Top of the Pops - 16/03/1989 - 8:35 pm Friday, March 13 on BBC Four

Simon Mayo (Presenter)

Born: September 21, 1958 in Southgate, London

Best Known For: His five years presenting the Radio One Breakfast Show

Early-life: Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo was born on 21 September, 1958, in Southgate, London. After graduating from the University of Warwick, where he ran the radio station, he spent some time honing his skills at Southlands Hospital Radio, worked for four years as a presenter with BBC Radio Nottingham, before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1986, presenting a two hour Saturday evening show.

Career: In October 1987 he progressed to the weekend early slots from 6-8am and then became presenter of the weekday evening show in January 1988, which went out from 7.30pm. Five months later he was offered the Radio 1 breakfast show, regarded as the most prestigious presentation job in UK radio. Mayo spent five years in the job. In May 2001, after 15 years with Radio 1, Mayo joined Radio Five Live to present an afternoon programme. On TV he presented the first and second series of BBC show Winning Lines as part of the corporation's National Lottery output; he also hosted a TV version of his radio feature 'Confessions'.

Quote: 'One of the reasons I'm not going to do a DLT is that I've nothing to complain about at all - though as I'll still be employed by the BBC it'd be a stupid thing to do.'

Sybil Ruscoe (Presenter)

Rod McKenzie (Presenter)

New Order (Performer)

Gloria Estefan (Performer)

Born: September 01, 1957 in Havana, Cuba

Best Known For: Hits with the Miami Sound Machine.

Early-life: She was born Gloria Fajordo in Havana in 1957, and her family fled to Miami when she was two years old to escape Fidel Castro's government. Her father later returned to Cuba as part of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, where he was captured and imprisoned for two years. He later developed mulitple sclerosis, and the young Gloria helped to nurse him. Before deciding on a career in music, she studied psychology, and graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in the subject in 1978.

Career: In 1975, Emilio Estefan heard her singing at a friend's wedding, and asked her to join his band, which became known as the Miami Sound Machine. The group released several albums in Spanish, before recording in English in 1984. They soon scored huge crossover hits with songs like Dr Beat and Conga. In 1989, the singer went solo, but still had the Miami Sound Machine as her backing group. The following year, she was seriously injured in a road accident - she required 400 stitches and titanium rods had to be inserted in her broken back. Luckily, she made a remarkable recovery and was performing again 12 months later.

Quote: 'I don't like being the centre of attention and I ended up in a business where you become that.'

Trivia: Away from music, she has penned two successul children's books.

Chanelle (Performer)

Fuzzbox (Performer)

Madonna (Performer)

Born: August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan

Best Known For: Being the most successful female recording artist of the 20th century.

Early-life: Born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone in Michigan, USA, on August 16, 1958. Her mother died of breast cancer when Madonna was five. With her seven siblings she was then sent to live with various relatives until her father remarried. A new family unit was formed, and Madonna was given a great deal of responsibility, spending most of her adolescence caring for her brothers and sisters. After attending the University of Michigan, she left for New York to begin studying under acclaimed choreographer Alvin Ailey.

Career: Madonna was signed to Sire in 1982 as a solo performer and her eponymous debut album was released in 1983. The bubbly hit Holiday became her first top 40 single, followed by Borderline, which hit the top 10. A string of film roles followed in Desperately Seeking Susan, Dick Tracy, Body of Evidence, A League of Their Own, and a cameo appearance in Die Another Day. She also landed the coveted role of Evita, winning a Golden Globe for her performance. In her musical career, Madonna has won numerous awards with her multi-million-selling records. In 2003 she published her first children's book, The English Roses. She continues to tour and release albums.

Quote: 'A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want.'

Trivia: Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.

Soul II Soul with Caron Wheeler (Performer)

Jason Donovan (Performer)

Born: June 01, 1968 in Melbourne, Australia

Best Known For: Playing Scott Robinson in Neighbours.

Early-life: Jason Sean Donovan was born in Melbourne, Australia, on June 1, 1968, to actor Terence Donovan and newsreader Sue McIntosh. They split when Jason was a child; he was raised by his father, and as a result spent much of his childhood on TV sets. Jason made his TV debut at the age of 11 in the drama Skyways, which led to parts in shows such as Home and Golden Pennies. His half-sister, Stephanie McIntosh, played Sky Mangel in Neighbours from 2003 to 2007.

Career: Donovan got his big break when he replaced actor Darius Perkins as Scott Robinson in Neighbours in 1986. His three-year stint in the soap gained him international stardom and helped launch a music career. He starred on stage in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Rocky Horror Show, but his star waned during the 1990s. He took part in the 2006 series of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! It gave his profile a huge boost and landed him a role on ITV's soap Echo Beach. More recently, he has continued to appear in stage productions, traced his family roots on Who Do You Think You Are? and in 2011 took part in the ninth series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: 'I'm older, weathered. But the lines have made me a more interesting person.'

Trivia: He's written an autobiography and returned to the stage in various musical productions.

Guns N' Roses (Performer)

Paul Ciani (Producer)

Top of the Pops: 16/03/1989

8:35 pm - 9:05 pm, Friday, March 13 on BBC Four (9)

About this Broadcast

16/03/1989
Season 1989, Episode 1

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