Top of the Pops 2
| Top of the Pops 2 | |
|---|---|
| File:TOTP2-2006.JPG Logo introduced in 2006 | |
| Narrated by | Johnnie Walker (1994–97) Steve Wright (1997–2009) Mark Radcliffe (2009–present) |
| Theme music composer | CCS (1998–2006, 2013–present) Tony Gibber (2006–2013) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 523 (as of 4 August 2012) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Ric Blaxill (1994–98) Rory Sheehan (1998) Mark Hagen (1999–2010) |
| Running time | 30 minutes 1994–2007 60 minutes 2007–present |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 17 September 1994 – present |
Top of the Pops 2 (also known as TOTP2) is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on British television.
History
The show was originally narrated by BBC Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker. Steve Wright took over in 1997 and hosted the show until being replaced by Mark Radcliffe in December 2009. The presenter never appears in-vision, but provides voice-over commentary that introduces each performance.
The original show format consisted of archival footage apart from the last performance, which was usually a more recent performance or an exclusive performance recorded in the main TOTP studio for TOTP2.
In 2003 the BBC started to run a daily version of TOTP2 in which celebrities chose their favourite archive performances. These celebrities, typically comedians, have included Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer, Phill Jupitus and Jack Dee. There have also been a number of TOTP2 specials in which a "greatest hits" show dedicated to one musician or band is put together from both archive and new footage.
The graphical style for the show generally followed the style used on the main show. TOTP2 used modified versions of the 1998-2002 and the updated 2002-2003 titles during those eras of the show. For the original 1994-1997 titles, a separate title sequence was made for TOTP2. This again occurred with the 2003-2004 titles, with a new style of title sequence based around the newly introduced TOTP 'spiral' logo, but continuing to use the original version of 'Whole Lotta Love' as the theme tune.
Rest
In 2004, the incoming controller of BBC Two, Roly Keating, announced that the programme was to be "rested". The move was part of a format change for the main Top of the Pops programme, which saw it being moved from its BBC One Friday night primetime slot to a new slot on Sunday nights on BBC Two. The new format merged the TOTP format of new performances with the TOTP2 format of archival footage. This format ran until the show's demise in May 2006.
The last showing of the original run of TOTP2 was the TOTP2 Christmas Special shown on Christmas Eve 2005 at 19:30 on BBC Two. Repeats of edited versions of TOTP2 were shown on Dave from 2004 to 2011, and on Yesterday in 2010.
After the Axing of Top of the Pops
After the axing of the main Top of the Pops programme, TOTP2 returned to BBC Two on 30 September 2006. The new show format was similar to the earlier TOTP2, but also included live/original BBC performances. The first 50-minute special included Nelly Furtado, Jamelia and Razorlight, before it reverted to a 30-minute weekly format at 20:00.[1]
These episodes were produced and broadcast in the 4:3 aspect ratio like the majority of its archive material, except for the first two episodes that were shown in the 16:9 aspect ratio to accommodate new performances. The BBC planned to replace the main Top of the Pops special on Christmas Day 2008 with a special edition of TOTP2, that would have included some live performances and archive footage as well as the 2008 Christmas number one UK single; these plans were later scrapped due to complaints by viewers. This led to Simon Cowell asking the BBC to buy the rights to the Top of the Pops brand so he could produce a version of it for ITV1; the BBC later refused Cowell's offer and announced that they would show TOTP on Christmas Day on BBC One as well as the TOTP2 specials on BBC Two.
2009-present
Since 2008, new sporadic TOTP2 specials have aired, alongside repeats of episodes originally broadcast before 2008.
On 27 June 2009, TOTP2 returned unexpectedly to celebrate the life of Michael Jackson, who had died two days earlier. This later turned out to be the last episode to be narrated by Steve Wright.
Since December 2009, TOTP2 has been narrated by Mark Radcliffe.
On 10 May 2010, the 500th edition of TOTP2 aired, a TOTP2 80s Special.
In May 2012 it was presumed that TOTP2 would make a return when a new series of TOTP2 was aired at 18:00 on BBC Two for a week. No more series have been produced or aired on BBC Two though since.
December 2013 saw the introduction of a new Top of the Pops logo, and a presentation refresh for TOTP2. It also saw the return of the CCS 'Whole Lotta Love' theme tune. [2]
Episode Guide
This is a guide to show a list of new episodes not in a particular series of TOTP2, broadcast since December 2008.
| Original Transmission | Episode | Runtime | Narrator | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 June 2009 | Michael Jackson Special | 60 minutes | Steve Wright | BBC TWO |
| 23 December 2009 | Christmas 2009 | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 19 February 2010 | TOTP2 Goes Latin | 30 minutes | N/A | BBC FOUR |
| 10 May 2010 | 80s Special | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 23 May 2010 | Wham! Special | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 28 May 2010 | Duran Duran Special | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 25 September 2010 | School Days | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 21 December 2010 | Christmas 2010 | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 21 December 2011 | Christmas 2011 | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 28 January 2012 | The 60s: Episode 1 | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 4 February 2012 | The 60s: Episode 2 | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 12 February 2012 | The 60s: Episode 3 | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 25 February 2012 | Boybands | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 3 March 2012 | Girl Groups | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 10 March 2012 | Pop Stars | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 2 May 2012 - 1st June 2012 | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO | |
| 3 June 2012 | Donna Summer | 30 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 4 August 2012 | Summertime Special | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 22 December 2012 | Christmas 2012 | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 9 November 2013 | Status Quo | 45 minutes | N/A | BBC TWO |
| 22 December 2013 | Christmas 2013 | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 22 December 2014 | Christmas 2014 | 90 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 6 February 2015 | Genesis | 40 minutes | N/A | BBC TWO |
| 30 May 2015 | FA Cup | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
| 12 December 2015 | Christmas 2015 | 60 minutes | Mark Radcliffe | BBC TWO |
Jimmy Savile
In September 2014, the BBC accidentally transmitted an episode containing footage of prolific sexual abuser Jimmy Savile, which resulted in seven viewer complaints and a statement of apology by the BBC. The offending footage was subsequently removed from BBC iPlayer.[3]
References
- ^ Todd, Ben (24 September 2006). "EXCLUSIVE: TOP OF THE POPS BACK ON TV". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 24 December 2006.
- ^ "TOTP2". BBC. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ "BBC apologises for airing Jimmy Savile appearance". BBC News. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
External links
- Use dmy dates from November 2012
- 1994 British television programme debuts
- 1990s British television series
- 2000s British television series
- 2010s British television series
- BBC Television programmes
- British music television programmes
- Pop music television series
- Top of the Pops
- English-language television programming
- Television spin-offs