Top Of The Pops (Reprise)
After the fun and games surrounding the surprise return of the TOTP Christmas special last week, there has been a further development, although it is not a dramatic one.
A survey has been commissioned on behalf of a soft-drink company (no, not that one, another one) about British icons, institutions and traditions which are no longer around, but are sorely missed. 2003 people were polled, just a couple of weeks ago, and their answers have been made into a Top 10.
1: Village Post Offices - 58%
2: Sunday as a day of public rest - 41%
3: Red phone boxes - 41%
4: Concorde - 35%
5: Milkmen and their milk float - 26%
6: Top of the Pops - 20%
7: Old English Tearooms - 18%
8: £1 notes - 18%
9: Lollipop ladies - 17%
10: Vinyl records - 12%
Now, the very first thing you will notice is that this is clearly a poll of people who are over 18. By some years.
The second thing is that Top of the Pops is at No.6, with a bullet!
The third thing is that items seven and eight do rather undermine the righteous fury it is possible to feel about the removal of, say item one, or item four. And I say this as someone who does actually remember £1 notes. They were rubbish.
The fourth thing is that you can still get vinyl records.
Still, let's hope 'the powers that be' see sense and restore everything on this list (except those £1 notes) to The People by next week. Otherwise we're going to hell in a handcart. You couldn't make it up. Etc.
Comment number 1.
At 26th Nov 2008, lolscott wrote:Brilliant...
IN THE MEANTIME DO CHARTBLOG TV ALREADY
Kthnx
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 26th Nov 2008, DrDudeface wrote:erm www.myspace.com/themegadudes
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 26th Nov 2008, stugoo7 wrote:Let's not forget too, as is common with polls like this that anything recently mentioned in the news is probably going to feature.
It just so happens that Top of the Pops coming back for a Christmas special was much talked about in the last week or so, so it's likely it would have featured in this aptly titled poll titled. Post Office closures, are again, another popular talking point
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
At 26th Nov 2008, ollieetee wrote:Bit of a silly list, because 6 of the items ARE still available, being:
Village Post Offices
Sunday as a day of rest
Milkmen and their milkfloats
Old English Tearooms
Lollipop ladies
Vinyl.
Shows how much the drinkers of said soft drink know about life eh?!!
Either that or they come from some god awful inner city hell hole.
Innit.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
At 26th Nov 2008, stevebritgimp wrote:Agreed on pound coins - they rock.
But tea rooms also rock (well at least in Scotland) - check out the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 5)
Comment number 6.
At 26th Nov 2008, jimpress wrote:1. Spot on.
2. Stay in and rest for heavens sake if that's what you want to do. Shopping isn't compulsory.
3. Loads of them about but the rest are sadly mssed.
4. It crashed!
5. My mum still has both.
6. TOTP fortunes ebbed and flowed with the state of the singles chart. As there doesn't seem to be a singles chart any more one has to wonder. But it's very welcome back.
7. Never mind tearooms lets have some proper pubs back instead of smoke free child play areas. (Incidentally I don't smoke and I have a 6-year old.)
8. The best thing about visiting America (apart from the weather, the wide open spaces, the weather, the music, and a million other things) is the dollar bill. Bring back the pound note. NOW!
9. The aforementioned 6-year old has a lollipop lady. What's all the fuss about?
10. I've got loads, get yourself round here.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 6)
Comment number 7.
At 27th Nov 2008, excretionhead wrote:omg totp2 is so gud please put it back on air i love it so much
Complain about this comment (Comment number 7)
Comment number 8.
At 27th Nov 2008, excretionhead wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 8)
Comment number 9.
At 27th Nov 2008, CurtainJerker wrote:Um...people in Scotland don't have to remember or miss £1 notes, as they're still in circulation there, along with the coins. Personally, I prefer them, cos the coins are too heavy (or I'm too weak). And Concorde was a joint French-British project (hence the name).
So actually, the VERY first thing I noticed was that it was a poll of plebs.
Y'know what though (Fraser, dont read this) - I know this is the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Chartblog and all, but I thought CD:UK was just as good and important as TOTP for getting pop music on TV when it was on. Yeah, it wasn't the proper chart, and it got cack when Lauren Laverne and Myleene Klass took over, but still. Saturday mornings seemed a good time for that stuff.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 9)
Comment number 10.
At 27th Nov 2008, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:I agree totally about CD:UK.
Why shouldn't I? It was a TOTP kind of show, and a good one too!
Plus it was preceded by the amazing SM:TV Live, which was unmissable.
And yes, I was a grown-up even then!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 10)