Top of the Pops, 21st January 2016

TOTP is all about music, entertainment, showbiz, glitz, and winning the heart of the nation, so how could it not pay tribute to David Bowie? We show a classic performance of "Heroes", his highest-charting single of a dozen re-entering the chart this week.

Aside from that we see quite a few climbers, notably from David Guetta and the ever wonderful Craig David - and indeed the two team up for a special re-interpretation of Bang My Head: double David. Justin Bieber is firmly ensconced at number 1, but it's only the video, not a studio performance.

Debuts: Craig David, Big Narstie, Maty Noyes.

Craig David and Big Narstie - When The Bassline Drops

Up 21 to number 15

Shawn Mendes - Stitches

Up 2 to number 4

From The Vault: David Bowie - "Heroes"

Back in at number 12

Little Mix - Secret Love Song

High Climber - Up 32 to number 34

Kygo ft. Maty Noyes - Stay

Up 20 to number 40

Robin Schulz ft. Yates - Sugar

Up 6 to number 27

David Guetta ft. Craig David - Bang My Head

Up 9 to number 21

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself

Fifth week at number 1

PRESENTER: Heidi Range

Top of the Pops, 14th January 2016

After teasing us for a couple of months, Justin Bieber conquers a chart summit that many thought might never be reached: numbers 1, 2 and 3 in the chart at the same time. He duly appears with a combined performance of all three (bending the TOTP appearance rules a little as it is a historic occasion). Elsewhere, as often, the January chart is a bit of a shuffle-about. Years & Years get their chance to shine, as do various other dance-minded people.

A bit more star power: Brandy is in the building to supply live vocals for 99 Souls' track, so she gamely helps out Sigala with their Jackson 5 sample too. It's a bit of a moment. Chart impact comes from the debuting Snakehips, and a memorial Motorhead chart entry for the recently departed Lemmy.

Debuts: Snakehips, Tinashe, Chance The Rapper.

Years & Years - Eyes Shut / King / Shine

Up 5 to number 17 / Up 13 to number 59 / Up 14 to number 60

Sigala ft. Bryn Christopher and Brandy - Sweet Lovin' / Easy Love

Up 1 to number 8 / Up 3 to number 42

Snakehips ft. Tinashe and Chance The Rapper - All My Friends

High Climber - Up 31 to number 27

Major Lazer ft. Nyla - Light It Up

Up 28 to number 21

99 Souls ft. Brandy - Girl Is Mine

Up 5 to number 10

From The Vault: Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

Back in at number 13

Sigma ft. Rita Ora - Coming Home

Up 3 to number 18

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself / Sorry / What Do You Mean

Fourth week at number 1 / Non-mover at number 2 / Up 1 to number 3

PRESENTER: James Masterton

Top of the Pops, 7th January 2016

It's a high-powered Top Of The Pops this week, as post-Christmas spending patterns lead to a chart where almost every song is going up and therefore a TOTP where every artist is in or near the top 10.

Opening up are friends of the show One Direction, who make what may be their last performance a memorable one with a three-song medley. Justin Bieber isn't here so we make do with the song's rather unusual video, but there are plenty of stars past, present and future including Coldplay, Little Mix, Fleur East and Grace.

Debuts: None.

One Direction - History / Perfect / Drag Me Down

Up 1 to number 7 / Up 3 to number 19 / Up 17 to number 31

Coldplay - Adventure Of A Lifetime

Up 2 to number 8

Shawn Mendes - Stitches

High Climber - Up 13 to number 12

Little Mix - Love Me Like You

Up 9 to number 11

MNEK and Zara Larsson - Never Forget You

Up 6 to number 10

Grace - You Don't Own Me

Up 1 to number 5

Fleur East - Sax

Up 8 to number 6

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself

Back up 1 to number 1

PRESENTER: Kimberley Walsh

Fantasy Top Of The Pops 2015 review

Happy New Year to all you TOTP fantasists.

I hope you had a good Christmas break, and especially that you enjoyed the real-life Christmas and New Year editions of TOTP. I know I did. My highlights were Coldplay (the show-stealers in my view), WSTRN, OMI, Katy B and Tinie Tempah, and the two dance acts who had to get random guest vocalists to sing along to their samples. My lowlights were Hozier and the lack of Little Mix.

And what were the Vaccines doing on there? They've never had a hit significant enough to make it on to Fantasy TOTP ever, let alone this year! Still, marks for effort.

Anyway, here's my annual round-up of the most-featured (fantasy) Top Of The Pops artists of the year:

Seven appearances: One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, James Bay, Maroon 5, MO

Nine appearances: Sam Smith, Little Mix, Hozier, Olly Murs, Years and Years, Kygo, Major Lazer, OMI

Ten appearances: Jess Glynne

Eleven appearances: Mark Ronson, Justin Bieber

Twelve appearances: Ed Sheeran

A massive thirteen appearances: The Weeknd

Well done to bondage-centric MJ soundalike and dancealike The Weeknd, who remarkably pips King Ed for first place after never having appeared on TOTP at all before 2015. His most performed track was The Hills, but he scored no fewer than seven hits big enough to make the show, only one of which was a feature on someone else's track (with Ariana Grande). There were long periods of the year where he had multiple top 40 hits, and often when one song dropped down the chart another would be climbing.

Also noteworthy is that the top performers are getting featured more this year - 19 artistes with seven or more appearances, compared to around 20 with five or more last year. No doubt this is because of the inclusion of streaming in the chart causing the big hits to stay around for longer.

Normal service will be resumed on Thursday for the first non-real TOTP of 2016. In the meantime I'll end with the updated all-time most featured Fantasy TOTP friends of the show:

1  (1)  Ed Sheeran (31 appearances)

2  (2)  Sam Smith (22)

3  (8)  Jess Glynne (20)

=  (2)  One Direction (20)

5  (4)  Ellie Goulding (19)

6  (6)  George Ezra (15)

7  (12) Jason Derulo (14)

8  (N)  The Weeknd (13)

=  (34) Little Mix (13)

=  (12) Avicii (13)

=  (10) Calvin Harris (13)

=  (6)  Clean Bandit (13)

Bye for now!

Top of the Pops, 17th December 2015

Christmas is coming on fast, the goose is bulking up alarmingly, and the Pogues are scaling the chart once again, earning their annual From The Vault slot. Meanwhile in the present day it's a week of consolidation on the chart, enabling us to re-feature some recent entries from Years & Years, Robin Shulz and friend of the show Jess Glynn.

The most special performance this week is a Major Lazer double bill, where Olly from Years & Years and our friend Jess both fill in for MO, taking the stage alongside new-hit guest vocalist Nyla. Bieber remains at number 1 but is not here in person so we get a montage of pics of his and Ed Sheeran's faces.

No TOTP next week because it will be Christmas Eve, too close to the special (and actually real) Christmas TOTP.

Debuts: 99 Souls, Bryn Christopher, Nyla

Years & Years - Eyes Shut

Up 6 to number 21

Robin Schulz ft. Yates - Sugar

Up 8 to number 28

Jess Glynne - Take Me Home

Up 1 to number 7

99 Souls - Girl Is Mine

Up 10 to number 23

Sigala ft. Bryn Christopher - Sweet Lovin'

High Climber - Up 65 to number 3

From The Vault: The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York

Up 38 to number 20

Major Lazer ft. Nyla, Olly Alexander and Jess Glynne - Lean On / Light It Up

Up 4 to number 39 / In at number 63

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself

Second week at number 1

PRESENTERS: Olly Murs dressed as Father Christmas and Nick Grimshaw dressed as an elf

Top of the Pops, 10th December 2015

It's beginning to look a little like Christmas, as Mariah spearheads the annual festive chart invasion; once again an old performance of hers brings Christmas magic to the From The Vault slot. After his domination last week, Bieber takes the day off, but he's still at number 1 so Love Yourself is played over a montage of clips from his already surprisingly long career.

We may not have Bieber, but - it's a Festivus miracle! - none other than Beyonce is finally here to give us the full version of Runnin' in all its glory, alongside Naughty Boy and Arrow Benjamin. Coldplay give us a cockle-warming acoustic version of Adventure Of A Lifetime, and friend of the show The Weeknd is here to perform The Hills in full Santa regalia.

Debuts: None.

Sigma ft. Rita Ora - Coming Home

High Climber - Up 22 to number 26

WSTRN - In2

Up 1 to number 9

Coldplay - Adventure Of A Lifetime

Up 8 to number 15

The Weeknd - The Hills

Up 1 to number 10

Jamie Lawson - Wasn't Expecting That

Up 4 to number 20

Olly Murs - Kiss Me

Up 2 to number 11

From The Vault: Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Back in at number 35

Naughty Boy ft. Beyonce and Arrow Benjamin - Runnin' (Lose It All)

Up 3 to number 16

Justin Bieber - Love Yourself

Up 1 to number 1

PRESENTER: JB Gill

Top of the Pops, 3rd December 2015

Justin Bieber dominates the top 40 this week, but Justin himself is otherwise engaged so we only get the video for his number 1 hit, Sorry. Sorry. That means we have to look some way down the chart to fill up our show, giving opportunities to exciting bubblers-under Robin Schulz and Yates, Grace, and Shawn Mendes.

Friends of the show The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran also return to ramp up the star power, and we welcome Nathan Sykes, a former member of The Wanted, for a second solo appearance.

Debuts: Grace, G-Eazy, Robin Schulz, Yates, Shawn Mendes.

The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face

Up 5 to number 20

MNEK and Zara Larsson - Never Forget You

Up 1 to number 6

Nathan Sykes - Over And Over Again

Highest New Entry - In at number 8

Grace ft. G-Eazy - You Don't Own Me

In at number 44

Robin Schulz ft. Yates - Sugar

High Climber - Up 17 to number 54

Rudimental ft. Ed Sheeran - Lay It All On Me

Up 7 to number 12

Shawn Mendes - Stitches

Up 1 to number 55

Justin Bieber - Sorry

Second week at number 1

PRESENTER: Duffy