1996 saw mad cow disease and hostage crises dominating the news, but each week at Elstree, it was feuds and farewells that headlined the pop year. Take That said goodbye, prompting hysteria at the gates of the TOTP studios, and the Britpop battle was far from over. It was also a huge year for dance music, with the likes of Faithless and Underworld hitting the charts, helped by a certain film set in Edinburgh. There was also new stars from the world of hip-hop, as melody and hooks merged with beats to launch the careers of Fugees, Blackstreet and Mark Morrison. The summer saw football anthems and another dance craze courtesy of Los Del Rio's Macarena, and once you've thrown in Peter Andre, Skunk Anansie, Reef, a controversial change of day and, of course, the Spice Girls, you have another classic year in the story of the UK's biggest pop music TV show.

Contributors include Peter Andre, Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds, Skin of Skunk Anansie, Gary Stringer of Reef, John Power of Cast, Louise Wener of Sleeper, Keith Allen, Ronan Keating, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, Shaun Ryder and Kermit of Black Grape, as well as presenter Jayne Middlemiss, broadcaster Trevor Nelson and publicist Nicki Chapman.

Revolution was in the air for the long-running music show, both in terms of the music and the show itself. Techno-pop punk rock arrived in the form of Republica and frontwoman Saffron, followed by the likes of Placebo and Chumbawamba, who were all livening things up at the BBC Elstree studios.

The year also saw the emergence of reggae star Finley Quaye, NY trio Fun Lovin' Criminals, with their sample-driven tales of city life, and hogging the charts were Danish outfit Aqua with their own brand of plastic pop. With a new chief, Chris Cowey, in charge of the show, evolution was also in the air during another fascinating year in the life of Top of the Pops.

Contributors include Saffron from Republica, Sharleen Spiteri of Texas, Brian Molko of Placebo, Finley Quaye, Huey Morgan, Aqua, Chris Cowey, Trevor Nelson and Jayne Middlemiss.