Top of the Pops, 31st January 2019

Ariana Grande works her magic again, a new song poofing into existence at the very top of the chart, as if from nowhere. Ariana spearheads a healthy crop of new material, with chart breakthroughs also from Mabel, AJ Tracey and debutants Russ and Lewis Capaldi.

Continuity is provided by friend of the show Ellie Goulding, and a second appearance for NSG and his buddy Tion Wayne.

Debuts: Russ, Lewis Capaldi

Diplo ft. Ellie Goulding - Close To Me

High Climber - Up 32 to number 25

Mabel - Don't Call Me Up

In at number 11

Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved

Up 16 to number 13

Russ - Gun Lean

Up 25 to number 9

Khalid - Saturday Nights

Up 4 to number 34

AJ Tracey - Psych Out

In at number 27

NSG ft. Tion Wayne - Options

Up 2 to number 12

Ariana Grande - 7 Rings

Straight in at number 1

PRESENTER: Heidi Range

Top of the Pops, 24th January 2019

The big hitters have come out in earnest for 2019, starting with huge new entries from Calvin Harris and Rag 'N' Bone Man, and Sam Smith and Normani. But also somehow Westlife, and friend of the show The Weeknd alongside newcomer Gesaffelstein.

In other news, the Jax Jones/Years and Years collab makes the top ten after having its initial climb disrupted by Christmas, and Miley Cyrus and Ronson inch into second position - will they ever make the top?

Debuts: Gesaffelstein

Jax Jones ft. Years and Years - Play

Up 3 to number 8

Calvin Harris ft. Rag 'N' Bone Man - Giant

In at number 7

Westlife - Hello My Love

In at number 13

Gesaffelstein ft. The Weeknd - Lost In The Fire

In at number 9

Post Malone - Wow

Up 1 to number 3

Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

Up 2 to number 2

Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing With A Stranger

Highest New Entry - In at number 4

Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho

Fourth week at number 1

PRESENTERS: Dappy and Fazer

Top of the Pops, 17th January 2019

We're still in that new year period, so there are plenty of 2018 faves hanging around, represented here by Freya Ridings, Halsey, Meek Mill and a Dua Lipa double bill. New for this year we have the highest new entry from Headie One, and offerings from NSG and the dashing Chris Brown.

Ava Max settles in for a third week at the top.

Debuts: Headie One, NSG, Tion Wayne

Headie One ft. Dave - 18Hunna

Highest New Entry - In at number 6

Halsey - Without Me

Up 1 to number 10

Meek Mill - Going Bad

Up 4 to number 8

NSG ft. Tion Wayne - Options

In at number 25

Freya Ridings - Lost Without You

Up 3 to number 9

Chris Brown - Undecided

In at number 15

Dua Lipa - One Kiss / New Rules

High Climber - Up 15 to number 22 / Back in at number 54

Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho

Third week at number 1

PRESENTER: Kimberley Walsh

Top of the Pops, 10th January 2019

We're over a week into January but the chart is still in retrospective mode, a clearout of Christmas hits making way for some of 2018's biggest tracks to climb back up the chart. There is some fresh material, though: Ariana Grande and Post Malone both have lower-charting companions to their bigger hits, and Jax Jones and kiddie deities Pinkfong both take slow-burning hits to new chart peaks.

The biggest story, though, is Ava Max, who capped off a long chart climb with a jump to number 1 just after Christmas and isn't ready to give up the top spot just yet.

Debuts: Pinkfong

Jax Jones ft. Years and Years - Play

Highest Re-Entry - Back in at number 19

Mark Ronson ft. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

Up 11 to number 4

James Arthur and Anne-Marie - Rewrite The Stars

Up 17 to number 8

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next / Imagine

Up 3 to number 2 / Up 23 to number 20

Post Malone ft. Swae Lee - Sunflower / Wow

Up 16 to number 3 / High Climber - Up 47 to number 5

Pinkfong - Baby Shark

Up 21 to number 6

George Ezra - Shotgun / Hold My Girl / Paradise

Up 26 to number 7 / Up 36 to number 14 / Back in at number 46

Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho

Second week at number 1

PRESENTER: James Masterton

Fantasy Top of the Pops 2018 round-up

A very happy new year, everybody!

I'll keep this intro brief because I'm actually writing it in late 2019, having fallen somewhat off the fantasy TOTP pace. Let's hope we're back up to date in time for 2020.

But that aside, let's run down the most featured artistes for 2018.

In tenth place with ten appearances is Post Malone. Postie is becoming a bit of a chart phenomenon and his hits tend to be very persistent. He'd be ranked higher if he wasn't US-based and so often unable to make it to the TOTP studio.

In joint seventh place with eleven appearances is Cardi B. The highest ranked newcomer, Cardi had features on hits by Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, DJ Snake and Rita Ora, plus one of her own, and scores higher than any of her collaborators.

Also in joint seventh place with eleven appearances is Anne-Marie. This is the consistent hitmaker's best TOTP year to date, seeing hits in her own right as well as collaborations with James Arthur and a couple of DJs.

And also in joint seventh place with eleven appearances is Ariana Grande. Any Grande release seems destined to zoom to the top, and she finished the year strongly with a long stretch at number 1, only deposed at the last moment by the sausage roll thing.

In sixth place with twelve appearances is Jess Glynne. After a silent 2017, Glynne came back stronger than ever with several high-charting anthems and a number 1 collaboration with Rudimental.

In joint third place with thirteen appearances is Khalid. Perhaps a surprise inclusion here, Khalid is another performer whose hits stick around longer than most. He had a hit of his own, a duet with Normani and the number 1 collaboration with Benny Blanco, all featured multiple times.

Also in joint third place with thirteen appearances is George Ezra. No stranger to the TOTP studio, George had several hits, all on his own, notably the number 1 summer anthem Shotgun.

And also in joint third place with thirteen appearances is Calvin Harris. Of course Calvin has a bulletproof chart pedigree and would have had even more appearances if he wasn't often busy DJing in Vegas of wherever, leaving his featured vocalists to perform without him.

In joint first place with sixteen appearances is Dua Lipa. Yes, we have a joint number 1 here and half of the duo is Dua. Significantly helped by her Calvin Harris collaboration being the biggest number 1 of the year, she was all over the show in the first three quarters of the year before taking a break in Q4. If you add 2017 and 2018, she scores higher than any other artist.

And our other co-number 1, also with sixteen appearances, is Drake. Even though his last appearance was in August, Drake managed to rack up 16 appearances by zooming to the top of the chart with almost everything he released, particularly the nine-week number 1 God's Plan.

And now let's look at the all-time Fantasy TOTP top appearers:

1 Ed Sheeran (60)
2 Little Mix (47)
3 Clean Bandit (39)
4 Calvin Harris (38)
5 Drake (36)
6 Dua Lipa (35)
= Ariana Grande (35)
8 Jess Glynne (33)
9 Sam Smith (32)
10 Rita Ora (30)
11 George Ezra (28)
== Zara Larsson (28)
== Ellie Goulding (28)
14 Justin Bieber (26)
15 Coldplay (25)
16 Anne-Marie (24)
== Jason Derulo (24)
== Major Lazer (24)
19 Camila Cabello (22)
== The Weeknd (22)
== One Direction (22)

Still no challengers to King Ed, but Little Mix and Clean Bandit have closed the gap slightly. New arrivals to watch include Anne-Marie and Camila Cabello, and One Direction cling on for another year despite having split up. Of course if you added up all their solo figures the total would be a lot higher.