CD:UK

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CDUK
The CD:UK logo since the relaunch on 17 September 2005.
Genre	Music
Running time	60 minutes
Creator(s)	Blaze (TV prodction company) Riverside Studios (Facilities)
Starring	Many different singers/artists.
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original channel	ITV1 (1998 - 2006) Five (2006 - ??)
Original run	August 29, 1998–April 1, 2006

CD:UK is a UK television music show. It was launched on 29 August 1998 on ITV1, in conjunction with SMTV Live, to rival the BBC's Live & Kicking. Airing every Saturday morning at 11.30am, it replaced The Chart Show.

In contrast to its predecessor, which only showed promo videos, the new show was live with a studio audience and featured live performances, as well as star interviews and competitions. It also featured the Saturday chart, which although was unofficial, revealed the new number one single a day before the official chart was announced on BBC Radio 1. This made the BBC's long-running Top Of The Pops, which aired only the night before, seem very out-of-date broadcasting the previous week's chart. However, more recently the show has used an interactive chart based on viewers' votes, called the MiTracks Countdown.

In 2002 it was criticised for showing "raunchy" performances in a slot aimed at children, sparked by a performance of "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera. Shortly afterwards a late night version of the show, CD:UK Hotshots, which played new music videos, some of which could be considered unsuitable for daytime viewing.

In its first eight years, CD:UK had become one of the most important music programmes on television. But by 2006, its future looked uncertain.

1 CD:UK Hotshots
2 History
3 Controversy
4 External links

[edit] CD:UK Hotshots

CD:UK Hotshots was the late night sister show to CD:UK. It was launched on ITV1 in January 2003. The show was initially presented by Cat Deeley, but she left to make way for MTV presenter Dave Berry. He later left and the show was hosted by Myleene Klass/Lauren Laverne/Johny Pitts.

One of the items is the broadcasting of six of the best new music videos, the majority of them being too controversial for daytime TV.

[edit] History

Original CD:UK logo used from 1998 to 2005

When it was launched as an extension to the SMTV Live variety show — originally referred to by name as "Countdown UK" — the same presenters (Ant & Dec) originally presented CD:UK along with Cat Deeley. When Ant and Dec left SMTV in 2001 they also left CD:UK, leaving Cat to present by herself.

As time went on, due to her apparent popularity with viewers, Cat was offered more and more television work and went on to present Stars in their Eyes and Fame Academy. This meant that she was absent from the show more and more and was frequently replaced by either a celebrity guest or Holly Willoughby from SMTV's successor Ministry of Mayhem. Finally in March 2005, Cat decided to leave the show. TRL's Dave Berry was the show's "new face" for a while and it seemed that he was going to be offered a permanent contract. However, he mysteriously vanished. Guest presenters such as Kelly Osbourne, Rachel Stevens, Brittany Murphy, Girls Aloud and Jayne Middlemiss filled in whilst producers searched for a new presenter. Holly Willoughby was tipped to be the next new presenter but with her regular shows at Ministry of Mayhem she would only be able to do every other show like what was happening throughout the summer of 2005. In August 2005, instead of Holly to take on the job, Myleene Klass was announced as the main presenter for a new look cd:uk and she would be joined by Lauren Laverne and Johny Pitts.

[edit] MiTracks relaunch

New look titles.

In August 2005, it was announced that ex-Hear'Say singer Myleene Klass, XFM DJ Lauren Laverne and Johny Pitts, a presenter on teenage channel Trouble would be presenting the "new look" CD:UK. It was launched on 17 September 2005 with new titles, a re-designed studio and a new chart, the MiTracks Countdown, which allowed viewers to vote for their favourite and least favourite songs on the CD:UK website. Kelly Clarkson scored the first MiTracks number one with "Behind These Hazel Eyes".

Although initially it was reported that the re-launch had helped "double" the viewing figures, it was only a temporary fix and they soon dipped below the 1 million mark.

[edit] The end of CD:UK on ITV

On 28 December 2005 it was announced that CD:UK was to finish its ITV run due to budget issues within the broadcaster. The news was first reported in The Sun, and then "confirmed" when it appeared on ITV1's Teletext. The show broadcast its last regular show on Saturday 18 March 2006 and continued with two 'best of' programmes until its final ITV broadcast on 1 April 2006.

[edit] International versions

Although currently off-air in the UK, an American version of the programme, CD USA, began on DirecTV's The 101 on January 21 2006. Australian broadcaster Foxtel will also air a local version of the show, renamed CD Live, on its Fox8 channel every Saturday at 6.30pm beginning May 15, 2006. Australian radio personality Craig 'Lowie' Low is due to host it. In Italy RAI television, the public service broadcaster, from September 27th, 2003 airs an Italian adapted version of the show, renamed CD Live, every Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm.

[edit] The return of CD:UK

On 20 April 2006, it was announced that production company Blaze had reached a deal with Five to broadcast CD:UK. However, Five announced on 2 June 2006 that Myleene Klass, Lauren Laverne and Johny Pitts would not return to present the show, and that Dave Berry will instead host the show alongside a yet to be decided female presenter. It was also announced that CD:UK will air at 5:30pm on Saturday afternoons, and that the show should be back on air in 2007.

[edit] Controversy

On the edition broadcast March 20th 1999, the show was interrupted by a stage invasion by Alan Driscoll, lead singer with techno band thewomb, who berated Ant and Dec for the show's reluctance to support non-mainstream artists. During singer Kele Le Roc's set he unfurled a banner bearing his band's name, kicked over a microphone stand and tore up a picture of Glamma Kid, before being overpowered by some of the youngsters in the audience and led away from the building by security guards. Driscoll later claimed that he was initially charged with criminal damage over the stand and picture, but that the charges were subsequently dropped. thewomb later wrote a song about the incident, 'Bees', which appeared on their 2003 album "I Disown Ricky Hervaid".