Word Up! Black American Pop at the BBC
00.15, BBC2
An entertaining compilation of glossy overdressed and overproduced eighties pop from the likes of Cameo, Salt n Pepa and the Timex Social Club, plus a fantastic clip of Prince Charles and the City Beat from, we think, Ebony, where thanks to the band’s ludicrous outfits, dynamic stage presence and the director’s over-enthusiasm for the visual effects, they seem to be trying to invent 3D television on the spot.
It’s sad to see how the BBC’s practice went on to differ from its policies on multiculturalism. It seemed to think that it was satisfying calls for representation of the types of culture black people wanted by forming Radio 1Xtra to play rap. Then, when they fired Mark Lamarr – who would go to Jamaica for new and classic reggae – from Radio 2, the station lost about half of its non-chart music performed by black people.