Alan Freeman
Alan Freeman MBE | |
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Born | Alan Leslie Freeman 6 July 1927 Melbourne, Australia |
Died | 27 November 2006 Brinsworth House, London, England | (aged 79)
Years active | 1952–2001 |
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Alan Leslie Freeman MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff",[Note 1] was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting Pick of the Pops from 1961 to 2000.
Early life
Born and educated in Melbourne, Australia, Freeman worked as an assistant paymaster/accountant for one of Australia's largest timber companies after leaving school. He wanted to be an opera singer, but decided his voice was not strong enough.
Career
Radio and television
Freeman was invited to audition as a radio announcer in 1952, and began work for
After moving to radio station
Freeman began his British career as a summer relief disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg and continued to present late evening programmes on the station until the early 1970s.
In 1960 he moved to the BBC Light Programme as presenter of the Records Around Five show, introduced by his signature tune, "At the Sign of the Swingin' Cymbal", written by Brian Fahey. A more upbeat version performed by Brass Incorporated was introduced in April 1970.[4] In September 1961, he introduced Pick of the Pops as part of Saturday evening show Trad Tavern. Pick of the Pops became a permanent show in its own right; Freeman presented it until 24 September 1972, continuing with his 'Swingin' Cymbal' signature tune.
During this time he was one of the original team of presenters of BBC TV's Top of the Pops, a regular member of the Juke Box Jury panel, and had a brief stint as compère of the lunchtime pop music show Go Man Go on the Light Programme in 1963. In 1961 and 1962, he presented the British version of the hit American quiz Play Your Hunch on BBC TV.[5] He presented a music magazine-style television show for the BBC in 1968, All Systems Freeman, which aired for several weeks on Friday evening, but despite good reviews did not return for a second series.
Freeman recorded a dance single, "Madison Time", with the Talmy Stone Band in 1962. Released by Decca Records, F11523, it was reportedly one of the label's worst-ever sellers.[citation needed]
In April 1972, he joined the daily presenters on Radio 1, taking over the 3–5 pm show from Terry Wogan. Freeman used "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones as his theme until 1 June 1973. During this time he spotlighted youth clubs and young people, and became Vice-President of the London Association of Youth Clubs. During the 1970s he also presented the Radio 1 series Quiz Kid on Sunday evenings, recorded at youth clubs and boys' clubs all over the country, while on Saturday afternoons he presented a programme simply titled Alan Freeman, although retrospectively it is mainly referred to as The Rock Show. It featured an eclectic mix of music, although it is mainly remembered for pioneering heavy and progressive rock. It also featured a rundown of the current album chart. The show ran from 30 June 1973 to 26 August 1978.
He presented the original version of The Story of Pop as a 26-part Radio 1 series in 1973–74. From 1975 to 1977, Freeman presented the Radio 2 musical game show Free Spin. In addition he lent his name to several rock and classical compilation albums, the best-known being By Invitation Only (1976), a collection of material sourced from artists on the Atlantic label.[6]
Freeman left the BBC to work for
He was the subject of
In December 1993, for four weeks he presented the Alternative Chart Show Top 30 as part of a trial one-off Restricted Service Licence (RSL) broadcast by XFM in London. Throughout 1994 he presented a revised and expanded version of the Radio 1 series The Story of Pop, broadcast in 52 hour-long episodes.[8] He then hosted Pick of the Pops Take Three on Capital Gold from April 1994 until January 1997. In 1996 and 1997 he also hosted The Friday Rock Show on Virgin Radio, and he hosted a number of one-off shows on Classic FM from December 1993 to December 1996.
In 1998 he was awarded the
He returned to the BBC on Radio 2, taking Pick of the Pops back to its home, from 1997 until 2000. A lifetime love of classical music and particularly opera was developed in the show Their Greatest Bits, which resulted in another compilation CD on the BBC label. Throughout his career, he was known especially for his jingles, which integrated short bursts of classical music and hard rock segued together, as well as his catchphrases, which included "Hi there, pop pickers!" at the start of Pick of the Pops; "Greetings, music lovers!" when introducing his classical and rock shows; "All right? Right, stay bright!" when signing off, and "Not 'arf!" frequently uttered during his shows.[9]
In April 2000, after arthritis in his hands had started to make it too difficult for him to operate studio equipment, he handed Pick of the Pops over to Dale Winton.[10]
New editions of Their Greatest Bits continued to be recorded by Freeman until 2001.
Acting
Freeman acted in the horror film
He appeared in Noël Coward's Private Lives at the Adeline Genee Theatre in East Grinstead[11] in June 1968,[12] starring alongside Shirley Anne Field, Sally Anne Howe and Conrad Phillips.
Recognition
Freeman's style has been parodied, and he was the model for comedian Harry Enfield's character Dave Nice, although he contributed to the satire himself in good grace by appearing on Enfield's show. (Enfield praised Freeman in Simon Garfield's book on Radio 1, The Nation's Favourite, by categorising him along with John Peel as "DJs who loved music" as opposed to "DJs who loved the sound of their own voices, like Dave Lee Travis").
For all Freeman's supposed
After Freeman's death Robin Gibb wrote a tribute, "Alan Freeman Days".[13] Recorded in August 2007, the song was included on Gibb's first posthumous album 50 St. Catherine's Drive in 2014.
Black Sabbath dedicated the instrumental track "Fluff" on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (composed by Tony Iommi) to Freeman, since he was one of the few radio personalities in Great Britain to play the group's music on-air.[14]
In an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme Great Lives broadcast in January 2024, Freeman was the choice of Simon Mayo. [15]
Honours
He was appointed
Personal life
In March 1994, Freeman revealed on breakfast television that he had become celibate in 1981, but had previously been bisexual.[19] He was described by Graham Chapman as being "keen on motor bikes and leather and men".[20]
From the early 1990s, Freeman suffered from
Death
He died on 27 November 2006 in Brinsworth House, aged 79, after a short arthritis illness.[21] His funeral took place at South West Middlesex Crematorium on 7 December 2006, and was attended by singer Kenny Lynch, his producer Phil Swern and DJs including Dave Lee Travis, Ed Stewart, Dave Cash, Paul McKenna, Nicky Campbell, Paul Gambaccini and his Radio One Top 40 successors Wes Butters, Simon Bates and Richard Skinner.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1962 | It's Trad, Dad! | Himself | |
1963 | Just for Fun | Himself, Disc Jockey | |
1964 | Swinging U.K. | Himself, Disc Jockey | |
1965 | Dr. Terror's House of Horrors | Bill Rogers | (segment "Creeping Vine") |
1968 | Sebastian | TV Disc Jockey | |
1986 | Absolute Beginners | Call-Me-Cobber | |
1995 | Mad Dogs and Englishmen | Disc Jockey | (final film role) |
Notes
- ^ The origin of Freeman's nickname "Fluff" is unclear. It has been attributed to his mistake while presenting Top of the Pops when he announced "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Sounds Orchestral as "Cast Your Wind to the Fates".[1] Alternatively, it may have derived from a fluffy jumper that he was fond of wearing.[2]
References
- ^ "Obituary: Johnnie Stewart". The Independent. 4 May 2005.
- ^ "Obituary: Alan 'Fluff' Freeman", BBC News, 28 November 2006
- ^ "Aircheck Tracker". Archived from the original on 22 October 2009.
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (29 November 2006). "Obituary: Alan Freeman". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Radio Times listings - November 1961 to April 1962
- ^ Van der Kiste, John (2016). Pop Pickers and Music Vendors. Stroud: Fonthill Media.
- ^ Kaleidoscope's TV Brain website
- ^ "Epguides". Epguides.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Van der Kiste, John (2016). Pop Pickers and Music Vendors. Stroud: Fonthill Media.
- ^ "Fluff's farewell to pop pickers". BBC News. 20 March 2000. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Obituary: Alan Freeman". The Times. 29 November 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "It's now the Genee - opening in June", The Stage and Television Today, 23 May 1968
- ^ "Alan Freeman Days". robingibb.com. 15 May 2008. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-30681-9551.
- ^ "Great Lives". BBC Radio 4. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
A podcast is also available for downloading within the United Kingdom, but not necessarily elsewhere as in some cases the BBC blocks particular podcasts from being downloaded outside the United Kingdom. - ^ "Not arf! Awards glory for Fluff". BBC News. 3 May 2000. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Biography of a Water Rat". Gowr.co.uk.
- ^ "Oratory youngsters give martial arts birthday display", Fulham Chronicle page 35, 15 August 1980
- ^ "Knitting Circle". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007.
- ^ Michael Palin: "Diaries 1969–1979" p. 290
- ^ "Australian and World News – ninemsn, Nine News". news. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012.
External links
- Alan Freeman at IMDb
- Bio and citation at the Radio Academy
- Bio at RadioRewind.co.uk including a rare interview with Nathan Morley
- Obituaries