provide a better quality version of this clip, you would earn the gratitude of myself, and many other regular OFTDers. See bottom of this (and every) page for uploading instructions.

Download from Mediafire (7.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - Seasons of Gold

2011-08-01T07:51:00.005+01:00

Here we go again with yet another of those hits medley records that the charts were awash with in the easrly eighties. This time it's Gidea Park's Seasons of Gold, based around a bunch of old Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hits. Though other medly hits were fairly obviously producer-led, with performing bands only flung together when TOTP called, at least these guys seem to have been a real band. In fact they're still a real band.

Thanks, as ever, to PattiforPM for sending this clip.

Mediafire download link (28 MB)

Legs & Co. - I Wanna Get Next To You

2011-07-30T22:51:00.002+01:00

Here's a rare solo performance from Pauline, dancing to Rose Royce's I Wanna Get Next To You. many thanks to Suefan for this clip.

Download from Mwediafire (19.3 MB).

Legs & Co. - Got to Give it Up 2

2011-07-28T07:47:00.009+01:00

Here's Legs & Co. dancing to Marvin Gaye's Got to Give it Up with some groovy (but cheap) lighting effects. Didn't some bloke get a Turner Prize for just turning the light off and on, a few years back? And he didn't even have any attractive young ladies dancing in skimpy outfits, either. There is no justice.

Yet another clip from PattiforPM. Many thanks.

Oh, and I posted a different routine performed to this song last year.

Download from Mediafire (21.9 MB)

Legs & Co. - Stars on 45

2011-07-27T12:51:00.001+01:00

Hee's yet another Stars on 45 clip, this time under the TOTP end titles (again), in wispy tops & bikinis. Once again, thanks to PattiforPM, who sent this clip.

Mediafire download (18 MB)

Legs & Co. - Sweet Sixteen

2011-07-25T07:25:00.007+01:00

Here's another solo performance from Gill. this time dancing to The Fureys and Davey Arthur's performance of a creaky old ballad, Sweet Sixteen.

Many thanks to PattiforPM, who sent me this in response to a request from Suefan.

Download from Mediafire (29.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - I Love Music

2011-07-23T15:27:00.001+01:00

Yet another medley record, from yet another rent-a-session-musician band. Only background performances from L & C here, I'm afraid.

Thanks to bucksby for the clip.

Download from Maediafire (29.1 MB)

Legs & Co. - Dancin' Easy

2011-07-18T07:52:00.015+01:00

The Pop Charts were awash with songs based on advertising jingles in the seventies: we've alreasy seen Ruby Flipper dancing to David Dundas's Jeans On, taken froma Brutus Jeans advert. Now here's a solo appearance from Gill, dancing as Danny Williams sings Dancin' Easy, based on that Martini advert song.

Her outfit seems to be the same one she wore when the group danced to Elvis's Moody Blue. And I'm pretty sure the wore these dresses in another routine, but I can't seem to put my finger on just which one it was. Help me out, commentors!

Thanks to bucksby for sending the clip.

Update: I knew I wouldn't have long to wait: Got To Give It Up is the other Routine. Thanks to Pan's Ruby Legs for the correct answer.

Download from Mediafire (42.1 MB)

Pan's People - Funky Weekend

2011-07-16T07:18:00.003+01:00

Thanks again to PattiforPM, who sent me this clip of Pan's People dancing to the Stylistics' Funky Weekend, on Top of the Pops.

Mediafire download link (18.8 MB)

Pan's People After They Were Famous

2011-07-12T08:08:00.002+01:00

Recently Found on YouTube, here's a feature on PP from an unidentified late nineties TV magazine programme, presented by Rabbi Gosling. I'm sorry: Gaby Roslin. No surprising new information for serious fans here: and that Porridge clip gets yet another outing.

Ruby Flipper - Silly Love Songs

2011-07-11T10:26:00.000+01:00

I've posted this routine before, way back, but a recent showing in BBC 4's TOTP repeats means I can give you this much improved version.

Ruby Flipper - TVC 15

2011-07-09T09:21:00.003+01:00

Here's a strange one: The lads from Ruby Flipper fling themselves about a bit, in a living room set, in front of a wall of TV sets showing Sue dancing solo. But you can expect strangeness with David Bowie's TVC 15, a song based on one of Iggy Pop's drugged-fueled hallucinations.

Legs & Co. - Chiquitita

2011-07-08T07:14:00.005+01:00

Here are Legs & Co. in traditional Spanish outfits, dancing to Abba's Chiquitita.

Thanks to PattiforPM, who sent me this clip.

Download link (Mediafire) 20.5 MB

Pan's People - You're My First, My last, My Everything

2011-07-06T21:07:00.000+01:00

Here's Pan's People dancing to Barry White's You're My First, My last, My Everythingon the Christmas Day 1974 edition of Top of the Pops.

Thanks to Late Night Viewer, who sent me this clip.

Download from Mediafire (27.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - Ma Baker

2011-07-03T16:49:00.002+01:00

Here's Legs & Co. dancing to Boney M's celebration of maternal malfeasance, Ma Baker. Sue gets to dress up and leap about, as the grandmotherly gang-boss, while the rest of the girls are confined, cabaret-style, to their chairs.

Thanks are due to bucksby and Norvik_1602, both of whom sent my copies of this clip.

Mediafire download (23.2 MB)

Pan's People - Stoney End

2011-06-28T07:25:00.007+01:00

Here are Pan's People proving the strategic importance of having an aircraft carrier in your fleet. Where else are they going to be able to Dance to Barbra Streisand's Stoney End properly? Oh, and you need a decent-sized submarine, too.

many thanks to VintageVideos, who sent me this improved version of the clip: from TOTP, 30-12-1971

Mediafire download link (25.4 MB)

Pan's People - Barbados

2011-06-27T07:23:00.002+01:00

King of the discussion forum Ryan has been on at me to post this clip for ages. Okay Ryan, here you go: Pan's People dancing to Typically Tropical's 1975 hit Barbados, on the Christmas show, in fur coats and...

Mediafire download link (32.7MB)

Toto Coelo - I Eat Cannibals

2011-06-26T14:38:00.003+01:00

Bucksby sent me this clip of Toto Coelo performing I Eat Cannibals on Top of the Pops, 26-08-82, remindeing me that Anita Mahadervan joined this group after leaving Legs & Co.

mediafire download (28.3 MB)

Bucksby also sent me this performance of the same song (from TOTP 12-08-82), though I found a better quality version on YouTube:

Thanks again, Bucksby!

A Tribute to Flick Colby

2011-06-25T20:57:00.000+01:00

HotLegsPansRuby posted this tribute to Flick on YouTube Recently, but the copyright death eaters had it removed. Bah.

Legs & Co. - Wordy Rappinghood

2011-06-25T17:18:00.002+01:00

I posted a low-quality versdion of theis clip, Legs & Co. dancing to the Tom Tom Club's Wordy Rappinghood, ages ago. While this clip (courtesy of Bucksby) is not perfect, it's a big improvement. Many thanks.

Download from MediaFire (25.2 MB).

Sue in Legs & Co. 1976–1977

2011-06-23T06:09:00.000+01:00

Here's another of HotLegsPansRuby's great single-dancer montages: this time, the subject is Sue in Legs & Co. 1976–1977.

Legs & Co. - Star

2011-06-21T12:20:00.003+01:00

Legs & Co. in golden shiny space age outfits, dance to Earth Wind & Fire's Star on Top of the Popsm from November 1st, 1979. Thanks again to PattiforPM for the clip.

Rapidshare link (20.6 MB)

Legs & Co. - Morning Dance

2011-06-20T09:50:00.017+01:00

Here's another generous donation from PattiforPM: Legs & Co. dancing to Spyro Gyra's instrumental Morning Dance. For the benefit of the newcomers amongst you, the girls are helpfully wearing their names in sequins on their coloured vests.

Rapidshare download (22.7 MB)

Ruby Flipper - Heart on My Sleeve

2011-06-14T12:08:00.001+01:00

From last night's repeat of Top of the Pops from June 3rd 1976, here's Ruby Flipper dancing to Gallagher & Lyle's Heart on My Sleeve.

Rapidshare link (26.1 MB)

Sue in Ruby Flipper, 76

2011-06-12T13:47:00.000+01:00

Here's another single-dancer compilation clip from HotLegsPansRuby: this time concentrating on Sue's work in Ruby Flipper. From the summer of 1976. Thanks!

Ruby Flipper - My Resistance Is Low (Patti Solo)

2011-06-09T10:05:00.005+01:00

That generous nyrainbow4 keeps posting lots of old TOTP clips on YouTube, including this Robin Robin Sardstedt performance of My Resistance Is Low featuring Patti.

Rapidshare download link (14.8 MB)

Pan's People - Signed, Sealed, Delivered improved

2011-06-08T15:58:00.005+01:00

Thanks to M, who found this better-quality version of a Pan's People clip that I'd previously posted: dancing to Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Download from Rapidshare (29.4 MB).