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This article is about the BBC Radio 1 show. For the singles chart itself, see UK Singles Chart. For the company, see Official Charts Company.

The Official Chart
Other namesThe Official Chart on Radio 1
GenreTop 40
Running time105 minutes (4:00 pm – 5:45 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home stationBBC Radio 1
Hosted byVarious
(as of 2024, Jack Saunders)
Produced byVarious
Recording studioBroadcasting House, London
Original release1 October 1967 (1967-10-01) –
present
Audio formatStereo

The Official Chart is a long-running United Kingdom music chart programme, airing each Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1. It airs the UK Singles Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company.

In July 2015 The Official Chart moved from its traditional Sunday slot to Friday afternoons, to coincide with the global change in new music release dates from Sundays to Fridays.[1][2] The chart airs between 16:00 and 17:45.

History

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Pick of the Pops, as the chart was originally known, transferred to Radio One from the BBC Light Programme in October 1967, along with host Alan Freeman. Tom Browne took over in 1972 with Solid Gold Sixty. This consisted of two hours featuring Radio One playlist tracks which were not in the Top 20 (broadcast on 247 metres Medium Wave and carried on VHF by some location BBC radio stations), followed by a one-hour Top 20 rundown from 6pm - 7pm (carried also on BBC Radio 2's FM transmitters). Starting from March 1974,[3] the playlist tracks were incorporated into Paul Burnett's 'All There Is To Hear', and the Tom Browne show was reduced to just the Top 20 for one hour at 18:00.

In April 1978, Simon Bates took over as presenter.[4] From May 1978, Radio One started promoting the Top 40 instead of the Top 30 in its Tuesday chart countdowns and daytime programming. This was because the Top 50 was increased to the BBC Top 75 that month.

From November 1978 the Sunday chart show was extended to a two-hour countdown of the entire top 40. At first, every record was played, but as there was insufficient time to play the whole of each record, during the 1980s some songs dropping in the chart were excluded. Tony Blackburn, who had been removed from weekday programming, hosted the show from 1979 to 1982.

From 6 January 1991, every song in the top 40 was played[5] and in March 1992 the programme was extended to three hours to allow for each song again to be played in full. The programme now ran from 4pm until 7pm.[6] Since then the show has had a variety of different names and presenters in guest and permanent roles.

The programme has run consistently every week, with the exceptions of 31 August 1997, 9 April 2021, and 9 September 2022 when it was cancelled as Radio 1 suspended programming due to the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II respectively.[7][8] The show was also sometimes shortened during coverage of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. Due to coverage of Gregathlon for Sport Relief 2016, the show on 12 February 2016 was presented by Scott Mills at the earlier time of 2 to 4pm.

In recent years the show has reflected changes in the music industry. In 2005 downloads began to be included as part of the top 40, and from July 2014 the show has also included audio streaming alongside physical sales.

Between February 2012 and August 2014 the show also streamed visually with music videos of the top 10 singles aired simultaneously on the Radio 1 website.

On 24 March 2015, it was announced that in July 2015 the show would be moving from a standalone show in its traditional Sunday night slot to a new position on Friday afternoons as part of Greg James' afternoon show.[9] The move was due to an international agreement by the music industry to release all new albums and singles on Fridays. The new chart played the top 25 in full rather than the top 40 that had previously been broadcast. The change in presenter meant that Clara Amfo became the shortest-serving permanent host of the show. The Sunday night slot was replaced with a new show hosted by Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton.[10]

Since 17 February 2017, only the new entries and highest climbers from the top 40 are played with the top 10 played in full after 5 o’clock.[11]

Presenters

[edit]

The names in italics indicates a co-host for the show.

From To Duration Presenter(s) Format
Main Cover(s)
1 October 1967 24 September 1972 4 years, 359 days Alan Freeman Unknown Known as Pick of the Pops and featured new entries between numbers 21 and 30 and the complete Top 20.
1 October 1972 17 March 1974 5 years, 176 days Tom Browne Johnnie Walker A three-hour show called Solid Gold Sixty featuring new releases, climbers and chart entries below the Top 20 from 16:00–18:00, followed by the Top 20 itself from 18:00–19:00.
24 March 1974 26 March 1978 Paul Burnett
Simon Bates 		Reduced to just the Top 20, running from 18:00–19:00.
2 April 1978 5 November 1978 1 year, 146 days Simon Bates None
12 November 1978 26 August 1979 Andy Peebles Extended to a two-hour Top 40 from 17:00–19:00.
2 September 1979 3 January 1982 2 years, 123 days Tony Blackburn None
10 January 1982 1 January 1984 1 year, 356 days Tommy Vance Simon Bates
Andy Peebles
8 January 1984 23 September 1984 259 days Simon Bates Richard Skinner
30 September 1984 23 March 1986 1 year, 174 days Richard Skinner Tommy Vance
Simon Bates
Bruno Brookes
30 March 1986 23 September 1990 4 years, 177 days Bruno Brookes Tommy Vance
Simon Bates
Gary Davies
Mark Goodier
30 September 1990 30 December 1990 1 year, 153 days Mark Goodier none
6 January 1991 1 March 1992 Tommy Vance Extended to a two-and-a-half-hour Top 40 from 16:30–19:00.
8 March 1992 N/A None[a] Tommy Vance
15 March 1992 16 April 1995 3 years, 32 days Bruno Brookes Simon Bates
Mark Goodier
Neale James 		Extended to a three-hour Top 40 from 16:00–19:00. Digital downloads were included in the chart from 17 April 2005.
23 April 1995 17 November 2002 7 years, 208 days Mark Goodier Dave Pearce
Clive Warren
Judge Jules
Scott Mills[12]
24 November 2002 2 February 2003 70 days None[a] Various
9 February 2003 30 January 2005 1 year, 356 days Wes Butters Scott Mills
6 February 2005 27 February 2005 21 days None[a] Various
6 March 2005 30 September 2007 2 years, 208 days JK and Joel Scott Mills
7 October 2007 N/A None[a] Scott Mills
14 October 2007 20 September 2009 1 year, 341 days Fearne Cotton
Reggie Yates 		Scott Mills
27 September 2009 23 December 2012 3 years, 87 days Reggie Yates Scott Mills
Greg James
Dev
Huw Stephens
30 December 2012 6 January 2013 7 days None[a] Scott Mills A new background theme was introduced in February 2012. Music videos for the top 10 songs were streamed online from 26 February 2012 to 31 August 2014.
13 January 2013 8 December 2013 2 years, 5 days Jameela Jamil Scott Mills
15 December 2013 22 December 2013 Jameela Jamil
Jason Derulo (15 December)
Scott Mills (22 December) 		None
29 December 2013 18 January 2015 Jameela Jamil Scott Mills
Dev 		Audio streaming was included in the chart from 6 July 2014.
25 January 2015 5 July 2015 161 days Clara Amfo Scott Mills
Greg James
Dev
10 July 2015 20 October 2017 2 years, 102 days Greg James Dev
Scott Mills
MistaJam 		The chart moved to Friday afternoons airing from 16:00–17:45 (till 18:00 on Bank Holidays). A new background theme was introduced.

At the beginning of the period, the top 25 songs were played in full while the songs at 26-40 were mentioned briefly along with a short clip.

27 October 2017 8 December 2017 42 days None[b][13] MistaJam The format changed in February 2017 to feature the Top 10 played in full (beginning from 5 pm after Newsbeat) with all new entries & big climbers getting a full play along with a select few other songs whilst the other song were quickly mentioned without a 30-sec clip. The top five albums were also announced. The singles at 10-3 were re-mentioned quickly with a short clip before announcing the top 2 singles.
15 December 2017 9 March 2018 84 days Greg James Scott Mills
Jordan North
MistaJam
16 March 2018 20 April 2018 35 days None[b][13] MistaJam
Scott Mills
Jordan North
Dev 		The Newsbeat at 5pm was cancelled to accommodate more songs to be played in the show. Top 10 starts from 5:05 - 5:45 pm.
27 April 2018 18 May 2018 21 days MistaJam
25 May 2018 8 June 2018 14 days Greg James None
15 June 2018 19 August 2022 6 years, 159 days Scott Mills[14] Jordan North
Cel Spellman
Katie Thistleton
Vick Hope
Jack Saunders 		The background theme was remastered based on the July 2015 version. Before announcing the top 2 singles, the singles at 20-3 are re-mentioned quickly without a short clip. Video streaming included in the chart from 6 July 2018. A new background theme was introduced in September 2020, which was replaced by another in September 2022 and then another one in January 2024
26 August 2022 2 September 2022 8 days None[a] James Cusack
16 September 2022 Present 2 years, 64 days Jack Saunders Jordan North
James Cusack
Sam & Danni

Sian Eleri (co-hosted with Jack at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2024 in Luton)

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f These time periods indicate a change in primary hosts during which the show was presented by covers.
  2. ^ a b Greg James received primary billing for these shows, but he remained completely absent during these time periods.

The Official Chart Update

[edit]
The Official Chart Update
GenreTop 10
Running time15 minutes (5:30 pm – 5:45 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home stationBBC Radio 1
Hosted byNick Grimshaw
Recording studioBroadcasting House, London
Original release10 March 2010 (2010-03-10) –
8 July 2019 (2019-07-08)
Audio formatStereo

Beginning on 10 March 2010, The Official Chart Update brand was launched giving an insight into the Official Singles Chart as it stands during the week.[15] It originally aired on BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday afternoons hosted by Greg James, with a television version aired on MTV Music and MTV Hits.

In 2012 Scott Mills took over as host of The Official Chart Update with Jameela Jamil as co-host. Clara Amfo became the co-host of the show after Jamil left the show in early 2015. In mid-2015, Mills and Amfo left the show and James once again became the primary host of the show. Throughout the show's run Dev, Huw Stephens, and Matt Edmondson have filled in as cover presenters.

When the Official Chart moved to Fridays in July 2015, The Official Chart Update moved from Wednesdays to Mondays at 17:30 until 8 July 2019. The show was then replaced by The Official Chart: First Look.[15]

Format

[edit]

From its inception to 1 July 2015, several songs such as the re-entry(ies), new entry(ies), highest climbers and the Number 1 single were played in the show. The songs at 2–40 were mentioned briefly before playing the Number 1 single. Since 13 July 2015, the chart update is presented with the songs at 4–10 being mentioned briefly along with a short clip while the top 3 are played in full.

Presenters

[edit]
From To Tenure Timeslot Presenter(s)
Host Co-host Cover
10 March 2010 (2010-03-10) 28 March 2012 2 years, 18 days Wednesdays, 15:30 – 16:00 Greg James Chris Moyles
Comedy Dave
(11 May 2011)[16] 		Dev
Scott Mills
Reggie Yates
4 April 2012 19 December 2012 (2012-12-19) 259 days Wednesdays, 16:00 – 16:30 None Huw Stephens
9 January 2013 (2013-01-09) 14 January 2015 (2015-01-14) 2 years, 5 days Wednesdays, 15:30 – 16:00 Scott Mills Jameela Jamil Huw Stephens
Dev
Matt Edmondson
21 January 2015 (2015-01-21) 1 July 2015 (2015-07-01) 161 days Clara Amfo Dev
Matt Edmondson
13 July 2015 (2015-07-13) 16 July 2018 (2018-07-16) 3 years, 3 days Mondays, 17:30 – 17:45 Greg James None Dev
23 July 2018 (2018-07-23) 27 August 2018 35 days Dev
Alice Levine 		None
3 September 2018 (2018-09-03) 8 July 2019 308 days Nick Grimshaw Jordan North

The Official Chart: First Look

[edit]
The Official Chart: First Look
Other namesThe Official Chart: First Look on Radio 1
GenreTop 20
Running time60 minutes (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home stationBBC Radio 1
Hosted byLauren Layfield
Shanequa Paris
Recording studioMedia City, Salford (Manchester)
Original release14 July 2019 (2019-07-14) –
present
Audio formatStereo

The Official Chart: First Look is the show which provides the update on how the chart looks over the weekend. The show is on air during the historic Sunday slot but for one hour only, which is 6:00 - 7:00 pm, and hosted by Lauren Layfield and Shanequa Paris.

It replaces The Official Chart Update that was on air every Monday at 5:30 - 5:45 pm previously. It gives the fastest aggregated picture of the new week's biggest hits for the UK, reflecting popularity across the full spectrum of the Official Charts' sales and streams panel - including all of the UK's key download and streaming services, including Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, Google and many more.[17]

The show was launched on 14 July 2019. It focuses on the Top 20 biggest tracks from data collected on Friday and Saturday.

In September 2020, Vick Hope joined as the co-host of the show with Katie Thistleton. She replaced Cel Spellman as he focused on other acting and broadcasting work, even though the station says he will remain as a part of the Radio 1 family.[18]

Presenters

[edit]
From To Tenure Timeslot Presenter(s)
Main Cover
14 July 2019 (2019-07-14) 30 August 2020 1 year, 47 days Sundays, 18:00 – 19:00 Katie Thistleton
Cel Spellman 		Riyadh Khalaf
6 September 2020 (2020-09-06) 31 March 2024 (2024-03-31) 3 years, 207 days Katie Thistleton
Vick Hope 		Lauren Layfield Shanequa Paris
7 April 2024 (2024-04-07) Current 228 days Lauren Layfield
Shanequa Paris

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Savage, Mark (24 March 2015). "Radio 1 chart show moving to Friday afternoons". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  2. ^ "FAQs | New Music Fridays". newmusicfridays.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  3. ^ "BBC Radio 1 England - 24 March 1974 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ^ "Schedule". BBC Programme Index. 2 April 1978. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ^ "BBC Radio 1 England - 6 January 1991 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ "BBC Radio 1 England - 15 March 1992 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Schedules". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  8. ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Schedules, Friday 9 April 2021". BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Radio 1 chart show moving to Friday afternoons - BBC News". BBC News Online. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ^ "Radio 1 boss Ben Cooper on new Official Chart Show plans - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  11. ^ "BBC Radio 1 - the Official Chart on Radio 1 with Scott Mills, 17/02/2017".
  12. ^ "Every Presenter of the Official Chart Show Ever". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  13. ^ a b "BBC Radio 1 - The Official Charts with Greg James - Episode Guide". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  14. ^ McIntosh, Steven (10 April 2018). "BBC Radio 1 announces major schedule changes". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  15. ^ a b Talbot, Martin (4 July 2015). "Everything you need to know about the new Official Chart". Official Charts.
  16. ^ CMS_AS (12 July 2011), Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave do the Chart Update pt1, retrieved 26 May 2018
  17. ^ "Official Charts: First Look to offer early glance at singles chart". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Vick Hope to join BBC Radio 1". BBC News. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
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