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Margaret Thatcher BBC Radio

Radio 1 to bring in Newsbeat presenter to explain 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' chart position during Sunday's Offical Chart Show

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By Gillian West, Social media manager

April 11, 2013 | 2 min read

BBC Radio 1 is now expected to play ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead’ from the Wizard of Oz soundtrack during Sunday’s official chart show, after anti-Thatcher protesters have sent it racing up the chart in the wake of her death.

This morning The Drum reported that the BBC was considering snubbing playing the song altogether despite it being very likely to chart in the top 10.

Since then the BBC has revealed that it is now considering having a Newsbeat reporter join chart host Jameela Jamil and explain the context of the song’s chart position to the stations 16-24-year-old target audience.

Speaking to the Guardian a BBC source is quoted as saying: “Among the 16- to 24-year-olds, a lot of people are saying they are not 100 per cent sure who Thatcher is. Even though this seems extraordinary, they may not understand why that song would chart.”

The song features on the soundtrack of the 1939 musical and is sung by Dorothy, played by Judy Garland. The same song sung by Ella Fitzgerald is at 146 and one by the Munchkins is at 183 in the midweek rankings.

Margaret Thatcher BBC Radio

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