1 9 7 7 – 1 9 8 2 (UK)
The BBC turned pop music into a game show with Cheggers Plays Pop.
The effervescent Keith Chegwin had come to fame as a roving reporter on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, which itself offered a sprinkling of pop artists each Saturday morning, usually being interviewed over the phone by viewers.
Cheggers Plays Pop built on that by presenting a number of fast-moving quizzes and It’s A Knockout-style games themed around music.
Two teams – the Reds and the Yellows – representing schools, scout troops or youth clubs, competed each week. In and around the fun, guest artists did their thing, among them Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Bad Manners, Martha & the Muffins, Duran Duran, Bananarama, ABC and Spandau Ballet.
Top of the Pops founder Johnnie Stewart directed the early shows.
