Top of the Pops 1976 - what's the significance of 1976?

[Mattk]

BBC 4 show 1976 episodes and now there's a documentary on about 1976 so what's so significant about that particular year?

I want slightly more recent stuff as I was too young!

[craft1948]

God I was in my prime............

[Halifaxmum]

brotherhood of man, showaddywaddy, abba, the wurzels, pans people - does pop music get any better?

[Postdog]

It's a repeat from BBC4 a few months ago when they started showing top of the pops every week at the same time as originall broadcast. 76 was chosen I believe because the mid seventies were iconic and because they have all the episodes from then. You'll get recent stuff as the years roll by.

[Mattk]

Halifax mum - yes! ;-)

'76 seems an odd choice because as the documentary stated it was quite a bland year for music. Each to their own I suppose.

Disco duck for the win!

[dotty.]

They've been re-running this every couple of weeks actually, still excellent though, I was 21 that year and living life at such a pace it was mainly a blur

[whitbybabe]

1976 reminds me of an ad on the tv relating to water shortages as we had a drought.There was a skeleton clinging to a lampost or something like that. I was only 7.

[Mattk]

7 was the best age to be in '76!

[MarkRae]

Save water, bath with a friend.

[whitbybabe]

Why so 46 ?

[whitbybabe]

I meant that for mattk sorry not 46

[Mattk]

Because I was also 7 in '76, Whitbybabe!

[mike11111]

After relentless heat and water shortages the then PM, James Callaghan, appointed the Minister for Sport as the Minister for Drought. The following day it rained and poured for three weeks non-stop. Who says Labour government doesn't work?!

[MarkRae]

Dennis Howell, IIRC...

[mike11111]

That's the man, he was made Minister for Sport because he used to be a football referee.

[Buenchico]

1976:
Hot and dry!
http://news.bbc.co.uk...d_2492000/2492981.stm

[Buenchico]

Dennis Howell was made Minister for Drought in 1976, and the heavens suddenly opened. In the winter of 1978/9 he was made Minister for Snow, and the thaw suddenly started!

[SpikeyBush]

1983 was a fantastic year. I can't wait for that re-run.

Men at Work, Lotus Eaters, Rod Stewart, Howard Jones. Bring it on.

[Mattk]

Yup bring on the early 80's. 1984 for me.

[tonymclark]

The 1976 Top of the Pops charts were also just before Punk came in a shook up the music industry.

Though as others have said, a large amount of it may be down to surviving editions in the BBC Archives.