Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"It is a con, of course it's a con, the whole thing is a con."
Whistle Test's David Hepworth looks at the boom in pop merchandise, which now sees bands like The Rolling Stones making more money from t-shirt sales than record sales. And it doesn't stop at just t-shirts, fans of Liverpudlian pop provocateurs Frankie Goes to Hollywood, for instance, could easily deck themselves from head to toe in clobber baring the band's logo.
David speaks to Karen Hughes, marketing manager for Island Trading and Paul Morley of ZZT Records - they behind (some of) the ubiquitous "Frankie Say" t-shirts - who share their insider knowledge of the band merch industry. Aren't they in danger of turning bands into mere brands?
Then, David heads to the Frankie Goes to Hollywood gig at the Hammersmith Odeon, to see what's on offer at the merch stand, and find out what fans think of it all. How much have they spent?
Clip taken from Whistle Test, originally broadcast BBC Two, 23 April 1985.
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"It is a con, of course it's a con, the whole thing is a con."
Whistle Test's David Hepworth looks at the boom in pop merchandise, which now sees bands like The Rolling Stones making more money from t-shirt sales than record sales. And it doesn't stop at just t-shirts, fans of Liverpudlian pop provocateurs Frankie Goes to Hollywood, for instance, could easily deck themselves from head to toe in clobber baring the band's logo.
David speaks to Karen Hughes, marketing manager for Island Trading and Paul Morley of ZZT Records - they behind (some of) the ubiquitous "Frankie Say" t-shirts - who share their insider knowledge of the band merch industry. Aren't they in danger of turning bands into mere brands?
Then, David heads to the Frankie Goes to Hollywood gig at the Hammersmith Odeon, to see what's on offer at the merch stand, and find out what fans think of it all. How much have they spent?
Clip taken from Whistle Test, originally broadcast BBC Two, 23 April 1985.
You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.
Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?sub_confirmation=1
You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - bbc.co.uk/archive
