BBC Christmas special ‘scrapped’ after 57 years

The Top of the Pops Christmas Day special has reportedly been axed. If confirmed, it would be the end of an era for a show once at the heart of British life. It was first screened in 1964.

The Beatles, The Kinks and other iconic music acts have performed for the festive show. The regular mid-week TV programme was ditched in 2006, yet the festive edition continued to keep its place. Now it is believed cost-cutting exercises are to blame, the Mirror reports.

A TV insider told the Sun: “Beeb bosses felt the cost involved in creating a one-off show like this were 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. “But it will be seen as the sad end of an era by millions of Brits who saw it as a Christmas Day must-watch along with the Queen’s Speech.” All is not lost, however.

Instead, the BBC will reportedly air a Top of the Pops: Review of the Year.

It will air on Christmas Eve on BBC2. The BBC has been approached for comment by Mirror Online.

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