Top of the Pops began on 1st January 1964, broadcasting from Manchester. For decades it was the music programme, becoming so influential and having a magic all its own that bands and artists aspired to be appear it. But in the 1990s it faltered, and despite revamp after revamp viewing figures declined.

The BBC blame the rise of cable/satellite television music channels and other music services that allow viewers and listeners to seek out the music they want, rather than wait for it to be delivered to them once a week.

This week, the Beeb announced that Top of the Pops - or TOTP as it's normally abbreviated - is to end next month (on 30th July), marking the end of an era.

The news about the demise of the programme came as Mars conjoined Saturn at 9 and 10 degrees Leo in exact trine to the TOTP Midheaven at 9 degrees Aries. Transiting Saturn has recently moved into TOTP's 1st House, and if we rewind to Saturn's station on 5th April 2006 at 4 degrees Leo we see that it was exactly on TOTP's Ascendant. We can speculate that this would've been when the executives took their decision to bring things to an end, and it was the faster-moving Mars transit that coincided with the impetus to go public with the axe-wielding.

Other crucial transits include: transiting Pluto (god of death......) aspecting TOTP's Moon, Venus, and Pluto; transiting Neptune in square to TOTP Neptune and very closely conjunct TOTP Saturn - going into liquidation, in a sense; transiting Uranus opposite TOTP's Pluto.