The Sun are reporting the news, with a source telling them: “[BBC] bosses felt the cost involved in creating a one-off show like this were too high to justify. Creating the studio and bringing together a string of artists to perform for just this programme required a disproportionate amount of resources.
“But it will be seen as the sad end of an era by millions of Brits who saw it as a Christmas Day must-watch along with the Queen’s Speech,” the source added.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones perform on the set of the show Top Of The Pops at Lime Grove Studios in London on 25th January 1967 (Photo by David RedfernRedferns)
Top Of The Pops stopped airing weekly in 2006, but continued to broadcast Christmas and New Year specials.
The music show first aired in 1964 with the festive special following that Christmas. Each year since, a rundown of the year’s biggest hits has come to screens on Christmas Day, but in 2022 that run seems set to come to and end.
The weekly Top Of The Pops debuted in 1964, the same year that it had its first festive special, which initially aired on Christmas Eve. The following year it started airing on Christmas Day, where it has stayed ever since and showcased the biggest hits over the year.
This recap will still take place, but will air a day earlier on Christmas Eve. Top of the Pops: Review of the Year will air on BBC2 at 10.40pm on 24 December, and feature old clips of bands and singers performing at various events over the last 12 months.
