Top of the Pops is finally being dumped from BBC1 after 40 years because of poor ratings, 12 months after a high profile relaunch of the show intended to turn around its fortunes.
The BBC chart show is being moved to BBC2 on Sunday nights from next spring, ending an association with BBC1 that goes back to the launch of the show in January 1964.
The new-look Top of the Pops on BBC2 will combine elements of the channel's existing spin-off format, Top of the Pops 2, which is presented by Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright and focuses on the show's extensive 40-year archive, appealing to an older audience.
The Sunday night show on BBC2 will also be tied in to Radio 1's Chart Show, creating what the BBC is billing as "even more of a weekly, live musical event".
"We want to make it bigger and better so that it becomes the ultimate pop music show for music lovers of every generation," said the BBC2 controller, Roly Keating.
"BBC2 has a strong heritage in pop music and performance programmes, from Jools Holland to Glastonbury, so Top of the Pops will have a natural home on the channel. The addition of Top of the Pops will also extend BBC2's offering to younger viewers."
The BBC is bowing to the inevitable by moving Top of the Pops to BBC2 after years of declining ratings on BBC1.
The BBC's head of entertainment, Wayne Garvie, and Andi Peters, executive editor of music programmes, have been forced to throw in the towel a year after a major relaunch of Top of the Pops on BBC1 intended to turn around its ratings decline.
When the show was relaunched in November 2003 it departed from a rigid adherence to the singles chart for the first time. As well as showcasing acts from the top 40, it featured performances from artists whose records were being played on radio stations in advance of their release.
There were also interviews with stars including Victoria Beckham, and behind-the-scenes footage from video shoots.
Mr Garvie and Mr Peters brought in 22-year-old Tim Kash from MTV to present the new-look show, and spin-off programmes were also launched on BBC3.
After an initial boost, with the relaunch show attracting 5.5 million viewers, Top of the Pops slipped back in the ratings, averaging just 2.7 million by April.
Kash was replaced by Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates in August, but ratings have failed to improve markedly, with Top of the Pops stuck at around 3 million viewers.
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