Switch on the TV we may pick him up on BBC two…
Ziggymania has gripped the UK again today with media coverage of tonight’s airing of The Jean Genie which will be the first time in almost 39 years it has been seen on TV.
The footage will be broadcast as part of a 90-minute TOTP2 Christmas special on BBC Two at 19:30pm in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and in Scotland at 20:00pm, presented by Mark Radcliffe.
Nobody seems to have noticed this, but it’s also exactly 39 years to the week that the song first entered the official UK top 20 singles chart, going on to become Bowie’s biggest hit at that point when it eventually peaked at #2.
Ahead of TOTP, BBC News at Six on BBC One, 18:00–18:30, are scheduled to show an item about the find, including a clip of the footage interviews with John Henshall and Mark Radcliffe.
Media coverage has been frantic today with these radio items…Radio 5 Live Breakfast – Interview with John Henshall…Radio 2 Breakfast – Item on 8am news during Chris Evans Breakfast Show…BBC 6 Music – Music News item…with some great recollections from Mark Radcliffe during his afternoon show.
There was also printed coverage today in the Daily Mirror (see above, with a quotation from an excitable fan, one Mark Adams, who described the archive footage as “the holy grail” of Bowie performances), METRO (see below) The Sun and The Daily Star.
The world-wide-interweb-super-information-highway-net erupted with related stories this morning, too numerous to mention here…but easy to find online if you’re so inclined.
See these related BowieNet news stories dating back to July if you haven’t been following this incredible story of serendipity and how the diligence of John Henshall gave the world the opportunity to see this remarkable live footage once again.
07.04.2011 NEWS: THE QUEST FOR A COLOUR SHOT OF THE JEAN GENIE ON TOTP & 11.28.2011 NEWS: THE JEAN GENIE ON TOTP FROM RUMOUR TO REALITY & 12.02.2011 NEWS: BFI SHOWING FULL JEAN GENIE TOTP PERFORMANCE AT NFT & 12.06.2011 NEWS: HOW A FISHEYE DEFEATED THE BBC’S TOTP TAPE WIPERS & 12.12.2011 NEWS: LAST NIGHT AT THE NFT PLUS MORE EXCLUSIVE TOTP STILLS
UPDATE: If you missed TOTP2 Christmas 2011 it’s already available on the BBC iPlayer right up until 11:54PM Sat, 31 Dec 2011…which I make six minutes before 2012.
ANOTHER UPDATE: For those of you that can’t access the BBC iPlayer, you can at least get a taste from the BBC news item I mentioned above, here. I believe this is viewable around the globe.
YET ANOTHER BLEEDIN’ UPDATE: I have a feeling that YouTube user, allenkooks, may have been a bit naughty by uploading this video for everybody on Earth to see. I’m just warning you in case you accidentally follow this link and get in a right load of bother. What’s the world coming to, eh?