posted by davidt on Wednesday June 21 2006, @11:00AM
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Top Of The Pops axed after 42 years - NME.com

Long running UK music show to end

Top Of The Pops has been axed by the BBC after 42 years on air.

The final episode of the iconic music show will air during the summer.

The programme switched from BBC1 to BBC2 in 2003, but the rebranding of the show failed to increase its ratings.

The first edition of the show was broadcast on January 1 in 1964, when the The Beatles were number one with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'. The show was presented by Jimmy Saville and featured performances by the Rolling Stones and Dusty Springfield.

In its 70's heyday Top Of The Pops was watched by 19 million people, however in recent times the viewing figures fell as low as 1 million.
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  • Just another show...
    Granvik -- Wednesday June 21 2006, @11:32AM (#225858)
    (User #14586 Info)
  • It's certainly a brand name that is known all over the world. Pity that they couldn't keep it alive.
    wemissumoz -- Wednesday June 21 2006, @11:40AM (#225859)
    (User #4088 Info)
  • On reading through the messages on the BBC's 'Have Your Say' on the demise of TOTP, I was quite pleased and proud that there were quite a few messages with Morrissey/Smiths content, mostly saying the images of Morrissey with gladioli and hearing aid were what they remembered from TOTP's. All positive comments.
    Anonymous -- Wednesday June 21 2006, @03:16PM (#225896)
  • I thought this especially relevant as I believe that Morrissey said that as a youngster he felt that appearing on Top of the Pops was a real ambition, something that was a genuine achievement to him in those days. It's a shame that the programme hasn't been associated with that level of passion and recognition for years now.

    I guess up until the mid-80s getting onto TOTP was still something to be proud of, but since the music industry has been taken over by the marketing people it doesn't stand for anything except who's paid out the most money to the radio stations and MTV. As recent examples, take Sandi Thom, Rihanna, Lilly Allen's first single, Furtado's latest (none of Morrissey's releases) - you can't tell me that serious money ain't changing hands at Radio 1 to get that level of plays and hype (or not, in Mozzer's case).

    We have to ket TOTP go and remember the more innocent times when the slogan 'Marry Me' revealed written across a young popstar's chest hadn't first been run by a focus group in order to see whether it would stimulate sales within the target demographic. ;-)
    Anonymous -- Thursday June 22 2006, @05:21AM (#225952)
  • It used to be a great show, alright most of the time you just laughed at it rather than with it, and is was never cool to be on but you loved when your favourites popped up!
    Who responsible for its demise?, who changed its format? who moved it to every other night but where it belonged (Thursday 7.30!)? WHO?!
    Andi (with a pretentious i) Peters thats who! he of tank top and duck puppet fame!
    future generations are deprived of their right to a full and rounded musical heritage, and a right good laugh, thanks to a muppet with a puppet.
     
    Anonymous -- Thursday June 22 2006, @05:31AM (#225953)
  • Having Morrissey on more often would have saved them.

    That, and changing the theme tune (possibly to Frankly Mr Shankly).
    Poppycocteau -- Thursday June 22 2006, @06:23AM (#225959)
    (User #9489 Info)
    We are ugly but we have the music
  • I wish they'd get rid of that annoying Jools Holland. Yuck!
    Anonymous -- Thursday June 22 2006, @12:26PM (#226005)
  • ...one Thursday you will be dead (and if my memory serves me right, when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, TOTP used to be broadcast on a Thursday evening, when we’d break from gallivanting outdoors or homework to absorb the wondrous acts, blocking out as much as possible the tut-tutting of parents about what was befalling the youth these days…) I say no, not Top of the Pops! Take Pop Idol; Take Big Brother; take The Office; take the people from Parky, but please, just spare Top of the Pops!!

    Why 30 million people watched it 30 years ago was probably because there were only a couple of channels to choose between; now the competition has risen to about 300 channels on all the time. I wonder what programme regularly attracts more than 1 million viewers these days?
    goinghome -- Thursday June 22 2006, @02:28PM (#226015)
    (User #12673 Info)
  • A few words to a poor mimed music show and a waste of licence fee payers money...

    Good riddance
    About time
    Finally
    At last
    Great, Smashing, Super.

    Andy Peters should be put in prison
    memphis <[email protected]> -- Thursday June 22 2006, @03:04PM (#226018)
    (User #2515 Info)
    'You don't know the power in what I'm saying' x


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