It's So Not Number One

Right, it's had time to settle down - is (All New) Top of the Pops actually any better than the All Old incarnation? Well, not really, no. For the past few years, TOTP had been the pop show that hates pop music, always ready to substitute a pop belter at number two for some indie dirge that scraped into the charts at number 36. Under the misguided belief that only tunes with guitars are credible, the show reflected less and less the state of the pop charts, resembling more a show put together by a group of ageing Q readers.
All New TOTP made a good start by reinstating its funky, mid-1990s theme tune (the one after the Wizzard, but before the one the Pet Shop Boys did), but also emulated the nineties version by installing a bland, terrified presenter to anchor the show. Thankfully Fern Cotton has since been roped in to add gravitas, but the weak 24/7 news section remains, as does impromptu reports by Christina Christianson (who?) on the state of the charts in New Zealand. Some weeks we even get the album chart, though the presentation of this and the singles charts is fairly random.
Having not seen the show for the past month, I was quite pleased to discover that Friday's show was quite successful as it took its lead from the singles chart, and through in a drop of Girls Aloud as a bonus. In terms of guests, it was no disappointment - though bigger pop performances could make the show must-see - and as soon as the presenting situation is sorted out and the chat minimised, TOTP could be a rival for a potentially Cat-less CD:UK. But then again, so could C4's new pop video show...