Performances Featured

Performance Type Guide

This guide lists every type of performance badge that you are likely to come across on the website, and what the peformance type badges mean.

Repeated performances are indicated by

T in the Park Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at T in the Park.

Childen In Need Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at the BBC Children In Need show. Typically these repeated performances were featured from 2007 onwards when the weekly TOTP editions stopped, but the Christmas specials continued.

Radio 1 Live Lounge Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed in the Radio 1 Live Lounge.

Satellite Performance

Sometimes artists couldn’t appear in the Top of the Pops studio and often would performance on location via Satellite for the programme. Performances were usually live, but sometimes they were mimed.

Music Video

When an artist couldn't appear in the Top of the Pops studio they would often send in their music video to be played on the show.

Played Over TOTP Studio Montage

An artist’s track would be played in the background, while a montage of stills or video clips played on screen. This typically happened in the mid-1990s during the end credits.

Short Clip

A short music video or live performance clip was shown. This was typically used during special edition of the show, or for an album or promotion video.

Short Video Clip

A short music video or live performance clip was shown. This was typically used during special edition of the show, whilst the presenter discussed the end of year charts and big music news of the year.

New Zealand Studio Performance

An artist would perform in the Top of the Pops studio live in front of an audience, but for the New Zealand local version of the show. This performance type only featured once during the show’s history.

USA Studio Performance

An artist would appear in the Top of the Pops studio in America, perform their track, but they would mime to the track usually. Occasionally the performances would be live. A version of the show was broadcast in America in the late-1980s.

Played Over Stills

An artist’s track would be played in the background, while a montage of stills played out on screen.

Electric Proms Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at the BBC Electric Proms. Typically these repeated performances were featured from 2007 onwards when the weekly TOTP editions stopped, but the Christmas specials continued.

Mimed Performance

An artist would appear in the Top of the Pops studio, perform their track, but they would mime to the track. They would not pre-record live vocals or a new instrument arrangement. Even though artists would appear in the studio with instruments, they would pretend to play them "live".

Live Mimed Performance

An artist would pre-record vocals and the musical backing track with the Top of the Pops orchestra (typically) before the show was filmed. Then the live recording of the track would be played to during filming, a the artist would mime to the pre-recorded "live" track.

Live Performance

An artist would perform in the Top of the Pops studio live in front of an audience. There would usually be a backing track or a supporting band, alongside live vocals.

Played Over Charts

An artist’s track would be played in the background, while the Top 40 or Top 30 chart rundown would be shown on screen. This happened fairly frequently from 1975 to 1981 at the start of the show.

Played Over Montage

An artist’s track would be played in the background, while a montage of TOTP stills or video clips would play out on screen. This typically happened during special episodes like the 900th and 1000th editions.

Top 40 Breaker Clip

A short 30-second-ish clip of an artist’s music video was played during the Top 40 breakers segment of the show. This segment ran from 1985 to 1994 most weeks on the show.

Dance Routine

When an artist couldn’t appear in the studio an uncredited dance troupe would perform a dance routine to the artist’s track.

Legs & Co. Dance Routine

When an artist couldn’t appear in the studio between 1976 to 1981, Legs & Co. would perform a dance routine to the artist’s track.

Pan's People Dance Routine

When an artist couldn’t appear in the studio between 1968 to 1976, Pan’s People would perform a dance routine to the artist’s track.

Ruby Flipper Dance Routine

When an artist couldn’t appear in the studio during 1976, Ruby Flipper would perform a dance routine to the artist’s track.

The Go-Jos Dance Routine

When an artist couldn’t appear in the studio between 1964 to 1968, The Go-Jos would perform a dance routine to the artist’s track.

Zoo Dance Routine

When an artist couldn’t appear in the studio between 1981 to 1983, Zoo would perform a dance routine to the artist’s track.

Audience Dancing

An artist’s track is played and the audience dance along to it. Typically this occurred at the start of Top of the Pops in the early days up until the mid-1970s, or at the end of the show from the late-1970s to mid-1980s where the end credits would also be shown.

BBC Music Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at a BBC Music event. Typically these repeated performances were featured from 2007 onwards when the weekly TOTP editions stopped, but the Christmas specials continued.

Live Concert Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at a concert.

Music Event Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at a BBC Music event. e.g. Radio 1 live lounge. Typically these repeated performances were featured from 2007 onwards when the weekly TOTP editions stopped, but the Christmas specials continued.

Other Studio Performance

An artist would perform in a different studio than the main Top of the Pops studio, typically this would be filmed without the TOTP audience.

Radio 1 Big Weekend Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at the Radio 1 Big Weekend.

Reading Festival Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at Reading Festival. Typically these repeated performances were featured from 2007 onwards when the weekly TOTP editions stopped, but the Christmas specials continued.

TOTP Wembley Weekend Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at the Top of the Pops Wembley weekend event.

Glastonbury Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at Glastonbury. Typically these repeated performances were featured from 2007 onwards when the weekly TOTP editions stopped, but the Christmas specials continued.

TOTP Awards Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed at the Top of the Pops awards show.

Graham Norton Show Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed on the Graham Norton Show.

Later With Jools Holland Performance

A repeated live performance of an artist’s track performed on the Later… With Jools Holland Show.

Performance Preview

Lisa Stansfield performing 'Never Gonna Give You Up'

Performance Preview

Supergrass performing 'Sun Hits The Sky'

Performance Preview

Eternal Feat. Bebe Winans performing 'I Wanna Be The Only One'

Performance Preview

The Charlatans performing 'How High'

Performance Preview

Blur performing 'On Your Own'

Performance Preview

Pet Shop Boys performing 'Somewhere'

Performance Preview

Del Amitri performing 'Not Where It's At'

Performance Preview

Finley Quaye performing 'Sunday Shining'

Performance Preview

Hanson performing 'Mmmbop'

	Performance			Chart #
	Never Gonna Give You Up Lisa Stansfield Mimed Performance			25
	Sun Hits The Sky Supergrass Mimed Performance			10
	I Wanna Be The Only One Eternal Feat. Bebe Winans Live Performance			2
	How High The Charlatans Live Performance			6
	History Michael Jackson Music Video			NEW
	On Your Own Blur Satellite Performance			NEW
	Somewhere Pet Shop Boys Live Concert Performance			NEW
	Not Where It's At Del Amitri Live Performance			21
	Sunday Shining Finley Quaye Live Performance			16
	Mmmbop Hanson Mimed Performance			1

Trivia

Acapella/gospel style performance of "I Wanna Be The Only One" by Eternal is performed in the centre of the TOTP studio.

The chart rundown is tweaked again, with the presenter reading the Top 20 over a track currently in the charts.

This episode was not re-aired by the BBC in 2025 because it features a performance by Puff Daddy.

Credits

Presenter	Jayne Middlemiss
Director	David G. Croft
Executive Producer	Chris Cowey

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20/06/1997

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