Savile signs off Top of the Pops.

SIR Jimmy Savile signed off 42 years of pop history last night at the historic final recording of Top of the Pops.

The show's final words harked back to Top of the Pops tradition, with the veteran presenter saying: "Don't forget it's number one, it's still Top of the Pops."

The show's first host on its debut broadcast on January 1,1964, wore a shiny gold track suit for the occasion.

Dave Lee Travis, Tony Blackburn, Janice Long, Mike Read, Pat Sharp, Reggie Yates, Edith Bowman, Sarah Cawood and Rufus Hound - some of the 150 presenters who had fronted Top of the Pops over the years - were all at the BBC studios to take part in the final goodbye.

More than 150 fans, some dressed as their pop idols, came to watch the last show, which was filmed for broadcast on Sunday evening.

There were no live performances but instead montages were screened, capturing the best of the pop decades from the 1960s onwards.

Viewers on Sunday will also be treated to film of some classic Top of the Pops performances such as the Rolling Stones (The Last Time), the Jackson Five (Rockin' Robin) and David Bowie (Star man).

Presenters used microphones from across the eras and the studio was filled with neon-lit Top of the Pops signs.

Dave Lee Travis, who hosted the show between 1972 and 1984, said after the recording finished last night: "I don't think it's a sad day. It's more a day of celebration."

THE hour-long show, Top of the Pops - The Final Countdown, is broadcast on BBC2 on Sunday at 7pm.