Top of the Pops Mishaps, Miming & Music:
True Adventures of TV's No.1 Pop Show
by Ian Gittis
BBC Books
2007
Designer Jim Lockwood
Four or five years ago I picked up a brand new copy of this interesting, if mostly rose tinted (considering what we now know it's note worthy that the only person in the entire book who comes across as a total cunt is openly racist BBC1 controller Bill Cotton), full colour large format celebration of the BBC's long running flagship pop music show for the grand sum of £1 in a Stockport pound shop.
Other than being struck by exactly how knowingly naff and borderline ugly the front cover artwork was, not to mention a little puzzled by the presence of Rolf Harris rather than a genuine major pop star such a Tom Jones, David Essex or Shaking Stevens, I ultimately thought nothing of it. I now wonder if Mr. Lockwood had some sort of inside knowledge that us the public were not party to and was trying to tell us something by, for fear of the celebrity liable lawyer, hiding dominoesque clues in plain sight.
The three main offenders, none of whom will need any introduction for the average Brit, are lined up at the bottom of the cover.
First to fall in his red shirt we have the DJ and TV personality Jimmy Saville, now reckoned to be Britain's most prolific serial sex offender with allegations of rape, molestation paedophilia and even necrophilia and murder coming to light following his death.
On the right we have TV presenter, painter and occasional pop star Rolf Harris who it turns out had a hard time keeping his hands off adolescent girls.
And back on the left, with arm apparently about to throttle Mr. Saville, is serial groper DJ Dave Lee Travis also known as D.L.T. ("don't lean towards")
And apropos of nothing above this trinity of BBC perverts floats Elton John...
Though Mr. Lockwood couldn't have known also of note is the presence of Boy George who in 2008 was found guilty of assault and false imprisonment.
Needless to say this book is no longer in print.
