when did top of the pops start

Top of the Pops first started on 1 January 1964 as a BBC television programme showcasing the current pop charts in the UK.

Quick Scoop

• The very first episode was broadcast live from a converted church hall in Dickenson Road, Rusholme, Manchester.

• It went out in the early evening and quickly became a weekly fixture for music fans across Britain.

• The show went on to run for decades, originally airing weekly until 2006, making it one of the longest-running music programmes in TV history.

Who played on the first show?

• Dusty Springfield performed “I Only Want to Be with You,” often noted as the first song featured on the programme.

• Other acts on that debut edition included The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and The Beatles with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which was number one that week.

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