Top of the Pops 2

Top of the Pops 2 (also known as TOTP2) is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on British television.

For the most of Top of the Pops 2, the 2 in their logo is the BBC Two '2' from their idents, first used in 1991, though in 2002 until 2006 the '2' symbol was a new one.

History

The show was originally narrated by BBC Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker. Colleague and fellow DJ Steve Wright took over in 1997 and hosted until being replaced by Mark Radcliffe in 2009. The presenter never appears in-vision but provides voice-over commentary that introduces each piece.

The original show format consisted of archival footage apart from the last performance, which was usually a more recent performance or an exclusive performance recorded in the main TOTP studio for TOTP2.

In 2003 the BBC started to run a daily version of TOTP2 in which celebrities chose their favourite archive performances. These celebrities, typically comedians, have included Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer, Phill Jupitus and Jack Dee. There have also been a number of TOTP2 specials in which a "greatest hits" show dedicated to one musician or band is put together from both archive and new footage.