Ken Bruce’s PopMaster TV has been renewed for two new series by Channel 4 in a major vote of confidence for the quiz the BBC declined to trademark.
Bruce retained the rights to the cult quiz when he quit Radio 2 and took his morning radio show to a commercial rival.
Channel 4 green-lit an initial six episodes of a TV transfer, presented by Bruce, last spring.
The light-hearted test of musical knowledge proved such a success that the broadcaster has ordered 20 new hour-long episodes from programme-makers 12 Yard Productions.
The new shows, which will debut on the More4 channel before an expected Channel 4 repeat, will be split into two series. The episodes include two festive celebrity editions to be screened this Christmas.
PopMaster TV was a surprise success for Channel 4, which had been forced into a commissioning freeze in response to an advertising slump.
The broadcaster cut 240 roles and axed shows including Steph’s Packed Lunch.
Channel 4 said it would produce “fewer, stronger” titles, aimed at a younger digital-first audience. But PopMaster TV proved a hit with traditional “live TV-viewing” audiences.
The first series elevated More4 to the No 1 digital channel on weekdays at 8pm.
Bruce was able to sell the TV rights because the BBC neglected to pursue his offer to share the PopMaster trademark with the corporation, after he launched the quiz on Radio 2 in 1998.
He was able to make PopMaster the centrepiece of his new show on BBC rival, Greatest Hits Radio, where he increased the audience by 73 per cent.
Bruce said: “It’s a privilege to be returning to film two more series of PopMaster TV. It’s always lots of fun to meet pop music quizzers in the studio and put their knowledge to the ultimate test.”
The DJ added that this series would be made “in tribute to my great friend, collaborator and PopMaster co-creator, Phil Swern”, whose death was announced last month.
Last week, Alex Mahon, Channel 4’s chief executive, told a TV conference that the broadcaster was beginning to increase its spending on new programmes after the freeze.
She acknowledged that the Bake Off broadcaster, due to publish its accounts next week, had made “a massive loss” last year.
