Line up for 24 July -

Nice to Each Other - Olivia Dean (10), Golden - K-Pop Demon Hunters (9), Ordinary - Alex Warren (7), Victory Lap - Fred Again / Skepta / Plaque Boy Max (6), Sapphire - Ed Sheeran (5), Daisies - Justin Bieber (4), Blessings - Calvin Harris / Clementine Douglas (3), Dior - MK / Chrystal (1)

Line up for 31 July

Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan (28), Wonderwall - Oasis (27), Illegal - Pink Pantheress (25), Can’t Decide - Max Dean / Locky / Luke Dean (24), Love Me Not - Ravyn Lenae (20), No Broke Boys - Disco Lines / Tinashe (12), Beautiful Things - Benson Boone (11) Daisies - Justin Bieber (1)

23 minutes ago, chartjack2 said:

Line up for 31 July

Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan (28), Wonderwall - Oasis (27), Illegal - Pink Pantheress (25), Can’t Decide - Max Dean / Locky / Luke Dean (24), Love Me Not - Ravyn Lenae (20), No Broke Boys - Disco Lines / Tinashe (12), Beautiful Things - Benson Boone (11) Daisies - Justin Bieber (1)

surely Paranoid by Black Sabbath at 32 deserves a play instead of songs that have been around forever like Beautiful Things.

Could even dig out the Pops performance from September 1970 and show that.

I want to be as objective as possible with the songs selected, otherwise it becomes a minefield of a personal choice!

I’d like to think the end credits each week would pay tribute to an artist who had passed away over the last seven days by showing a vintage performance of a classic track (but again the selection of that song would be subjective and not for inclusion in the main line up).

Line up for 7 August -

Dealer - Lola Young (34), Twelve to Twelve - Sombr (31), Nice to Meet You - Myles Smith (28), Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne (25), Paranoid - Black Sabbath (20), Sapphire - Ed Sheeran (7), Which One - Drake / Central Cee (4), Golden - K-Pop Demon Hunters (1)

Line up for 14 August:

Jump - Blackpink (35), Slide Away - Oasis (31), Bloodline - Alex Warren / Jely Roll (28), Yukon - Justin Bieber (24), High on Me - Rossi / Jazzy (21), Rein Me In - Sam Fender / Olivia Dean (15), No Broke Boys - Disco Lines / Tinashe (5), The Subway - Chappel Roan (1)

On 25/07/2025 at 19:15, chartjack2 said:

I want to be as objective as possible with the songs selected, otherwise it becomes a minefield of a personal choice!

I’d like to think the end credits each week would pay tribute to an artist who had passed away over the last seven days by showing a vintage performance of a classic track (but again the selection of that song would be subjective and not for inclusion in the main line up).

Think TOTP didn’t do this in its original runs but then downloads changed things to reissues weren’t needed. The obvious example is John Lennon in 1980 though I suppose when they just showed the videos.

Unfort we are in an era now when there’s a lot of legends from the first era of pop passing away!

Line up for 21 August:

Apateu - Rose / Bruno Mars (33), Dealer - Lola Young (31), Sparks - Coldplay (30), Twelve to Twelve - Sombr (17), Victory Lap - Fred Again / Skepta / Plaque Boy Max (11), Beautiful Things - Benson Boone (10), Sapphire - Ed Sheeran (9), Golden - K-Pop Demon Hunters (1)

Line up for 28 August -

Jump - Blackpink (22), Love Me Not - Ravyn Lenae (21), Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan (20), Survive - Lewis Capaldi (19), High on Me - Rossi / Jazzy (18), Man I Need - Olivia Dean (8), No Broke Boys - Disco Lines / Tinashe (2), Golden - K-Pop Demon Hunters (1)

Line up for 4 September -

Ceremony - Stray Kids (37), A Little More - Ed Sheeran (23), Yellow - Coldplay (19), Eternity - Alex Warren (16), Which One - Drake / Central Cee (14), Jealous Type - Doja Cat (13), Twelve to Twelve - Sombr (11), Golden - K-Pop Demon Hunters (1)

I know you like to do this mainly to demonstrate how the show could work under the original rules, but seems like it doesn't particularly well.

If by some miracle TOTP were to come back, I think it would do well by leaning into the nostalgic side of it, rather than trying to chase the audience that listens to chart music, because odds are they wouldn't tune in in huge numbers.

I'd still take inspiration from the singles chart for about half the line-up, but I'd also include album acts (Wolf Alice would be on this week with something from their #1 album), tracks by bigger names and legacy acts from the Radio 2 playlist (Perrie, Craig David), and new performances of classic, crowd-pleasing songs - either because they've gone viral, they're on tour, or it's a big anniversary of them being #1).

That sort of cut-and-shut lineup was part of the absolute mess of the 2003-2006 when TOTP forgot it was a chart show. It’s never meant to be just for “the kids”, but to “inform, educate and entertain” the family as a whole. Screw the ratings, I genuinely feel the BBC has a public service duty under its charter to show half an hour of the charts on prime time TV every week.

Just now, chartjack2 said:

That sort of cut-and-shut lineup was part of the absolute mess of the 2003-2006 when TOTP forgot it was a chart show. It’s never meant to be just for “the kids”, but to “inform, educate and entertain” the family as a whole. Screw the ratings, I genuinely feel the BBC has a public service duty under its charter to show half an hour of the charts on prime time TV every week.

Would absolutely agree with this but would also suggest having the number 1 album/highest new entry on the album chart appear rather than an 8th song from the singles chart. Pretty sure TOTP did an albums rundown during the 2003-06 era!

Great work on this BTW 👍

I would include an album tack but the problem is it would be personal judgement as to which one, and I’ve really tried to stay clear from that, sorry! xx