RANKED BBC: As the Beeb celebrates its centenary, we take a look at its most memorable pop moments, from the birth of grime to the first sightings of Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, plus TOTP goes Madchester and countless classic Peel sessions

GUARDIAN MUSIC:

100. Vic Reeves and the Wonder Stuff – Dizzy (Top of the Pops, 1991)

There’s a reason that Vic Reeves’s attempt to recreate the video for his cover of Tommy Roe’s 1969’s hit – complete with yellow tartan suits, washing machines and Bob Mortimer scampering between Reeves’s legs – was so shambolic: they had been drinking tequila all day, waiting for Tori Amos to turn up. Rich Pelley

99. The Stone Roses/Happy Mondays (TOTP, 1989)

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/k4H4ztXsPrc?wmode=opaque&feature=oembedThe Stone Roses: Fools Gold – video

Although both acts were firmly established in indie circles by 89, having Madchester’s finest both performing Top 30 entries on the same episode of TOTP felt like a changing of the guard: the Roses were up first with a truncated Fools Gold, segueing into Mondays plus Kirsty MacColl for Hallelujah. All mimed of course – and perhaps for the best. Steve Hill

98. Lou Reed and Metallica – Iced Honey (Later With Jools Holland, 2011)

This divisive collaboration was Reed’s final project. The frailty of his voice – not always nailing the tune or tempo – contrasted with the giddy energy of Metallica, who were clearly relishing liberation from the expectations of their day job. It may not be not pretty, but it’s oddly sublime. JR Moores

97. Manic Street Preachers – Faster (TOTP, 1994)

The Manics drew more than 25,000 complaints for this fiery performance: frontman James Dean Bradfield appeared in a balaclava displaying his name, which viewers mistook for support of the IRA. The Welshmen weren’t obvious bedfellows for TOTP, but nihilism had never sounded so anthemic. Chris Lord

96. Robyn – Missing U (Later, 2018)

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xEancC0Y26s?wmode=opaque&feature=oembedRobyn: Missing U – video

Each of Robyn’s three Honey-era Later performances featured a moment. Towards the end of Missing U, she finally stared down the camera, having avoided eye contact for fear of emotional collapse, while during Honey she did away with the mic stand to make room for supple dance moves. With Every Heartbeat, meanwhile, peaked when she punctured the highwire emotional blood-letting with a cheeky wink. Michael Cragg

Phoebe Bridgers photographed on a golf course

95. Arlo Parks and Phoebe Bridgers – Fake Plastic Trees (Radio 1 Piano session, 2020)

Parks and Bridgers, both at the top of their pandemic-zeitgeist game, created introverted magic with this 2020 union. Delicate and unfussy, the duo stripped the Radiohead classic back to bones as bare as the ones that adorn Bridgers’ skeleton outfit, adding subtle gravity through Parks’ murmured harmonies. Jenessa Williams

94. The Futureheads – Hounds of Love (Radio 1 Live Lounge, 2003)

Some Live Lounge covers can be too winking, overly relying on the novelty of hearing a familiar song in a new style. But what made the Futureheads’ take on Hounds of Love an instant classic was their palpable commitment to the spirit of Bush’s original. They reimagined her characteristically theatrical take on the trepidation of falling in love, singer Ross Millard plaintive and plausible as an anxious indie boy afraid of expressing his feelings. It would take an exceptionally poor cover to diminish this song’s poignancy, but equally, it takes a great one to cast it as something new. Elle Hunt