The Official Chart

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The Official Chart
The Official Chart Logo.svg
Other namesThe Official Chart on Radio 1
Genre Top 40
Running time105 minutes (4:00 pm – 5:45 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station BBC Radio 1
Hosted by Various
(as of 2022, Jack Saunders)
Produced byVarious
Recording studio Broadcasting House, London
Original release1 October 1967 (1967-10-01) –
present
Audio format Stereo

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.

Contents

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

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

The names in italics indicates a co-host for the show.

FromToDurationPresenter(s)Format
MainCover(s)
1 October 196724 September 19724 years, 359 days Alan Freeman UnknownKnown as Pick of the Pops and featured new entries between numbers 21 and 30 and the complete Top 20.
1 October 197217 March 19745 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 197426 March 1978 Paul Burnett
Simon Bates 		Reduced to just the Top 20, running from 18:00–19:00.
2 April 19785 November 19781 year, 146 days Simon Bates None
12 November 197826 August 1979 Andy Peebles Extended to a two-hour Top 40 from 17:00–19:00.
2 September 19793 January 19822 years, 123 days Tony Blackburn None
10 January 19821 January 19841 year, 356 days Tommy Vance Simon Bates
Andy Peebles
8 January 198423 September 1984259 days Simon Bates Richard Skinner
30 September 198423 March 19861 year, 174 days Richard Skinner Tommy Vance
Simon Bates
Bruno Brookes
30 March 198623 September 19904 years, 177 days Bruno Brookes Tommy Vance
Simon Bates
Gary Davies
Mark Goodier
30 September 199030 December 19901 year, 153 days Mark Goodier none
6 January 19911 March 1992 Tommy Vance Extended to a two-and-a-half-hour Top 40 from 16:30–19:00.
8 March 1992N/ANone [lower-alpha 1] Tommy Vance
15 March 199216 April 19953 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 199517 November 20027 years, 208 days Mark Goodier Dave Pearce
Clive Warren
Judge Jules
Scott Mills [12]
24 November 20022 February 200370 daysNone [lower-alpha 1] Various
9 February 200330 January 20051 year, 356 days Wes Butters Scott Mills
6 February 200527 February 200521 daysNone [lower-alpha 1] Various
6 March 200530 September 20072 years, 208 days JK and Joel Scott Mills
7 October 2007N/ANone [lower-alpha 1] Scott Mills
14 October 200720 September 20091 year, 341 days Fearne Cotton
Reggie Yates 		Scott Mills
27 September 200923 December 20123 years, 87 days Reggie Yates Scott Mills
Greg James
Dev
Huw Stephens
30 December 20126 January 20137 daysNone [lower-alpha 1] 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 20138 December 20132 years, 5 days Jameela Jamil Scott Mills
15 December 201322 December 2013 Jameela Jamil
Jason Derulo (15 December)
Scott Mills (22 December)		None
29 December 201318 January 2015 Jameela Jamil Scott Mills
Dev 		Audio streaming was included in the chart from 6 July 2014.
25 January 20155 July 2015161 days Clara Amfo Scott Mills
Greg James
Dev
10 July 201520 October 20172 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 20178 December 201742 daysNone [lower-alpha 2] [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 20179 March 201884 days Greg James Scott Mills
Jordan North
MistaJam
16 March 201820 April 201835 daysNone [lower-alpha 2] [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 201818 May 201821 days MistaJam
25 May 20188 June 201814 days Greg James None
15 June 201819 August 20225 years, 293 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 20222 September 20228 daysNone [lower-alpha 1] James Cusack
16 September 2022Present1 year, 198 days Jack Saunders Jordan North
James Cusack
Sam & Danni

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 These time periods indicate a change in primary hosts during which the show was presented by covers.
  2. 1 2 Greg James received primary billing for these shows, but he remained completely absent during these time periods.

The Official Chart Update

The Official Chart Update
The Official Chart Update Logo.svg
GenreTop 10
Running time15 minutes (5:30 pm – 5:45 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station BBC Radio 1
Hosted by Nick Grimshaw
Recording studio Broadcasting House, London
Original release10 March 2010 (2010-03-10) –
8 July 2019 (2019-07-08)
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

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

FromToTenureTimeslotPresenter(s)
HostCo-hostCover
10 March 201028 March 20122 years, 18 daysWednesdays, 15:30 – 16:00 Greg James Chris Moyles
Comedy Dave
(11 May 2011) [16] 		Dev
Scott Mills
Reggie Yates
4 April 201219 December 2012259 daysWednesdays, 16:00 – 16:30None Huw Stephens
9 January 201314 January 20152 years, 5 daysWednesdays, 15:30 – 16:00 Scott Mills Jameela Jamil Huw Stephens
Dev
Matt Edmondson
21 January 20151 July 2015161 days Clara Amfo Dev
Matt Edmondson
13 July 201516 July 20183 years, 3 daysMondays, 17:30 – 17:45 Greg James None Dev
23 July 201827 August 201835 days Dev
Alice Levine 		None
3 September 20188 July 2019308 days Nick Grimshaw Jordan North

The Official Chart: First Look

The Official Chart: First Look
Other namesThe Official Chart: First Look on Radio 1
Genre Top 20
Running time60 minutes (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station BBC Radio 1
Hosted by Lauren Layfield
Shanequa Paris
Recording studio Media City, Salford (Manchester)
Original release14 July 2019 (2019-07-14) –
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

FromToTenureTimeslotPresenter(s)
MainCover
14 July 201930 August 20201 year, 47 daysSundays, 18:00 – 19:00 Katie Thistleton
Cel Spellman 		Riyadh Khalaf
6 September 202031 March 20243 years, 207 days Katie Thistleton
Vick Hope 		Lauren Layfield Shanequa Paris
7 April 2024Current−4 days Lauren Layfield
Shanequa Paris

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Savage, Mark (24 March 2015). "Radio 1 chart show moving to Friday afternoons". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "FAQs | New Music Fridays". newmusicfridays.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 England - 24 March 1974 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "Schedule". BBC Programme Index. 2 April 1978. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 England - 6 January 1991 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 England - 15 March 1992 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - Schedules, Friday 9 April 2021". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Radio 1 chart show moving to Friday afternoons - BBC News". BBC News Online . 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Radio 1 boss Ben Cooper on new Official Chart Show plans - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - the Official Chart on Radio 1 with Scott Mills, 17/02/2017".
  12. ↑ "Every Presenter of the Official Chart Show Ever". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  13. 1 2 "BBC Radio 1 - The Official Charts with Greg James - Episode Guide". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  14. ↑ McIntosh, Steven (10 April 2018). "BBC Radio 1 announces major schedule changes". BBC News . Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  15. 1 2 Talbot, Martin (4 July 2015). "Everything you need to know about the new Official Chart". Official Charts.
  16. ↑ CMS_AS (12 July 2011), Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave do the Chart Update pt1 , retrieved 26 May 2018
  17. ↑ "Official Charts: First Look to offer early glance at singles chart". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  18. ↑ "Vick Hope to join BBC Radio 1". BBC News. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
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