Top of The Pops Thread

They've been phasing in that set (posted by fanoftv) over the last few weeks. They used it for the Pet Shop Boys the Friday before last.

One big problem they've had during previous revamps is that at least half the studio performances on every show are repeated from previous weeks – so they've had the old set re-appearing for the first few weeks of the new look. But this time they've thought ahead by using the new set well in advance of the full revamp.

But it will still make for an interesting sight on the Christmas Special (presuming they show repeats of performances throughout the year as they normally do) as we'll see a lot of the old set, including old logo, with the new look astons over it.

James2001:
"Seems to be the reverse of what happened before- when the show launched in 1994 it was using the TOTP logo that wasn't used on the main show until Feb 1995!"

I mean, the TOTP2 logo changes on 2nd December.

The music is to be a re-mix of an old TOTP theme...

So that's official then is it? I thought Tony Gibber had just run out of ideas...I never thought they'd bring that one back.

Ah interesting. I always thought that the Christmas Specials were like the very first cd:uk christmas special, where they had songs from throughout the year, but the artists all did new performances on christmas decorated stages. A time when cd:uk was truly live, concentrated on the CountDown (as the name suggests), as well as new music and artists performing live on live tv on a saturday morning! The sets may have been cheap, but the show was better back in 1998, especially the original music with black & white (with red bits) titles.

I will be interested in seeing what the BBC Three show will be like. Do you think it will be like CBBC's Saturday Show Extra, or itv2's Pop Idol extra, where the presenters (Richard Bacon & Margherita Taylor in this case) will wander onto the set and interview artists aswell as getting extra performances from them?

I'm a bit shocked that BBC Three are having this show, since Stuart said that they didn't want an old brand on their channel, and weren't going to take TOTP. Perhaps they were forced.

And what will this new MTV show be like? Have we any clues?

As for cd:uk, isn't it about time that they had a prime time show, perhaps not replacing the saturday show, as that is based on the 'Saturday' Chart; with specials like the hotshots, and spotlight spinoffs, couldn't they do a prime time cd:uk show that had new music, and focussed on the official countdown, or perhaps just a show that focussed on music, a bit like the channel 5 show 'pop' with no chart.

I don't think so... A clip from the performance is available on the TOTP website and it's just the standard set jazzed up a bit (with clouds projected onto the diagonally placed bits of square set that have come in since Andy took the helm). Looks good, and admittedly quite different to what we've been used to but it's definitely not the new set.

Take a look for yourself - http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp/artists/p/pet_shop_boys/clips/miracles.shtml

I think CD:UK was much better in the earlier days than it is now. It always felt better when it has a much closer connection with SM:TV, and was pretty much the same show at that time. These days the only real links they have is being made in the same studio. It doesn't have the same feel any more, I also thought before it had a much better set than it does now too. CD:UK now is a shadow of its former self.

Shame. It would've been more entertaining at an hour!

It does however have the old logo removed, which will help the transition. It used to be all over the place as I'm sure Col will testify.

Just been to a pre-rec for Friday's TOTP. Studio's looking very nice, lighting very effective on screen.

Expect interviews to camera with the audicece in the background...

JB:
"It does however have the old logo removed, which will help the transition. It used to be all over the place as I'm sure Col will testify."

Me and my mate counted over 50 TOTP logos in the studio when we were there

Like cd:uk have been doing. It will be cd:uk, I'm sorry to say, but that's what its pointing to.

Perhaps cd:uk should now go back to its roots of music, and the charts. It used to be good seeing the top twenty saturday chart and how they changed to the proper chart.

The old cd:uk set was great, as it filled the whole studio without black cloth, just simple hard board shapes and wooden stages, and those tunnel things with all of the cartoons. And the tower made it better to, especially having things like the chart information desk telling you about the weeks climbers, new releases, the amount of new songs entering the chart, and even record & album sales.

It was better with three presenters though. Even two would do, it will never be the same as ant, dec & cat though.

They should look at the show, and look back to when it started when they had hardly any pop bands on and got big music stars performing on live tv on a saturday morning. It was all rix blaxhill that did it, and phil mount changed it to what he still does today.

Even the original titles were better, maybe they should change it to fit in with the look of the new saturday morning show.