Madonna and Nirvana both became massive in the UK after Top Of The Pops performances, although I suspect they probably would have done even if they had not gone anywhere near the BEEB.

Madonna had already had several hits when the title track of her second album was released. Quite why she chose to turn up wearing a god-awful outfit -and a pink wig that even Lady Gaga might have passed on remains a mystery. Her record company boss reportedly rushed down to the studio to plead with her not to appear with it, but she did, anyway…

Meanwhile, Nirvana might have been committing career suicide, what with singing an octave lower and changing the words to the charmingly moral-majority baiting ‘load up on drugs and kill your friends.’ I have to confess when I saw this the night it went out I didn’t know the tune that well, so it bypassed me. But in time, this, like the Madona appearance, showed that bizarre appearances may also make acts, as well as break them.