Nige on TV

The answer to the question that will be appearing in a pub quiz near you very soon should be: Kool and the Gang - Celebration.

Just store that useless piece of trivium away in the dusty part of your brain for the moment of Touch Screen inspiration that may one day make you the barroom hero for at least 30 seconds.

The Question of course would be “What was the final song ever played on Top of the Pops?”

It was a sad day made slightly more bearable by the knowledge that McFly had slipped down the charts. I used to love to watch Top of the Pops, although watching the 1980’s “Best Bits” did make me stop and wonder why? Was I ready to admit to myself that I did used to sing “Especially for You” at a very high volume, and once did own an album by the Brothers Goss.

I needed to take a shower, and then a second for luck.

Once the dirt of my horrific musical past had been rinsed down the plughole I was able to remain thankful that bands like The Stone Roses came along just in time to save me from myself. By then of course it was too late to save my love affair with Top of the Pops. Not even the Mid-Nineties battle of the bands between Oasis & Blur could encourage me back.

So why then did I feel bad when I heard it was being axed?

My freshly towel-dried thoughts turned to that other TV staple of days gone by, Blue Peter.

I never did actually build a Tracy Island, or start a small festive inferno with my advent wreath. As for my competition entries, they never did get me a Blue Peter badge in any of the age categories.

It has probably been a decade now since I actually watched an episode so I really couldn’t tell you what the dog was called or whether last years appeal was to collect cans or milk bottletops (It was always one or the other!).

The fact remains though that I will always have a soft spot for this programme in the same way as I always did for Top of the Pops.

In such a fast changing and often unpleasant world, it’s comforting to know that one small haven of timeless innocence still exists. We may no longer care about what days it’s on or where they are going for this years summer expedition, but that’s not the point!

It IS still there and that makes the world a better place – FACT!