Pepsi Chart facts for kids

The Pepsi Chart was a super popular music countdown show on UK radio. It played the Top 40 songs every Sunday afternoon. The show started on August 1, 1993.

It was hosted by Neil 'Doctor' Fox live from the Capital Radio studios in London. The Pepsi Chart was all about having fun! It was the first chart show in the UK led by a lively presenter. They had exciting competitions with big prizes too.

The Pepsi Chart was made by the Unique Broadcasting Company. They worked with Richard Park from Capital Radio and Neil Fox to create this new show. It was broadcast on many local radio stations across the UK. Sometimes, other presenters like Steve Penk or Darren Proctor filled in for Dr. Fox. Even famous guests like Richard Blackwood from MTV sometimes hosted!

The Top 10 songs on the Pepsi Chart were the same as the official UK Singles Chart. This official chart was used by BBC Radio 1's Official Chart Show. But for songs ranked 11 to 40, the Pepsi Chart mixed sales data with how much songs were played on the radio. The Pepsi Chart actually took over from an older show called The Network Chart Show. Pepsi became the main sponsor in 1993, replacing Nescafé.

How the Pepsi Chart Was Made

The way the chart was put together changed a bit over time. At first, for songs ranked 11-40, 30% of their score came from sales and 70% from how much they were played on the radio. Later, this changed to 50% sales and 50% radio plays.

Sales information came from the Chart Information Network (now called The Official UK Charts Company). Radio play data came from Music Control.

At the end of each year, the show would count down the Top 40 most popular songs of that year. This was a special "chart of the year." But in December 1999, for the end of the millennium, they did something different. They counted down the Top 40 songs of all time! Elton John's song "Candle in the Wind" was number one on that special list.

Various logos used for the Pepsi Chart over the years.

What a Pepsi Chart Show Was Like

The show's format stayed pretty much the same over the years. A typical show lasted three hours, from 4 pm to 7 pm every Sunday. It counted down the songs from number 40 to number 1. They would recap the Top 10 songs after every 10 songs.

The show also included competition announcements and live calls from people trying to win prizes. There were interviews with artists whose songs were in the chart. Of course, there were also advertisements, just like on other commercial radio shows.

Some people who loved official charts complained about a few things. They didn't like how the Pepsi Chart mixed sales and radio plays for songs 11-40. They also didn't like the regular advert breaks. And sometimes, the presenter would talk over the beginning or end of songs. But this was normal for commercial radio shows back then.

The show often went "on the road" and broadcast live from big music events. Popular events included the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party and Capital FM's own Party in the Park concerts. In 1997, the Pepsi Chart actually had more listeners than BBC Radio 1's Official Chart! Even in 1999, Music Week reported that the Pepsi Chart still had a bigger audience.

Artists and the Chart Show

Artists often did interviews for the show. Sometimes, Dr. Fox would ask them to "introduce the number one song to the country." Other times, artists would call in during the show. They would try to get Dr. Fox to tell them the number one song early! But Dr. Fox would always make them wait until the end, just like everyone else.

If an artist's song stayed at number one for four weeks, they got a special Pepsi Chart blue disc. It looked like the awards artists get for selling lots of records, like Silver or Gold Records.

Pepsi Chart on TV

Because the radio show was so popular, The Pepsi Chart Show also started on Channel 5. This happened on February 4, 1998. It was meant to be a rival to the BBC's Top of the Pops music show.

The TV show was first filmed at a place called Hanover Grand in London. The first presenters were Rhona Mitra and Eddy Temple-Morris. Later, the show moved to the Sound venue in Leicester Square. Dr. Fox himself often hosted the TV show, which usually aired on Saturdays at 3:30 pm.

Live performances from the Sound nightclub were also used in Pepsi Chart TV shows in other countries. These shows would mix English performances with local artists. Countries like Hungary, Poland, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, and Australia had their own versions. The late Caroline Flack was even an international presenter for some countries!

In 1998, The Pepsi Chart Show was one of the Top 30 most-watched shows on Channel 5. However, it didn't become as big as Top of the Pops. This might have been because Channel 5 wasn't available everywhere back then. Also, it sometimes struggled to get the biggest pop stars to appear. The TV show often featured more "alternative" artists. So, it didn't always show the same kind of music that was popular on the radio version of the Pepsi Chart.

In its last year, the TV show lost many viewers. Only about 100,000 people watched it on Saturday afternoons. Channel 5 decided to stop the show. The very last episode aired on June 25, 2002. Since then, Channel 5 hasn't had a regular weekly chart show.

Other Pepsi Chart Products

The Pepsi Chart brand was very strong! You could find it on special CDs and radios given away with Pepsi and 7-Up drinks. There were also music compilation albums sold in stores. These albums featured artists from the chart and often topped the compilation charts themselves.

Besides music CDs, there were also annual books, board games, and music quiz DVDs. The Pepsi Chart brand even became popular in other parts of the world, like the Netherlands, Ireland, and Thailand.

End of the Pepsi Chart

Pepsi took over sponsoring The Network Chart Show in August 1993. They completely changed the show's style. After nine successful years, Pepsi announced in late 2002 that they would stop sponsoring the show.

In January 2003, the show changed its name to Hit40UK. Later, on June 14, 2009, Hit40UK became The Big Top 40 Show, which is still powered by iTunes today.

Images for kids

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  Various logos used for the Pepsi Chart over the years.