Feeling Like a Number One

1980 was an important year for Top of the Pops: it was the year it began to transform from a light entertainment show into essential viewing for pop music aficionados. The transition didn’t happen overnight, but when a Musicians’ Union strike forced the show off air for the whole of June and July, producer Michael Hurll took the opportunity to restructure the show. As a result the latter half of 1980 was often bizarre, occasionally quite grim, but always fascinating as Hurll threw all sorts of new formats at the screen to see what would stick. This transitional year is documented here. Hopefully you will find it a breathtaking rollercoaster of good and bad decisions made in the pursuit of television excellence. Or maybe it will just inspire you to dig out some old records you’d forgotten. Either’s good.