Top of the Pop’s Christmas Day edition is usually a family-friendly event, a big celebration of all the great music released over the year.
However, this year’s show was rocked by allegations of anti-Semitism against presenter Reggie Yates, who has since stepped down from hosting.
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Reggie had been due to host the special Christmas TOTP edition with Fearne Cotton, but BBC bosses have decided to draft in a replacement.
Enter Radio 1’s Clara Amfo, 33, who will be the first new host in more than a decade of the show.
She commented: “I’m so happy and honoured to be presenting Top of the Pops alongside Fearne.”
Clara added: “It’s an iconic show that I’ve grown up with and continue to enjoy watching, especially during the festive season – 2017 has been a rich year in pop and I can’t wait to celebrate it with the artists, Fearne and everyone at home.”
She was announced as Reggie’s replacement just one day after he stepped down from the show.
Reggie had appeared recently on a grime podcast, where he discussed the way many grime stars choose to manage themselves nowadays.
But his choice of wording sparked controversy as he said: “They’re independent, they’re not managed by some random fat Jewish guy from north west London, they’re managed by their brethren.”
The comments led to uproar, with Reggie later releasing a statement reading: “On a recent podcast, during a discussion about grime artists, I made some ill-considered remarks which have hurt many people.”
“I can see clearly that the words I used reinforced offensive stereotypes, and that there is no context that would justify such remarks…
“This has been, and continues to be a huge learning experience for me, and on reflection I have taken the decision to step down from hosting Top Of The Pops this year.”
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The show, which will air on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, is set to feature the cream of the music industry, including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, James Arthur and Clean Bandit.
We’re excited to see what Clara brings to the table.