Top of the Pops - Episode 298 (9th October 1969) - Missing Episode Reconstructed

At 7.05pm on Thursday, 9th October 1969, the BBC broadcast Episode 298 of Top of the Pops, presented by 44 year-old Radio 1 disc jockey, Pete Murray.

The episode was wiped not long afterwards, but thankfully an audio recording exists, recorded by a viewer on quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape.

Although some of the songs would have used the original sound recordings, many feature the Top of the Pops orchestra, directed by Johnny Pearson, as backing.

The number one record this week was "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, a song banned in several countries due to its overtly sexual content. Top of the Pops did include a short instrumental version at the start of the show over the chart countdown, but they ended the show with the Number 2 record.

This was the first, but not the last time, that the number one record would be skipped on Top of the Pops. A similar fate befell Frankie Goes to Hollywood with their number one single, "Relax".

This reconstructed episode allows you to once again enjoy the hits from this week, 55 years ago. How many of these songs do you remember?

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