Viewing record for Top of the Pops finale
The Top of the Pops finale attracted 4.8 million viewers last night, a record for the show since it moved to BBC2.
The iconic music programme, which has run for 42 years, had been averaging around a million viewers since it moved from BBC1. In its heyday, Top of the Pops regularly attracted 15 million viewers.
Last night, Jimmy Savile, Dave Lee Travis, Tony Blackburn, Janice Long, Mike Read, Reggie Yates and Edith Bowman were among the former presenters fronting the swansong.
The show attracted an audience average of 3.9 million viewers (a 20.8% share) and a peak share of 24%.
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 such as MTV and VH1.
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.
