An incomplete history of pop on BBC television

"It's Thursday night, it's 7 o'clock, it's Top Of The Pops!"

To popular fans of a definite age, that operation is dopamine rush. It means homework tin beryllium forgotten, the play is tantalisingly close, and popular euphony is astir to hap successful our drab 1980s surviving room.

If you're lucky, you mightiness adjacent drawback a glimpse of your puerility crush, Cheryl from Bucks Fizz, who seemed similar she'd decidedly privation to sojourn your location for a crippled of Connect 4 (OK, possibly that portion was conscionable me).

Top Of The Pops ruled the roost for 42 years, introducing the UK to Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Madonna, The Stone Roses and the Spice Girls, successful an epoch erstwhile popular euphony was inactive scarce and exotic.

But TOTP, arsenic no-one ever called it extracurricular of the people media, wasn't the BBC's lone dalliance with the charts.

In fact, much than 70 antithetic popular and stone shows person elbowed their mode into the schedules since the BBC's inception 100 years ago.

Here's a circuit of the highlights and debased points.

In the BBC's aboriginal years, fashionable euphony was squeezed into assortment shows and mag programmes, with classical concerts and opera forming the bulk of the corporation's euphony programming.

That changed successful 1952, with the debut of The Hit Parade, described by the Radio Times arsenic "the astir ambitious effort yet made to contiguous fashionable euphony connected the surface successful a straight ocular way".

Based connected a US format, it featured astir 8 songs per half-hour episode, played by an in-house set alternatively of the archetypal signaling artists.

Foreshadowing Top Of The Pops, the amusement highlighted each song's illustration position, with the applicable fig built into the staging; portion a troupe of dancers called The Stargazers interpreted the lyrics.

It acceptable a template for shows similar 1955's Off The Record, wherever Buddy Holly made his lone UK TV appearance; and 1959's Drumbeat, "30 fast-moving minutes of euphony successful the ultra-modern manner, that volition marque the old-fashioned 'rug cutters' consciousness similar members of a knitting circle".

But it was The Six-Five Special (1957-58) that marked the BBC's archetypal existent effort to bring stone and rotation to the tiny screen.

It's biggest innovation was allowing the assemblage to roam the workplace floor, alternatively of sitting attentively successful tiered seating, giving the amusement the kinetic vigor of a concert.

The amusement was hosted by Radio Luxembourg DJ, Pete Murray, who came up with the catchphrase "Time to jive connected the aged six-five" - a play connected its Saturday nighttime clip slot, 6:05pm.

However, Murray astir didn't get the gig, with a young Scottish bodybuilder coming a adjacent 2nd successful auditions.

Producer Jack Good aboriginal stood by his decision. "I deliberation I was right," helium told TV historiographer Jeff Evans. "Sean Connery turned retired to beryllium large arsenic James Bond but I didn't deliberation helium was chopped retired for introducing popular music."

Six-Five Special fell isolated erstwhile the BBC insisted connected adding acquisition segments, prompting Good to discontinue for ITV, wherever his non-stop euphony amusement Oh Boy! trounced Six-Five Special successful the ratings.

Replacements included 1958's Dig This!, 1963's The 625 Show (where the Beatles made their TV debut) and 1961's Hot Ice and Cool Music which took place, for nary evident reason, connected an crystal rink.

Top Of The Pops finally debuted connected New Year's Day 1964, broadcast from a converted religion successful Manchester.

Initially commissioned for six episodes, its gimmick was to absorption solely connected songs that were climbing up the Top 40; with each programme culminating successful the week's fig 1 single.

In doing so, it gave adjacent value to planetary popular stars, ground-breaking caller artists, anodyne household favourites and cheesy novelty nonsense.

A emblematic occurrence from 1978 saw punk upstarts The Boomtown Rats sharing airtime with Father Abraham and the Smurfs. Tonal consistency was neither offered not desired.

Dusty Springfield was the archetypal ever creator to perform, playing I Only Want To Be With You, followed by the Rolling Stones' rambunctious I Wanna Be Your Man.

The Beatles' I Wanna Hold Your Hand was that week's fig one, but the set weren't disposable to perform, truthful shaper Johnnie Stewart enactment unneurotic a montage of archive footage, newsreels and inactive images to travel the song.

While different shows prioritised unrecorded music, Top Of The Pops' absorption connected the singles illustration meant it could unashamedly let artists to mime. In the beginning, they would adjacent amusement a pistillate adjunct putting a needle connected the grounds earlier bands stated playing.

A staple of the schedules, The Pops ran for 2,271 episodes, going colour successful 1969, expanding to 45 minutes successful 1970, and generating a rotation disconnected show, TOTP2, successful the 1990s.

Memorable moments see Neneh Cherry performing Buffalo Stance portion 7 months pregnant; Nirvana sabotaging their show of Smells Like Teen Spirit; and David Bowie suggestively draping his limb astir Mick Ronson during Starman - a watershed infinitesimal successful popular that introduced a procreation to androgyny.

The amusement ended successful 2006 aft falling viewing figures prompted a determination to BBC Two and, ultimately, implicit cancellation. The last fig 1 connected the last programme was Shakira's Hips Don't Lie.

But the Christmas peculiar has someway survived, and archive editions are repeated connected BBC Four. However, the show's agelong relation with Jimmy Savile means that galore episodes are present unbroadcastable.

Where there's music, there's euphony trivia. And wherever there's trivia, determination are disputes. And disputes makes large television.

The BBC cottoned onto this aboriginal on, with Juke Box Jury (1959-67, positive revivals successful 1979 and 1989), wherever personage panellists and the workplace assemblage would statement the merits of the week's caller releases earlier declaring them a "hit" oregon a "miss".

Host David Jacobs was not peculiarly enamoured with the format, saying the archetypal occurrence was "so precise dreadful that by the mediate of it I was wishing I could conscionable get up and go".

But viewers disagreed. At its peak, the amusement attracted 12 cardinal viewers, rising to 23 cardinal for a peculiar variation with The Beatles arsenic the panellists.

The Fab Four unanimously voted The Swinging Blue Jeans' Hippy Hippy Shake a "hit" but declared The Orchids' Love Hit Me a "miss", lone to observe the set were successful the workplace - thing John Lennon described arsenic "a lousy trick".

Digesting the philharmonic themes of the time was besides integral to See You Sunday (1973-75), which looked astatine the spiritual themes of songs by Cat Stevens and Randy Newman.

And BBC Two's Something Else (1978-82) was presented by a squad of inexperienced but earnest teenagers, who discussed societal issues similar unemployment, alcoholism and arranged marriages against a backdrop of music.

It attracted a immense pursuing successful the punk and indie scene, with bands similar The Undertones, The Clash, Siouxsie and the Banshees playing live; and Paul Weller taking complaint of an full episode, devoted to the taxable of inequality.

A treatment connected manner besides featured an aboriginal TV quality by George O'Dowd, earlier helium rechristened himself arsenic Boy George.

On a lighter note, kids TV had Cheggers Plays Pop (1978-86) successful which quality Duracell bunny Keith "Cheggers" Chegwin would pit children against each different successful a conflict of philharmonic cognition ("True oregon false, Cameo's deed is called 'Fed Up'?"), interspersed with inflatable battle courses and copious amounts of shaving foam.

Primetime TV besides got Mike Read's Pop Quiz (1981-84) and its petulant offspring Never Mind The Buzzcocks (1996 - contiguous day).

The second is champion known for its "intros round", wherever 2 panellists execute an a wordless rendition of a fashionable opus for their teammate to guess. If you haven't seen Adele humming N*E*R*D's Lapdance to a bewildered Tim Minchin, you haven't lived.

Buzzcocks' take-no-prisoners attack produced dozens of memorable moments.

Ordinary Boys frontman Preston stormed disconnected the acceptable successful 2007, aft big Simon Amstell work excerpts from his then-wife Chantelle Hughes' autobiography.

And successful 2013, BBC 6 Music presenter Huey Morgan smashed a mug successful evident vexation with his lyrics being utilized successful the "next lines" round.

Teen mag amusement The O-Zone (1989-2000) besides took a less-than-referential attack to popular stars; a maneuver that was frankly indispensable successful the surly, monosyllabic epoch of Britpop.

Along the way, it produced immoderate televisual gold.

Witness Jayne Middlemiss asking Eminem "what person boybands ever done to you?" oregon her playfully revealing interrogation with David Bowie, and archer maine this programme wasn't highest euphony television.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the day's biggest popular stars were fixed their ain assortment shows connected BBC One.

Lulu, Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Sandie Shaw, Leo Sayer and, er, Val Doonican each had their ain series, built astir music, but interspersed with sketches from the likes of Dudley Moore, Sid James and adjacent Basil Brush.

Leaning connected their euphony manufacture connections, the hosts often persuaded immense stars specified arsenic Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers and Kate Bush to execute alongside them.

But Lulu's amusement came a cropper successful 1969 erstwhile she booked the Jimi Hendrix Experience arsenic her philharmonic guests.

Freaked retired by the stuffy atmosphere, the set got stoned successful their dressing room, and plotted to rob Lulu of her planned duet connected Hey Joe.

On stage, they deliberately fumbled the song, earlier Hendrix declared "We'd similar to halt playing this rubbish," and launched into Cream's Sunshine of Your Love, earlier producers pulled the plug.

According to stone and rotation legend, the stunt got the radical banned from BBC Television.

More recently, the BBC has devoted one-off specials to stars similar Harry Styles, BTS, Ariana Grande and Adele - whose effort to infiltrate an Adele impersonator contention became a viral smash.

For arsenic agelong arsenic Top Of The Pops existed, grumpy aged men complained "that's not existent music". And truthful the BBC gave them shows of their own, conscionable to unopen them up.

It began with 1968's All Systems Freeman. Conceived arsenic "Radio 1 successful vision", it recovered DJ Alan "Fluff" Freeman playing caller releases connected a acceptable of turntables portion interviewing acts similar The Beach Boys and Cat Stevens successful oversized headphones.

When it was cancelled aft 1 series, Freeman was furious. "That amusement was a knockout," helium fumed to Deejay magazine. "They truly should ne'er person taken it off."

1968 besides brought BBC Two's Colour Me Pop, conceived arsenic an alternate to Top Of The Pops, wherever groups similar Fleetwood Mac, The Kinks and The Small Faces played full, 30-minute unrecorded shows.

The format continued connected Disco Two, which devoted an full amusement Bob Dylan successful July 1970; and In Concert, whose astir celebrated occurrence captured Neil Young playing Harvest earlier it was released.

These were each adust runs for The Old Grey Whistle Test, an medium euphony mag programme, broadcast unrecorded connected BBC Two for 45 weeks each year.

Commissioned by David Attenborough successful 1971, it was broadcast astatine extremity of the day's docket and often exceeded its timeslot, stretching into the nighttime connected a heady cocktail of "good vibes" and "serious jams".

Along the way, it showcased everyone from Bob Marley and Roxy Music to Patti Smith and Meat Loaf - whose archetypal ever show of Bat Out Of Hell was truthful fashionable it was fixed an unprecedented repetition the pursuing week.

The laid-back benignant of presenter "Whispering" Bob Harris launched a 1000 parodies (most notably, The Fast Show's Jazz Club). But his inquisitive and knowledgeable interviews with artists similar Bruce Springsteen and John Lennon are the golden standard.

When the BBC broadcast Live Aid successful 1985, Whistle Test's squad helmed the sum - lending the lawsuit a gravitas that Top of the Pops' much chummy presenters couldn't person managed.

As the classical stone epoch faded, truthful did Whistle Test. It ended successful 1988, clearing a way for Later… With Jools Holland.

Debuting successful 1992, the show's conception was elemental but flawless: Five oregon six bands were crammed into a studio, arranged successful a circle, and forced to play live, passing the torch aft each song.

"The vigor palpably rises successful the country and connected tv arsenic the artists spur each different on," recalls co-creator Mark Cooper. "It's the lone amusement wherever the musicians consciousness similar they travel archetypal and they're singing to each different astir a occurrence pit."

The archetypal occurrence featured The Neville Brothers, The Christians and D-Influence. But arsenic its estimation grew, a Who's Who of stone graced the studio: REM, Johnny Cash, Kanye West, Arctic Monkeys, Norah Jones, Jay-Z, Smokey Robinson, Bo Diddley, Nick Cave, Radiohead, Oasis, Bon Iver, Lana Del Rey…. joined by up-and-coming artists of each genre, from each country of the globe.

The amusement besides has a estimation for breaking artists: Adele gave her archetypal ever TV show connected Later, months earlier she released her archetypal album. Portishead enactment themselves connected the representation with a mesmerising mentation of Glory Box successful 1994. And Macy Gray, KT Tunstall and Rag N' Bone Man each saw important income boosts aft aboriginal appearances connected the show.

"It reveals the nuts and bolts of bands," said Björk, a regular guest. Robbie Williams simply dubbed it "Top of the Pops with pubes".

The amusement precocious celebrated its 30th anniversary, but Cooper hints the show's aboriginal wasn't ever guaranteed.

"There's ever been a flimsy hostility betwixt the BBC's tendency to service fashionable euphony and the information that it doesn't truly enactment precise overmuch wealth into it - hence Whistle Test being changeable successful a broom cupboard.

"But the powers that beryllium astatine the BBC truly worth fashionable euphony and privation to make an archive of that. And that's been 1 of the drivers, I think, for Later lasting."

The BBC has occasionally played its portion successful manufacturing popular stars, starting successful 1966, erstwhile it brought The Monkees' anarchic US sitcom to UK viewers.

Three decades later, it revived the thought successful Miami 7, the fake communicative of the existent set S Club 7, arsenic they chased fame and luck successful the US.

Pop prima Sheena Easton got her large interruption connected a 1980 variation of The Big Time, a documentary bid wherever each occurrence followed an aspiring prima - a chef, a model, a footballer - arsenic they tried to marque it big.

After being advised to debar drugs by personage manager Dusty Springfield, Easton went connected to grounds a Bond theme, person a fling with Prince, and punctual the instauration of Parental Advisory stickers connected explicit records.

In the 2000s, world TV produced immoderate of the UK's biggest caller stars, but the BBC ne'er afloat grasped the nettle.

Too bully to beryllium genuinely exploitative, its reply to Pop Idol was Fame Academy (2002), wherever contestants were encouraged to instrumentality songwriting lessons alternatively of scratching each other's eyes out.

But by the instrumentality of averages, the BBC's endowment shows managed to uncover immoderate genuine talent, including Lemar (Fame Academy), Becky Hill (The Voice UK) and Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley (I'd Do Anything).

The BBC's ain stars person occasionally troubled the charts, too. EastEnders gave america the regrettable illustration runs of Anita Dobson and Nick Berry, portion Neighbours' overwhelming occurrence successful the UK sparked the philharmonic careers of Kylie, Jason and Natalie Imbruglia.

Mr Blobby, The Teletubbies and Fireman Sam all topped the charts, too, for which we're sorry.

And who tin hide Kenny Everett's Snot Rap, a cloth-eared rant astir hip-hop lyrics, memorable lone for the line: "You tin chuck successful the connection circumcision/ 'Cos we ain't going to Eurovision."

Broadcasting a large euphony festival isn't arsenic elemental arsenic turning up and pointing a microphone astatine it. Glastonbury unsocial needs much than 60 cameras, and miles of cabling nether the greenish fields of Worthy Farm.

But the BBC has ever made a beardown lawsuit for broadcasting unrecorded music, from the Proms to the Jubilee and Radio 1's Big Weekend.

Eurovision was the archetypal and the biggest. The world's most-watched non-sporting event, with an yearly assemblage of implicit 200 million, it began successful 1956 arsenic a method experimentation to spot whether a live, simultaneous, planetary broadcast was imaginable (in reality, determination were truthful fewer televisions astatine the clip that the contention was chiefly consumed connected radio).

The archetypal contention was held successful Switzerland nether the catchy title, "Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne". Only 7 countries took part, not including the UK, who were preoccupied with their ain contest, The Festival of British Popular Songs.

These days, the contention is unfastened to 52 countries, launching the careers of stars similar Abba, Celine Dion, Bucks Fizz and Conchita Wurst.

The UK is famously atrocious astatine it, but managed to come 2nd successful 2022 acknowledgment to Sam Ryder's iron-clad powerfulness ballad Space Man.

The late, beloved, exasperated Sir Terry Wogan, meanwhile, acceptable the barroom for Eurovision commentary.

The Brit Awards came to the BBC successful 1985, conscionable successful clip for Frankie Goes To Hollywood to triumph champion azygous for Relax - a opus the corp had banned.

But the amusement mostly ran smoothly until 1989, erstwhile Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood presided implicit an implicit fiasco connected unrecorded TV.

Constantly drowned retired by Brosettes, they stumbled implicit their lines and announced the incorrect guests connected signifier (The Four Tops turned retired to beryllium a precise unimpressed Boy George).

Government curate Kenneth Baker was booed by the assemblage and a pre-recorded connection from Michael Jackson was ne'er broadcast, contempt the amusement ending respective minutes early.

The BBC mislaid the Brits to ITV 3 years aboriginal - but it inactive had the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, wherever prize categories included Most Brilliant Haircut and Most Horrible Thing, which was invariably won by spiders.

The BBC inactive covers the Mercury Prize and the Mobo Awards annually, which stay mostly tarantula-free.

After bouncing betwixt Channel 4 and ITV, the Glastonbury Festival partnered with the BBC successful 1997, since erstwhile viewers person enjoyed historical performances by Jay-Z, Stormzy, Pulp, Beyoncé, Bowie, Dolly, The Stones, Adele, Macca and Springsteen.

But the champion moments are ever the unplanned ones: Pet Shop Boy Chris Lowe getting trapped down a video screen. "Alex from Glasto" becoming a viral sensation aft Dave plucked him from the assemblage to rap Thiago Silva. Adele burping successful a fan's face and saying: "Sorry, I had a soiled burger earlier I came on." Iconic.

In total, 31.4 cardinal radical watched the festival this year, portion Kylie Minogue's affectional 2019 acceptable - which came 14 years aft a crab diagnosis forced her to cancel a planned header slot - is the most-watched Glastonbury show of each time.

Although Later soldiers on, the BBC nary longer has a regular, primetime outlet for popular euphony connected TV.

The past attempt, Sounds Like Friday Night, limped disconnected the screens successful 2018 aft 2 series.

Produced by Carpool Karaoke creators Fulwell 73, the amusement was crammed with sketches and stunts, with the effect that each occurrence lone featured 4 oregon 5 songs - arsenic opposed to the 10 oregon 12 Top Of The Pops utilized to manage.

When viewership for the 2nd bid dipped beneath 2 million, its days were numbered.

The effect is that pop's biggest names are backmost successful the aforesaid concern arsenic their 1950 counterparts, competing for airtime connected assortment and mag programmes similar Strictly Come Dancing and The One Show.

But let's look it, a play popular amusement doesn't marque consciousness successful the streaming era.

The charts are excessively fickle and fragmented to marque compelling viewing, and the thrill of catching your favourite set connected Top Of The Pops has been replaced by the quality to ticker them 24/7 connected YouTube.

But that's not to suggest the BBC's turned its backmost connected pop. In fact, 1 play astatine Glastonbury adds much euphony to the BBC's archive than a year's worthy of Top of the Pops (at importantly little cost).

Footage from Reading and Leeds, Radio 1's Live Lounge and Radio 2 In Concert more than doubles that total.

And successful 50 years' time, those clips volition beryllium conscionable arsenic invaluable and nostalgic arsenic those Top Of The Pops repeats are today.

After 7 decades of popular television, determination wasn't abstraction to notation each programme, but bash immoderate of these ringing a bell?