The 1970s Episode Guide

As the 1960s drew to a close and the 1970s began, few immediate changes were evident at Television Centre. Jimmy Savile and Tony Blackburn continued to alternate as the show’s primary presenters, while Johnnie Stewart retained his role as Executive Producer for another year or so. With the rise of BBC Radio 1, Top of the Pops began to feature more radio-centric personalities, adding presenters such as Noel Edmonds and Dave Lee Travis to the roster. Although colour broadcasting became the standard from November 1969 onwards, a number of episodes between 1970 and 1973 survive only in black and white, either due to being originally recorded in that format or returned to the BBC archive as monochrome copies.

In 1971, Johnnie Stewart stepped down to pursue other opportunities within the BBC. Robin Nash succeeded him as Executive Producer, maintaining much of the existing format. Critics have argued that the show’s early 1970s aesthetic still clung to the previous decade, reflecting a reluctance to modernise. Nevertheless, the music scene was evolving, and the rise of glam rock—with its flamboyant costumes and theatrical performances—ushered in a more provocative era. This was mirrored in the increasingly risqué routines of the dance troupe Pan’s People, which likely contributed to a growing male viewership.

The early 1970s were also marked by widespread industrial action across multiple sectors. As a result, Top of the Pops occasionally aired without a fully constructed set. Budget constraints led to minimal set designs—sometimes little more than rudimentary props suspended from the ceiling. However, this simplicity aligned with the minimalist trends of the time. Lighting, too, was scaled back due to reduced budgets, with fewer specialised lights used to conserve electricity. Despite these limitations, the show’s popularity remained strong, with a resurgence of enthusiastic teen audiences—often referred to as “teenyboppers”—bolstering its youthful appeal.

In 1973, the programme was briefly affected by a strike from the Musicians’ Union, which resulted in several weeks off the air. That same year, Stanley Appel joined as a director and later co-producer, remaining involved with the programme intermittently for over two decades. Known for his disciplined approach, Appel worked creatively within the technological constraints of the era. The large, cumbersome studio cameras of the time were prone to issues such as colour flaring and ghosting. While Appel made the most of what was available, he was less enthusiastic about audience visibility. He instructed that, ideally, the crowd should move out of the camera’s path—though this was rarely successful. Archival footage from the era often shows chaotic scenes of the audience dodging equipment.

Around mid-1973, Top of the Pops introduced one of its most iconic visual elements: the circular TOTP logo alongside the long-standing theme music – CCS’s version of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”—which had become synonymous with the show. By 1977, however, the theme and title sequence had been dropped. Instead, each episode opened with a brief animation of the logo, and contemporary chart music replaced the traditional Top 30 rundown.

As the decade progressed, musical tastes shifted toward punk and disco. While some punk bands—most notably the Sex Pistols and The Clash—refused to appear on the show, Top of the Pops adapted. In 1976, the dance group Ruby Flipper was replaced Pans People, but after just six months they were also replaced by Legs & Co., who, under the continued direction of choreographer Flick Colby, brought distinctively stylised performances to the show. Budget increases in the late 1970s allowed for more polished and durable set designs, including stained-glass window effects.

In response to the changing musical landscape, Robin Nash began recruiting presenters who were more in tune with the contemporary scene, including David “Kid” Jensen and Peter Powell, although longstanding hosts such as Savile and Blackburn remained part of the lineup in a reduced capacity. A notable milestone came in September 1979, when Top of the Pops achieved its highest-ever viewing figures—19 million—thanks in part to an ITV strike.

With the dawn of the 1980s, Top of the Pops welcomed a brand-new set adorned by sleek curves and shiny metallic elements, setting the stage for the next decade of its evolution.