Hot Gossip

Hot Gossip
Hot Gossip
	1977 publicity photo
Background information
Years active	1974–1986
Labels	Ariola Hansa; Atlantic; Dindisc; DJM Records; Fanfare Records;
Spinoffs	Sponooch

Hot Gossip (1974–1986) was a British television dance troupe and recording group.

Formation

Arlene Phillips moved to London to teach American jazz dance routines, working at Pineapple Dance Studios and the Italia Conti Stage School. In 1974, Phillips started forming the core of a troupe; Italia Conti student actress Lesley Manville turned her down.^[1] Hot Gossip spent two years performing in Munkberry's club in Jermyn Street, London W1, where Phillips and manager/producers Michael Summerton and Iain Burton developed the group's act. Phillips, Summerton and Burton continued to work together for eight years.

Career

The Kenny Everett Video Show

British television director David Mallet invited Phillips to make Hot Gossip a regular feature of The Kenny Everett Video Show (Thames Television,1978–1981). Dancers in this version of Hot Gossip included:^{[citation needed]}

males: Mark Tyme, Roy Gale, Floyd Pearce
females: Dominique Wood, Donna Fielding, Carol Fletcher, Perri Lister, Lyndsey Ward, Sarah Brightman, Lorraine Whitmarsh

Everett moved to the BBC for The Kenny Everett Television Show (1981–1988), which featured Hot Gossip only in Season 4 (1986).

Recordings

In 1978, during their initial impact period on The Kenny Everett Video Show, Hot Gossip, featuring Sarah Brightman on lead vocals, recorded "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper",^[2] a disco song written by Jeff Calvert and Geraint Hughes. The song reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In 1981, the group recorded a cover version of Suzanne Fellini's "Love on the Phone", and the same year released the synth-pop album Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, produced by former Human League and then current Heaven 17/BEF member Martyn Ware.^[4]

The Very Hot Gossip Show

Produced by Burton and Telecast for Channel 4 in 1982, this one-hour special was one of the highest rated shows for Channel 4 that year.^{[citation needed]}

Film appearance

The group appeared in the film The Golden Lady (1979).

Style

Hot Gossip were noted for the risqué nature of their costumes and dance routines, designed and choreographed by Phillips, especially considering the early evening timeslot for The Kenny Everett Video Show. The male dancers were handsome and black and the female members were attractive and white.

Sponooch

In late 1979 Mark Tyme, Dom Wood, Lorraine Whitmarsh, Carol Fletcher, Lyndsey Ward, Donna Fielding and Lee Black left Hot Gossip to form Sponooch, which was featured in the BBC TV shows Friday Night Saturday Morning (1979) and Dancing Girls (6 January 1982). They signed to EMI and released two singles, "Crime Buster" and "Lady Dracula".^[5]

List of Hot Gossip members

Amanda Abbs
Heather Alexander
Debbie Ash
Debbie Astell
Dee Thomas
Bunty Bailey
Elvis Baptiste
Lee Black
Richard Bodkin
Sarah Brightman
Bonnie Bryg
Kathy Burke ††
Lindsay Cole
Titian Deakin
Lorraine Doyle
Annie Dunkley
Penni Dunlop
Sandy Easby
Mark Elie
Yvonne Evans (Voyd)
Donna Fielding
Carol Fletcher
Alan Forgie
Debbie Fox
Judey Ford
Julia Gale
Roy Gayle
Donnette Goddard
Heavon Grant
Virginia Hartley
Alison Hierlehy
Nicky Hinkley
Laura James
Lavinia Lang (Hudson)
Kim Leeson
Perri Lister
Richard Lloyd King
Madeleine Loftin
Erin Lordan
Barry Martin
Jayne Melville
Sarah Miles †
Johanna Kate Morley
Jane Colthorpe
Trudy Pack
Floid Pearce
Tristan Rafael
Sinitta Renet
Heather Robbins
Wanda Rokicki
Heather Seymour
Sonia Talbot
Bruno Tonioli
Mark Tyme
Lyndsey Ward
Susie Waring
Lorraine Whitmarsh
Chrissy Wickham
David Wilkins
Phillipa Williams
Frances Wingate
Dominique Wood
Penny Kendell
Michelle Gail Fellows
Libby Rose
Cherry B

† Not to be confused with the actress of the same name

†† Not to be confused with the actress of the same name

References

^ Nick Curtis (6 January 2010). "Lesley Manville's six degrees of success". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
^ Craig, Olga (29 November 2008), "Sarah Brightman's hot gossip days are over", The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 3 December 2008, retrieved 4 May 2010
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 78. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "Arlene Phillips' Hot Gossip – Geisha Boys And Temple Girls". Discogs. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
^ "Searching for "Sponooch" on Discogs". discogs. Retrieved 26 July 2014.

External links

Hot Gossip discography on Discogs
Hot Gossip at IMDb

[Standard23791544-1] Nick Curtis (6 January 2010). "Lesley Manville's six degrees of success". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2017.

[craig1-2] Craig, Olga (29 November 2008), "Sarah Brightman's hot gossip days are over", The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 3 December 2008, retrieved 4 May 2010

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-3] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 78. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[4] "Arlene Phillips' Hot Gossip – Geisha Boys And Temple Girls". Discogs. Retrieved 30 June 2024.

[5] "Searching for "Sponooch" on Discogs". discogs. Retrieved 26 July 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]