I Love 1974

Martin Shaw:

(Professional)

I was crazy about Pan’s People.

These girls could move you know. They were wonderful.

Harry Carpenter:

(Boxing Commentator)

It wasn’t great dancing but it was very athletic.

They were very sexy as well.

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

Pan is the god of dance and music and debauchery and all those lovely things.

Ruth Pearson:

(Pan’s People)

You can understand why dads liked it but mum didn’t object.

Babs Powell:

(Pan’s People)

Some of our routines were very risque for their time and some are very risque when I look back on it today.

Babs Powell:

(Pan’s People)

I remember one costume particularly which was a black dress with sequins. I’ve always loved sequins and sparkles.

Ruth Pearson:

(Pan’s People)

We did like it when we felt glamorous but we weren’t often in costumes which we felt glamorous

Jimmy Savile:

(presenter)

Dear friends. Pan’s People. How about that. Here they are.

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

These dresses were slit right up to our crutches…

Jimmy Savile:

(presenter)

I shall do the rest of this interview with my hands over eyes like this and I shall be talking to these young ladies about their “attributes”…

Ruth Pearson:

(Pan’s People)

You shouldn’t sit down in them. It was a bad choice.

Jimmy Savile:

Louise Clarke:

Louise, apart from having to sit very still just now…

I’m trying very hard actually (laughter).

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

We had toupee tape stuck all the way down our side to keep us in otherwise everything would have fallen out.

Jimmy Savile:

(presenter)

I did ask these young ladies if they would come in and we could see something of them ie we’d like to see their legs. But they wanted to come demurely dressed with long sleeves and I said, “No”. There’s lots of gentlemen in hospitals and all sorts of places and, you know what I mean, they want to see ‘em.

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

Mary Whitehouse, who was the campaigner against filth on television, went completely ballistic. I think she had an apoplexy. She was so outraged, she said how dare we wear these dresses when it was a children’s programme. But there was nothing wrong with it. It’s not as if anything fell out. We just looked gorgeous.

Babs Powell:

(Pan’s People)

It was a dancer’s dream come true. Louise and Dee Dee did a very raunchy little number.

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

All we did was kneel on these cushions and gyrate very slowly. It was a very sexy number and very pretty. We wore almost next to nothing. We had suction pads and a little tiny bikini all embroidered very beautifully. It was the most expensive costume we ever wore.

Ruth Pearson:

(Pan’s People)

We all wanted to do that. Why couldn’t I be chosen for that ?!?

I don’t think every number worked as we had perhaps hoped… dancers should be seen and not heard (laughter). Oh dear…

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

We actually sang. Oh my goodness! I thought it was awful! (laughter).

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

We were a girl group on television every week of the year and of course the feminists went mad. They didn’t like that at all. I have never felt exploited…dancing on Top of the Tops and being with the stars, what young girl wouldn’t want to do that?

Martin Shaw:

(Professional)

For an all too brief period I went out with one of them.

I’m not telling you which one.

Babs Powell:

(Pan’s People)

No.

Dee Dee Wilde:

(Pan’s People)

Martin Shaw?

I wish dear, he’s gorgeous! No I didn’t.

Ruth Pearson:

(Pan’s People)

I better own up then, hadn’t I ?