2 June 1988: Presenters: Nicky Campbell & Peter Powell (Stuck in a broom Cupboard Special!!)
The studios at TV Centre had been condemned due to an asbestos scare (presumably the same scare that led to the Dr Who story The Greatest Show On Earth being set in a big top in the car park). Unfortunately the studios aren't the only thing that should have been condemned - Powell and Campbell's laddish banter is skin crawling, taking us right back to the Savile and DLT era.
(14) DESIRELESS – Voyage Voyage (video)
A hit as a re-release after being given a typical Hammond and Waterman
PWL Hi-NRG remix (labelled the Britmix' by CBS). The original version had failed to reach the Top 40, having stalled at #53 the previous November. CBS had however failed to redub the video with the 7" edit of the Britmix, so we get the original 1987 version on TOTP.
The video was directed by French art and fashion photographer Bettina Rheims,and features a very young and pre-fame David Caruso
(23) TIFFANY – I Saw Him Standing There (video)
Fucking hell - who let her cover this, and more to the point, approved it's release? Her voice is totally unsuited to song as she has no 'belting' voice so it just comes out painfully strained, and together with the horrible cheesy backing it sounds like a bad karaoke recording. Just awful.
(22) THE TIMELORDS – Doctorin’ The Tardis
I'lll cover the song on the next episode but the video needs a mention too. The first appearance of Ford Timelord, who had originally been planned to front the song (for the full history of Ford Timelord and his other incarnations, see my previous post
here). The video was filmed in Wiltshire and Somerset by their longtime collaborator Bill Butt, and the presence of Glastonbury Tor, Cherhill White Horse and the Avebury Stone Circle are presumably due to Drummond's love of ancient monuments.
The abandoned airfield was RAF Yatesbury, an ex-training base (situated almost in the shadow of the White Horse) that had been opened during WWI and closed in 1965.
(25) FIVE STAR – Another Weekend
Five Star have now caught up with Michael Jackson's 'Bad' sound and image. Not sure if Steadman was behind those costumes - nice that they have included skateboard kneepads so they could do the knee drops and slides without hurting themselves. The track has got a serious case of '808 Cowbell' infection though.