ITN
Record viewers for TOTP finale
Record viewers for TOTP finale
Top of the Pops has attracted a record number 4.8 million viewers in its finale. Since it moved to BBC2, the 42-year-old show only averaged a million viewers. Top of the Pops regularly attracted 15 million viewers in its heyday. Sir Jimmy Savile, Dave Lee Travis, Tony Blackburn, Janice Long, Mike Read, Reggie Yates and Edith Bowman were among the former presenters fronting the farewell. A BBC spokeswoman said: 'We're really pleased that so many people tuned in to say a final farewell to Top of the Pops.' The popularity of Top of the Pops suffered from a dip in single sales and the growth of dance music and 24 hour music channels. The end for many viewers came in 1996 when the BBC1 show moved from Thursday to Friday. A relaunch, with a Sunday teatime slot on BBC2, failed to take off.
ITN | July 31, 2006
