TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

A truly awful style, arts and music-based chat show hosted by Steve Taylor, live from the Albany in Deptford, South London with guest co-hosts including Private Eye's Ian Hislop.

A selection of uninteresting and un-interested pop stars turned up to plug their new discs, but the regular host didn't know what to do to make anyone say anything interesting, while Hislop got lumbered with mumbling imbeciles. He would later choose his encounter with Tom Waits on the show as a candidate for entry into Room 101. The only other notable appearance would be actor Peter Capaldi introducing singer Sade Adu for the first time on TV.

After a woeful piece of programme planning which saw the show go out live at tea time the decision was made to move it to a late night slot, where less damage to Channel Four’s credibility would be obvious. However, the show hid the talents of one backroom boy, it’s researcher Jonathan Ross who was to take British television into it’s next phase with his own chat show in 1987.

Chart stars like Aztec Camera, Difford & Tilbrook, Elvis Costello, Howard Jones and others appeared, but it wasn’t enough to rescue it.

The show appeared to be performed rather than just merely presented, with interviewers drying up and looking stupid, while the interviewees evaded giving sensible answers, as was the norm at the time. A disaster which ran for two series.

LOOSE TALK

C4 / RPM Productions

11th April 1983 - 8th November 1983