What are your memories of the show as a viewer?
"I will always remember watching TOTP when I was about 10, 11, 12. It had a great influence on my life because as far as I was concerned, if you didn’t watch TOTP, you didn’t know what was going on. We weren’t particularly a family. I was the eldest and I didn’t have older brothers or sisters and my mum and dad really weren’t into pop music. So as far as I was concerned TOTP told me everything I needed to know. I had this little tape recorder for a present and every Thursday when TOTP came on, I’d put this tape recorder right next to the television and I’d record all the songs. Afterwards, my sister and I would stand in front of a big mirror that was in my mum and dad’s bedroom and we would get the microphone and we’d pretend to sing along. I believed I was going to grow up and be Olivia Newton-John, The Osmonds, David Cassidy, it was that sort of era."
What sort of clothes did you wear then?
"I remember it was an era when everybody was having crocheted skirts and little sort of crocheted jackets and ponchos and things like that. I learned to crochet and I got my mum to make me this crocheted skirt because I’d seen a girl on TOTP wearing one, and I thought that was ‘it’."
Tell us how important it was for you to present TOTP.
"When I got the phone call from the producer of TOTP to say "would I like to come and do a show", I was doing Saturday morning television. It was a call out of the blue because I wasn’t a Radio 1 DJ and at the time TOTP and Radio 1 were very much interlinked. It was quite unusual really to be asked and I was very honoured. I couldn’t contain my excitement because, of course, this was a show that I had watched from being a child. It was just like a dream come true."
Why do you think they chose you?
"I’m not quite sure. I think probably I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. They needed to represent women really on TOTP and so I got the job."
So we come to your first show in 1988 with Simon Mayo, what are your memories of that actual day?
"Simon Mayo’s a consummate professional and I sort of knew Simon because we were managed by the same company. I sort of felt that I was in safe hands and I remember I kept on saying to myself 'contain your excitement'. I just remember it as one of those sort of moments in my career that I will never forget. Standing there at Television Centre next to Simon Mayo, a big Radio 1 DJ, and having the microphone in my hand. It’s like your wedding day and it just goes (clicks fingers) like that. It’s like things that happen in your life and you think, "I wish I could just hold on to this moment and contain it". I was incredibly excited. So proud."
The first act you introduced was Milli Vanilli, what do you remember about them?
"Of course I was very worried I wouldn’t be able to say Milli Vanilli, because if you get nervous those are the sort of words that you can’t get out. Afterwards came the whole scandal about Milli Vanilli miming, it wasn’t even their voices. I have to say that I was so awe-struck by where I was and what I was doing that I don’t think I took any notice of whether they were miming or not."
Wasn't Tom Jones on as well?
"I know! Not only was I doing TOTP but Tom Jones was on it! How much can a girl take? I was just so impressed by everything and everybody on that day. When you’ve done television, you’re quite used to cameras being fairly static and they move around but not an awful lot, not whizzing around. On TOTP they’re screaming around like Daleks! The atmosphere, from my recollection of TOTP, was always electric. You had the fear of God put into you, because I knew I’d got an opening link of approximately 20 seconds. I’d got 10 seconds in between most acts and a wrap up of maybe 15 to 20 seconds and woe betide you if you spoke for either 8 seconds or 13 seconds either side of a 10 second link. It would have to be a catastrophe to actually stop the show, they always ran it as live, which was great because it kept you on your feet."
Were there any memorable mistakes?
"I do remember once in the heat of the moment introducing a band called KLF as KLM, which of course is a Dutch airline, but I wasn’t allowed to go back and change it! Great advert though for the airline."
Let’s talk about the strange breed of dance records that came whizzing into the charts at that point, what are your memories of that?
"Those sort of dance records didn’t fit in with the way TOTP had historically been, so it was a big change. TOTP has to reflect the music of the day, so there’s nothing you can do about it. But I think it was the beginning of a change for TOTP. I’m sort of glad that I did TOTP when I did, but then again I would say that wouldn’t I?"
Are there any of your lovely Pops outfits that stick out in your mind?
"Sometimes, looking back I think they were quite disastrous, one outfit I remember very well (and I thought I was the bee’s knees in this) had a denim jacket which was designed by Zandra Rhodes. It actually had the TOTP logo on the back of it and I wore this for a TOTP and I think later it got auctioned off to raise some money for a charity. It truly was a magnificent jacket, and I had long hair at the time. It was my rock chick look and I really loved it."
What are your memories of Paul Ciani as a producer and director?
"Paul Ciani’s the one who made the decision to put me on TOTP, so I personally have a lot to be grateful to him for as he helped my career a lot. He was one of those people who I learned a lot from and I knew I couldn’t let him down.They didn’t book you on TOTP, you didn’t have a contract on TOTP, you were only as good as your last performance, which was great really because if you didn’t perform, you just might not get that phone call again.
Paul turned it into a big party as well. It took place at TV Centre and TV Centre to me will always be the home of television, there’s something really exciting about just being there. He had this team around him who just used to whip up the enthusiasm on the floor. Whether it was the floor manager, the camera operators, or sound people, everybody became completely involved in TOTP. Afterwards, everybody would pile up to the 4th floor to the BBC bar and it was drinks all round and it was all part of the Paul Ciani party. He played hard but he worked very hard and he expected a lot from those around him."
