Top of the Pops is Britain's longest running pop music programme. It was first broadcast in January 1964 and since then has occupied a prime time slot on BBC television. Its primary value has been in introducing generations of youngsters to the pleasures and excitement of pop music, while for older people the show has become a reassuringly familiar item in the television schedules.

The key to the show's success lay in its revolutionary new format. Before 1964 (and to a large extent after), pop shows tended to respond to emerging trends and fashions. Earlier shows such as The Twist and The Trad Fad were a response to current dance and music styles while the highly popular Ready Steady Go was largely a Mod programme and tended to showcase Mod lifestyles and tastes. The problem with this type of show was that its life cycle was bound to the fashion or style that it reflected: when it passed so did the show. What was unique about the Top of the Pops format was that it was based round the top 20 music chart--expanding to the top 40 in 1984. This meant that the show was not associated with a fashion or a trend; it had no angle on pop music but was merely responding objectively to whatever was popular at that moment. In this way Top of the Pops was always going to be current, it was always going to be at the cutting edge of pop music.

The format of the chart "countdown", coupled with the policy of only featuring records moving up the charts, provided the show with a certain structure and dynamism. Unlike many other pop shows Top of the Pops contained the narrative ingredients of development, anticipation and closure: with each episode, as the countdown commenced, the audience would be kept in suspense by the big question, "who will be top of the pops this week?".

In many respects the Top of the Pops format was informed by radio, the medium that had been closer to the pulse of teen tastes and pop trends. The top 20 format was already an established feature of radio and Top of the Pops presenters were nearly always radio DJ's. To this end early episodes of the programme tended to show a DJ putting the disc on the turntable with a fade to the performer miming to the song. The programme was about records and hits, and even when the performer was unavailable for the show the record would still go on, a policy that sometimes meant using improvised, and often innovative, visual effects to cover the absence of the performer.

Another factor contributing to the show's continuing popularity is its accessibility: while ostensibly aimed at a fairly small teenage audience, Top of the Pops has nevertheless always thought of itself as a family show. Indeed, audience research carried out in the 1980s found that the majority of the viewing constituency was over 25 years old. This appeal to a wider family audience has no doubt contributed to the show's continuing success and buoyant ratings; however it has also left the show open to charges of conservatism and policing standards in musical taste; proof of this is usually offered by pointing to the show's infamous banning of the Sex Pistols and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Top of the Pops has been an important actor in the music business, with immense ability to make or break a performer. An appearance on the show could almost guarantee an immediate leap up the charts. Similarly pop music retailers have found that their sales often peak the day after the show is broadcast. There is no doubt therefore that Top of the Pops has functioned as a powerful gatekeeper to the industry and performers and promoters continue to clamour for a spot on the show.

Although the basic format of the chart countdown has remained constant over the years, the show has introduced many changes to keep itself up to date. Innovations such as the video chart, the "breakers" spot, Europarade and the introduction of live broadcasts have all functioned to keep Top of the Pops in step with new audiences and a changing music scene.

The programme's high point was the mid-1970s when audience figures regularly reached 16 million. This undoubtedly reflected trends in the music industry which saw record sales peak at roughly the same period. However, the acts that were appearing on the show were peculiarly televisual and complemented perfectly the medium's newly acquired colour: the dominance of television inspired novelty acts such as The Goodies and The Wombles plus the emergence of Glam Rock with its theatricality and glitz, seemed to return pop music to the values of showbiz and entertainment.

Top of the Pops
Photo courtesy of the British Film Institute

Viewing figures have steadily declined since the mid-1970s. Some blamed the initial shock of Punk music which lacked the kind of "razzmatazz" that Top of the Pops thrived on. Punk re-introduced notions of authenticity and its anti-commercial stance sat uneasily with the show's emphasis on glamour and entertainment. Even though the 1980s saw the return of flamboyant pop performers, led by New Romanticism and the New Pop, the decline nevertheless continued. This was partly to do with a decline in the singles market and an increase in television channels dedicated to the music scene. This, combined with the general competitiveness of the television industry in the 1980s, has led to a severe drop in viewing figures.

By the early 1990s audience figures had fallen to 5 million. Nevertheless, Top of the Pops has continued to fend of all rivals, and competitors have found the show to be an immovable fixture in the schedules. The history of British television has seen a host of music shows come and go, but while they often achieved fleeting success none of them has been able to match the staying power or the popularity of Top of the Pops.

-Peter McLuskie

PRODUCERS Johnny Stewart, Robin Nash

PROGRAMMING HISTORY

BBC
January 1964-Present

FURTHER READING

Blacknell, S. The Story of Top of the Pops. London: Patrick Stephens, 1985.

Cubitt, S. "Top of the Pops; The Politics of the Living Room." In, Masterman, L., Editor. Television Mythologies. London: Comedia, 1986.

See also British Programming