Due to the popularity and viewing figures for the initial run of six programmes, the run was made open-ended. 1964 seemed the perfect moment to launch a programme such as this. British acts were influencing the world's charts and pop would later seem to define the era. If it had been launched, say, five years later it's questionable as to whether it would have had as long a run as it has.

However, the trump card for TOTP has always been its permanence. The programme was normally always on, every week. It was also always on (excepting its last two or three years) at peak viewing time, on tha main channel. After an early shift from Wednesday, Thursday night remained for over 30 years as Top Of The Pops time. There were few occasions, of course, when the programme moved nights for sporting coverage or other events, but by and large it remained consistant on BBC1 on Thursday evenings at around 7.20pm (19.20hrs). Most of its competitors never had the luxury that TOTP had in terms of its peak slot.

Of course there have been changes along the way, as TOTP has continually re-invented itself. Perhaps the last decade or so has seen the most frantic period of change, but it has done so in an evolutionary sense. It outlasted programmes like The Roxy and Razzamatazz. Sadly in the UK at least, the show will become like others, just a memory, but a great one at that (unless

These rules enabled a high turnover of material, which was essential for a permanent programme. Also, they stopped any favouritism by the producer - only records going up that week's charts could be selected. The concentration of that week's chart also meant that the programme could be seen as a definitive record of what was popular - if you wanted to know what people were actually buying, you'd watch Top Of The Pops. There were further constraints on the tracks chosen - three minutes was always the maximum for an act to perform, so if you didn't like what record was on now, there'd be another along very soon.

A further guarantee of the programme's 'independence' the choice of presenters. Curiously, no regular presenter was selected, the honours initially being shared by Sir Jimmy Savile, Pete Murray, Alan Freeman & David Jacobs - each presenter taking it in turns to front the show. Therefore the true 'faces' of Top Of The Pops were the acts that were on that week's programme. Whilst Jimmy Savile was to become a regular presenter for 20 years or so it was never thought of as a 'Jimmy' show. When Radio 1 began in September 1967 all of Top Of The Pops presenters were taken from the station. Some of them were not very telegenic, but again the idea was to avoid the personality presenter. It also served as useful cross-promotion.