Popworld
Encyclopedia
Popworld was a British television
programme that was broadcast on Channel 4
, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists.
The show began in January 2001 and was initially presented by Miquita Oliver
and Simon Amstell
. Alex Zane
and Alexa Chung
took over the programme in 2006. Popworld was broadcast every Sunday Morning on Channel 4
at 10.30 am, and repeated on E4 at 2.00 pm the next day.
At various points over the years there has been enough of what the presenters term "interview gold" to keep celebrity fear levels running high. Everything from a po-faced Gwen Stefani
refusing a gift of cheese on the red carpet at the 2005 Brits; host Simon Amstell
interviewing Natalie Imbruglia with a paper bag over his head, or, famously, Girls Aloud
's Cheryl Tweedy, fresh from her court case involving an incident with a toilet attendant, being asked whether people were frightened to see her walk into the ladies.
Popworld has often been compared to shows such as the 1980s hit The Tube
and it does share its sense of reflecting the times - in Popworlds case, it reflects confusing multi-media/blogging/downloading times. But it also harks back to the best on offer from previous eras - including, from the publishing world, the irreverence of old-school Smash Hits
, the merciless skewerings of NME
, through to the brutal-when-necessary celebrity demystification of Heat magazine
.
" Popworld " was also heralded as a platform for unsigned bands to appear on the show, A website of the same name and in partnership with channel 4 encouraged acts to upload their music to the site and following a fan vote, where the fans paid to download their favourite track, whichever band finished top of the monthly download chart would appear on the show..
On 27 April 2007, Channel 4 announced that they would not be recommissioning the show, and after 6 years on air, popworld ended on 14 July 2007.
, and the accompanying show (first transmitted daily at teatime on E4) was originally intended for a much younger audience. The show's original hosts were Nickelodeon
presenter Simon Amstell
and 16-year old Miquita Oliver
. The original ratings for the programme were dismal, but as Amstell and Oliver gradually warmed to each other (their relationship was strained in the early days) and had greater control of what they could say, the ratings improved. Popworld finally made it on to T4
, (Channel 4
's youth strand), in the spring of 2001. In the early series the show featured Leigh Francis
as the character Barry Gibson.
During Amstell and Oliver's tenure on the show it often used surreal humour
, and small references to Jewish culture in the UK
; for example, Amstell had been shown reading the Jewish Chronicle, as well as making references to festivals and customs. Since its inception the show gradually grew more and more dry and sarcastic, with singers and bands being subtly, and by 2004 more overtly, mocked. By the end of Amstell and Oliver's tenure on the show it had gained a cult following as the alternative to limitlessly enthusiastic programmes such as Top Of The Pops
. Notable events that occurred during their tenure include Amstell coming on to homophobic reggae star Beenie Man
and Britney Spears
walking out of an interview in tears. The Kooks
refused to do an interview on their second appearance on the show, after Amstell's repeated references to the singer's ex-girlfriend Katie Melua
during their first interview.
In February 2006, Simon Amstell and Miquita Oliver announced they would be leaving the show. Following their departure show, Alex Zane
and Alexa Chung
took over presenting until its final episode in July 2007.
In late 2006, it was announced that Popworld was launching a weekly magazine called Popworld Pulp. 130,000 copies were produced for launch, which took place in April 2007. However, after two weeks, it was axed, the publishers claiming it had undersold against its sales targets. Two weeks later, the show, too, announced it was ending.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6571291.stm
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
programme that was broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, offering pop news, trivia, gossip, interviews and music videos, as well as musical performances from the most recent top artists.
The show began in January 2001 and was initially presented by Miquita Oliver
Miquita Oliver
Miquita Billie Alexandra Oliver is a British television presenter and radio personality. She co-hosted Channel 4's Popworld from 2001–2006 and went on to present on T4 from 2006-2010 as well as having her own show, The Month With Miquita, on 4Music...
and Simon Amstell
Simon Amstell
Simon Marc Amstell is a BAFTA nominated, award-winning English comedian, television presenter, screenwriter and actor, best known for his roles as former co-host of Popworld, former host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and co-writer and star of the sitcom Grandma's House.-Early life:Amstell was born...
. Alex Zane
Alex Zane
Alex Zane is an English television presenter and DJ.-Background:Zane was born in Leeds and attended Boston Spa School before going on to study Medicine at University College London, a course which he left after a year, and then Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College.-Stand-up comedy and...
and Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung is an English television presenter, model and contributing editor at British Vogue.She currently hosts Gonzo with Alexa Chung for MTV UK, and is scheduled to host Thrift America for PBS in 2011...
took over the programme in 2006. Popworld was broadcast every Sunday Morning on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
at 10.30 am, and repeated on E4 at 2.00 pm the next day.
At various points over the years there has been enough of what the presenters term "interview gold" to keep celebrity fear levels running high. Everything from a po-faced Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
refusing a gift of cheese on the red carpet at the 2005 Brits; host Simon Amstell
Simon Amstell
Simon Marc Amstell is a BAFTA nominated, award-winning English comedian, television presenter, screenwriter and actor, best known for his roles as former co-host of Popworld, former host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and co-writer and star of the sitcom Grandma's House.-Early life:Amstell was born...
interviewing Natalie Imbruglia with a paper bag over his head, or, famously, Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
's Cheryl Tweedy, fresh from her court case involving an incident with a toilet attendant, being asked whether people were frightened to see her walk into the ladies.
Popworld has often been compared to shows such as the 1980s hit The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
and it does share its sense of reflecting the times - in Popworlds case, it reflects confusing multi-media/blogging/downloading times. But it also harks back to the best on offer from previous eras - including, from the publishing world, the irreverence of old-school Smash Hits
Smash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
, the merciless skewerings of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, through to the brutal-when-necessary celebrity demystification of Heat magazine
Heat (magazine)
Heat is a British entertainment magazine published by German company Bauer Media Group. it is one of the biggest selling magazines in the UK, with a regular circulation over half a million. Its mix of celebrity news, gossip and fashion is primarily aimed at women, although not as directly as in...
.
" Popworld " was also heralded as a platform for unsigned bands to appear on the show, A website of the same name and in partnership with channel 4 encouraged acts to upload their music to the site and following a fan vote, where the fans paid to download their favourite track, whichever band finished top of the monthly download chart would appear on the show..
On 27 April 2007, Channel 4 announced that they would not be recommissioning the show, and after 6 years on air, popworld ended on 14 July 2007.
History
Popworld started life in 2000 as a website founded by pop mogul Simon FullerSimon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
, and the accompanying show (first transmitted daily at teatime on E4) was originally intended for a much younger audience. The show's original hosts were Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon UK
Nickelodeon is a children's television channel available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV and UPC Ireland in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including on demand on BT Vision. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993...
presenter Simon Amstell
Simon Amstell
Simon Marc Amstell is a BAFTA nominated, award-winning English comedian, television presenter, screenwriter and actor, best known for his roles as former co-host of Popworld, former host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and co-writer and star of the sitcom Grandma's House.-Early life:Amstell was born...
and 16-year old Miquita Oliver
Miquita Oliver
Miquita Billie Alexandra Oliver is a British television presenter and radio personality. She co-hosted Channel 4's Popworld from 2001–2006 and went on to present on T4 from 2006-2010 as well as having her own show, The Month With Miquita, on 4Music...
. The original ratings for the programme were dismal, but as Amstell and Oliver gradually warmed to each other (their relationship was strained in the early days) and had greater control of what they could say, the ratings improved. Popworld finally made it on to T4
T4 (Channel 4)
T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...
, (Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's youth strand), in the spring of 2001. In the early series the show featured Leigh Francis
Leigh Francis
Leigh Szaak Francis is an English impressionist born in Leeds. He is best known for his work as the creator of Channel 4's Bo' Selecta!, and for his portrayal of Keith Lemon for several ITV programmes. Francis lives in Camden Town, London, and on October 31, 2003, at Allerton Castle, North...
as the character Barry Gibson.
During Amstell and Oliver's tenure on the show it often used surreal humour
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
, and small references to Jewish culture in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; for example, Amstell had been shown reading the Jewish Chronicle, as well as making references to festivals and customs. Since its inception the show gradually grew more and more dry and sarcastic, with singers and bands being subtly, and by 2004 more overtly, mocked. By the end of Amstell and Oliver's tenure on the show it had gained a cult following as the alternative to limitlessly enthusiastic programmes such as Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Notable events that occurred during their tenure include Amstell coming on to homophobic reggae star Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
walking out of an interview in tears. The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
refused to do an interview on their second appearance on the show, after Amstell's repeated references to the singer's ex-girlfriend Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
during their first interview.
In February 2006, Simon Amstell and Miquita Oliver announced they would be leaving the show. Following their departure show, Alex Zane
Alex Zane
Alex Zane is an English television presenter and DJ.-Background:Zane was born in Leeds and attended Boston Spa School before going on to study Medicine at University College London, a course which he left after a year, and then Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College.-Stand-up comedy and...
and Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung is an English television presenter, model and contributing editor at British Vogue.She currently hosts Gonzo with Alexa Chung for MTV UK, and is scheduled to host Thrift America for PBS in 2011...
took over presenting until its final episode in July 2007.
Magazine
Popworld launched a magazine of the same name in 2003, but production was stopped after just one year.In late 2006, it was announced that Popworld was launching a weekly magazine called Popworld Pulp. 130,000 copies were produced for launch, which took place in April 2007. However, after two weeks, it was axed, the publishers claiming it had undersold against its sales targets. Two weeks later, the show, too, announced it was ending.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6571291.stm
External links
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sunday-mirror/2007/05/27/pop-show-vote-scandal-hits-c4-98487-19205632/- popworld website
- popworld at Channel4.com
- Internet Movie Database Entry
- 'The new TOTP? Get up early on Sunday' - article from The Guardian
- 'popworld: the irreverent music show' - article from The Independent
- How did a 'gay geek' and a bolshie schoolgirl change the face of music TV? - article from The Observer