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TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

Dave Fanning makes a return to British TV in another Whistle Test look alike, this time broadcast from the National Ballroom, Kilburn and Tuffnall Park dome both in London. Comic Craig Ferguson joins him as co-presenter.


It was the same mix of live sets, music news and reports on forthcoming albums made so familiar from previous attempts. The obvious question would be if those shows hadn't worked before what's so different about this one? The even more obvious answer is 'nothing.' But at least it was re-commissioned, but since both series together account for only fourteen shows which would be less than one series of Whistle Test it couldn't have made much of an impact.


As with many of these shows from the 80s and 90s controversy seems to be its only memorable feature and on the 31st May 1991 show Lenny Kravitz attempts to sing It Ain't Over Till It's Over, but his singing voice fails, says "fuck it", leaving Virgin Records' boss Richard Branson to apologise live on air.


To be fair maybe these shows were victim to a somewhat less than dynamic time for music in general. However, rap and rave were not featured in any of these shows, so maybe the fault lies with the producers for only looking at the album charts.




FRIDAY AT THE DOME

C4 3rd May 1991 - 21st June 1991

RETURN TO THE DOME

C4 14th January 1992 - 3rd March 1992