Top of the Pops

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:01 pm

Oh no its moving to BBC2...

im not surprised when the last show they will have on BBC1 has the crazy ******* frog onit? - im told by the presenter everyone loves it?
Yeah, if your a ****

Post by **snarl** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 6:54 pm

Its **** innit. It should just be carted off tele.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 9:29 pm

It's a sound premise in theory.

- Take selected new entries / climbers / top 5 / whatever
- Have acts play live
- Or play videos
- Rundown the chart
- All hosted by some charismatic presenter

Easy. Simple. Piece of piss. Almost impossible to [composite word including 'f*ck'] up, right?

You'd think.

Well done, BBC. Messing up the piss-easy for how many years running?

Now I know there's a lot of changing demographic stuff, what with a hundred music channels on satellite, but there's still room for it on domestic. ITV force CD:UK or whatever down our throats and get decent ratings.

Rubbish!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 9:47 pm

TOTP2 isn't bad, tho.

When they can be bothered to make a series...

My favourite music charts programme ever would have to be The Chart Show.

Every Saturday morning at 11:30am from '86 to '98.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:11 pm

I haven't watched Top of the Pops for years.
When was Frank Sinatra last on it?

I don't even know what's in the top ten. Or One hundred.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:17 pm

TOTP has always been a bit ****. Thats part of it's charm.

But since Andi Peters took over its been outright cack.

The new BBC2 version is undoubtedly the beginning of the end, but I expect an improvement. It's a part of TV history tho, so I hope they just sort it out rather than can it.

And I agree with Brend. The format's not exactly rocket science, but the execution is a mess.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:19 pm

I suppose that they can't decide which style of music program to be anymore now they have to compete with MTV etc.
They're like a fart in a collander - they don't know which hole to go through first.
What IS the current style format for TOTP btw?

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:34 pm

Autobloke wrote: What IS the current style format for TOTP btw?

Rainbow coloured.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:37 pm

Zippy, George, Bungle etc?
That'd be cool.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:44 pm

spiderfrommars wrote:But since Andi Peters took over its been outright cack.

One of the greatest mysteries of kids' TV is how Andi "Charisma" Peters managed to make himself quite so wealthy. Everything I've seen that he's been involved with has been, as you say, cack.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:47 pm

I remember when they relaunched it a couple of years back - had a special live one hour version. I remember thinking that was a decent approach [live music-related programs are usually great for the [composite word including 'f*ck']-up possibility], but lo it was a one-off ratings-grabber gimmick.

The attempted "magazine" stuff they threw in to try and be diverse is just ******* pointless. It's pretentious, patronising, annoying as hell and contains nothing that you can't find out by glancing across the front pages of the red-tops of a morning.

Reggie Yates is a waste of space. It's a crazy situation when Fearne Cotton is the intelligent one... she's vapid and clueless, luckily she's easy on the eye... but ye gads. Bring back the weekly guest presenters... or just let Radcliffe and Riley reunite to present it.

That would be worth watching. No more "That was absolutely brilliant! How brilliant was that?! Wicked!" Just:

"What do you think of that then."
"Eh. S'alright."

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 9:41 pm

Brendocon wrote:Bring back the weekly guest presenters... or just let Radcliffe and Riley reunite to present it.

Autobloke and Predabot?

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 9:59 pm

Now we're talkin', now were talkin'...

I've wanted to visit the fair isles for some time.

Immagine that, me based in the UK, on Brendocons telly every friday-afternoon? Wicked.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:16 am

Brendocon wrote:
Reggie Yates is a waste of space. It's a crazy situation when Fearne Cotton is the intelligent one... she's vapid and clueless, luckily she's easy on the eye... but ye gads. Bring back the weekly guest presenters... or just let Radcliffe and Riley reunite to present it.

Agreed. Especially with the 'easy on the eye' bit! But that first chap they gave the gig to was absolutely shat wasn't he? What happened to him?

I think the main problem with TOTP is the charts are pants. First thing on a Saturday I can let CDUK wash over me, but on a Friday night, especially if I'm going out, Crazy Frog doesn't quite get me in the zone.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:58 pm

The charts have always been full of crap*. The thing is getting the balance of focus right for your target market.

CD:UK works because its primary market is the kids on a Saturday morning, with the hungovers as a secondary pick-up.

TOTP tries to go for the same thing, but Friday night isn't the time for it. Especially when you consider that the show they put out is basically a tv version of Smash Hits. Which already exists on digital...

* - Admittedly it's gotten worse of late, but I blame much of this on the record companies that force feed us tracks months ahead of the release date (radio stations' behaviour encourages this), meaning that the kids all buy stuff the first week it's out; whilst the projected first week sales to the older audience actually happen across the previous month, thanks to iTunes and the like.

The charts used to exist for exactly that - so you could chart the success of a track across a certain timeframe. That doesn't happen anymore. Misnomer alert!

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:28 pm

I don't buy singles anymore, even if I really like the song. The reason for this is that - unlike times past - the album (with said song) will be released in a fairly short time. I remember when albums didn't come out until three or more singles had been released off of it - singles being the means to promote the music of a particular album. These days, you may only get two singles off an album before they move onto making the next album.
And I don't know about the 'net, but hardly anywhere sells singles these days. Also, a study showed that it's mainly children and young teens that buy singles, and adults buy albums. This can be seen in the greatly differing artists at the top of the album charts and of the singles charts.

Of course, I don't really care much about anything these days, so that's probably more the reason why I don't follow music (or much of anything else) and subsequently don't buy singles.

Scraplet · Post by **Scraplet** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:52 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:
spiderfrommars wrote:But since Andi Peters took over its been outright cack.
One of the greatest mysteries of kids' TV is how Andi "Charisma" Peters managed to make himself quite so wealthy. Everything I've seen that he's been involved with has been, as you say, cack.

I think he was in charge of 'yoof' programs at Channel 4 and devised the whole 'T4' thing. This took weekend daytime Channel 4 from being a dead-zone to being The Place to advertise and catch a large cross section of the British teenage market. He made C4 loads of cash, so the BBC figure he must know what he's doing and give him TOTP gig.

Why is T4 still going strong and TOTP failing? Same man, same concepts (basically), same audience, different times so not in competition........

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:38 am

Metal Vendetta wrote:
spiderfrommars wrote:But since Andi Peters took over its been outright cack.
One of the greatest mysteries of kids' TV is how Andi "Charisma" Peters managed to make himself quite so wealthy. Everything I've seen that he's been involved with has been, as you say, cack.

Urg, Andi Peters. He's a complete **** in real life. I've been hideously unlucky and had to be in his presence twice. Utter, utter ****, completely obsessed with himself, appeared to treat his underlings like **** also.

Ain't watched TOTP in years. I keep reading about Fearne Cotton and have seen her pictures in Heat (sitting next to SpencerfromEastenders and looking bored) but have not yet seen her move or speak.

Thinking back on it, I would have to agree that it's pretty much always been crap tho. The format doesn't seem to work for them, somehow.
I miss Mark and Lard.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:16 am

Scraplet wrote:
I think he was in charge of 'yoof' programs at Channel 4 and devised the whole 'T4' thing. This took weekend daytime Channel 4 from being a dead-zone to being The Place to advertise and catch a large cross section of the British teenage market.

Ah, do you remember the old days when absolutely NOTHING good was on Sundays on any of the channels?

You'd be lucky if you caught Songs of Praise, Junior Masterchef, Antiques Roadshow or an Eastenders omnibus.

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:42 am

KingMob wrote: Urg, Andi Peters. He's a complete **** in real life. I've been hideously unlucky and had to be in his presence twice. Utter, utter ****, completely obsessed with himself, appeared to treat his underlings like **** also.

A mate of mine was at Thorpe Park years ago (school trip). Andi Peters was there filming something or other, and it ended up that my mate and his friend were walking behind him on their way to another ride. That was all they were doing-going from A to B-when the lovely Andi turns round and screams at the 2 school kids: "STOP ******* FOLLOWING ME!"

Idiot.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:19 pm

KingMob wrote:I miss Mark and Lard.

They do good comedy songs too.

Andi Peters has been voted a total arse on my personal poll. It was between him and Andi Peters.

Andi. And...i. Why? Why no 'Y'?
Arse.

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:30 am

Wow, he turned and yelled at kids? Eesh.
I had the misfortune to be sat in the same hotel lounge as him and had to put up with him seemingly wanting to take up the entire volume of the room with his ego and voice, and apparently monopolise the staff's time so much that the other guests had a lower quality of service as a result. Second time he was at a do I was working. He didn't do the 'do you know who I am' thing, which I've had before. He just said "But I'm Andi Peters!" and then expected all his wants to be instantly and magically delivered to him by a choir of angels.

Went to see the the 'Horse once, it were brilliant. Best thing on't radio, they were. What was that music show Radcliffe did, the White Room? I watched it but can't remember if it was any good...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 2:35 pm

Radcliffe's autobiography is perhaps the greatest book I've ever read.

Autobloke wrote:Andi. And...i. Why? Why no 'Y'?
Arse.

See, personally I hate this attitude. It's an abbreviated form of Andrew, which contains neither an "i" nor a "y". As such, I don't see how anybody can claim that one form is any more valid than the other. The only basis I can see is that Andy is the more common version... that doesn't automatically make it right, though.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 2:43 pm

Yep. My bad. I took offense at the odd spelling when it should have been directed at the arse himself.

Scraplet · Post by **Scraplet** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:20 pm

spiderfrommars wrote:
Scraplet wrote:
I think he was in charge of 'yoof' programs at Channel 4 and devised the whole 'T4' thing. This took weekend daytime Channel 4 from being a dead-zone to being The Place to advertise and catch a large cross section of the British teenage market.
Ah, do you remember the old days when absolutely NOTHING good was on Sundays on any of the channels?

You'd be lucky if you caught Songs of Praise, Junior Masterchef, Antiques Roadshow or an Eastenders omnibus.

Yeah! Bring back 'The Waltons' and 'Highway to Heaven'

Post by **snarl** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:29 pm

I heard that Andi Peters and Tony Heart from Heartbeat used to be a couple.

Anyway, this totp is bollocks, as per usual.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:11 pm

snarl wrote:Tony Heart from Heartbeat

Tony Hart was in Heartbeat? The Tony that hung out with Morph?

I loved Highway to Heaven!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:16 pm

snarl wrote:Anyway, this totp is bollocks, as per usual.

And if you thought it couldn't get any worse than that, they've stuck Malcolm in the Middle straight after it!

They must really hate that show, if they've put it opposite sunday's Corrie!

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:20 pm

Rebis wrote:Malcolm in the Middle

URGH! Hate that show.
What's it on now? Series 5 or something? There must be a lots of morons tuning in to keep it being made.

Scraplet · Post by **Scraplet** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:23 pm

Autobloke wrote:I loved Highway to Heaven!

In a genuine 'this is great quality entertainment' type of way? Or in the same dumb-struck, 'I-can't-believe-a-TV-executive-gave-this-the-go-ahead' facination that it always got me?