Chart Music #77: December 27th 1971: Six Tins Of Bachelors Peas

About this episode

The episode explores the music and pop culture of December 27th, 1971, with a focus on Tony Blackburn's role and the festive atmosphere of the time.

The latest episode of the podcast which asks; Tango or Telstar? Yes, it’s that time of the year, Pop-Crazed Youngsters – we decide to do a Christmas episode, and then Christmas happens and gets in the way of everything, the bastard. Luckily, this episode – from Boxing Day – comes from a time when they did the festivities properly and didn’t hang it out like we do, so there’s very little in the way of tinsel and fake snow and turkey carcasses (and yes, it  is  Boxing Day, they did things differently then, don’t @ us). It’s from 1971, the Year Zero of the post-Beatle world, where a void suddenly opens and is immediately filled with an array of Sixties sorts who never got a look-in before and are making their grab for the big brass ring of Pop stardom.  Tony Blackburn – the host of the Daily Mirror Hot Pants Ball himself – is at the controls in his belted-off cardie, and it’s safe to say that 1971 is his most Blackburny year ever. We take you through it, from the highs of debating the merits of wank mags with Lord Longford and having his own board game to the lows of having his photo ripped up by Bristol Prog bands and being stalked by the Heavy Music Brigade…

People in this episode

Host: Tony Blackburn

Topics covered

• Christmas episode
• 1971 music history
• Pop culture
• Glam rock
• Tony Blackburn

Keywords

• Christmas
• 1971
• Tony Blackburn
• Marc Bolan
• Glam rock
• Pop music
• Boxing Day

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Daily Mirror, FC Barcelona

Books & works: Hot Pants Ball

More episodes of Chart Music: the Top Of The Pops Podcast

• Chart Music #78- February 16th 1978: Paint Along With Nancy Spungen · May 7, 2026 · 5h 46m
• #78 (Pt 4): 16.2.78 – Paint Along With Nancy Spungeon · May 6, 2026 · 1h 31m
• #78 (Pt 3): 16.2.78 – Paint Along With Nancy Spungeon · May 5, 2026 · 1h 20m
• #78 (Pt 2): 16.2.78 – Paint Along With Nancy Spungeon · May 4, 2026 · 1h 34m
• #78 (Pt 1): 16.2.78 – Paint Along With Nancy Spungeon · May 3, 2026 · 1h 34m
• #77 (Pt 4): 27.12.71 – Six Tins Of Batchelors Peas · January 23, 2026 · 1h 35m