CD:UK facts for kids
Quick facts for kids CD:UK |
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| Presented by | Ant McPartlin Declan Donnelly Cat Deeley Holly Willoughby Dave Berry Myleene Klass Lauren Laverne Johny Pitts |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Blaze Television |
| Production location(s) | The London Studios (1998–2003) Riverside Studios (2003–06) |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 29 August 1998 – 1 April 2006 |
CD:UK (which stands for CountDown:United Kingdom) was a popular music TV show in the United Kingdom. It was shown on ITV every Saturday morning. The show ran from August 29, 1998, until April 1, 2006.
CD:UK started alongside another famous show called SMTV Live. It was a big competitor to the BBC's Live & Kicking. Unlike older music shows that just played music videos, CD:UK was broadcast live. It had a studio audience, live performances from artists, and interviews with stars. There were also fun competitions for viewers.
The show had its own Saturday Chart. This chart was not official, but it often showed the new music chart positions a day before the official chart was announced. This made other music shows, like Top of the Pops, seem a bit old-fashioned. Later, CD:UK let viewers vote for their favourite songs. This created an interactive chart called the MiTracks Countdown. From 1998 to 2006, the show was sponsored by brands like Tizer, Ribena, and Rimmel.
In 2002, some people felt that certain performances on the show were not suitable for a morning slot aimed at kids. For example, a performance by Christina Aguilera was mentioned. To solve this, a spin-off show called CD:UK Hotshots was created. It started in January 2003 and was shown late at night. This show featured music videos that were considered more grown-up.
Music and Artists
CD:UK was known for having many popular bands and singers perform live. Two music albums were released featuring artists who appeared on the show. These albums came out between October 2, 2000, and January 20, 2001.
Many famous artists performed on CD:UK. Some of these included Westlife, Fatboy Slim, Samantha Mumba, S Club 7, Ronan Keating, Five, Steps, Girls Aloud, A1, Britney Spears, Shanks & Bigfoot, and Craig David.
CD:UK Hotshots
CD:UK Hotshots was a special spin-off show from CD:UK. It was shown on the ITV network late at night. This show began in January 2003.
At first, Cat Deeley was the presenter for Hotshots. Later, Dave Berry took over. After Dave left in 2005, a team of presenters hosted the show. This team included Myleene Klass, Lauren Laverne, and Johny Pitts. Unlike the main CD:UK show, Hotshots mostly showed music videos. Some of these videos were not suitable for the daytime CD:UK show.
Around the World
Even though the original CD:UK show in the UK ended, similar versions appeared in other countries.
- In the United States, a show called CD USA started. It began on DirecTV's The 101 channel on January 21, 2006.
- In Australia, the broadcaster Foxtel also had a local version. It was called CD Live and aired on the Fox8 channel every Saturday evening.
- Italy's public TV channel Rai Due showed an Italian version. This show was called CD: Live and ran from 2003 to 2007. It was shown every Saturday afternoon.
- In Croatia, the public TV channel HRT 2 aired a Croatian version. It was named T-Mobile CD Live and ran from 2007 to 2008. This show was on every Friday afternoon.
Images for kids
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The show was very popular between 1998 and 2001. It was presented by Ant & Dec and Cat Deeley.
