Pop on the Box

Top Of The Pops celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The simple format of showcasing the artists with the biggest selling singles has proved a durable formula, only undermined of late by the dwindling importance of the singles market. Even so the idea of plundering the TOTP archive with Top of the Pops 2 has resulted in a highly popular variation on the theme.

Not all attempts at music TV have been so successful however and the small screen has often struggled to produce workable formats to present the various areas of popular music. Shows have suffered from unnecessary visual effects, zooming cameras, bad miming, and uncomfortable hosts (ranging from the "trendy uncle" types to tongue-tied youths or insincere-sounding DJs). However some shows thrived in spite of their presentation, with the performers holding centre stage and rising above the general chaos, poor jokes and fawning interviews. And occasionally presenter and show have seemed an ideal match, though such opinions are of course personal (while many may think Bob Harris and The Old Grey Whistle Test or Jools Holland and The Tube are perfect combinations - others would disagree).

Music can be a tricky area for TV, often it attracts a cynical audience or one that strives so hard to be hip that no presentation style could ever satisfy. As a rule of thumb it would seem that the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) idea works best - the acknowledged flagships in the field (TOTP, Ready Steady Go, The Tube, Whistle Test, Later... with Jools Holland) have all let the music do the talking.

Dick Fiddy

In January 2004, the National Film Theatre on London's South Bank screeed a selection of material tracking the history of pop on television.

Images - top: The Beatles on Ready, Steady, Go! (© Rediffusion/Archbuild Ltd); bottom: Yazz and the Plastic Population perform on Top Of The Pops (© BBC)