Radio 1 hopes for a hit with new-look chart show

Last night saw the high-profile launch by Radio 1 of the "brand new" UK Top 40, presented by a brand new DJ, 23-year-old Wes Butters (who prefers to be known simply as "Wes", perhaps because of years of playground banter).

The relaunch has become necessary not because the charts are in decline, but because they are in particularly rude health. Other, rival charts have prospered, notably the Woolworth's UK Hit 40 (until recently the Pepsi charts), which takes into account airplay as well as sales of singles.

The recruitment of Wes and the revamping of the format to include, among other things, an element of live performance and greater emphasis on the album charts, were intended to put the BBC back on top.

It may be that first-night nerves quelled a natural exuberance, but the most notable aspect of his debut was an enthusiasm for statistical minutiae – "Third Edge with their second single, entering three places lower than their debut". Or that could have been Second Edge with their third single ...

Then again, it may be that trainspotting tendencies are exactly what the audience wants. Asked to explain the chart's continuing popularity, Joe Graham, the programme's producer, pointed out that "it's a well-recorded fact that people love lists, and the Top 40 is a big long list".