Super Troupers (BBC Radio 2, Mon 19 Dec 2011)

panfan's picture
Submitted by panfan on Sat, 2011-12-24 00:32

 

Super Troupers

Radio 2's Dance Season continues with Arlene Phillips looking back at the rise and fall of the television dance troupes: the Beat Girls, Go Jos, Ruby Flipper, Legs & Co, Hot Gossip, and the most famous of them all - Pan's People.

For more than two decades, no television music show was complete without its own troupe of glamorous dancers. The girls - and sometimes boys - became stars in their own right.

Choreographer and Hot Gossip founder Arlene talks to some of the dancers and producers behind the routines, telling the story of dance troupes; from shaky beginnings on live black and white TV, to their demise at the hands of the million dollar music video.

Download the show as an MP3.

 

Tags: 
Archive
Pan's People
Legs & Co
Ruby Flipper
Flick Colby
TOTP
Arlene Phillips
Hot Gossip
Radio
2011
GoJos
Beat Girls
Zoo

11 comments

Submitted by panfan on Sat, 2011-12-24 10:55
panfan's picture

Sorry for the delay in getting this up for those who requested a downloadable mp3.

The upload kept timing out, but I did it successfully with a different program last night.

I've listened to it about three times now and still pick up something new each time (or maybe I'm not paying enough attention!!)

I'll add my comments after Xmas. It's a great resource to have and thanks to all the participants for their memories.

What do you guys think?

Submitted by mojo2007 on Sat, 2011-12-24 15:21
mojo2007's picture

Will I be allowed to call one lovely lady Ruthie in future ?   Small but perfectly formed, why she imagined she could not take a close up is a mystery, just look at her in the snowball dance.

  I think I had better respect her and keep to more formal Ruth.

Have a good Christmas everybody

John

Submitted by panfan on Tue, 2011-12-27 15:48
panfan's picture

I was just checking the site statistics to see what effect this programme had if any on site traffic and I see the number of daily visits has doubled as a result.

Hi to any newcomers dropping by who might read this!

Submitted by Cherrybabslover on Sun, 2012-01-01 22:54
Cherrybabslover's picture

really good to still be able to listen to that here after the i-player 7 days has expired and how great it is- for me hilrarious to hear that Ronnie Barker told Babs about the beautiful babs quote in porridge and told her he wanted to call her Big Babs !

good work - not sure how you managed to rip this soundtrack  from i-player but well done.

Submitted by panfan on Sun, 2012-01-01 23:02
panfan's picture

My pleasure, Cherrybabslover!

Just hope the Beeb or Arlene don't tell me off!

I think I wrote elsewhere, although I've had it on a couple of times in the background while working, I only just started listening to it with full attention.  Lots of things to chase up on: the Gojos audition for one...

Couldn't help noticing that when they discuss the replacement of the Gojos by Pan's People, 'Backstabbers' is the background music of choice!

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2012-01-13 19:16
panfan's picture

Managed to catch another bit earlier.  I thought, hang on a minute, when Jo Cook was talking about the Gojos' debut performance, dancing to Baby Love on TOTP, and we heard Pete Murray introducing them and then Baby Love being played.

For a second I thought - could it be that Baby Love survives?!  Then a second late rI realised of course that that was the familiar introduction from Reflections, craftily edited together with the Baby Love track - something they could get away with on radio, of course!

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2012-01-13 19:23
panfan's picture

Does anyone know anything about Pan's People performances in Belgium (pre 68) that were mentioned in the documentary?  They worked there for a week, which allowed them to earn enough for the month, Dee Dee I think said.

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2012-01-13 20:37
panfan's picture

OK, just realised their performance Le Plus Difficile was on Belgian and not German TV.

Submitted by cornershop15 on Fri, 2012-01-13 23:10
cornershop15's picture

Another excuse to post this classic photo, the earliest I've found of Pan's People with Ruth in the line-up. Surely you know about the operas Flick choreographed in Belgium, panfan?:

Six modern jazz girl dancers cast as Pan's People in the production of a new opera called Gulliver, which opened in Brussels.  The opera is a mixture of opera, ballet and musical satire and based on the life of Jonathan Swift.  The girls from left to right: Dee Dee Wilde, Babs Lord, Ruth Pearson, Lorelly Harris, Flick Colby and Penny Fergusson, pictured in London on April 27, 1967. 

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2012-01-13 23:30
panfan's picture

Slipped my mind, Cornershop, how could I forget that photo! Yes, apart from Andi and Louise, it's almost there the line up!

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2012-03-16 19:36
panfan's picture

Thanks to ll62 for pointing out the link wasn't working as I'd missed part of the URL out. Hopefully it's working now.

Wow, I wonder if no one else has tried to download it!