Top of the Pops dropped from schedule – Burt Bacharach tribute to air
The last-minute schedule change is to house a tribute to Burt Bacharach, whose death was announced yesterday.
BBC Four's schedule has been changed in a last-minute move to air a tribute to legendary composer Burt Bacharach, who has died at the age of 94.
Announced yesterday (Thursday 9th February), the US musician died of natural causes on Wednesday (8th February) at his home in Los Angeles, according to his publicist Tina Brausam.
In a BBC Four schedule change, Top of the Pops will now no longer air at its previously allocated time of 8pm tonight, being replaced by one-off special Sings Bacharach and David! instead.
The hour-long show will see the BBC raid its remarkable archive to reveal evocative performances from Burt Bacharach and Hal David's astonishing songbook.
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As per the synopsis: "Love songs from the famous songwriting duo were a familiar feature of '60s and '70s BBC entertainment programmes such as Dusty, Cilla and The Cliff Richard Show, but there are some surprises unearthed here too."
Some of the programme's highlights include Sandie Shaw singing Always Something There to Remind Me, Aretha Franklin performing I Say a Little Prayer, and The Stranglers' rendition of Walk on By on Top of the Pops.
Tomorrow evening (Saturday 11th February), BBC Two will also air another tribute special, Burt Bacharach: A Life In Song, at 10pm.
The 90-minute special is, according to the synopsis, "a unique concert staged at the Royal Festival Hall celebrating the music of the legendary songwriter and performer Burt Bacharach".
It continues: "Some of Burt's most famous songs are performed by a stellar line up of artists including Alfie Boe, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Shaun Escoffery, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Hayward, Michael Kiwanuka, Laura Mvula and Joss Stone. Burt himself also performs accompanied by his amazing band.
"During the concert Burt chats to Michael Grade about the art of song writing and shares the stories behind some of his best loved hits."
Over the course of Bacharach's career, he scored 73 Top 40 hits in the US and 52 in the UK, and his songs were sung by scores of artists, including Dusty Springfield, Sir Tom Jones, The Carpenter, Cilla Black, B J Thomas, Alicia Keys and The White Stripes.
His music spanned multiple genres, from traditional pop and bossa nova to jazz and rhythm and blues, and he went on to win six Grammy Awards and three Oscars.
Sings Bacharach and David! airs on BBC Four tonight at 8pm. Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
