120 Minutes (UK TV series)

120 Minutes is a show on MTV Two that was broadcast nightly at 1am. In the tradition of the US show of the same name, it showcased music videos from "the newest, most innovative acts in rock, left field and electronic music".

In the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, 120 Minutes was originally featured on MTV Europe from 1990, hosted during its first years by VJ Paul King and, from 1994 on, by ex-Wonder Stuff frontman Miles Hunt. It disappeared in late June 1995, but was replaced by a similar show, Alternative Nation, which was shown on MTV Europe on Tuesday nights at midnight CET (the same timeslot it has had since July 1995) until July 2010. 120 Minutes returned in 2003 to MTV2 Europe (now MTV Two), replacing a similar show, 2eclectic, which had sporadically occupied various late-night slots.

The format of the show on MTV Two was different from the original U.S. series and the show's previous incarnation on MTV Europe in that there were no VJs, commercial breaks, or MTV promotions. The only interruptions came in the form of an ident that played after every four videos. The two-hour strand concentrated on playing 'the real alternative', including new and classic left field indie, rock, electronica, hip-hop and avantgarde videos that may not have been played on other channels or during the daytime, although some videos were also played on the channel's Spanking New Music slots during the day.

Artists such as Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, and Bloc Party were first played on this show before they achieved commercial success, and many videos were played on 120 Minutes before branching out onto the MTV2 playlist. Regular artists on 120 Minutes also included The Fall, The Knife, Pavement, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Kraftwerk and Björk.

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