Top of the Pops gets Scrooged

I was just checking there was a thread before posting, but as there isn't...
Top of the Pops will NOT be a part of the Christmas TV schedules. The BBC will instead have eight episodes of TOTP2 - the best of 2008. The last show will probably feature the Christmas number 1...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7695145.stm

ZOMG!

Really, who didn't see this coming? I'm surprised there was one last year.

It'll no doubt cause an outrage among people who probably never watched it anyway.

No doubt an attention-seeking exercise designed either: to get people to kick up such a fuss they commission the show they already have preparations for; or to get people to kick up such a fuss it will be back next year.

Hmm, it's a shame the TOTP Christmas Special tradition will be no more.

I always used to watch this every Christmas Day without fail.

Bit of a strange quote on that article;

"We said at that time the Christmas Special would continue but would have to earn its place every year" - earn its place?

Do they actually have the TOTP studio set anymore? I'd be surprised if they did.

PS - Someone needs a spellchecker on the BBC News site;

RELATED BBC LINKS
Top pf the Pops

Fair play, but the Ting Tings, Kaiser Chiefs and Adam Ant are calling for it's return. Can't wait to see what happens next, if and when it does...

Although, when you consider I just mentioned Adam Ant, does what he says really mean anything anymore...?

Exactly. Never understood why it was kept anyway - and now they don't have a permanent team it must have cost a fortune to produce every year to air at a time when most people are having Christmas Dinner.

I am disappointed at the BBC cancelling TOTP on primetime Christmas Day - which always did well for its timeslot, got the whole family watching and talking about the show and was certainly worth watching or having on in the background during our Christmas dinner. But there's probably little point in signing any petitions to get the BBC to change its mind and I doubt anyone at TVC, or wherever, cares about what the public think.

I also think covering the year's "hits" with TOTP2 - and hence "sarcastic" comments and "captions" by Steve Wright - is a bad idea; I predict this could just exist of a music video compilation or a cut-and-paste job from any musical performances shown on the BBC this year, and the idea of a voiceover who will probably treat the programme like an extension of his radio programme and give little regard to the music they are introducing is wrong. But, I guess it's better than nothing.

It'll be interesting to see what they schedule in it's place, but whatever it certainly changes the traditional landscape of Christmas Day TV

Maybe the Queens speech will be extended.

.....no doubt padded out with a phone in comp or something!!

"calls will cost one self 1 whole pound per ones minute on the telephone. Not all callers will be asked to leave one selfs details.......but all calls will be charged to one self"

Like with The Chart Show, I'm sad to see it's gone for good, but with the state the charts are in now, I shouldn't really care.

I think bits of the set are still used for Later with Jools. I could be wrong though.