Fans count down to last TOTP show http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5215906.stm Recording of the final edition of Top of the Pops is taking place, with McFly due to perform their number one single Don't Stop Me Now.
Veteran disc jockey Sir Jimmy Savile is co-hosting the programme, which will be broadcast on BBC Two on Sunday. Presenter Janice Long has returned to record links for the show's swansong, and Tony Blackburn and Mike Read are also due at BBC Television Centre. The final edition will feature celebrity tributes and archive footage. The last live edition was broadcast on 23 July. According to a BBC spokesperson, the show will end with "a celebration of the programme's glorious history featuring many of the greatest performances". The Spice Girls, Wham, Madonna, Beyonce Knowles and Robbie Williams will feature in the show alongside the Rolling Stones - the very first band to appear on Top of the Pops. As is customary, it will conclude with this week's number one single. This could pose a problem, however, as the programme is being recorded in advance and there is no clear contender for the top slot. "It's actually quite bunched up," says HMV spokesman Genarro Castaldo, adding that only a couple of hundred sales separated the top five singles. Among the potential number one artists are Rhianna, Lily Allen, Shakira and Kasabian. Most shows don't last 42 days - we lasted 42 years Sir Jimmy Savile "At the moment Shakira looks like she's nudged back up to number one," said Mr Castaldo, "but there could be a swing at the weekend." Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Sir Jimmy, 79, said it was "terrific" to be hosting the show's final broadcast. "Most shows don't last 42 days - we lasted 42 years," he said. "You can only feel incredibly proud." He said the last edition would be "a one-hour spectacular" featuring "high spots" from the past four decades. 'Marginalised entertainment' DJ Dave Lee Travis, who hosted the show between 1972 and 1984, will also attend Wednesday's studio recording. The so-called "Hairy Cornflake" attributed the show's demise after 42 years to its failure to keep up with its target audience. "If you look at your average kid who might be interested in Top of the Pops, they'll have their iPod in one hand, a mobile phone in the other, they'll be playing a computer with their feet and have a Wi-Fi aerial sticking on the top of their head. "There's just too much stuff out there," he continued. "Everything's becoming marginalised." Trevor Dann, who was head of music entertainment at the BBC from 1996 to 2000, agreed. "It was a great brand in its day and it's probably had enough." He added: "We can all remember great moments of Top of the Pops, like Culture Club or Jimi Hendrix. "We remember them because we watched the telly as a family in those days, and people just don't do that now." Top of the Pops was first broadcast on New Year's Day 1964, from a converted church in Manchester. The first show, presented by Sir Jimmy, featured the Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, the Dave Clark Five and the Beatles. During the programme's 1970s heyday, it would regularly attract 15 million viewers. But in recent years the show saw a marked decline in viewing figures in the face of plummeting singles sales and the growth of 24-hour music channels. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
