4th April

1964: The oldest surviving TOTP studio footage, The Hollies, when frontmen could still sit down as a matter of course. A look at that original 'hit parade' set too.

1974: Never ones to do things by halves, Mott The Hoople get a fish eye lens to themselves to deliver their message to the kids. That little pose at 1:46, the close-up on the drummer's medallion at 2:06, Ian Hunter's shades - it all says "we're here, and we're NINETEEN SEVENTIES ROCK". Eventually it all gets too much and the cameraman has to find some reflective polystyrene to hide behind.

1985: It does seem nobody had talked through plans with Glenn Frey before he turned up, as he doesn't look immensely comfortable on his own but still with his guitar and a saxophonist eventually turning up. Surrounded by strutters and balloons he looks a touch like his band have abandoned him. Meanwhile David Grant & Jaki Graham demonstrate textbook mid-80s styling. There's even another sax solo just to make sure. Those top 40 graphics were cutting edge then.

1996: Once Dale Winton has said his hosting piece, a slightly strange and forced set from Kadoc, basically three half-arsed dancers, someone miming to a James Brown sample and someone slapping the far end of a keyboard. We're all set against authenticity, but really, put some effort in. Pulp of course get TOTP intimately, but they could have made more of an effort with the petals cascade from Nick Banks' cymbals. Doesn't cover anything.

1997: Mark and Lard in charge! For full effect, after The Charlatans they get so ungainfully shout about someone nobody ever heard of again. You can only wonder what they thought when N-Trance turned up on the running order with the song they were surely always going to get Ricardo da Force to rap over and do little else other than the deadening beat different to. It was a song from the seventies, you know.