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BFI Screenonline: Top of the Pops (1964-2006)

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Long-running, hugely influential chart-based pop music programme

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Top of the Pops Archive - The 90s Episode Guide

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The unofficial home of Top of the Pops, the long running BBC Music UK chart show that ran from 1964 to 2006. From artist & presenter appearances, to logos and themetunes - it’s all listed on our extensive encyclopedia of all things TOTP.

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In sync: how the mime-ban stripped Top of the Pops of its charm

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Terrible lip syncing was always part of the fun of TOTP, but a format change turned it into a brighter version of Later…

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The Dame Janet Smith report into Jimmy Savile states that members of staff working at Top of the Pops chose to ignore complaints that Savile had sexually assaulted members of the audience.

The report, published on Thursday morning, says the BBC failed to investigate allegations that young girls were being picked up for sexual purposes on Top Of The Pops on a routine basis.

Smith's report recalls a particular incident whereby a complaint made to a staff member working on the show about Savile abusing a girl while stood on a podium resulted in the girl being evicted from the building.

The full extract reads:

"In Chapter 5, I have recounted two serious indecent assaults which took place on Savile's podium during the recording of the show. Both of these resulted in an attempt to complain to a member of staff. One, C16, was assaulted by Savile when she had been asked to go onto the podium while Savile introduced an act. He put his hand under her open coat, unzipped her hot pants at the back and put his hand inside her knickers. She was upset and jumped off the podium. When she complained to a member of BBC staff, a man with a clipboard, probably the floor manager or his assistant, she was ejected from the building."

The report goes on to say: "Several witnesses told me that an incident of that type should have been recorded in the daily log and should have been 579 investigated. So far as I am aware, this did not happen."

Another extract details a similar case, which took place in November 1976, in which staff working on the hit show reacted to a complaint regarding Savile by telling the victim that the presenter was just "fooling about."

The paragraph reads:

"The assault took place on a podium during a recording and its effect on B8 can be seen on camera. Although B8 does not show any visible sign of distress, it is clear that Savile is doing something to her and that he thinks it is funny. Her description of what he was doing (he had put his hand underneath her bottom and was keeping it there and "fiddling about") is entirely consistent with what one can see. When the song was over and B8 was free to move about, she 580 spoke to a BBC man standing near a camera. She has a vague recollection that he was wearing a headset round his neck. When she told him what had happened, he told her not to worry, that it was just Jimmy fooling about. Mr Bishop, the director of the show on that occasion, told us that, at the time, he was not aware that anything untoward had occurred."

Dame Janet Smith adds:

"What is particularly striking about this complaint is the reaction of the BBC man to whom B8 complained. He clearly believed B8 when she described what Savile had done; indeed, it does not appear to have come as any surprise. Given this, I do not think that he would have recorded the incident or reported it upwards."

The full report can be found here.

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'Top of the Pops' staff filmed Jimmy Savile sexually abusing young girl and then ignored her complaint about it

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The Dame Janet Smith report into Jimmy Savile states that members of staff working at Top of the Pops chose to ignore complaints that Savile had sexually assaulted members of the audience. The report, published on Thursday morning, says the BBC failed to investigate allegations that young girls were being picked up for sexual purposes on Top Of The Pops on a routine basis.

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The show's current presenter is Fearne Cotton

The BBC's flagship pop music programme Top of the Pops has been cancelled after 42 years, the BBC has announced.
"The time has come to bring the show to its natural conclusion," said the BBC's director of television Jana Bennett.

In a statement, the BBC said the weekly programme could no longer compete with 24-hour music channels.

Top of the Pops was first broadcast in 1964, from a converted church in Manchester. The final edition will be shown on 30 July.

The pop programme was only commissioned for six episodes when it began in 1964.

But it proved so popular that it won a weekly slot and has been broadcast by the BBC ever since, celebrating its 2,000th show in 2002.
The very first show was presented by BBC Radio 1 DJ Jimmy Savile and the first artists to appear were the Rolling Stones, who sang I Wanna Be Your Man.
Many Radio 1 presenters hosted the show over the years, including Dave Lee Travis and Noel Edmonds. The current presenter is Fearne Cotton.

Jimmy Savile said he was "not at all" sad about the news and "not surprised in the slightest".

"In those days you would have to wait until Thursday night to get your fix and you don't need to do that anymore," he said.

"Top of the Pops has been overrun by video of music on TV."

Although it has had numerous face-lifts in its 42-year history, Top of the Pops has always featured the chart rundown, culminating in the number one single of the week.

Dance troupe Pan's People were a highlight of the show in the 1970s

In the days before music videos, dancers would perform to songs by artists who couldn't make it to the studio.

Although the Go-Jos were the first dancing troupe to feature on the programme, the best-remembered dancers were Pan's People.

They made their Top Of The Pops debut in 1968 dancing to Tommy James And The Shondells' hit Mony Mony, and stayed for nearly a decade.

In its 1970's heyday, the show attracted audiences of 15 million, but by 2002 the figure had dropped to just 3 million.

It was relaunched in 2003 with former presenter Andi Peters in charge, but it failed to attract new viewers and was moved to BBC Two the following year.

"The team did a sterling job in revitalising the format for our audience," said BBC Two controller Roly Keating, "but we all recognise that the time has come to move on."

It's a tragedy when a broadcaster doesn't understand such a powerful brand

Mike Read, who was a presenter in the 1980s, said: "It was a situation that was obviously coming because of dwindling audiences.

"There are lots of people who say `I used to watch it years ago but I don't like the music'. There needed to be a mix of old and new."

In a statement, the BBC stressed its commitment to other music shows, such as Jools Holland's Later programme and the BBC Four Sessions.

Noel Edmonds said he thought it was "dangerous" to "throw out one of the most recognised brands in TV today".

"It's a huge commodity and kids are still listening to music, even if they are downloading it.

"It's a tragedy when a broadcaster doesn't understand such a powerful brand."

The Top of the Pops spin-off show, TOTP2, will also make irregular appearances, incorporating archive footage from the series and occasional new performances.

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BBC NEWS | Entertainment | BBC calls time on Top of the Pops

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Top of the Pops is cancelled after 42 years because it cannot compete with music TV channels, the BBC says.