To be surprised that we lost Top of the Pops, Smash Hits and Grange Hill around the same time?

[MillOnTheSaw]

These 3 things mentioned in my title were favourites of people of a certain age. I challenge you to guess my age!! The thing that surprises me was that all 3 of these finished for ever at around the same time - mid to late 2000s. I’ll never forget the last ever episode of Top Of The Pops which aired on Sunday 30th July 2006 when Fearne Cotton and Jimmy Savile finally switched off the lights in the TOTP studio.

AIBU to surprised that these 3 beloved media phenomena of my demographic all packed in at the same time?

I MISS THEM 😢

The good old days. I was born in 1971.

We often watch the repeats of TOTP on BBC4 on Friday nights. I am a slow learner. The chart appears and every single week I think 'Wow! This is going to be great. Look at all those classic songs and acts!' and every single week the BBC turns out to have picked the worst, most forgettable songs and acts to feature on the show, or to have got Legs & Co to 'dance' instead of showing a decent act's own performance or video. Extraordinary really. I suppose the really good ones were out on the road touring or back in the studio making yet another hit record and didn't need the exposure on TOTP.

I loved it in my teens in the 1970s and on the odd occasion I caught it in the 80s. However, by the 00s it had probably run its course.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g i regularly watch this with my teenage sons..... they are in hysterics at some of the costumes and music!! Especially dr and the medics....🤣

Fidget through Tomorrow's World ('this new invention called 'CDs!') before a blissful hour or so of TOTP followed by Fame. Thursday was the best TV night of the week Ever. (Think Grange Hill was on a Wednesday. The BBC were really spoiling us).

The reality is that Grange Hill had gone through many reincarnations but was tired, kids wanted to watch the Disney offerings like Hannah Montana not school life.

top of the pops and smash hits were both victims of the internet - you can get all of their offerings and more whenever you want. Totp2 works because it’s nostalgia, cheap to put on, on weekends with a few drinks on the go it’s fun!

I always think "how much hairspray was used in the 1980s"?
Wasn't allowed to watch Grange Hill at home (but Grandma let me), Smash Hits was THE BEST. Learning all those lyrics.

Couldn't stand grange hill, but then I seem to be an outlier where grange hill is concerned.

72 here !!!

Born in 1990 and absolutely loved TOTP. Really miss it. Loved watching it with my Mum & Dad growing up. It was something I looked forward to. Fond memories x

True - Grange Hill had done things like change the uniform/ theme tune, merged with other schools, even changed channels at one point - think one series was on CBBC channel not BBC1, changed the theme music back to the original, got rid of the hard hitting storylines apparently at the end and introduced a year group that were meant to be in the last year of primary!! - and introduced storylines based on childlike fantasy in order to appeal to a younger demographic !

I’m with @Dangermoo 🎂

❤️

Smash Hit sticker albums, I remember. Where you'd collect the different pop star pics and stick them in the album!

Although I bought the magazine I don’t recall the sticker albums

Loved Grange Hill, I remember my older cousins watching it when Zammo was on drugs and I wasn't really allowed to watch it - prob why I liked it. Also remember when it ended someone being interviewed saying it wasn't "relevant" any more. Like don't kids go to school any more?!

I know - crazy that it wasn’t relevant ! Surely they could adapt the storylines for the current day ?!

Yeah..would get Boy George, Madonna pics etc. I also remember the small badges with those singers on. Happy days x

In 1988, a pupil on Grange Hill made a beautifully ironic comment, referring to the head Mrs McLusky:

"They'll only call a referendum when they're sure they'll get the result they want."

And of course classic Baxter. "Before you hop it, mop it. Got it?"

Baxter (to a loitering pupil): What are you doing here?
Pupil: Oh, I'm waiting for someone.
Baxter: Who for, Godot?

And Grange Hill had so many scenes which simply would not happen now.
Teacher: (seeing Duane Orpington's black eye) Who gave you that?
Duane: Me dad, sir, because I got my bike nicked.
Teacher: (shrugs) Off you go.

Loved Grange Hill then the spin off tuckers luck. Everyone watched TOTP then talked about it at school the next day.

Oh my. That is proper writing for kids. No dumbing down.

I liked Grange Hill in the 80s because it was about things I cared about and could see around me - getting the right options and how difficult that could be in a comprehensive, bullying, neglect. Controversial but I think it jumped the shark with the zammo storyline. Or maybe I just got too old.

Smash Hits was just wonderful. It was completely irreverent and all the in-jokes made you feel like you were in a gang with the cool music journos. Wacka Macca Thumbsaloft, Dame David Bowie, Ben vol-au-vent Perrot etc.

Top of the pops was a weird one. It seemed to me the demographic it was aimed at always thought it was naff - I certainly did by the time I was 13, although I loved it when I was five. But then when they did have eg The Smiths on, we'd all get really proper excited, so we obviously still cared about it. I certainly wouldn't have missed it, even though I spent most of the time I was watching it rolling my eyes, when I was a teenager.

I remember that referendum comment but I thought it was 1983?

I said out loud in class around 1988 in front of a teacher that my mother had a drink problem and she looked away embarrassed

Agree about all of this though sadly I didn’t watch Tucker’s luck even though I was the correct demographic

What is totp2??