Top of the Pops facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Top of the Pops |
|
|---|---|
| Created by | Johnnie Stewart |
| Presented by | Fearne Cotton Clara Amfo (see full list) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 2,263 (508 missing) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Johnnie Stewart (1964–73) Robin Nash (1973–80) Michael Hurll (1980–88) Paul Ciani (1988–91) Stanley Appel (1991–94) Ric Blaxill (1994–97) Chris Cowey (1997–2003) Andi Peters (2003–05) Mark Cooper (2005–) |
| Producer(s) | Neville Wortman Stanley Dorfman Colin Charman Mel Cornish Brian Whitehouse Phil Bishop Mark Wells Jeff Simpson Barrie Kelly Dominic Smith Sally Wood Stephanie McWhinnie |
| Running time | 25–60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One (1964–2005, 2006–present) BBC Two (2005–06) |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1964–2001) 16:9 (2001–present) |
| Original release | Weekly run: 1 January 1964 – 30 July 2006 Christmas specials: 25 December 2006 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Top of the Pops 2 Top Gear of the Pops Top of the Pops Reloaded TOTP@Play |
Top of the Pops (often called TOTP) was a famous British music TV show. It showed popular artists performing their hit songs. The show started in 1964 and was a big part of British culture for many years. It stopped its regular weekly shows in 2006 because fewer people were watching it.
Contents
What Was Top of the Pops?
Top of the Pops was a weekly TV show that featured the most popular songs of the time. It was a great way for people to see their favorite bands and singers. The show helped many artists become famous. It was first shown on New Year's Day in 1964 on BBC One.
How the Show Worked
Each week, the show would feature artists who had songs high in the music charts. Sometimes, artists would perform live. Other times, they would mime (pretend to sing) to their songs. The show had many different presenters over the years. They introduced the acts and kept the show exciting.
Spin-off Shows
Top of the Pops was so popular that it led to other related shows. One of these was Top of the Pops 2, also known as TOTP2.
About TOTP2
TOTP2 was a different version of the original show. Instead of new performances, it showed old performances from the Top of the Pops archives. These were classic performances from the past four decades. TOTP2 was often hosted by Steve Wright and later by Mark Radcliffe. A new episode of TOTP2 is still shown every year on December 25th.
The End of the Weekly Show
After many years, the regular weekly episodes of Top of the Pops ended in 2006. However, special episodes, like the Christmas Day show, still air. This means that even though the weekly show is gone, Top of the Pops still makes an appearance for big events.
Images for kids
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The Rolling Stones were the first group to appear on the show (group pictured in concert in The Hague in 1967)
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BBC Television Centre in London, home of Top of the Pops 1969–1991
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Snow Patrol, the last live act to appear on TOTP (pictured in concert in America in 2006)
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Dance troupe Pan's People (pictured here on TopPop, AVRO 1971)
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A recording of The Beatles' only live performance on Top of the Pops in 1966 was wiped by the BBC (group pictured here in performance on Dutch television in 1964)
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The Top of the Pops format was adopted by on several other European broadcasters, such as TopPop (Netherlands)
See also
In Spanish: Top of the Pops para niños
