TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 - 1999

Despite only being a local delicacy ATV's Tiswas had got the attention of other programme makers, not just at ITV, but also the BBC. Edward Barnes, Deputy Head of the BBC's Children's Programmes in the mid-seventies told BBC4's retrospective Children's TV On Trial "I had to go and see the Controller on a routine meeting as acting head, and it was Brian Cargill, and he said 'You're doing already in the week but you're not doing that well on Saturday mornings are you?' so I said no we're aren't doing that well on Saturday mornings and the reason is that there's isn't money on Saturday mornings at all and he said 'you come up with an idea and I'll find the money'."

Devised by Rosemary Gill from the Blue Peter production team and hosted by Noel Edmonds, who was also pulling his weekday breakfast shift at Radio One. Edmonds had a previous attempt at the children television show format with the Wednesday tea-time show Z Shed.

Broadcast on Saturday mornings from 9.15 to approximately 12.15 the principle idea was for kids to phone in and offer swaps with others kids from around the country. But despite Edmonds later claiming that it was "literally pioneering" it was an idea that had already been used by Southern TV in the late fifties with their show Swap Shop and by Capital Radio in London in 1974 with their show Swap Shop.

Given an initial six week run it had one aim, to go head to head with the ever growing success of ATV s anarchic Tiswas, which was broadcast in a similar time-slot, however, the all too familiar Blue Peter approach got in the way. While Tiswas attacked the senses and kept the audience on the edge, Swap Shop barely kept them awake.

Outside broadcasts featuring outdoor swap meets 'Swaporama' were handled by actor Keith Chegwin (aka Cheggars), while the host was joined in the studio by Maggie Philbin and Newsround s John Craven, the show's mascot was a dinosaur, Posh Paws (an anagram of Swap Shop).

Several bank holiday specials Swap of the Pops featured repeats of the music acts appearing live in the studio.

Despite its unpopularity with most children, everyone knew the phone number was 01 811 8055. Every week promo clips were shown, while a guest pop star would mime to a couple of songs and be questioned by children over the phone.

Despite being a children's show, no children were actually seen in the studio, unlike Tiswas where they were the co-stars. The show was due to last six weeks, but ended up lasting six years, giving way to the similar Saturday Superstore when Edmonds left to host an early evening show.

MULTI-COLOURED SWAP SHOP

BBC1

2nd October 1976 - 27th March 1982