THE wonderful world of pop burst into life in Manchester last night as some of the Top 40's biggest stars sang and danced their way through this year's Top of the Pops Awards.

The 15,000 crowd went crazy as the likes of Kylie Minogue, Ms Dynamite, Moby, Blue, Gareth Gates and Will Young performed their hit songs at the BBC programme's second annual prize-giving.

"Hello Manchester!" shouted the host Ronan Keating as the show got underway at the Manchester Arena.

The loudest screams of the night went to the boys of Blue and, of course, Gareth Gates and Will Young, who picked up two awards. But the best performances came from the ladies.

Australian singer Kylie once again amazed the crowd with a theatrical rendition of her new single Come Into My World. The tiny singer, who won the award for best tour, wore a short white dress and white boots while her dancers were clad in Rocky Horror Show style bondage costumes.

Ms Dynamite was also sensational. The young R'n'B star was one of only a few artists to play totally live and despite having to sing her hit A Girl Like Me twice because of a faulty microphone, her performance was one of the highlights of the night.

The Sugababes were also a hit with the crowd, with an excellent rendition of their hit Round, Round.

Sir Elton John had the last word. He was inducted into the Top of the Pops Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of Sir Paul McCartney, and performed two numbers.

First he sang Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word with Blue, a collaboration which will be released on single in time for Christmas. He then finished with the majestic Your Song.

As well as the stars performing, there were many celebrities announcing the winners. Tennis player Pat Cash, actor John Thomson, singer Holly Valance, models Lisa Snowdon and Sophie Anderton, television presenter David Dickinson and Bolton's own Sara Cox were among those who awarded prizes.

The most unpopular person of the night was page three model Jordan, who alleged in a newspaper she had an affair with crowd favourite Gareth Gates - who in turn denied it.

To the sound of boos, Jordan said: "Just one thing. Never trust a pop idol."

The only criticism of the night was that pockets of the arena were empty, probably because of the ticket prices, which ranged from £20 to £35.

The Top of the Pops Awards will be shown on BBC 1 today at 5.40pm.