Do you wanna dance?
June 26, 2009 11:06 AM   Subscribe

Back in the days before music videos, and if the band could not make it to the Top Of The Pops studio, then out would come dance group Pan's People.

Admittedly a lot of their performances were well into 'one for the dads' territory... but some of their interpretations of the songs were really rather imaginative if not downright bizarre. (Alright, the last one is from spin-off Legs And Co.)

Clips from a documentary on the history of the group
posted by fearfulsymmetry (8 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
So they're the UK equivalent of the Solid Gold Dancers?
posted by jonp72 at 11:09 AM on June 26, 2009


Ohhh so this is where that Focus Group album title comes from. Interesting.
posted by fleetmouse at 11:13 AM on June 26, 2009



...I never knew something like this even existed. Thanks metafilter!
posted by scrutiny at 11:22 AM on June 26, 2009


Holy cow. Completely forgotten about them. I just had a very weird few seconds of flashback to early adolescence. The competitors on ITV were the slightly more salacious (and therefore less BBC-proper) Hot Gossip, whose Sarah Brightman started her singing career with the disco hit "I Lost My Heart to Starship Trooper." Holy cow.
posted by carter at 12:00 PM on June 26, 2009


"Pan's People were a troupe of girls who used to dance in their knickers to one song each week on Top of the Pops. You never knew whereabouts in the programme they would turn up, but curiously enough, no matter whose house you were watching it at, the announcement of their appearance coincided with your mate's dad entering the room whistling casually and generally feigning nonchalance. He would leave the room on three legs one song later, muttering disparaging remarks along the lines of "Noisy rubbish, young people's pop music" and "Bit of national service, good tune, Glenn Miller, never did me any harm," or words to that effect."
- Mark Radcliffe, Showbusiness
posted by runincircles at 12:21 PM on June 26, 2009 [4 favorites]


'There's one special one - beautiful Babs ... I don't know what her name is.'
posted by punilux at 12:37 PM on June 26, 2009


I grew up with Pans People. I distinctly remember the uncomfortable moments in the family living room when they went too far, as usual. I loved them. They are the original of a rare species.
posted by fcummins at 1:52 PM on June 26, 2009


I remember them being the only time my dad paid any attention to TOTP. Hills Angels never seemed to arouse his interest, but Pans People and Hot Gossip invariably converted him into an avid pop fan for the next three minutes.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:41 PM on June 26, 2009


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