Top of the Flops

Top of the Flops
Originally uploaded by Danny Walker 1.

The BBC’s flagship music show, Top of the Pops, has been going since day and maybe even before that. So it was only a matter of time before new, younger, more virile pretenders to the youth throne came along and edged it out of contention.

Who can amongst us can remember back on sunny New Year’s Day in1964 when Golden Man Jimmy ‘Now Then Now Then’ Saville presented the first broadcast. RWD look back into yesteryear as if it was only yesterday we saw the Beatles, Rolling Stones and dusty Dusty Springfield on our black and white tube in the den. Come to think of it, what was the point in dodging the TV licence fees if it wasn’t to enjoy and rejoice in our weekly fix of musical enlightenment? Now almost 50 years later following a few logo, decal and producer changes, the British Broadcasting Corp. have decided to axe the great show.

That’s right. All the re-branding in the world couldn’t save TOTP - Who’d been battling against 24 hour music channels ever since the smart guys who invented cable came to our streets.

The top Top of the Pops for us was when a young Lethal Bizzle and More Fire Crew (with matching Iceberg cardies) showed the world all about the UK underground or the episode when all 500 members of So Solid Crew had 21 Seconds to go. Alas, this is not the last of the Pops, Roly Keating (Controller of BBC TWO) stated, “The end of the weekly show does not mark the total disappearance of the Top of the Pops brand from British television screens. It will continue to feature in programmes such as TOTP2, BBC TWO's archive show based on the Top of the Pops back-catalogue which will sometimes incorporate new performance, as well as one-off specials."

Expect the last show on Sunday July 30th to have a host of poptastic talent from the nations’ favourites… and Lily Allen.