Channel 4 ditches 'Top Ten' after stinging criticism from watchdog

Fans of television's choicest bitches, sex bombs and hard men will be devastated, but for all other long-suffering weekend viewers the change will be more than welcome.

Fans of television's choicest bitches, sex bombs and hard men will be devastated, but for all other long-suffering weekend viewers the change will be more than welcome.

The TV Top 10, a mainstay of the Saturday evening schedule of Channel 4 in recent years, is being ditched by the broadcaster after criticism from watchdogs that it is a jaded and trivial format.

The shows feature celebrity presenters introducing footage of nominees – ranging from busty soap stars to gay icons – in a chart countdown before revealing the champion of each category. The formula has proved enduringly popular – the current series is watched by 2 million, giving Channel 4 an above-average viewer share of 13 per cent.

But bosses at the channel ordered the revamp yesterday after admitting that the "nostalgia" market, a cheap and cheerful excuse to raid film archives, was swamped.

The move follows criticism last week by the Independent Television Commission of the large volume of so-called "list programmes" on all channels.

Danielle Lux, Channel 4's new head of entertainment, is understood to have wanted to scrap the Top 10 shows to make room for a new – as yet unspecified – series to attract a thirtysomething audience.

A spokesman for Channel 4 said: "It is a format that has been very successful for us but it has been copied to death... As a result it is looking a bit tired and we pride ourselves on being ahead of the game. There will be something else similarly eye-grabbing in the pipeline to take its place."

Once the current series comes to an end next month, only one-off "nostalgia specials" will be commissioned.

The compilation shows, which started on Channel 4 in 1999, have spawned a number of imitations on other channels such as BBC2's When ... Ruled The World.

Channel 4's change of direction comes as the BBC is considering revamping the Saturday evening schedule of its flagship channel after the revived Generation Game fell to its lowest ratings yet against ITV's Pop Idol.

Top ten the best of TV's most copied show

1 Sex Bombs – Featuring more cleavage than an Italian game show, the shortlist ranged from Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner, played by Pat Phoenix, to Farrah Fawcett inCharlie's Angels.

2 Bastards – Larry Hagman, aka JR Ewing of Dallas, was beaten by the homegrown villainy of Leslie Grantham, Dirty Den of EastEnders.

3 New Romantics – Revisited the primitive pop videos of Adam Ant and Spandau Ballet among other men in skirts.

4 Bitches – Catty fare headed by Joan Collins asDynasty's Alexis Carrington. Also featured Anne Robinson as host of The Weakest Link.

5 Lovers – Magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie McGee offered theStreet's Ken and Deirdre, plus Scott and Charlene of Neighbours.

6 Hardmen – A host of tough guys from the 70s and 80s, including Dennis Waterman as Terry from Minder and The A-Team's Mr T.

7 Rebels – Misfits, eccentrics and geniuses including Peter Cook, Spike Milligan, Janet Street-Porter and Freddie Starr.

8 Camp Icons – Presented by actress Julie Goodyear, the pecking order included John Inman of Are You Being Served? and Larry Grayson.

9 Scandals – A jaunt through the unzipped flies of recent decades from Profumo to Lewinsky. Fronted by Neil and Christine Hamilton.

10 Sci-fi – Rubber aliens and moonscapes shot in quarries featured widely in a space odyssey of Blake's 7, Dr Who and Red Dwarf.

¿ Channel 4 recorded its first loss for a decade yesterday because of a slump in advertising revenue. The broadcaster's annual report revealed a loss of £20.6m for 2001 compared with profits of £21.5m in 2000.

It is the first time since 1992 that the company has made a loss. Revenue from advertising and sponsorship fell by 5 per cent, but Channel 4 pointed out that compares to a 13 per cent decline for ITV and 9 per cent for Channel 5.

During the year the company continued to diversify its commercial activities, which are operated by holding company 4 Ventures, with £65m of investment into projects including the digital channel E4 and the FilmFour channels.