Top Of The Pops - The Story - from the beginning

Brian Epstein remarked to Bill - could you imagine what would happen if The Beatles showed up at Dickenson Road, there'd be a riot, to which Bill replied - I KNOW!

By 1967 the closure of this studio in Manchester (another shortly opened in Piccadilly) and the increasingly difficult part of getting all the acts to Manchester (as most were by now based in London), it was decided that the show now be broadcast from London.

If it had continued in the UK in its original format and on Thursday evenings but just brought up to date, it would most likely still have keep pretty good viewing figures.

It the late 90's however the show was tinkered with and became not a patch on its former self that viewing figures slumped. Moving it from Thursdays to Fridays and pitching the time slot opposite a massively viewed soap opera it just didn't stand a chance. In fact in my opinion is that this was done as a way of axing the show discreetly. When changed to Sundays on BBC2 this was the final death knell for the show.

One of the reasons the show lasted 42 years is undoubtedly the rules that original producer Johnnie Stewart devised for the program.

Due to the popularity and viewing figures for the initial run of six programs, the run was made open-ended. 1964 seemed the perfect moment to launch a program 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 program was normally always on, every week. It was also always on (excepting its last two or three years) at peak viewing time, on the 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 program 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 programs 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 by some miracle it is revived in the future). The brand will not die soon as it is licensed to over 180 countries worldwide. Even in mainland European countries such as Germany, Holland, Belgium & Italy, indeed worldwide in countries as far flung as Australia & New Zealand it was THE chart show..

One of the reasons was undoubtedly the rules that original producer Johnnie Stewart devised for the program. Stewart was to be involved with the program for over a decade, but the format was so strong that people did not notice when he left. The basic rules were simple enough - the number one record would always be featured, as would the highest new entry and the highest climber. Records going down the charts would never be featured, unless they started to climb again and reach a higher position than before. Non-movers could only be played if they didn't move for four weeks, and, crucially, no record apart from the number one could be played on consecutive programs.

This format made sure that throughout the 60's the audience figures remained around the 15-16 million mark.

If these audience figures had been the same in the show's last couple of years, it would have been inconceivable that the show would have ended.

These rules enabled a high turnover of material, which was essential for a permanent program. 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 program 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 program'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 program. 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.

These rules worked well, but they have, of course, been tampered with throughout the years. The first change came in the late 60's as progressive rock started becoming popular, pop found itself languishing a bit, and there was a real threat that album sales may become more important than singles sales.TOTP had to reflect this trend, and so there was a slight revamp in early 1970 - coinciding with the introduction of colour TV. Importantly, the program was extended from 25 to 45 minutes, meaning that the program needed much more material. At the same time, Jimmy Savile & Tony Blackburn were appointed the sole presenters - they alternated each week - and the format became more flexible. Perhaps the fact that the programmme was no longer being broadcast live made a difference. Performances could now be recorded in advance without the need to assemble all the acts on a Thursday night.

At the start of 1972, Johnnie Stewart went to America for an extended break, in his absence, Stanley Dorfman was appointed stand-in producer. Oddly, Dorfman was the program's designer, and he produced it very much like a designer might. He instituted an album slot, which in the first week included a 10 minutetrack from a Yes album. These performances were billed in advance in the Radio Times, and so we can see that Osibisa & Marmalade were amongst the acts involved.

Dorfman also began to record performances by other acts regardless of whether they were in the charts - the oft-screened, lengthy performance by the Rolling Stones of Brown Sugar is one of them. Another involved Sandie Shaw, who hadn't had a hit for two years previously, and despite that performance, didn't have one in 1972 either. The set was also redesigned - a curious double stage was introduced, a long 'catwalk' linking two stages at either end.

This all seemed to make the program less the cheerful family-orientated program that it once was. Importantly, the program was made by the light entertainment department rather than the music department, therefore one could always argue that the quality of the acts was never discussed, it was the entertainment factor rather than the musical aspect that was important. (It's hard to see what the music department actually did make at the time, though, given that The Old Grey Whistle Test was produced by, of all things, the presentation department).

When Stewart returned from his leave, he dropped the album slot and the pre-chart acts and instead concentrated sticking to the rules. And it could be said that in the mid-70's was a golden age for TOTP many performances well remembered to this day. The program started reaching the Top 20 ratings again, as well, which it hadn't done since the late 60's.

There were two main scares in the mid-70's. In 1973 the program was moved to Fridays, to complaints from teenagers that they'd no longer be able to see it. These sound oddly familiar complaints, but in this case the BBC returned it to Thursdays after six months. The following year the program was taken off-air by a technicians strike for nine weeks.

Some sources (well TOTP2) claim that this strike was partly responsible for the fall of glam rock and the rise of disco - people had to listen to music elsewhere. Despite this gift ITV still failed to come up with a decent format for presenting pop music - peak time was a wasteland, the only competitors being on children's TV (Shang-A-Lang, Lift Off, 45 etc.) they didn't even have the late night Ready Steady Go as this show itself was axed in 1967.

ROBIN NASH replaced JOHNNIE STEWART in the mid-70's. A graduate from the light entertainment department, he continued to adhere to the rules laid down by Stewart in the 60's. However, he then had to contend with punk. This caused problems on the program - many acts used to enter the charts one week and disappear the next, meaning that the program often featured a large proportion of acts that very few people had heard of. As we entered the late 70's there seemed to be a marked lack of enthusiasm about the program - sets looked horrible, the studio audience were often static & bored, and the series seemed to be less vibrant. Programmes like Something Else and Revolver were attracting young audiences in large numbers, and despite the program gainingits largest ever audience in October 1979 (19.7 million viewers), this can be attributed to the ITV strike at the time. In the long term the series was declining. The 1979 Christmas showlooks extremely poor - there appears to be no studio audience at all, and the atmosphere is non-existant.

Another long strike, this time by the musician's union in May 1980 was a turning point for the series. When it returned in August the program had undergone something of a transformation - the audience began to look more excited, there was new branding (a permanent set and new titles), and the program was introduced by Peter Powell & Elton John. Eh? The man responsible was Michael Hurll, the new producer, and like Nash, a former Crackerjack veteran. Hurll attempted to turn the program back into an event, and revert it into the family program it once was.

His first idea was to hire celebrities to co-present the program with regular DJs. It appears that only 3 people ever did this, though, after Elton John we had Roger Daltry (who memorably slagged off disco when asked to introduce the Village People) and B.A. Robertson.

Other innovations were much more welcome - a massive stage was built in one corner of the studio, with a large screen in the corner and the audience behind the acts, to give the program more of an epic feel. However the first incarnation of this stage involved the audience behind the acts sitting, which looked absolutely awful. After a few weeks, they removed the seats. Lots more visual effects were used , and the chart rundown became much more frantic and excited. Importantly, the audience were give a much more pivotal role - they were forced to dance, cheer & applaud, rather than standing staring as they had done in the past. All the changes added to the atmosphere, amd TOTP became a true event again.

Seemingly Hurll, had decided that TOTP could never be a serious music program, and just got on with making it a massive family entertainment. The rules were still adhered to though, so we were able to see acts like The Smiths & The Stanglers performing on the same sets with the same flashing lights and same audience as everyone else, which added to its innocent charm (helped by the presenters' cheerful inane personas, Richard Skinner heralding the first program of the Smiths with "Here are a couple of Charming Men!")

1982 saw further changes - live performances were pioneered, adding to the excitement. Thungs could now go wrong at any minute, and it was all part of the fun. The same year also saw the return of the late John Peel, the programs finest presenter. Peel had made a terrible mess of his first program in 1968 (a performance that has now been thankfully wiped), but Hurll invited him back with the opportunity to take the piss out of everything. C

When he was paired with David Jensen, they took the program into the realms of the surreal, whilst always being aware of the nature of the beast - Peel & Jensen realised that TOTP was supposed to be a program about what was in the charts, and so while you suspected they'd rather be doing Whistle Test, they never insulted the program or the acts that appeared. 1982-84 is (with the exception of the 60's) the high point of the program - clips from this era still manage to look quite fresh, with an air of orgainsed chaos pervading the whole affair. Viewing at home, the studio looked an exciting place to be, and no doubt it was. Not everything was brilliant - Jonathan King's awful US chart slot was a mistake - but on the whole TOTP fulfilled its true potential.

There was a decline in the mid-80s as Hurll became less involved in the series - Stanley Appel & Brian Whitehouse taking over in the producer's chair.

horrible, the studio audience were often static & bored, and the series seemed to be less vibrant. Programmes like Something Else and Revolver were attracting young audiences in large numbers, and despite the program gainingits largest ever audience in October 1979 (19.7 million viewers), this can be attributed to the ITV strike at the time. In the long term the series was declining. The 1979 Christmas showlooks extremely poor - there appears to be no studio audience at all, and the atmosphere is non-existant.

The innocence began to deteriorate, instead becoming quite cynical. The set started to look uglier and the studio audience stopped playing such a big part. The advent of video began to lessen the amount of creativity in the series. Worse was to come though!

In 1987, ITV finally got their arses in gear and came up with a prime-time pop show

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