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 😢

I was born 67 so a bit older than you

I don’t think Grange Hill jumped the shark with the Zammo storyline - but similar to you I thought it became less popular directly after this.

However for me the reasons for this are different - I thought GH became less popular after this storyline because of Eastenders because when the Zammo storyline came out - Spring of 1986 - Michelle’s pregnancy by Dirty Den was happening in EE. Coincidence that Michelle had previously been Suzanne Ross in GH - both played by Susan Tully! I was 13 then and NO ONE in my class talked about Zammo’s drugs storyline - everyone was on about EE and Michelle’s teenage pregnancy and by Xmas 1986 EE had SOARED in.popularity amongst my class of 13/14 year olds!

@MillOnTheSaw i don’t remember which year the referendum comment was, I just remember watching that one recently.

Great episode !

Have you ever listened to pick of the pops on radio 2, it's been shifted around and now on Sunday evening.
1980s will always play the one retro 70s style disco song that made the chart. Never play shakin Stevens who had more top 10 hits than Madonna in the 80s, will play phill Collins/genesis rather than the cure!

Totp was just as bad... just look at the fact that Dexys had JOCKEY Wilson rather than JACKIE Wilson behind them

The Jockey Wilson thing was hilarious!!

I like Pick of the Pops! Mark Goodier plays a lot more of the chart from each week than TOTP managed.

They should do a Grange Hill: The Next Generation.
AFAIK there aren't any TV programmes anymore that realistically depict kids at secondary school, which is a crying shame.

Not Waterloo Road?

I worked at Smash Hits for a couple of years in the early 1990s, what a great time. Happy days.

Tbf tho its USP was the lyrics and by the early 2000s you could get them online eh. When it closed loads of people rang me up to tell me – “yes I know. And I don’t work there any more! ”

Oh that must’ve been a fabulous experience 🙌

@MillOnTheSaw yes it was great. Loads of free stuff, met the stars, but most of all worked with a team of amazing talented people (some of whom are now almost famous).

The Grangehill theme is thumping about in my head now

And of course didn’t Neil Tennant work there ?

My sister (1972) bought Smash Hits religiously, same as her friends, I think I remember Grange Hill being on in the background but yeah the lyrics in Smas Hits were a must have for TOPT on a Thursday 😄

yes but that was before my time tbh. I met him tho, what a very smart guy.

@Yabberwok oh my god the Jocky Wilson TOTP's mistake is still one of the funniest things ever! I was too young at the time but it's been featured in so many pop culture shows & quizes over the years it actually feels like I lived through it 😂I wonder was it an intern? Or maybe a disgruntled emplyee on the way out the door? Either way it was & is comedy gold

No way!!! I love the Pet Shop Boys, was he nice?

Aw Fab! Always thought he would be

Or did they think the joke would go over our heads ?

Oh that's a good point @MillOnTheSaw do you think Dexy's were in on it? They never seemed to have a sense of (style) humour 😆

Yes he was very nice and just very clever. Man with his finger on the pulse – that's why the PSBs were so successful. So many clever people working there tbh.

Wow @clary it's sounds like you were there at the peak time! What an experience it must have been

haha well not really. Peak was Kylie and Jason a few years earlier, when we sold like 800,000 copies a fortnight. Astonishing thought. When I was there a good issue was 300,000 plus I think. But it was the time of TT and East 17 and bands like Primal Scream and Suede.

It's never been explained however I have a theory or two. Firstly around that time the video editors put together a Christmas tape for their gang. They would refuse to do things unless big stars said happy Christmas vt and put in their own gags. Or it was a typical BBC type employee...good school, good uni, the DG knew his father...so they stick him where he can't do any damage... unfortunately he knows nothing about music and has never heard of Jackie Wilson.