Top of the Pops

Filmed: Sunday 10 December 1978

Location: Location:

Broadcast: Monday 25 December 1978, BBC1, UK

Release status: This programme has not been included on any officially released video or DVD

Duration: 20 seconds

Shown in: UK

Additional information

Top of the Pops was the longest running weekly, music chart show featuring videos and performances on BBC1, UK which ran for over 42 years from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006 and featured around 2,000 episodes in total. The show saw many changes through the decades, in style, design, fashion and taste. Due to the BBC's former policy of deleting old programmes, the vast majority of the episodes from the first ten years of the programme's history have been lost. Of the first 500 episodes (1964–73) only about 20 complete recordings remain in the BBC archives. That's why only four of the seven ABBA studio performances exist in their full-length episodes). The 1976 Mamma Mia performance exists only in a Christmas retrospective episode; So Long from 1974 has been found thanks to the help of ABBA fans c/o this ABBA on TV website but it is feared the performance of SOS from 1975 is wiped forever.

ABBA recorded a Christmas greeting to DJ and presenter Noel Edmonds on this review episode of 1978.

After one rehearsal they went into a spot-on choral, "Happy New Year" which was recorded at the same time they recorded the majority of The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show.

The running order of the show:

  1. Darts - Boy From New York City
  2. Boney M - Rasputin
  3. John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - Summer Nights
  4. Wings - Mull Of Kintyre (VIDEO)
  5. Brotherhood Of Man - Figaro
  6. Father Abraham & The Smurfs - The Smurf Song (VIDEO)
  7. The Bee Gees - Night Fever (scene from Saturday Night Fever)
  8. Brian & Michael - Matchstick Men & Matchstick Cats & Dogs
  9. The Brighouse & Rastick Brass Band - The Floral Dance
  10. Happy Christmas message from ABBA
  11. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights (PROMO)
  12. Showaddywaddy - I Wonder Why
  13. Boney M - Rivers Of Babylon
  14. Commodores - Three Times A Lady ( Legs & Co. )
  15. ABBA - Take A Chance On Me (PROMO)
  16. Rose Royce - Love Don't Love Here Anymore (VIDEO)
  17. Happy New Year from Olivia Newton John
  18. John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - You're The One That I Want (scene from "Grease")
  19. Boney M - Mary’s Boy Child

This was Boney M's big year - with three huge hits making it onto this 1978 highlights programme.

This clip was also broadcast in the programme Top of the Pops - The Story of 1978, 21:00 on Friday 4 January 2013 on BBC4, UK; repeated 22:55 on Sunday 6 January 2013 and again on Thursday 24 December 2015, 22:00-23:00, BBC4, UK.