"Yes it's Number One - It's Top of The Pops"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fylk9ZvJVnc

Goodness gracious me Guys and Gals but it's hard work finding out much about the first ever episode of a this important piece of television and indeed, popular music industry !  For starters, when the heck did it actually start that New Years day exactly 50 years ago ?  Some say 6.30, some 6.35, one site has it as 2pm ! So, I thought I'd take the word of the guy who was there at the time, here re enacting that same moment 25 years later !

 "Welcome to January the First 1964 - it's 6.24 pm and it's a programme you've never heard of before, it's called Top of the Pops and, there's the charts !"

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctyjvkp2S7g

Anyone who's been following me and Moor Larkin for the last year will know that the first show presented by Jimmy and Alan 'Fluff' Freeman was filmed in Manchester in that converted church.  It took quite a lot of time to get from Manchester to London in those days ( more than 5 hours) and it cost £5 to get there by train !

The 1st January 1964 was, like today a Wednesday ! Top of the Pops weekly slot was, for many years, a Thursday night - here's an admission ticket - note the age restriction !

Along with Jimmy and Alan that night was a 'disc girl' or 'spinner', yes the artists did mine and those turntables we see in the few pics available, really were used !

http://www.worldcharts.co.uk/musictv/totp/totp.htm 

Here's Samantha and Pete

And here she is with her husband Mickey from the Monkees whom she met in January 1967 

Enough of the history lesson for now, let's enjoy the music of the artists who appeared on our screens that night !

Who came first, the Stones or Dusty ?  Thanks Chris !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJMJSpOQEvk

Next up we have this chap and his band - the recording may just be the one used in the show !

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaX6nc_rdVE

 In case any of you are missing the links and the man himself, whilst no film of the first show exists, we do have this from the NME Poll winner Concert from April 1964.  Jimmy's presentation style was certainly, unique I think you will agree !

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S00toAp-bQI

Who next Guys and gals ? Oh, yes indeed dee it's the one and only Gene Pitney on a bus !!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmvnTqrm-_o

It's not the best recording of the song, and I do have it on good authority that, in the show, the song was accompanied by film of the audience dancing, but, this video got my attention.  Is the Golden Gate Bridge 24 hours from Tulsa ?

Are you feeling 'Glad all over yet' ? Oh well, make do with the song then for the time being !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P94S8IAv94w

Try as I might, I've not been able to find the next song allegedly called 'Wishing Well' by The Shadows and Cliff Richard, so, we'll have to make do with Cliff and the boys other contribution to the show which comes courtesy of a Dutch television show rather strangely called 'Top of the Flops' broadcast on 27th November 1963 - a nice piece of pop show history !

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdIdk6aWdU

Next we have a group who didn't have far to come that night Manchester's own - The Hollies 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjhrd-PMKxI

Next up - a lesser well known band from some place called Liverpool !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGk1F3T8BFY

Next - the Swing Blue Jeans and that 'Hippy hippy Shake'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ke8mzgex4U

Oh and who was that comical bunch of lads Jimmy was to introduce again in April of 1964 ? Is that Petra introducing them this time in the Blue Peter Studios ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So9gS4LGwF8

Before we come to the last song of the show I thought I'd amuse you with a little snip of an 'outake' from Christmas 1969 - What on earth ?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLCFN4QsLes

Pete and Jimmy were obviously having a bit of fun that night whilst rehearsing for this !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVZ5aZLcQ2w

Last and by no means least it's Number One guys and gals - it's those Liverpool boys again !

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MHkgwA8t-g

Happy New Year Everyone !

Merry Xmas Everybody

 

"And Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to Top of the Pops !"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCm4Li1arUs

 

  Bloody hell, anyone out there remember Cozy Powell etc the first time around ? Oo wee, guys and gals, it's exactly 40 YEARS since this pre Xmas Top of the Pops was first broadcast on Thursday 20th December 1973 at 7.20 pm but RECORDED the previous day at BBC TVC (BBC Televison Centre) in Wood Lane Shepherds Bush. 

That's here for the easily confused or those suffering from forgotten, remembered, events that never happened syndrome !

A very interesting top 4 in the chart rundown this week.  Slade had just beaten Wizard to the first place with their FIRST outing of that song ... you know the one I speak of !! The New Seekers occupy the No 3 position and look who's sandwiched in between them !

Jimmy must be getting a tad hot underneath that womble costume and he's lost his head after just two songs !

I hope that you all watch this episode or at least a part of it tonight between 7.20 and 7.55 pm local time.  It will be 2.20 pm in NYC, 11.20 am in Los Angeles, 3.20 am in China, 11.20 pm in Moscow and 3.20 am in Melborne Australia (making them a day ahead of us !) so I guess we won't get too many folks in China joining in but one never knows and there's always catch up !

Jimmy Savile OBE was more than likely paid the same amount of money in December 1973 as he had been the previous year.  The BBC did not appear to go in for regular pay increases judging by the information gathered earlier this year including this !

 Sorry, it's not very clear but the amount is £157.50 - oh, and I think I can make out Studio 8 in there too would it not !!

http://jimcannotfixthis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/footsteps-across-london-pt3.html?view=flipcard

Back to the show and my memories.   You know I feel as though I've spent every Christmas of my life watching the same two songs performed by the same two Midland bands !

 Anyone who can work out what Jimmy says in his link following Wizard's 'I wish it could be Xmas everyday' please leave a comment at the end of the show.  Sadly, you no longer have the option of sending your answer on a postcard to BBC Televison Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherds Bush as it closed earlier this year, just before I started my on foot, investigations into the claims made against Jimmy.


Once, Clifford T Ward finishes his very un christmassy 'Scullery', it's time for the big one - NO 1 indeed ! The next scene reads like a few lines from some of Jimmy's interviews and writings.  He often tried to explain the reason why the young girls were drawn to him, or not as the case maybe.  They were not interested in him, he was merely a means to access their pop idols such as Slade and, as soon as they appear on stage, Jimmy's company is off like the clappers !

The stage they are on is not that big - here's a view of what I assume is the same location earlier in the year when Slade performed 'cum on feel the noize' (girls grab the boys !)

http://www.davekempandslade.com/top-of-the-pops.html

After the teenyboppers have been chased off the stage, Jimmy closes the show saying  "Oh Goodness gracious ..... we say, we see you next week for another edition of TOP OF THE POPS" and Leo Sayer plays us out !

 

So, what's on BBC1 in the UK tonight in the same slot occupied by Jimmy and the gang 40 YEARS AGO ?

Makes you wonder why you still pay to watch this crap !

ANYWAYS GUYS AND GALS IT'S A VERY MERRY XMAS TO YOU ALL - WHEREVER AND WHOEVER YOU ARE !

The Others !

It looks like British Television viewers are not getting their Christmas treat from the BBC this year.  Perhaps they think we've had enough of scary stories for a while.  Me, I love the the Ghost Stories for Christmas - filmed adaptions of the stories of M R James 

One that always sets the wintry, Christmas mood for me is the 1968 Omnibus production 'Whistle and I'll come to you' featuring Michael Hordern - as a slightly odd, academic who unearths an old whistle at the site of a knights Templar cemetery in the dunes of the  East Anglian coast where he is holidaying. The scary scene is set when, shortly after his excavation, he looks over his shoulder and sees a forboding figure in the distance !

I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen this excellent film yet.  You see, I was inspired to write this blog piece after reading Moor Larkins latest. 

 http://jimcannotfixthis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/who-are-you-who-who-who-who.html

 The title 'Who are you Who Who Who' got me thinking about that scene where Hordern cleans his whistle and finds the inscription 

"WHO IS THIS WHO IS COMING" - Blimey, you just know that the old boy is going to regret blowing that whistle - just like you just know that some day, sooner or later, someone is going to be very sorry that they summoned the dark forces unleashed in the minds of a very small minority of hateful, spiteful people in September/October  2012.

Here's a link to the full film - Enjoy !

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j4MAzQiTxE

 Which leads me nicely into another fave film of mine that has a nice twist to it.  Things are certainly not what they appear to be in the strange Jersey household inhabited by Nicole Kidman , her two children and three servants.  'The Others' centres around things that go bump not just in the night but all the time.  It looks as though Ms Kidman's home is haunted and it is only at the end that we discover the truth OR DO WE ?

"What did your mother do to you "

The little girl whispers in her ear, then the blind medium's helper reads what she has written or drawn 

"Something about a pillow"

We like to feel safe, we like to feel secure in the knowledge that those whose job it is to protect us against the darker sides of human nature will do just that.  The thought that certain elements within the Law could be working against the principals of Justice is nearly as, if not, moor scary than anything M R James or Charles Dickens could throw at us ! After all, what could be worse than your own mother sticking a pillow over you head becuase she's gone mad with the loss of her husband in World War Two ?

What could be worse, or come a close second ? Well, being accused of something you have not done especially if you are dead and have no way of defending yourself from beyond, might do it.  Oh, but I hear some folk who haven't had such an awful thing happen to them or someone they love, it doesn't matter if their dead.  Well, it does bloody matter, it matters to those of us who still believe in Right and Wrong ! 

When something is NOT RIGHT it bugs us, well, it bugs SOME OF US.  We want to know what is going on, we want to find out what 'the intruder' in our head wants from us.  There may be no such thing as an afterlife, there may be no such thing as ghosts but, there certainly is such a thing as intuition or Sixth Sense if you like.

 "I see dead people"
"In your dreams ?"
"All the time" 

You have to have a heart, you have to give a damn about people in general not just those you deem worthy of Respect and Love.  You have to wonder WHAT IS WRONG with those who peddle hate, fear and mistrust.  

Perhaps their hearts have been stolen ?

 "Lost Hearts" is a ghost story by M. R. James, found in his 1904 book Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. The tale tells the story of Stephen, a young orphan boy, who is sent to stay with his much older cousin at a remote country mansion. His cousin is a reclusive alchemist obsessed with making himself immortal. Stephen is repeatedly troubled by visions of a young gypsy girl and a traveling Italian boy with their hearts missing.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Hearts

At the end of the film, the innocents murdered by the evil self serving alchemist return and reclaim the hearts he stole from them.  In real life we don't have to put up with others nicking our hearts or minds for that matter and if we do then we only have ourselves to blame.  As for the perpetrators of misery, well, who knows, perhaps what comes around really does go around ! The VOICES OF THE INNOCENT will be heard -  "We are coming for you !"

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGM7_xR0oc

More Christmas goodies to come friends !

The Puppets on a string !

Anyone who has worked in a large public body will know how long it can take to get anything done at short notice ! We know that the Metropolitan Police was ready to facilitate the consequences of 'Exposure - the other side of Jimmy Savile'.  What we don't know is, how long they had been planning their response.  We know that they did not investigate the claims made against Jimmy Savile post October. Could the reason for this be that they were, after all, not really interested in what Jimmy Savile may or may not have done because they already knew all they needed to !

Today a tweet caught my attention - it was made by FACT (Falsely accused carers and Teachers) and concerned payments made by Cardiff Council to seven men following allegations of sexual abuse against a teachers dating back to the 60's and 70's !

 What took my interest to begin with was that the council had been making these payments since 2011 by way of an out of court settlement without admitting liability. The teacher, David Leighton Davies was charged and imprisoned for sexual offences against three fifteen year old boys in 1977 and died in 1980 not long after his release !

It is not clear how or what motivated the seven to bring claims against the authority when they did and, maybe I don't need to know, but, it's the timing that interests me, it's the 2011 bit !

I looked back at what else was going on in 2011 and early 2012 and I found this !

 On 6 May 2012, the CPS secured convictions in Operation Span in Rochdale, the first case to start a serious debate about grooming and sexual exploitation of young and vulnerable victims. The defendants in that case were found guilty of serious serial sexual abuse, including multiple rapes, and sentences as long as 19 years were imposed on the main protagonists. But the case only succeeded because an earlier decision not to proceed, taken in 2009, was re-examined and reversed. 

BLIMEY THAT LAST LINE REMINDS ME OF another CPS decision made in 2009 !

The above is taken from  a statement made by the then DPP Keir Starmer on 6th March 2013 whose header includes the words 'time for a national consensus'. A few paragraphs later he announces

 Soon after the CPS review of the Rochdale grooming case, allegations of serial sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile began to circulate. As did other allegations

 http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/articles/the_criminal_justice_response_to_child_sexual_abuse_-_time_for_a_national_consensus/

What ? the JS 'allegations began to circulate' in September 2012 ? Is this guy for real ? Here is a little bit of information about the Rochdale case extracted from the September 2012 review that Starmer refers to.  To say the 'victims' in this case were badly let down is to put it very mildly !! 

Here's what happened to 'Susie' 

 TWO YEARS later !

 NB in May 2011 the Munro Review took place - the same Munro who disagrees with Mandatory Reporting - hold that thought !

Then, sometime between May and October 2011 

Mr Starmer's conclusion about the handling of 'Susie's case 

 Here are some of the participants in the review in September 2012

The NSPCC is nowhere on the list and neither are any of the victims whose voices we are constantly told are being listened to !

 Good luck with finding the addendum !

In short, Mr S acknowledges that a certain group of youngsters have been let down.  They are NOT children and they are not adults, they are something in between and that is why they had, up to then, slipped through the non net of child services etc ! We're not told how old 'Susie' is but it's obvious that she is a young teenager possibly 13 or 14 when the abuse began ? Strange how a year later and pregnant she was no longer considered a 'child in need' focus now being placed on her baby instead !

If anyone is still in any doubt that YEWTREE WAS NOTHING WHATSOVER TO DO WITH JIMMY SAVILE consider this :

WHO IS MR STARMER apologising to here ?

I repeat a FACT I have cited several times already.  The Police and the NSPCC spent approx 70 working days to produce it's findings in relation to claims made against Sir Jimmy Savile.  The Television programme was aired in October 2012 some eight months after The Oldie Magazine 'outed' Jimmy and, ONE MONTH after the Rochdale Review was completed !

Meanwhile, in charity childline land Esther Rantzin had this to say about the Cardiff case


ChildLine founder Esther Rantzen said councils should publicise these settlements, saying transparency was "absolutely fundamental" for several reasons.
"One is in the interests of the victims, they want it to be absolutely clear they've been believed and that action has been taken to compensate them for the terrible crimes committed against them.


"But once they hear that people have come forward and been believed this inspires them to come forward.
"That's happened with the Savile victims, we know that, and with other people who are survivors of abuse."

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-25205555
What of the Rochdale victims - who are they suing ?

Lawyer speaks about Rochdale abuse case

The teenage victims of a grooming ring are considering suing social services. They say their local council failed to protect them. Five girls were abused by the gang in Heywood in Rochdale. Nine men were jailed for a total of 77 in May. 

 http://www.itv.com/news/granada/story/2012-09-26/lawyer-speaks-about-rochdale-abuse-case/
 

'Susie' made her 'detailed complaint' TO THE POLICE in 2009.

©

Our friends in the North East !

There's a rather quaint saying in the North east of England which goes like this, "Hadaway an' shite man" or, in other words "don't talk nonsense my good man !"


When the 'Savile' "polis"  released their findings into their non investigation made into claims against Jimmy in January 2013, I was relieved to see that the North East was vastly under represented in the "Jimmy Savile abused me " chart !

At the time I concluded that the reason for this might be because Jimmy spent so little time in the North East, but now I find that he actually visited the area many times.  Those visits included trips to at least one hospital according to an article published in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle on the 30th November 2013.  I have no idea WHY the writer chose to include another hospital (Dryburn) in  her reporting, given the FACT that 


Health bosses in the region say the investigation in Newcastle relates to one former patient of a children’s ward at the RVI contacting the police Savile inquiry line, and the Dryburn probe does not involve any contact with Savile and a patient.

It goes on :

The alleged incident in Newcastle is thought to have taken place in the early 1990’s when Savile arrived at the hospital unannounced around the time of the Great North Run, which he regularly took part in.

 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/detectives-investigate-whether-jimmy-savile-6354265

Three days later and the Chronicle presents an update of the story in the form of a nurse who says that Jimmy actually visited a children's cancer ward in May of 1987 !

 
Phil Brown remembers encountering the disgraced radio and TV presenter in May 1987 at ward 16 south where youngsters were receiving treatment for leukaemia. Today he is calling on hospital chiefs at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to let the public know the exact dates of his visits.

Mr Brown goes on to describe Jimmy's visit as having been in June of that year, his memory no doubt being assisted by the FACT that the Great North Run did, in fact take place in June of that year !

 
“It was in June 1987 and a pivotal weekend because it was the Great North Run. I have rung the NSPCC and police involved in Operation Yewtree as speaking as a nurse, I am dismayed. I’m not the only one who remembers him visiting.
“The moment it came out that he had been in Newcastle I informed the RVI. So far I think they’ve got their dates wrong. People need to be aware he visited in 1987.

 http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/nurse-tells-jimmy-saviles-visits-6360222

It will be interesting to see if the 1990's claimant can be as specific as the former nurse, especially given the fact that the Trust have already stated


 A Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said they “had found no evidence of any wrong-doing” by the disgraced television presenter.

So, back to my initial point about how often Jimmy visited this wonderful area of the United Kingdom, Jimmy apparently missed the first Great North Run in 1981 but he certainly did take part in 1982 and was 'involved' the next 25 Great North runs according to John Caine an organiser of the early GNR's !

Indeed, Sir Jimmy was initiated into the Great North Run Hall of fame in 2009 

 
 The Jim’ll Fix It host, who died aged 84, was inducted into the Great North Run Hall of Fame in 2009 and is described on the Nova website as a “universally popular” figure who “was recognised for the vast contribution he has made, particularly with the highly-popular junior runs”.

 http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/sir-jimmy-savile-great-north-4401753

Seven days after the above article mentioned the possibility of his name being removed from the Hall of Fame - IT WAS !
 
David Hart, communications director at race organisers Nova International, said: "We decided to remove his name and image from our Hall of Fame website.
"We took the measure out of respect of public opinion surrounding Mr Savile. We are waiting for the conclusion of the police investigation before taking any further action.

And, all because of ONE allegation, that would presumably be one of the TWO noted in GVAV !

A teenage girl from the Durham area has come forward claiming to be a victim of a sexual offence against Jimmy Savile in the late 1960’s.

 http://tyneandwear.sky.com/news/article/43075/jimmy-savile-out-of-great-north-run-hall-of-fame

The Sky article attracted one comment which I include because it made me smile !

Sir Jimmy Savile did not just visit The North East because of his charitable endeavours or because he presented various televison shows including one for Tyne Tees Televison in the 60', he came because he had family and friends there !

http://forum.southshields-sanddancers.co.uk/boards/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=30439

One special friend of Jimmy from Marsden, 93 year old Edna Thompson, had this to say about the claims made in October 2012

 
She said: “I simply couldn’t believe it when I heard about these accusations. It’s unbelievable.
“I knew Jimmy for 50 years, and the things they are saying in no way tally with the man I knew.
“Why did these people not come forward when he was alive so he had a chance to defend himself?
“I am the sort who gets a vibe about someone, I either take to a person or I don’t, and Jimmy was not capable of the things they are saying he did.
“He would turn up at my house and we’d talk for hours. 

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/what-s-on/my-friend-jimmy-savile-was-no-sex-pervert-1-4987932 

So, Jimmy Savile was indeed no stranger to the North East of England.  He missed the first GNR but he was still running 21 years after his first.  He found himself in the company of a few other famous faces including the then Minister for Sport, oh, and who is that other chap ? Answers on a postcard !

See ya later marra's !