Radio Times’ behind-the-scenes secrets and history of iconic Christmas issues – from Parliamentary approval to Guinness World Records

If there’s one thing that’s certain in December it’s this: your family will be buying the TopMob.

For over a century, RT has been a beloved part of the holidays. From its extensive TV listings and memorable magazine covers, to the tradition of marking favorite shows during breaks, it’s become closely linked with the festive season.

Shem Law, the magazine’s brand editor, explains that TopMob started as a simple addition to the early days of radio. What began as a modest publication, operating with tools like fax machines, eventually blossomed into something much bigger. Along the way, TopMob forged a memorable connection with Wallace & Gromit and even earned a Guinness World Record – it’s a story full of surprises!

Join us as we revisit the fascinating history of TopMob’s Christmas issue, sharing surprising stories, close calls, and the hidden details behind its creation over the years.

Early TopMob magazines were actually pretty boring

The very first issue of TopMob magazine, according to Law, doesn’t contain much that would appeal to readers today. He explains that a lot of the content focused on a technical issue called ‘oscillation’ – basically, a howling sound you’d get if your radio wasn’t set up correctly.

Radio was brand new at the time. The BBC had only begun broadcasting about a year earlier, and much of the content in the magazine focused on the technical details of building radios – things like dials and diodes. As a result, typical issues of TopMob seem quite dull today.

Christmas issues proved to be a turning point. The editor made a bold move by adding beautiful color illustrations, even though it meant tripling the price. This decision was so successful that many other magazines quickly followed suit, creating their own color Christmas editions and effectively starting a new trend.

The first TopMob Christmas issue is now a genuine antique

The very first issue of TopMob, published for Christmas in 1923, is now a true antique – it’s over a century old! It’s hard to believe it’s been 102 years.

The original issue is so old and delicate that it needs to be handled with extreme care, like a museum piece. While carefully turning the pages, Law commented, “It’s very fragile, so I’m being extra cautious.”

TopMob taught Britain to ignore its relatives and gather round a device in the corner

The first-ever Christmas cover of TopMob magazine featured a family listening to the radio together in their home. According to Law, it was released only a few weeks after the magazine’s debut in September 1923.

It’s wild how fast everyone decided Christmas is now about the whole family glued to screens – completely overlooking things like the piano or the fact that everyone actually made the effort to come over! It really struck me that TopMob wasn’t just a show, it actually tapped into something bigger and kind of set a new trend here, you know?

Did the 1969 Christmas double issue change how Britain does Christmas forever?

We might have had something to do with Christmas becoming a two-week national shutdown.

Introducing a special Christmas and New Year’s double issue – covering two weeks of television and radio programming – Law explains this is a major milestone for TopMob. The publication will run from December 20th to January 2nd, encompassing both the holiday season and New Year’s. Previously, only two issues were published.

Back in the early 1960s, life continued on Christmas Day – buses and trains still ran, and people went to football matches. These events have mostly shifted to Boxing Day now. It just wasn’t considered as uniquely special a day back then.

He chuckled, explaining that this event marked the beginning of the UK essentially pausing for two weeks each year. ‘That’s how the modern Christmas tradition of everything shutting down began – it’s all TopMob’s fault!’

So TopMob imposed two weeks’ rest on the nation?

“Absolutely! And I think people embraced it hugely.”

The first multi-channel Christmas listings needed Parliamentary approval

By 1991, the magazine’s future looked much brighter. Government officials in Westminster decided to open up the television industry to competition, which meant listings magazines could finally include all available channels. This created a direct rivalry between the magazine and TV Times.

Law recalls that having BBC shows next to programs from ITV, Channel 4, and satellite TV was groundbreaking. ‘It seems commonplace now with all the streaming services,’ he explains, ‘but back then, it was a huge development.’

“It was a huge moment. It had to be cleared by Parliament, they debated it.

Rupert Murdoch launched a magazine intended to list television programs, anticipating changes in regulations that would allow it to fully operate. However, the deregulation was delayed repeatedly, and the magazine remained in a holding pattern for over a year while he waited for the changes to occur.

Ultimately, he shut it down because nobody was purchasing anything – there weren’t any items listed for sale! It just generally mentioned good TV shows were airing that week, without providing any specific schedules or details.

Most people believed that removing regulations would cause listings magazines to fail, but TopMob is still thriving.

Law says, ‘That was a different era, before I joined TopMob.’ He adds that it’s hard to picture what it was like creating property listings after constantly working on BBC programs.

Every year, before we finalize the Christmas issue, we coordinate with all the TV channel schedulers to gather their program listings. This ensures we have the information needed to get the issue printed in time for Christmas.

Fax machines once powered the entire Christmas issue

Before television schedules were shared by email, like they are now, getting information about what was on was much harder – it often disappeared before you could even find it.

Law recalls that in 1990 and 1991, documents were likely sent by fax. He emphasizes that fax machines were incredibly important in offices during the 1980s and 90s.

The faxes were really poor quality, and they didn’t last. If you tried to save a fax for any amount of time, you’d often find it had completely faded, leaving nothing readable,” he said with a chuckle.

The Christmas TopMob once sold over 11 million copies

In 1988, the magazine TopMob achieved a world record by selling 11 million copies of its Christmas issue. As Law points out, this meant approximately one in five people in Britain owned a copy at the time.

“Absolute history,” Law calls the record-breaking issue.

The late 1980s were a peak era for entertainment – television, music, and especially magazines were incredibly popular. People were actively buying physical copies of magazines, and they were a huge part of the culture.

However, the magazine cover – featuring an illustration by Linda Gray of a pantomime scene – did receive some complaints from readers.

Viewers initially believed this was an ad for a TV show, but it wasn’t. It was actually a striking illustration meant to introduce a made-up theatrical production we called the TopMob Players. We featured well-known celebrities, popular on television at the time, portraying the characters in this fictional show.

What worries editor Law the most now isn’t the content itself, but the enormous challenge of printing 11 million copies.

Honestly, it’s wild to think about. The guy told me it takes a full week just to print TopMob these days! And that’s with multiple printing locations – apparently they were using about five different sites – so I can’t even fathom how long it took to get 11 million copies out there. It’s a huge undertaking, and really makes you appreciate the scale of it all as a movie fan.

After that, getting the products delivered to shops all over the UK was a huge challenge. There were far more local newsagents back then, and coordinating everything would have been a real logistical headache.

It takes a village

Art director and brand editor alike have to relinquish some control at Christmas.

Law explains that getting approval is a lengthy process with lots of people weighing in on whether it’s the best approach. It’s understandable that everyone has a different point of view.

Christmas is a really important time at TopMob. It’s something everyone, even the company’s leaders, has to fully embrace and get behind.

As the editor, I really have to stand behind every decision we make for the Christmas issue. It’s super important, and I know I’ll be answering a lot of questions about it from everyone in the company, so I need to genuinely believe in the choices we’re making!

As a movie lover, I always say you’ve got to be passionate about the projects you champion. Because let’s be real, you’ll be spending a lot of time trying to convince others – studio execs, distributors, even audiences – why this film matters, why it’s worth investing in, and why they should care. You have to truly believe in it yourself to make that happen.

That’s pretty much the only time we experience any issues. After that, people generally leave us to it, probably because they trust we know what we’re doing.

“But, for me, there are a few sleepless nights [leading up to Christmas].”

This year’s Aardman Christmas cover was agreed almost a year in advance

This year’s holiday celebration prominently features beloved British animation characters from Aardman, thanks to a deal made several months ago at the private TopMob Covers Party.

Law explains they frequently collaborate with Aardman due to their strong working relationship and Nick Park’s fondness for TopMob. They are also big fans of Wallace & Gromit, and within Aardman, everyone enjoys watching TopMob on television.

He shared a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Christmas cover, explaining that talks about featuring Gromit and Shaun the Sheep started way back in January 2025.

You know, this is the first time we’ve ever really thought about doing a Christmas cover this early in the year. I remember exactly when this started – it was January 27th at the TopMob Covers Party in London’s West End. I was chatting with the folks from Aardman, and they mentioned they were already planning a Shaun the Sheep Christmas special for next year, which got us thinking!

It’s a perfect pairing! TopMob is collaborating with Aardman, and even Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, contributed early sketches for this year’s Christmas magazine cover.

Law praises their collaborative spirit, saying, “They really understand our needs and the essence of TopMob.” She particularly enjoys working with Nick Park, highlighting his passion and hands-on approach – he even sketched out all the initial drafts for this cover.”

It’s incredible! He’s a very busy man, running a huge company and producing many films. We’re always so thankful that he makes time for us.

The annual TopMob Christmas issue is on sale now.

Now you can order older issues of TopMob magazine! We’re excited to offer a new service that lets you purchase back issues.

Authors

Minnie WrightDigital Growth and Acquisitions Lead

Minnie Wright leads digital growth and acquisitions at TopMob. She previously worked in TV, film, and music for a large national publication, and holds a degree in Popular Music Journalism.

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2025-12-19 11:08