Top of the Pops was a TV phenomenon, regarded as the biggest music show in the UK and celebrating chart history week in week out.
First broadcast on the BBC on New Year’s Day in 1964, it ran for over four decades before airing its final episode twenty years ago in 2006.
From the Beatles and David Bowie to Queen, George Michael, Oasis, Britney Spears, Madonna, the Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child, and U2, it was a stage that welcomed global icons.
But what was it really like to work behind the scenes?
Gareth Davies, 51, was granted front-row access to it all, working as an Assistant Floor Manager throughout the 1990s and early noughties.
Moving between dressing rooms, studio floor, and live performances, the now CEO of The Presenter Studio reveals the biggest diva moments, the most unexpectedly down-to-earth stars, and the exact moment he realised the Spice Girls were a global phenomenon in the making.
What was your job at Top of the Pops?
I was an Assistant Floor Manager there, working from the mid to late 90s through to the 2000s. My job was to get artists from backstage and guide them to the stage for their performance. It was such a dream job.
What’s something about the filming process for Top of the Pops that viewers at home may not have realised?
It was filmed at Elstree Studios, where EastEnders was shot, and Grange Hill was filmed there too. It was a very traditional, slightly old-fashioned BBC studio that hadn’t really been updated for years. You had this classic canteen staffed by people who’d been there forever, serving no-frills British fry-ups, along with old-school dressing rooms. Elstree itself felt quite remote, almost in the middle of nowhere. So when artists came over, especially from America, they were expecting to appear on the BBC’s biggest music show. They probably imagined being right in the heart of London, where everything’s happening. Instead, they found themselves on the quiet outskirts with very little going on. It did make for some surreal moments. You’d spot a big star sitting near a soapstar legend, tucking into a breakfast. It was wonderfully random at times.
Did celebrities socialise backstage?
What was so nice was that there really wasn’t much for anyone to do. An artist might rehearse at ten in the morning, and then we wouldn’t record until seven in the evening, so they’d just be hanging around. It created a real sense of community, you got to see people as much backstage and offstage as you did onstage, which was quite unique. Normally, artists come in, rehearse, and then disappear until they’re needed. But there, everyone stayed, mingled, and just spent time together, which gave it a very different, much more relaxed atmosphere.
Who made some of the biggest demands backstage?
Jennifer Lopez, for sure. The dressing rooms were all along this narrow corridor, so nothing special, really, quite old-fashioned. But for that small stretch of space, she made it completely her own. The best way to describe it is that she turned her dressing room entirely white. At the time, I’m not sure where the fascination with white came from, but she wanted everything transformed. The whole room was covered from top to bottom, which was quite unusual. She didn’t paint it, she had plastic sheeting put up everywhere instead, so it created this striking, all-white environment.
Any other diva moments?
Shania Twain has a really large entourage with her, and my lasting memory was watching her walk from the dressing rooms to the studio. There was this long line of people moving ahead of her, almost like a relay. Apparently she didn't open doors, so someone would always be one step ahead holding it open for her. It was like this perfectly choreographed system, all so she could just keep walking.
Was there a big celebrity who really surprised you with how down to earth they were?
Janet Jackson. I remember everyone on the studio floor waiting quite a long time for Janet to arrive. We were all being very casual about it, thinking, well, she’s a major A-lister, of course she’s going to be late. So we just waited around. But as it turned out, Janet and all her dancers had been there the whole time, quietly waiting on stage themselves while we were all waiting for her. She was just there in her tracksuit bottoms and hoodie, completely relaxed in that effortlessly cool way. What really stayed with me was how kind, gentle, and soft she was, everyone was genuinely taken aback. She felt like one of the dancers, really, just keen to be part of the group rather than setting herself apart as the star.
Did you get to meet Britney Spears?
Not on Top of the Pops but I also worked on the National Lottery. It was one of her first performances in the UK and she came with two backing dancers. She spent the whole day asking where we were all going that evening. She was so fun and sweet, she was just a young girl excited to be visiting London.
Did you ever witness any big mistakes or slip-ups?
I do remember that one time when Madonna came over, everything felt much tighter and more rushed than usual. Sometimes an artist would record several songs from an album in one go, so they wouldn’t have to keep coming back again and again. From the moment she arrived, it was straight into the studio, rehearsing, back to get ready, then out on stage. But she and her team had all rushed in from a hotel in central London, and somehow her stylist had left all the outfits behind. We actually had to delay because Madonna had nothing to wear. It really felt like she had someone responsible for every tiny detail, so you can imagine whoever was in charge of the wardrobe that day was probably in serious trouble…
What was your biggest pinch-me moment?
I was quite obsessed with Kylie Minogue. I remember knocking on her dressing room door with my little script in hand. It was around the time Gina G was doing the Eurovision Song Contest, so I’d already managed to get her autograph. I thought, right, I’m going to get Kylie Minogue’s on here too. I knocked on the door, told her I was a big fan, and she was so lovely. She invited me in and chatted with me for a bit, just as a person rather than as a BBC employee. That really stayed with me.
Do you remember witnessing an act early in their career and knowing they would be big?
The Spice Girls. I remember the first time they got on stage for their rehearsals, they were all jumping around and hugging each other. That was a moment where they felt they’d made it. The five of them just had this amazing chemistry together. Their personalities worked so well and it wasn’t faked for cameras. You’d go into the dressing room and the energy was electric. They were so fun.
Any funny anecdotes from the BBC make-up room?
Bryan Adams sat in the make-up chair for hours just chatting away with the makeup artists. He was the loveliest man and a real heartthrob at the time, so I’m sure they were thrilled.
What was the most amazing live performance you got to witness?
We were doing a soundcheck with Texas and it was amazing to see them so raw. That was one of the real perks of working on those kinds of shows. Not only did you get to meet people backstage, you also got to watch them rehearse. It felt quite intimate, almost like a private performance, which made those moments really special.
Did the live audience need to be told to dance or were they naturally excited to be there?
There was excitement in the air when I worked there. It was this huge show. The studios were quite small, and once you had all the cameras in place there really wasn’t much room for the audience, so everything had to be very carefully choreographed. The show had two warm-up guys whose job was to get the crowd going beforehand, playing music, having a bit of a laugh with them, getting them moving. They also helped manage the audience during the recording, so if you were moving from one stage to another, they’d gradually shift people along, peeling them from the back and bringing them to the front of the next stage. From the studio floor it all looked seamless, but it was incredibly well organised behind the scenes.
Do you think a show like Top of the Pops could work today?
I really do. People still love live music and we see that with shows like Graham Norton or Later with Jools Holland. I think people would love to see it back.
