Top Of The Pops is coming back - with special shows going out on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

Last month The X Factor judge Simon Cowell said he would like to buy the rights to the show from the BBC - and broadcast it on its rival ITV instead.

"I would rather it came to us than just sit in the dustbin," he told the BBC.

Bands including the Ting Tings have also called for the show's return.

But the BBC said there are no plans to bring back TOTP, which regularly pulled in millions of viewers in its 1970s heyday, permanently.

The show was decommissioned in 2006 after more than 40 years of showcasing established and new acts.

The TOTP Christmas Special is billed as an hour-long celebration of all things pop.

Hosted by Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates and filmed in BBC Television Centre, it will feature exclusive performances from some of the year's biggest stars and will count down the chart to the all-important Christmas No 1.

The TOTP New Year's Eve Special will look back at the year in pop.

Fearne and Reggie will take in the year's smash hits, highlights from music festivals such as BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend and Glastonbury, and unique performances from BBC sessions.

Thu 20 Nov