Top of the hip-hops?

Top of the Pops is facing the biggest revamp in its 40-year history as BBC bosses question whether it is relevant to today's music fans.

Former Live and Kicking presenter Andi Peters will take over running the show this autumn and has been tasked to come up with new ideas.

They could include radically changing the format so the show is no longer based around the Top 40.

And BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey said today the show would be staying on her channel "for the moment" - raising the possibility that it could eventually end up in some form at least on digital channel BBC3.

"Andi will be looking at Top of the Pops and has new ideas for it," Heggessey said.

"We have to evolve. The question is, are the charts as valid as they once were? The charts are not as big news any more and there are lots of different kinds of charts now.

"We will be trying to think, what should a pop music show be?"

She said that young people, including her own 13-year-old daughter, now downloaded music from the internet by bands who barely figured in the Top 40.

Heggessey insisted that the weekly show would remain on BBC1 "for the foreseeable future".

TOTP was launched on New Year's Day 1964 and celebrated its 2000th edition last year.

But ratings have fallen steadily over the years despite a number of overhauls.
The last revamp came in 2001 with the introduction of the Star Bar, a backstage cocktail lounge where the performers are interviewed.

Last Friday's programme, scheduled against Coronation Street, attracted just 2.8 million viewers.

Peters joins the BBC on September 1 as executive editor of popular music. The role gives him responsibility for developing a wide range of music and lifestyle shows, including TOTP.

He began his career on BBC children's shows and, after moving into production, he became head of children's programmes at Channel 4.