Pan's People: What were they?

			interview with Ruth Pearson - founder member of the band and Legs & Co's manager.
	What were they? Back in the days before videos (or promotional films, to use the technical term), TOTP employed a troupe of young dancers to offer visual entertainment when an artist couldn't appear on the show. The first of these were three (and later six) young ladies known as the Go-Jos. Eventually, Top of the Pops decided to have their own exclusive set of dancers and along came Pan's People. Who were they? Babs Lord, Ruth Pearson and Dee Dee Wilde were 'Beat Girls' on the BBC programme The Beat Room. They were later joined by Flick Colby who recruited Louise Clarke and Andi Rutherford to form Pan's People. Flick found it tough being in the band and being the choreographer and eventually retreated to working only behind the scenes. Andi left to have a baby in 1972 and was replaced by Cherry Gillespie. In 1974, Louise left to get married, she was replaced by Sue Menhenick. Babs also left to get married in August '75. When were they on? Their first appearance was in April 1968. Often, Flick would have only a few hours in which to dream up a routine, leading to some humourously literal dance moves. They survived for an astonishing eight years before they felt it was time to call it a day. Their last appearance was in April 1976, dancing to Four Seasons 'Silver Star'. What happened to them? They were initially replaced by Ruby Flipper, who were managed by Flick and Ruth. Later that year, Legs & Co took over the mantle as show dancers. Ruth is a housewife, Dee Dee runs a dance school, Babs married actor Robert Powell and they live in Hampstead. Louise married a millionaire from Sheffield with a house in Marbella. Flick returned to New York and ran a gift shop for a few years. The Pan girls are still very close; the bond that brought them together in the '60s has made them lifelong friends.