Radio 1 announces plans for this Sunday’s Official Chart Show

BBC Radio 1 has confirmed that it won’t play Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead on Sunday’s Official Chart Show – but it will play a clip as part of a news report within the show. It will give an ‘historical and factual account’ of why it has entered the Official Singles Chart.

BBC Radio 1 have confirmed that they will not play Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead in full on Sunday’s Official Chart Show.

Speaking to the station’s Newsbeat programme this afternoon (Friday, April 12), Radio 1 Controller, Ben Cooper said:

“The BBC finds this campaign distasteful but does not believe the record should be banned. On Sunday, the Radio 1 Chart Show will contain a news item explaining why the song is in the charts during which a short clip will be played.”

Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, which is taken from the soundtrack of the 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz, has shot up the Official Singles Chart this week due to an online campaign to get the track to Number 1 following the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Monday (April 8).

As reported earlier today, Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead is currently at Number 3 in today’s Official Charts Company sales flash. Up to midnight last night, the track has sold nearly 29,000 copies, but is trailing the current Number 1, Duke Dumont FT A*M*E’s Need U (100%), and P!nk’s Just Give Me A Reason FT Nate Ruess (Number 2), who have sold 40,000 copies and 34,000 copies, respectively, this week.

The week’s Official Singles Chart Top 40 will be counted down on Radio 1’s Official Chart Show with Jameela Jamil on Sunday (April 14) from 4pm. The full Official Singles Chart Top 100 will be posted on OfficialCharts.com at 7pm Sunday.

The next sales update after today (Friday, April 12) will come when the Official Chart is counted down on BBC Radio 1 this Sunday from 4pm.

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