The Top of the Pops Christmas Special: When the Christmas No.1 Was an Event
For a generation of us, Christmas Day had a running order. Presents first thing, the dinner, the King's (or Queen's) speech, a doze, and then the moment the whole family gathered round the telly: the Top of the Pops Christmas special.
When the chart was an event
It's hard to explain to anyone under 30 how much the singles chart once mattered. The Sunday countdown on the radio was appointment listening, and the Christmas No.1 was national news. Top of the Pops turned it into a television event: the year's biggest hits in one place, the presenters in festive jumpers, and a bit of tinsel round the microphones.
It was also one of the few hours of the year when three generations watched pop music together. Grandparents tutted at the outfits, parents pretended not to know the words, and the kids had the bedroom-mirror dance routines already worked out.
The great Christmas No.1 battles
Part of the fun was the race itself. Over the years, the festive top spot has gone to charity records, novelty songs, choirs and comebacks. Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' set the template for the charity single in 1984. Mr Blobby famously took the crown in 1993. In 2009 a social media campaign sent Rage Against the Machine to the top ahead of that year's X Factor winner, and in 2011 the Military Wives choir got there with 'Wherever You Are'.
More recently, LadBaby spent five Christmases in a row at the top with songs about sausage rolls. The Christmas No.1 has never been about taste. It's about who can get the country behind them in the final week.
Why we still miss it
Streaming has changed the chart for good, and nobody sits by the radio on a Sunday any more. But the Christmas No.1 race still has that pull, and every year there's a contender worth getting behind, from charity singles to genuine underdogs.
So this year, while the turkey's resting, dig out an old Christmas special on YouTube or put the year's top ten on the speaker and let the family argue about it. Some traditions are worth keeping.
