The Official Chart
The Official Chart is a long-running United Kingdom music chart programme, airing each Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1. It airs the UK Singles Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company.
| Other names | The Official Chart on Radio 1 |
|---|---|
| Genre | Top 40 |
| Running time | 105 minutes (4:00 pm – 5:45 pm) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 1 |
| Hosted by | Various (as of 2022, Jack Saunders) |
| Produced by | Various |
| Recording studio | Broadcasting House, London |
| Original release | 1 October 1967 – present |
| Audio format | Stereo |
In July 2015 The Official Chart moved from its traditional Sunday slot to Friday afternoons, to coincide with the global change in new music release dates from Sundays to Fridays.[1][2] The chart airs between 16:00 and 17:45.
History edit
Pick of the Pops, as the chart was originally known, transferred to Radio One from the BBC Light Programme in October 1967, along with host Alan Freeman. Tom Browne took over in 1972 with Solid Gold Sixty. This consisted of two hours featuring Radio One playlist tracks which were not in the Top 20 (broadcast on 247 metres Medium Wave and carried on VHF by some location BBC radio stations), followed by a one-hour Top 20 rundown from 6pm - 7pm (carried also on BBC Radio 2's FM transmitters). Starting from March 1974,[3] the playlist tracks were incorporated into Paul Burnett's 'All There Is To Hear', and the Tom Browne show was reduced to just the Top 20 for one hour at 18:00.
In April 1978, Simon Bates took over as presenter.[4] From May 1978, Radio One started promoting the Top 40 instead of the Top 30 in its Tuesday chart countdowns and daytime programming. This was because the Top 50 was increased to the BBC Top 75 that month.
From November 1978 the Sunday chart show was extended to a two-hour countdown of the entire top 40. At first, every record was played, but as there was insufficient time to play the whole of each record, during the 1980s some songs dropping in the chart were excluded. Tony Blackburn, who had been removed from weekday programming, hosted the show from 1979 to 1982.
From 6 January 1991, every song in the top 40 was played[5] and in March 1992 the programme was extended to three hours to allow for each song again to be played in full. The programme now ran from 4pm until 7pm.[6] Since then the show has had a variety of different names and presenters in guest and permanent roles.
The programme has run consistently every week, with the exceptions of 31 August 1997, 9 April 2021, and 9 September 2022 when it was cancelled as Radio 1 suspended programming due to the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II respectively.[7][8] The show was also sometimes shortened during coverage of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. Due to coverage of Gregathlon for Sport Relief 2016, the show on 12 February 2016 was presented by Scott Mills at the earlier time of 2 to 4pm.
In recent years the show has reflected changes in the music industry. In 2005 downloads began to be included as part of the top 40, and from July 2014 the show has also included audio streaming alongside physical sales.
Between February 2012 and August 2014 the show also streamed visually with music videos of the top 10 singles aired simultaneously on the Radio 1 website.
On 24 March 2015, it was announced that in July 2015 the show would be moving from a standalone show in its traditional Sunday night slot to a new position on Friday afternoons as part of Greg James' afternoon show.[9] The move was due to an international agreement by the music industry to release all new albums and singles on Fridays. The new chart played the top 25 in full rather than the top 40 that had previously been broadcast. The change in presenter meant that Clara Amfo became the shortest-serving permanent host of the show. The Sunday night slot was replaced with a new show hosted by Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton.[10]
Since 17 February 2017, only the new entries and highest climbers from the top 40 are played with the top 10 played in full after 5 o’clock.[11]
Presenters edit
The names in italics indicates a co-host for the show.
| From | To | Duration | Presenter(s) | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main | Cover(s) | ||||
| 1 October 1967 | 24 September 1972 | 4 years, 359 days | Alan Freeman | Unknown | Known as Pick of the Pops and featured new entries between numbers 21 and 30 and the complete Top 20. |
| 1 October 1972 | 17 March 1974 | 5 years, 176 days | Tom Browne | Johnnie Walker | A three-hour show called Solid Gold Sixty featuring new releases, climbers and chart entries below the Top 20 from 16:00–18:00, followed by the Top 20 itself from 18:00–19:00. |
| 24 March 1974 | 26 March 1978 | Paul Burnett Simon Bates | Reduced to just the Top 20, running from 18:00–19:00. | ||
| 2 April 1978 | 5 November 1978 | 1 year, 146 days | Simon Bates | None | |
| 12 November 1978 | 26 August 1979 | Andy Peebles | Extended to a two-hour Top 40 from 17:00–19:00. | ||
| 2 September 1979 | 3 January 1982 | 2 years, 123 days | Tony Blackburn | None | |
| 10 January 1982 | 1 January 1984 | 1 year, 356 days | Tommy Vance | Simon Bates Andy Peebles | |
| 8 January 1984 | 23 September 1984 | 259 days | Simon Bates | Richard Skinner | |
| 30 September 1984 | 23 March 1986 | 1 year, 174 days | Richard Skinner | Tommy Vance Simon Bates Bruno Brookes | |
| 30 March 1986 | 23 September 1990 | 4 years, 177 days | Bruno Brookes | Tommy Vance Simon Bates Gary Davies Mark Goodier | |
| 30 September 1990 | 30 December 1990 | 1 year, 153 days | Mark Goodier | none | |
| 6 January 1991 | 1 March 1992 | Tommy Vance | Extended to a two-and-a-half-hour Top 40 from 16:30–19:00. | ||
| 8 March 1992 | N/A | None[a] | Tommy Vance | ||
| 15 March 1992 | 16 April 1995 | 3 years, 32 days | Bruno Brookes | Simon Bates Mark Goodier Neale James | Extended to a three-hour Top 40 from 16:00–19:00. Digital downloads were included in the chart from 17 April 2005. |
| 23 April 1995 | 17 November 2002 | 7 years, 208 days | Mark Goodier | Dave Pearce Clive Warren Judge Jules Scott Mills[12] | |
| 24 November 2002 | 2 February 2003 | 70 days | None[a] | Various | |
| 9 February 2003 | 30 January 2005 | 1 year, 356 days | Wes Butters | Scott Mills | |
| 6 February 2005 | 27 February 2005 | 21 days | None[a] | Various | |
| 6 March 2005 | 30 September 2007 | 2 years, 208 days | JK and Joel | Scott Mills | |
| 7 October 2007 | N/A | None[a] | Scott Mills | ||
| 14 October 2007 | 20 September 2009 | 1 year, 341 days | Fearne Cotton Reggie Yates | Scott Mills | |
| 27 September 2009 | 23 December 2012 | 3 years, 87 days | Reggie Yates | Scott Mills Greg James Dev Huw Stephens | |
| 30 December 2012 | 6 January 2013 | 7 days | None[a] | Scott Mills | A new background theme was introduced in February 2012. Music videos for the top 10 songs were streamed online from 26 February 2012 to 31 August 2014. |
| 13 January 2013 | 8 December 2013 | 2 years, 5 days | Jameela Jamil | Scott Mills | |
| 15 December 2013 | 22 December 2013 | Jameela Jamil Jason Derulo (15 December) Scott Mills (22 December) | None | ||
| 29 December 2013 | 18 January 2015 | Jameela Jamil | Scott Mills Dev | Audio streaming was included in the chart from 6 July 2014. | |
| 25 January 2015 | 5 July 2015 | 161 days | Clara Amfo | Scott Mills Greg James Dev | |
| 10 July 2015 | 20 October 2017 | 2 years, 102 days | Greg James | Dev Scott Mills MistaJam | The chart moved to Friday afternoons airing from 16:00–17:45 (till 18:00 on Bank Holidays). A new background theme was introduced. At the beginning of the period, the top 25 songs were played in full while the songs at 26-40 were mentioned briefly along with a short clip. |
| 27 October 2017 | 8 December 2017 | 42 days | None[b][13] | MistaJam | The format changed in February 2017 to feature the Top 10 played in full (beginning from 5 pm after Newsbeat) with all new entries & big climbers getting a full play along with a select few other songs whilst the other song were quickly mentioned without a 30-sec clip. The top five albums were also announced. The singles at 10-3 were re-mentioned quickly with a short clip before announcing the top 2 singles. |
| 15 December 2017 | 9 March 2018 | 84 days | Greg James | Scott Mills Jordan North MistaJam | |
| 16 March 2018 | 20 April 2018 | 35 days | None[b][13] | MistaJam Scott Mills Jordan North Dev | The Newsbeat at 5pm was cancelled to accommodate more songs to be played in the show. Top 10 starts from 5:05 - 5:45 pm. |
| 27 April 2018 | 18 May 2018 | 21 days | MistaJam | ||
| 25 May 2018 | 8 June 2018 | 14 days | Greg James | None | |
| 15 June 2018 | 19 August 2022 | 5 years, 302 days | Scott Mills[14] | Jordan North Cel Spellman Katie Thistleton Vick Hope Jack Saunders | The background theme was remastered based on the July 2015 version. Before announcing the top 2 singles, the singles at 20-3 are re-mentioned quickly without a short clip. Video streaming included in the chart from 6 July 2018. A new background theme was introduced in September 2020, which was replaced by another in September 2022 and then another one in January 2024 |
| 26 August 2022 | 2 September 2022 | 8 days | None[a] | James Cusack | |
| 16 September 2022 | Present | 1 year, 207 days | Jack Saunders | Jordan North James Cusack Sam & Danni | |
Notes edit
The Official Chart Update edit
| Genre | Top 10 |
|---|---|
| Running time | 15 minutes (5:30 pm – 5:45 pm) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 1 |
| Hosted by | Nick Grimshaw |
| Recording studio | Broadcasting House, London |
| Original release | 10 March 2010 – 8 July 2019 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
Beginning on 10 March 2010, The Official Chart Update brand was launched giving an insight into the Official Singles Chart as it stands during the week.[15] It originally aired on BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday afternoons hosted by Greg James, with a television version aired on MTV Music and MTV Hits.
In 2012 Scott Mills took over as host of The Official Chart Update with Jameela Jamil as co-host. Clara Amfo became the co-host of the show after Jamil left the show in early 2015. In mid-2015, Mills and Amfo left the show and James once again became the primary host of the show. Throughout the show's run Dev, Huw Stephens, and Matt Edmondson have filled in as cover presenters.
When the Official Chart moved to Fridays in July 2015, The Official Chart Update moved from Wednesdays to Mondays at 17:30 until 8 July 2019. The show was then replaced by The Official Chart: First Look.[15]
Format edit
From its inception to 1 July 2015, several songs such as the re-entry(ies), new entry(ies), highest climbers and the Number 1 single were played in the show. The songs at 2–40 were mentioned briefly before playing the Number 1 single. Since 13 July 2015, the chart update is presented with the songs at 4–10 being mentioned briefly along with a short clip while the top 3 are played in full.
Presenters edit
| From | To | Tenure | Timeslot | Presenter(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Co-host | Cover | ||||
| 10 March 2010 | 28 March 2012 | 2 years, 18 days | Wednesdays, 15:30 – 16:00 | Greg James | Chris Moyles Comedy Dave (11 May 2011)[16] | Dev Scott Mills Reggie Yates |
| 4 April 2012 | 19 December 2012 | 259 days | Wednesdays, 16:00 – 16:30 | None | Huw Stephens | |
| 9 January 2013 | 14 January 2015 | 2 years, 5 days | Wednesdays, 15:30 – 16:00 | Scott Mills | Jameela Jamil | Huw Stephens Dev Matt Edmondson |
| 21 January 2015 | 1 July 2015 | 161 days | Clara Amfo | Dev Matt Edmondson | ||
| 13 July 2015 | 16 July 2018 | 3 years, 3 days | Mondays, 17:30 – 17:45 | Greg James | None | Dev |
| 23 July 2018 | 27 August 2018 | 35 days | Dev Alice Levine | None | ||
| 3 September 2018 | 8 July 2019 | 308 days | Nick Grimshaw | Jordan North | ||
The Official Chart: First Look edit
| Other names | The Official Chart: First Look on Radio 1 |
|---|---|
| Genre | Top 20 |
| Running time | 60 minutes (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 1 |
| Hosted by | Lauren Layfield Shanequa Paris |
| Recording studio | Media City, Salford (Manchester) |
| Original release | 14 July 2019 – present |
| Audio format | Stereo |
The Official Chart: First Look is the show which provides the update on how the chart looks over the weekend. The show is on air during the historic Sunday slot but for one hour only, which is 6:00 - 7:00 pm, and hosted by Vick Hope and Katie Thistleton.
It replaces The Official Chart Update that was on air every Monday at 5:30 - 5:45 pm previously. It gives the fastest aggregated picture of the new week's biggest hits for the UK, reflecting popularity across the full spectrum of the Official Charts' sales and streams panel - including all of the UK's key download and streaming services, including Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, Google and many more.[17]
The show was launched on 14 July 2019. It focuses on the Top 20 biggest tracks from data collected on Friday and Saturday.
In September 2020, Vick Hope joined as the co-host of the show with Katie Thistleton. She replaced Cel Spellman as he focused on other acting and broadcasting work, even though the station says he will remain as a part of the Radio 1 family.[18]
Presenters edit
| From | To | Tenure | Timeslot | Presenter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main | Cover | ||||
| 14 July 2019 | 30 August 2020 | 1 year, 47 days | Sundays, 18:00 – 19:00 | Katie Thistleton Cel Spellman | Riyadh Khalaf |
| 6 September 2020 | 31 March 2024 | 3 years, 207 days | Katie Thistleton Vick Hope | Lauren Layfield Shanequa Paris | |
| 7 April 2024 | Current | 5 days | Lauren Layfield Shanequa Paris | ||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Savage, Mark (24 March 2015). "Radio 1 chart show moving to Friday afternoons". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ . newmusicfridays.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 England - 24 March 1974 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Schedule". BBC Programme Index. 2 April 1978. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 England - 6 January 1991 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 England - 15 March 1992 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Schedules, Friday 9 April 2021". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Radio 1 chart show moving to Friday afternoons - BBC News". BBC News Online. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Radio 1 boss Ben Cooper on new Official Chart Show plans - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 - the Official Chart on Radio 1 with Scott Mills, 17/02/2017".
- ^ "Every Presenter of the Official Chart Show Ever". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ a b "BBC Radio 1 - The Official Charts with Greg James - Episode Guide". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ McIntosh, Steven (10 April 2018). "BBC Radio 1 announces major schedule changes". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ a b Talbot, Martin (4 July 2015). "Everything you need to know about the new Official Chart". Official Charts.
- ^ CMS_AS (12 July 2011), Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave do the Chart Update pt1, retrieved 26 May 2018
- ^ "Official Charts: First Look to offer early glance at singles chart". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ "Vick Hope to join BBC Radio 1". BBC News. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
External links edit
- The Official Chart at BBC Online