http://www.nme.co.uk/news/113294.htm
MAGIC NUMBERS WALK OUT ON TOTP
THE MAGIC NUMBERS walked out on their debut appearance on
TOP OF THE POPS - claiming one of the presenters made “derogatory, unfunny remarks”.
The band decided not to perform on the show after becoming angered by alleged comments by guest presenter
Richard Bacon.
A statement issued by the band reads: “We would like to apologise to anyone who was disappointed by our non-appearance on
TOTP on Sunday. (Believe us we were disappointed too).
”Due to derogatory, unfunny remarks made during the guest presenter's introduction to our performance, we felt we had to make a stand and leave. It was an important day for us and should have been special. We didn't take this decision lightly but we stand by it.”
The band were left fuming when they thought
Bacon was making a joke about their weight.
A BBC spokesman admitted that
Bacon used the word "fat", but claimed it was as a "figure of speech referring to the band's status".
He said: "It was absolutely in no way referring the appearance of any of the band members.
Richard was mortified about the misunderstanding and any offence caused so he attempted to apologise personally to the band.
"However, their management denied him access to the band and they decided not to go ahead with their performance on the show."
Since the show moved to a
BBC2 slot on Sunday evenings, its audience has fallen significantly.
The Magic Numbers are this week's
NME cover stars. For their most revealing interview yet, see the issue which is out today in
London and tomorrow (August 10) nationwide.
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Apparently Bacon said something like they were a "big fat melting pot" of various influences.
