9th November

1978: It's Chas & Dave's debut! Just not in the format you're used to them in. Note Chas' rememberance day poppy, more than the debuting, velvet suited Mike Read (or Dave, come to that) can manage. In a fine example of the show taking no heed in genre splits, next to perform in the studio were X-Ray Spex, a militarised Poly Styrene keeping her goggles close at hand for... whatever you'd need goggles for in the studio. Read lies his way into Legs & Co, who get yet another Grease soundtrack cut, Olivia Newton-John on her own this time, but instead of replicating the film's tone or dress they get out the dangerously short babydoll dresses and the diaries. Because it's about private devotion, see.

1989: Here's a performance that made a star overnight, Janet Jackson and her tightly drilled marine corps, nobody breaking character at any stage. That said, have to take issue with the top commenter's remark that she's "one of the best no ONE OF THE GREATEST DANCERS, I'VE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!" when everyone on stage is doing the same moves throughout. All the same, suddenly it seems Lisa Stansfield's beret and crucifixes just aren't enough. Crucifixes?

1995: Another show kept in full, maybe because/despite the comic stylings of Lee Evans hosting. Part one features some pretty standard dance and light Europop before someone decides two blokes prodding keyboards isn't quite enough of a visual spectacle so brings in the shrink-to-fit dancing girls and flashing lights for Saint Etienne. Annoyingly this is carried over mid-song into part two, featuring an entirely unnecessary Etienne Daho cameo, and the whole thing doesn't seem to be around. Following them are the trash fashion of Swedes Whale, largely unknown here at the time but chanced with an exclusive, though the better performance comes when it charts. Everything But The Girl follow, Tracey Thorn seemingly not very good at miming, but not much worse than Liam Gallagher (here's the whole thing unedited) That Bowie exclusive promised at the top of the show? That's in part three with a cast of thousands. Robson & Jerome are number one, but that's what happens.

2001: Of The Corrs which is more awkward, Jim's beard or Caroline's askew beret? Alicia Keys is more confident with actually playing the keyboard while wearing an admittedly inferior hat, as you would be if your first line can gain two seperate cheers. Blowing away all ideas of both subtlety and headgear statements, though, come Limp Bizkit. Perform to us, Fred, not them! There's more of us!