Ruby Flipper Top of the pops

[Cartman]

Anyone remember these? They filled the gap between Pans People and Legs and Co as the TOTP dance group. They weren't on it long, a few months through the summer and Autumn of 1976, they started in about May and finished in October, and were mixed sex, two male dancers were in the group, together with the girls, a couple of the girls were from Pans People and later went into Legs and Co, can't remember which ones.

I'd forgotten about them really, but I went into TOTP 1976 mode today and there's quite a few of their routines on YouTube, which I've rewatched, and I remember seeing some originally in that wonderful summer/autumn period of that great year.

[Nightfly]

Sept 25, 2022 20:45:52 GMT Cartman said:

Anyone remember these? They filled the gap between Pans People and Legs and Co as the TOTP dance group. 

I seem to remember Lulu, Cherry and Sue and an enthusiastic/athletic chap called Floyd  I hadn't realised they only lasted a few months before Legs & Co.

Didn't Legs & Co get their name from a competition held on Blue Peter or possibly Multi Coloured Swap Shop ?

[Perfect Pseudonym]

Yes, I remember from the time that all of a sudden there were no more Pans People, but this thing called Ruby Flipper.

And then by the time we're in the early 80s, I completely forgot that there ever was a Ruby Flipper. It was Pans People, then Legs & co. And I think that's the case with most of us.

Named after a combination of the co-managers, Flick Colby and Ruth Pearson.

The girls were made up of a mash-up of PP and L&Co, Cherry being a member of PP, Sue being a latter-day member of PP and then going into L&Co and Lulu & Patti (I think) also going to L&Co.

Only Floyd is the remembered one of the boys. He did go on to do some guesting stints with L&Co from time to time.

The Legs & Co naming competition was through TOTP. For their first two appearances, the individual girl names were credited under ?????? on the screen until that was the chosen winner.

[Windy Miller]

There were actually three male dancers in Ruby Flipper


From left to right, the line up is; Sue, Floyd, Cherry, Phil, Lulu, Patti, and Gavin.

Introduced to our tv screens without pre warning on 6 May 1976, the group were out of step with viewers who missed the joys of Pans People.
Ruby Flipper danced their last routine on 14 October 1976, and were replaced by Legs & Co, with Sue, Lulu and Patti joining the new dance troupe.