Top of the Pops tapes resurface after 50 years

Lost tapes of \'Top of the Pops\' performances from stars like Elvis Presley have resurfaced after 50 years.

The tapes - which also feature performances from the likes of Status Quo, Sir Elton John and Sir Rod Stewart - were binned by the BBC in the 70s, when the broadcaster had a policy of recording over old film in order to save money.

However, a \'Top of the Pops\' fan in Wales recorded the show religiously during that era using a Sony CV-2000 tape machine.

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The fan subsequently sold the tapes to a firm that specialised in the transfer of old recordings and Omega Auctions in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, is now set to auction the performances.

A spokesman for Omega Auctions explained to MailOnline: "The tapes are now owned by an archive which specialises in the transfer and restoration of old recordings both visual and audio.

"They acquired the tapes and have gone to great lengths to transfer them to digital.

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"The winning bidder will receive the tapes plus a digital DVD back-up of the tapes.

"There is a big market for \'Top of the Pops\' recordings as it was such an important programme in its day. There are also collectors of specific artists that would have appeared on the show such as Slade and TRex."

The auction will be staged on September 8 and the tapes will be sold without copyright, meaning they won\'t be allowed to be reproduced.

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Meanwhile, Stanley Appel - who produced \'Top of the Pops\' in the 90s - previously questioned the decision to axe the long-running music show.

Stanley said: "I don\'t know if it was the right decision to end the show in 2006 after 42 years. It\'s sad that there\'s so little pop on TV today.

"On a Thursday night, \'Top of the Pops\' night, I still get that tingle."