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The BBC is looking for new music TV formats
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 30 September 2010
The BBC is looking to develop a new flagship music telly programme but, and this is very important, I want you all to write this down, it will not be ‘Top Of The Pops’.
According to The Guardian, the Beeb’s king of yoof Andy Parfitt took time to defend BBC TV’s commitment to music yesterday, saying it was “absolute rot” to say there was no music on the Corporation’s telly channels. Responding to criticism from some in the music industry and elsewhere that, since the demise of ‘TOTP’ in 2006, the Beeb has basically shunned musical output on its TV network, Parfitt pointed to the ‘Later’ franchise and the Corporation’s summer festival coverage.
But, perhaps accepting ‘Later’ is a niche show and that the Beeb’s festival coverage is isolated to a few weekends (and is, actually, decreasing), Parfitt admitted there probably should be a more regular, more mainstream music show somewhere in the BBC TV schedules and revealed thought was being given to what that might be. But he stressed that this did not mean a ‘TOTP’ revival was being planned.
According to The Guardian, Parfitt told a breakfast gathering of the Broadcasting Press Guild: “We are working on it. It would be great if we could get a new popular music-based programme with a new format, a new kind of offer that really worked for the audience”.
He continued: “But we are not trying to relaunch or reinvent ‘Top Of The Pops’. That is kind of a red herring. TOTP are four letters that immediately bring out all levels of prejudice. But should we be looking for a programme? Of course we should, and we are. Would it be a good thing to try to persevere and work with producers to identify a new format? Yes. That’s what television does all the time. [Commissioning Editor] Jan Younghusband is actually leading that process and I am closely involved with that”.
Knowing the BBC, they’ll probably come up with a great new format and then have Fearne Cotton present it and it will be awful. Then they’ll excitedly relaunch ‘TOTP’ in 2017.
