# Minipops > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Minipops > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Minipops.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minipops > Source revision: 1315079194 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1983 British television series For other uses, see [Mini pops](/source/Mini_pops_(disambiguation)). This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (November 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Minipops Created by Martin Wyatt Country of origin United Kingdom Original language English No. of series 1 No. of episodes 6 Production Executive producer Mike Mansfield Running time 30 minutes (including adverts) Production company Mike Mansfield Enterprises Original release Network Channel 4 Release 8 February (1983-02-08) – 15 March 1983 (1983-03-15) ***Minipops*** was a television series broadcast in 1983 on [Channel 4](/source/Channel_4) in the United Kingdom. Designed primarily for younger viewers, it consisted of music performances from [preteen](/source/Preteen) children singing then-contemporary [pop music](/source/Pop_music) hits and older classics. The children were usually made to look like the original performers, including clothing and make-up. [Controversy](/source/Controversy) erupted over how appropriate the show's content was for children, as many of the selected songs contained sexual innuendo, and the young performers were made to wear adult costumes and make-up; this controversy led to the show's cancellation after one series.[1][2] ## History *Minipops* was the brainchild of Martin Wyatt, who created a new child group from [London](/source/London) called the MiniPops and released an album in 1982 which reached the top 30 in the UK and Europe. This resulted in a French record label releasing a single from the album, "[Stupid Cupid](/source/Stupid_Cupid)", which was sung by Martin Wyatt's young daughter [Jo](/source/Jo_Wyatt). The song reached number 1 in France, knocking "[Ebony and Ivory](/source/Ebony_and_Ivory)" off the top spot.[3] Cecil Korer, then head of entertainment at [Channel 4](/source/Channel_4), and record producer Mike Mansfield embraced the idea of producing a TV show around the MiniPops. Korer believed it would boost and broaden the group's audience appeal. On 4 July 1982, thousands of amateur child performers from across Britain descended on a London theatre for the audition in a search to find additional children to sing and star in the television show with the original five members of the group.[3] ## Criticism ### Contemporary The programme began attracting criticism from commentators in the [British media](/source/British_media) for the portrayal of children in this manner.[4] One especially controversial segment featured a five-year-old girl singing [Sheena Easton's](/source/Sheena_Easton) "[9 to 5](/source/9_to_5_(Sheena_Easton_song))", with the line "we make love" left intact.[5][2] Writing for [*The Observer*](/source/The_Observer), [Julian Barnes](/source/Julian_Barnes) said that *Minipops* was "certainly tasteless and appalling; the harder question is whether it's corrupt or corrupting", and went on to criticize the decision to put children in adult makeup and costumes.[6] A caller on Channel 4's *[Right to Reply](/source/Right_to_Reply)* programme stated, "*Minipops* should be called *MiniWhores*. Are you people out of your mind?"[3][7] There were also concerns about the psychological effects that such sexual content would have on the child performers.[6] An episode of the sketch show *[A Kick Up the Eighties](/source/A_Kick_Up_the_Eighties)* featured a parody of Minipops, with [Tracey Ullman](/source/Tracey_Ullman) singing as a young girl in skimpy clothing while three men in dark clothes leered at her, a moment critics called "damning".[8] ### Legacy *Minipops* is regarded as one of the [worst television programmes of all time](/source/List_of_television_shows_notable_for_negative_reception). In 2006, John Naughton of [*The Radio Times*](/source/Radio_Times) named it the second-worst British television show of all time.[9] In 2019, *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)* referred to it as an "all-round televisual tragedy".[10] Interviewed on *[TV Hell](/source/TV_Hell),* former Channel 4 commissioning editor Mike Bolland called it "a great miracle" that *Minipops* managed to last a series.[6] ## Discography Seven [albums](/source/Album) were produced and released in the UK, Europe and Canada. ### Albums Before the television show: - *The Mini Pops* (1982)[11] After the television show: - *We're the Mini Pops* (1983)[11] - *Christmas* (1984) - *Let's Dance* (1984) - *Wanna Have Fun* (1985) - *Magic Juke Box* (1986) - *Rocket to the Stars* (1989) In Canada *We're the Mini Pops* was successful, becoming the third-highest-selling album in Canada at the time. This prompted the Minipops to hold a three-week [tour](/source/Concert_tour) in 1983, enjoying controversy-free success.[3] A number of [singles](/source/Single_(music)) were released across Europe. ## See also - *[Kidz Bop](/source/Kidz_Bop)* ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Tury, Jord (20 December 2021). ["10 TV Pilots That Surprisingly Managed To Greenlight A Series"](https://collider.com/tv-pilots-surprisingly-greenlight-series/). *Collider*. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) Goodhart, Benjie (8 February 2023). ["'It wasn't designed for people with perverted minds': how kids' show Minipops scandalised Britain"](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/08/it-wasnt-designed-for-people-with-perverted-minds-how-kids-show-minipops-scandalised-britain). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 19 August 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ReferenceA_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ReferenceA_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ReferenceA_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-ReferenceA_3-3) *Whatever Happened to the Minipops?* (2005). Channel 4 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Westbrook, Caroline (27 June 2015). ["12 moments of extreme awkwardness from 80s TV"](https://metro.co.uk/2015/06/27/from-michael-fish-to-bobby-ewing-12-moments-of-extreme-awkwardness-from-80s-tv-5269333/). *Metro*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Gay teletubby to Rastamouse: top five children's TV controversies"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110219001943/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8324146/Gay-teletubby-to-Rastamouse-top-five-childrens-TV-controversies.html). *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)*. 15 February 2011. Archived from [the original](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8324146/Gay-teletubby-to-Rastamouse-top-five-childrens-TV-controversies.html) on 19 February 2011. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_6-2) Louis Heaton (director). "The Official History of Hell". *[TV Hell](/source/TV_Hell).* 31 August 1992. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Channel 4's legacy of controversy"](https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6726693.stm). 6 June 2007 – via news.bbc.co.uk. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Winterson Richards, John (14 August 2020). ["A Kick Up The Eighties"](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/a-kick-up-the-eighties). *Television Heaven*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Deans, Jason (21 August 2006). ["The 50 worst ever UK TV shows?"](https://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/aug/21/the50worsteveruktvshows). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Hogan, Michael (30 December 2019). ["Why the Noughties were the last golden age of truly terrible television"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019/12/30/noughties-last-golden-age-truly-terrible-television/). *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)*. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums_11-1) Roberts, David (2006). *British Hit Singles & Albums* (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 368. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-904994-10-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-904994-10-5). ## External links - Emma (22 August 2007). ["The MiniPops"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110203011347/http://blog.muchmusic.com/the-minipops/). MuchMusic.com. Archived from [the original](http://blog.muchmusic.com/the-minipops/) on 3 February 2011. - [Mini-Pops](https://www.discogs.com/artist/Mini-Pops) discography at [Discogs](/source/Discogs) - [*Whatever Happened to the Mini Pops?*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491236/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) This article relating to a television programme from the UK is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:UK-tv-prog-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AUK-tv-prog-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:UK-tv-prog-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Minipops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minipops) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minipops?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.