FOR millions of Brits, it was as much a part of Christmas Day festivities as turkey, crackers and the Queen’s speech, but Top of the Pops on December 25 is no more.
What’s happening?
The BBC has reportedly brought the final curtain down on its iconic Top of the Pops Christmas Day special that kept on going through the years, even after the weekly version of the chart show was axed in 2006
Why has it been axed?
Beeb bosses felt the cost involved in creating a one-off show like this were too high to justify,” a source told The Sun. “Creating the studio and bringing together a string of artists to perform for just this programme required a disproportionate amount of resources.”
It’s the end of an era?
For millions of Brits, it really is as the show was regarded as a must-see Christmas Day TV event, airing before The Queen's Speech, with headline artists appearing over the years, including The Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue and Sir Elton John as the programme showcased the biggest hits of the year and aired the Christmas number one.
The show itself is historic?
Top of The Pops first aired in the 1960s, in the pre music video, pre-internet era of course, with the half-hour BBC chart show offering music fans their only real opportunity to see the biggest artists of the day performing their hit songs. Record label executives realised that getting their artist on the show meant their single would rocket up the charts and stars were desperate to appear.
It introduced the UK to US artists?
Record labels in America cottoned on to the popularity and TOTP was the first place many viewers got to see a raft of Motown and soul stars, including The Supremes, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.
Record breaker?
From the first edition on January 1, 1964 - on which performers included Dusty Springfield, The Hollies, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles - it became the world’s longest-running weekly music show.
However?
All good things must come to an end, and excluding the Christmas show, the final broadcast was on July 30, 2006 , with the BBC saying the show could no longer compete with 24-hour music channels.
So what now?
This year will see a "Top of the Pops: Review of the Year” feature on BBC2 on Christmas Eve at 10.40pm featuring clips of bands and singers performing at various events from the past 12 months.
Meanwhile?
Repeats air on Friday evenings on BBC4 in the order they appeared back in the day, with 1993 episodes currently showing. The programmes then tend to trend on Twitter as music fans tune in to reminisce over songs and the way things used to be. Twitter page, ‘Top of The Pops Facts’, with 29,000 followers, live tweets the editions with facts from the shows and about the stars.
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