Top of the Pops bows out

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Wednesday, 21, Jun 2006 10:58

The BBC has announced that the curtain will finally be falling on beleaguered music show Top of the Pops, which will air its last show on July 30th after 42 years on TV screens.

The show had been broadcast in 120 countries since making its debut on January 1st 1964, but despite making DJs such as Jimmy Saville, Tony Blackburn and Dave Lee Travis household names in its early days, had struggled for ratings in recent years.

Next-generation music shows such as MTV and on demand programmes that allow viewers to directly choose what music they want to hear and videos to watch had finally forced the decision to axe Top of the Tops, the BBC explained.

Jana Bennett, director of television at the corporation, said that in a "rapidly changing musical landscape", the weekly format of the programme was no longer viable.

"We're very proud of a show which has survived 42 years in the UK and gone on to become a worldwide brand but the time has come to bring the show to its natural conclusion," she said.

Despite attracting up to 19 million viewers at the peak of its powers in the 1970s, viewing figures had dropped to as low as one million during the last year, as its broadcast slot was changed to Sunday evenings on BBC2.

The BBC has pledged to continue its musical output through other niche shows, but admits that Top of the Pops' departure will leave a big hole in the schedules.

Mark Cooper, head of the BBC's entertainment group, said: "It's not easy bidding farewell to such a treasured, favoured friend."

But BBC 2 controller, Roly Keating, added that "the time has come to move on", although the channel's reminiscing show TOTP2 will continue.

In more recent years the show had attracted a variety of guest presenters as well as semi-regular host Fearne Cotton, including ex-footballer Ian Wright and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.