The Official Chart

This article is about the BBC Radio 1 show. For the singles chart itself, see UK Singles Chart.

The Official Chart with Greg James

Other names	The Official Chart
Genre	Music, chat
Running time	105 minutes (4:00 pm – 5:45 pm)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 1
Hosted by	Greg James
Recording studio	Broadcasting House, London
Original release	1 October 1967 (1967-10-01) – present
Audio format	Stereophonic sound
Website	http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart

The Official Chart is a long-running United Kingdom music chart programme, airing each Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1. It airs the UK Singles Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company, and is hosted by Greg James.

In March 2015 it was announced that The Official Chart would move from its traditional Sunday slot to Friday afternoons from July 2015. This was to coincide with the global change in new music release dates from Sundays to Fridays. The current chart airs between 16:00-17:45.

History

Pick of the Pops, as the chart was originally known, began in October 1967 hosted by Alan Freeman. Tom Browne took over in 1972 with Solid Gold Sixty before Simon Bates started the show in its current form as a countdown of the top 40 singles. Since then the show has had a variety of different names and presenters in guest and permanent roles.

The programme has run consistently every week, with the exception of 31 August 1997, when it was cancelled due to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The show has also been shortened during coverage of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.

Due to coverage of Gregathlon for Sport Relief 2016, the show on 12 February 2016 was presented by Scott Mills at the earlier time of 2pm to 4pm.

Recent format

In recent years the show has reflected changes in the music industry. In 2005 downloads began to be included as part of the top 40, and from July 2014 the show has also included audio streaming alongside physical sales.

Between February 2012 and August 2014 the show also began to stream visually with music videos of the top 10 singles aired simultaneously on the Radio 1 website.

On 24 March 2015, it was announced that in July 2015 the show would be moving from a standalone show in its traditional Sunday night slot to a new position on Friday afternoons as part of Greg James' afternoon show. The move is due to an international agreement by the music industry to release all new albums and singles on Fridays. The new chart now only plays the top 25 in full rather than the top 40 that had previously been broadcast. It also means that Clara Amfo has become the shortest-serving permanent host of the show.

The Sunday night slot has been replaced with a new show hosted by Cel Spellman.

Presenters

From	To	Presenter(s)	Format
1 October 1967	24 September 1972	Alan Freeman	Known as Pick of the Pops and featured new entries between numbers 21 and 30 and the complete Top 20.
1 October 1972	17 March 1974	Tom Browne	A three-hour show called Solid Gold Sixty featuring new releases, climbers and chart entries below the Top 20 from 16:00–18:00, followed by the Top 20 itself from 18:00–19:00.
24 March 1974	26 March 1978		Reduced to just the Top 20, running from 18:00–19:00.
2 April 1978	5 November 1978	Simon Bates
12 November 1978	26 August 1979		Extended to a two-hour Top 40 from 17:00–19:00.
2 September 1979	3 January 1982	Tony Blackburn
10 January 1982	1 January 1984	Tommy Vance
8 January 1984	23 September 1984	Simon Bates
30 September 1984	23 March 1986	Richard Skinner
30 March 1986	23 September 1990	Bruno Brookes
30 September 1990	30 December 1990	Mark Goodier
6 January 1991	1 March 1992		Extended to a two-and-a-half-hour Top 40 from 16:30–19:00.
8 March 1992		Tommy Vance
15 March 1992	16 April 1995	Bruno Brookes	Extended to a three-hour Top 40 from 16:00–19:00.
23 April 1995	17 November 2002	Mark Goodier
24 November 2002	2 February 2003	Cover presenters
9 February 2003	30 January 2005	Wes Butters
6 February 2005	27 February 2005	Cover presenters
6 March 2005	23 September 2007	JK and Joel
30 September 2007		JK and Joel Bruno Brookes Mark Goodier
7 October 2007		Scott Mills
14 October 2007	20 September 2009	Fearne Cotton Reggie Yates
27 September 2009	23 December 2012	Reggie Yates	Music videos for the top 10 songs were streamed online from 26 February 2012 to 31 August 2014.
30 December 2012	6 January 2013	Cover presenter Scott Mills
13 January 2013	18 January 2015	Jameela Jamil	Audio streaming became included in the chart as of 6 July 2014.
25 January 2015	5 July 2015	Clara Amfo
10 July 2015	present	Greg James	The chart moved to Friday afternoons airing from 16:00–17:45. This features the Top 25 in full, while 40–26 are mentioned briefly.

The Official Chart Update

The Official Chart Update

Genre	Music
Running time	15 minutes (5:30 pm – 5:45 pm)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 1
Hosted by	Greg James
Recording studio	Broadcasting House, London
Original release	10 March 2010
Audio format	Stereophonic sound

Beginning on 10 March 2010, The Official Chart Update brand was launched giving an insight into the Official Singles Chart as it stands during the week. It originally aired on BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday afternoons, with a television version aired on MTV Music and MTV Hits. The Radio 1 show is currently hosted by Greg James. Previous hosts include Scott Mills, Clara Amfo and Jameela Jamil. James previously hosted the show from 2010-2012.

When the Official Chart moved to Fridays in July 2015, The Official Chart Update moved from Wednesdays to Mondays at 17:30.

From	To	Presenter(s)
10 March 2010	19 December 2012	Greg James
9 January 2013	14 January 2015	Scott Mills and Jameela Jamil
21 January 2015	1 July 2015	Scott Mills and Clara Amfo
13 July 2015	Present	Greg James

External links

• The Official Chart at BBC Online