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Year by Year Guides
Top Presenters of the 2020s
Top Artists of The 2020s
Decade Statistics
Episodes Broadcast
4
Archived Episodes
4
Artist Debuts
29
Unique #1s
3
The Story of The 2020s
The long-running Top of the Pops Christmas specials continued until December 2021, marking the end of a beloved tradition. In December 2022, the BBC officially announced the discontinuation of the studio-based TOTP Christmas editions after nearly six decades.
This decision was influenced by a shift in viewer habits toward on-demand services, coupled with ongoing budget constraints at the BBC. The corporation stated that "the cost involved in creating a one-off show like this was too high to justify. Creating the studio and bringing together a string of artists to perform for just this programme required a disproportionate amount of resources."
As a result, from 2022 onwards, the traditional live studio performances were replaced by an end-of-year review format — a compilation show featuring music video highlights, broadcast annually around Christmas Day on BBC Two.
Despite the change, the Top of the Pops brand continues to have a presence through re-runs of classic episodes, which remain popular on BBC Four.