A new millennium dawned, but the 2000s, would be the decade 'Top of the Pops' faced significant challenges and changes in response to shifting music industry dynamics and evolving audience preferences.
The decade began with the show adapting to the rise of digital music downloads and changing music consumption habits. While TOTP had historically been a television showcase for chart-topping singles, the growing influence of the internet and declining sales of physical singles posed challenges to its traditional format.
Chris Cowey stood down as executive producer in 2003, with Andi Peters taking over the reigns. Viewing figures were in decline again, and so Andi Peters made a last ditch attempt to revive the show. New opening titles were introduced, alongside a revamped theme tune, "Get Out of This (and That)" by Tony Gibber. Similar to the 1991 "Year Zero" approach, all the presenters were dropped in favour of Tim Kash, an ex-MTV presenter. "All New Top of the Pops" aimed to stay relevant by featuring a mix of live performances, music videos, and interviews with artists. However, the program faced increased competition from other music channels and online platforms that catered to niche musical tastes.
Tim Kash left the presenting role in 2004, and TOTP returned to feature a rotating cast of presenters, including famous TV personalities, and musicians, to engage with a broad audience. The show's format evolved to include backstage segments, artist interviews, and special features to keep viewers entertained and informed about the latest music trends.
Sadly these efforts did not improve viewings figures, and TOTP was relegated to BBC Two on a Sunday in July 2005. Over the course of the next 11 months TOTP viewing figures continued to plummet and eventually the inevitable happened.
TOTP was eventually canceled in July 2006 by the BBC after more than four decades on air, marking the end of an era in British music television. While it had successfully adapted to various music trends and cultural shifts over 42 years, the changing media and music landscape proved to be the ultimate challenge that led to its demise.
Presenters past and present, including Janice Long, Pat Sharp, and Mike Read returned for the "Final Countdown" episode, which aired on 30th July 2006. As he opened the first show in 1964, Jimmy Savile was invited to return and closed the last edition of TOTP with "It's still number one. It's Top of the Pops".
However, the story, thankfully, didn't end in 2006. Even though the weekly music shows stopped, 'Top of the Pops' returned every year for its annual Christmas special, featuring the biggest artists of the year performing in the TOTP studio. Fern Cotton and Reggie Yates remained as presenters for the annual specials in the 2000s.
2009 saw TOTP return for a one off Comic Relief special. It was the first edition of Top of the Pops to be presented live in the studio since 2005. The special episode attracted a high number of viewers, and even prompted celebrities and the culture secretary to request the show to return regularly.
Sadly this never came to light and 'Top of the Pops' didn't return regularly, but it did continue into the 2010s, which probably ended up being 'Top of the Pops' most controversial decade yet.