Top Of The Pops 2 - History

TOTP2

TOTP2 is a spin off of the worlds longest music show - Top of the pops. TOTP2 started off in 1994 and was presented by Jonnie Walker…Jonnie left in 1997 and BBC radio 2 and former top of the pops presener Steve Wright took over the show.

The show broadcasts on BBC2. It used to air Wednesday nights and Saturday nights.

Originally TOTP2 had beed decomissioned at the end of 2005 as Top of the pops was broadcasting on the same channel as TOTP2…so the combined the programmes together!

TOTP2 is the only spin off from Top of the pops to survive after the axe!

The latest series of TOTP2 kicked off on 30th September 2006 and ran till March 2007…with various specials throughout the rest of 2007.

As from September 2006 the BBC made TOTP2 broadcast at least 2 new performances each week…so eactly the same format as Top of the pops then!?!?!

Some of the new acts were:

Emma Bunton - Downtown - Nov 06

Jamelia - Something about you - Oct 06

Lily Allen - Littlest Things - Dec 06

Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby - Feb 07

Just Jack - Starz in their eyes - Jan 07

Westlife - Total eclipse of the heart - Mar 07

Scooch - Flying the flag for you -  May 07

As well as classic performances from:

WHAM - Wake me up before you go go - May 84

Girls Aloud - No Good Advice - May 03

Slade - Merry Xmas everyone - Dec 73

Celine Dion - Beauty and the Beast - Jan 93

Infernal - From Paris to Berlin - Apr 06

Lonestar - Amazed - Jan 00

Michael Jackson - Thriller - Oct 83 

and loads more!!!!!!

Plus somtimess the BBC couldn’t get the new act on the show….or they couldn’t find the classic performance on TOTP because it had been deleted…so they used music videos as well. A few are:

Shakira - Illegal - Nov 06

WHAM! - Last Christmas - Dec 84

U2 - Windows in the Sky - Feb 07

Bing Crosby - White Christmas - Dec 42

As Top of the pops didnt start until 1964 the performance for Bing Croby - White Christmas is from a film…as the song was originally released in 1942.

2008…and the BBC comission a special series of TOTP2 over the christmas period…and why? because they have axed the original christmas tradition of top of the pops!

Re-runs of TOTP2 from 1997 - 2005 appear on Dave daily with re-recorded dialogue by Steve Wright.