Paul MC

Hi all! .....Glad all of you that attended yesterday at TV Centre to see Coldplay perform on Top of the Pops managed to get in AND have a really good time! If any of you are interested in what went on in the same studio during the main recording block later that evening, I've written a full review which you can read here! http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=46396016#post46396016

Yes, an *awful lot* get turned away.... When they start to get near to the full studio capacity space, about 20/30 people are given a yellow "standby" sticker. This basically gets you into the Audience foyer (take out a second mortgage by the way for any food or drink - especially alcoholic ones - they are notoriously expensive!) but will mean that you will only get called to the studio if they can fit you in - so being on standby is nearly as bad (if not worse, as the disappointment is greater) as not getting in at all. I've not known many people make it to the studio on a yellow standby ticket.

..to be perfectly honest, I think that 11am *might* be cutting it a bit fine. Admission on site is from 12 midday - usually by 1 hour beforehand the queue has grown and grown..... **JUST A REMINDER ** To answer a question that is on the Oracle in more detail about "How many people will be allowed in?" - the answer is around 230 - depending upon which studio they use - some are smaller than others. Last years Christmas TOTP was recording in Studio 8 - which is farily small and the max audience for this was 230. The BBC will have OVER TICKETED by ALOT! Last years main Christmas show was OVER ticketed by ..... 570 !!!!! So, if you get there late on, you could be unlucky. I am attending the evening main recording of Christmas TOTP - doors open for this from 6.10pm. I have arranged a parking space at TV Centre for ....2pm. This gives you an idea. I am not saying you need to get there 4 hours before - but - be as early as you can - as - there is nothing worse than standing in a queue, for ages and ages, only to be turned away once they've reached the maximum studo limit - it's happened once to me. Never again! So, I would say around 10ish would be a sensible time......

Well, I've queued up for LOADS of editions of 'Top of the Pops' at BBC TV Centre (most recently last Christmas!) and I think you should be ok, providing you can get someone to kind of "save your place" - the BBC won't come along and check anyones tickets until nearer the door opening times, so it just really depends on whether someone around you will mind keeping your place. As far as I know, there are no specific rules regarding this...(not for BBC in house productions anyhow) I shall probably see alot of you here coming out of the Coldplay recording, as I've managed to secure a couple of tickets for the main evening recording of the rest of 'Top of the Pops' (for Christmas Day still) - so I'll be queuing when you all come out! Hope it's not toooo cold tomorrow !!!

They will probably record it twice or maybe three times at the most - whilst the 'studio' experience may last an hour, the actual time the band will be on stage will be quite short. They usually record it once - then stop - and then re-record and mix in the best shots from both performances together.

I might just be..... ;)

Cheers! Very, very rarely do you get to meet them afterwards- they used to years ago (which is how I got to meet alot of them) but in recent years I would say absolutely no - don't go expecting it, because you'll find as soon as they finish the BBC will usher you out quick as anything!!!!! (Well, that's usually the case anyway!!!) Don't go expecting to take any piccy's either. I have sneaked the odd pictures out on my mobile (apart from the recent 2009 Comic Relief edition where you could take photo's galore!!! I've got them all on my Facebook page!!!) but if you're "caught" doing this, they're very strict and threaten to ask you to leave, so beware!!!!!

You're welcome! :)

No worries! And yes, that performance you've linked to was the very one that I was present at! I remember it really well! (I'll gloss over the fact that "Big Fun" were the first act on that very edition!!!!!!)

No! And to answer a couple of other earlier questions: No, the name on the ticket doesn't matter - the ONLY time it does matter is if you look under 16 years of age. They are quite strict on this and will require ID - but, providing you look old enough, you don't get quizzed on names on tickets etc... I am not sure how many tickets they will have dished out but the studio will only hold around 250 max (depending on what studio they use) so you can be certain they'll have dished out at least double this amount of tickets if not more. You'd be surpised at how many people don't actually use them!

Thanks for your kind words - I really hope I can get hold of the main show tickets somehow, as I say, it would be my 50th show in 22 years if I could get them! I've always loved TOTP - from an early age, so it was my "dream" if you like to be on the show. My first show was April 1988, which featured the Pet Shop Boys and Bananarama!!!! I was at the show the week after the infamous All About Eve's Marthas Harbour performance! I was present at the Stone Roses first TOTP appearance in 1989 (November I believe from memory) - I can remember being totally un-impressed with them (not knowing who they were at all!!!) - how things change!!!! I'm often in the links - in fact my work mates always rib me that Christmas just isn't Christmas until they see me on Top of the pops!!!! Yes, I know I've critised the sound quality in the studio - but this never ever put me off going - it was all the "magic" of going and seeing up close the stars and music legends that you just couldn't see that close anywhere else. I've been fortunate enough to actually meet (via TOTP) Kylie, Tina Turner, Bee Gee's, Pet Shop Boys and Elton John to name but a few! When I went to the final weekly TOTP broadcast in July 2006 the BBC even paid for a taxi home for me as I did the 10 o'clock news live in the studio for an interview about my time on the programme, as I am told that I hold some sort of record! I even got a BBC webpage written - check if out if you like!!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5103032.stm Cheers Paul

10.30 would probably be ok..... but don't leave it any later. Trust me. What happens is this: You stand outside the BBC TV Centre and your tickets are checked by some-one going along the line. You then around 12 midday go in (sometimes it's later than they say though!) and go through an airport type scanner (so you have to hand in any bags/metal objects to be scanned) - you are then given a sticker with a number on it (stuck to your email ticket) - this will be the order that you are called into the studio. However, providing you get into BBC TV Centre ok, the number on the ticket, for a show like TOTP is irrelevant. You'll be walked over to the studio whereby you'll go "wow this is SMALL" (honestly you will!!) and then you'll be asked to dance and clap away to some tracks played by a warm up guy called Danny - who'll just run through fire exits etc..... As for the front row - well, TOTP has usually about 3 stages - and the one you'll firstly congregate round to see the warm up guy won't necessarily be the stage they'll use - so it's a bit of pushing and shoving if you want to be up the front. Therefore if you are at the back of the warm up guys stage - Coldplay might be performing on the stage opposite - so you could be first up the front if this is the case and you "run over" when you see things starting to happen !!!! As I say, you'll be disappointed (probably) at the sound. I've seen MANY TOTP performances (live ones as well) and the sound always sounds distorted - something that they never seem to get right! Hope this helps!

I'll honestly bear that in mind, I promise - if I can't swap them, don't know for sure yet if I will go.... my dilemma is: Whilst I am not a huge Coldplay fan (SORRY GUYS, don't mean any offense!!!) I am a huge TOTP fan - as I mentioned earlier, I've done 49 editions over the past 22 years, so I am torn as to whether I should go or not... I didn't actually request these Coldplay ones, but I guess they (the BBC) sent them as a kind of replacement for the main Christmas show that I wanted but didn't get... If I don't go or manage to swap them, of course I'll happily let someone like you have them..... BTW, just reading some earlier posts on the recording process etc..... here is an advance warning - YOU NEED TO GET THERE EARLY! To give you some idea why, please let me explain: Although I am not sure of the exact numbers for this year, last years main Christmas Day edition of TOTP (that I went to!) could only hold 230 people in Studio 8 at TV Centre where it was recorded. HERE's the reason you NEED to arrive early - last year, despite the studio only holding 230 people, the BBC issued nearly 800 tickets!!!!! Their thinking is, is that not everyone uses them so they always over-ticket - but last years over-ticketing was ridiculous - there were several hundred in the queue behind me that of course, didn't get in. So when it says admission on site from 12 noon, you need to ensure you are there about 9.30ish I would suggest. Honestly, take it from me - and someone that queued up one year after making a long journey only to be turned away - the earlier the better....... You'll find that the sound in the studio is, I'm afraid pretty poor - whether it be live or mimed/backing track - it always (to me) sounds very distorted and poor. That's just the BBC TV Centre Studio sound for you.... and - you'll get in there and everything (the set) will look tatty (!!!!) and VERY SMALL !!!!!!!!! If I can help with any other questions about the recording, let me know....

Hi all I've got 2 x tickets for Coldplay's TOTP session at BBC TV Centre on 08 December.... Strangely I didn't apply for these (!) but applied for the main TOTP Evening Christmas Show - which I didn't get... I know this is a long shot, but is there any Coldplay fans out there that know of any evening TOTP tickets (x2) that I could swap for these Coldplay ones? Unfortunately, for me, it's rather a long way to travel just for one performance...... Cheers BTW guys, I've done 49 editions of Top of the Pops (audience) from 1988 up until the Christmas edition last year, so if you've got any questions about the recording or how it all works, I can probably answer them for you.....