A former “Top of the Pops” staffer is sharing what some of music’s biggest stars were allegedly like away from the cameras. Gareth Davies, who worked as an assistant floor manager on the BBC music series from the mid-to-late 1990s into the 2000s, recalled backstage encounters with Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Madonna, and the Spice Girls.
5Speaking to online bingo provider Zingo Bingo, Davies described a surprisingly relaxed environment where international stars spent hours mingling between rehearsals and performances.
Davies said Lopez stood out when it came to backstage requests, particularly because the show’s dressing rooms were relatively modest. “I worked backstage at ‘Top of the Pops’ in the ’90s,” he said. “Jennifer Lopez was a diva but Janet Jackson was down to earth.”
“The dressing rooms were all along this narrow corridor, so nothing special, really, quite old-fashioned. But for that small stretch of space, she made it completely her own,” Davies recalled. “The best way to describe it is that she turned her dressing room entirely white.”
According to the former staffer, the room was not painted for the occasion. Instead, plastic sheeting was reportedly installed throughout the space. “At the time, I’m not sure where the fascination with white came from, but she wanted everything transformed,” he continued.
“The whole room was covered from top to bottom, which was quite unusual,” he added. “She didn’t paint it, she had plastic sheeting put up everywhere instead, so it created this striking, all-white environment.”
Shania Twain’s Entourage Reportedly Made Sure She Never Opened A Door
5Shania Twain allegedly arrived with a memorable system of her own. “Shania Twain has a really large entourage with her, and my lasting memory was watching her walk from the dressing rooms to the studio,” Davies said.
“There was this long line of people moving ahead of her, almost like a relay,” he continued. “Apparently she didn’t open doors, so someone would always be one step ahead holding it open for her. It was like this perfectly choreographed system, all so she could just keep walking.”
Janet Jackson Surprised The Crew With Her Down-To-Earth Behavior
5While some performers made elaborate requests, Davies remembered Jackson for being unexpectedly low-key. The production crew reportedly believed the singer was running late as they waited for her to arrive on the studio floor. However, Jackson and her dancers were already onstage.
“We were all being very casual about it, thinking, well, she’s a major A-lister, of course she’s going to be late,” Davies explained. “So we just waited around. But as it turned out, Janet and all her dancers had been there the whole time, quietly waiting on stage themselves while we were all waiting for her.”
The former assistant floor manager said Jackson wore tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie and did not attempt to separate herself from the dancers. “What really stayed with me was how kind, gentle, and soft she was; everyone was genuinely taken aback,” he shared. “She felt like one of the dancers, really, just keen to be part of the group rather than setting herself apart as the star.”
Madonna’s Missing Wardrobe Reportedly Delayed Production
5Madonna’s appearance became memorable for an entirely different reason after her stylist allegedly left the singer’s outfits behind at a London hotel. Davies said the production schedule was already unusually rushed because the music icon planned to record several songs during the same visit.
“From the moment she arrived, it was straight into the studio, rehearsing, back to get ready, then out on stage,” he explained. “But she and her team had all rushed in from a hotel in central London, and somehow her stylist had left all the outfits behind.”
The mistake reportedly forced the production to pause. “We actually had to delay because Madonna had nothing to wear,” Davies said. “It really felt like she had someone responsible for every tiny detail, so you can imagine whoever was in charge of the wardrobe that day was probably in serious trouble…”
The Spice Girls’ Chemistry Was ‘Not Faked For Cameras’
5Davies also witnessed the Spice Girls early in their rise and said the group’s connection appeared authentic even when cameras were not rolling. “I remember the first time they got on stage for their rehearsals, they were all jumping around and hugging each other,” he shared. “That was a moment where they felt they’d made it.”
According to Davies, the group brought the same lively energy into its dressing room. “The five of them just had this amazing chemistry together,” he continued. “Their personalities worked so well and it wasn’t faked for cameras. You’d go into the dressing room and the energy was electric. They were so fun.”
Another standout moment came while watching the band Texas complete a soundcheck. “It felt quite intimate, almost like a private performance, which made those moments really special,” Davies said.
For Davies, those candid backstage moments remain proof that the real magic of “Top of the Pops” often happened long before the cameras started rolling.
