Farewell to the original Pop Picker

Sad to read this morning of the death of Alan 'Fluff' Freeman. The veteran Pick of the Pops host has died peacefully at his London nursing home aged 79.

He was a true legend of the airwaves, from his early days at Luxemborg through to Radio 1 and Radio 2. Forget the likes of Tony Blackburn, Jimmy Young et al, it was Freeman that was the archetypal jock of the 60s and 70s and, together with his catchphrases, boundless energy and famous theme music, set in stone some long-lasting radio memories.

It was Fluff that first insisted on playing the charts backwards from 40 to number 1, a tradition which has been carried through to all other chart shows ever since.

Despite his fame and notoriety, he always remained down to earth, able to laugh at himself and even joining in on the shows that lampooned him such as the Young Ones and of course Harry Enfield's Smashie and Nicey. I had the pleasure of interviewing him back in my hospital radio days and found him to be a real gent, full of time and patience for the young upstart amateur pointing a microphone at him.

He even looked more than happy to oblige in recording me my now treasured "Alright Pop Pickers" name checks, despite having clearly been asked to do the same by every interviewer he had ever come across in his 50-odd years of broadcasting.

Although ill-heath, particularly arthritis and asthma, took its toll in his later days, he was determined to stay on the airwaves for as long as he could. Even for a short time in 200 after moving into a residential home, he still made the weekly trip to Broadcasting House to record Pick of the Pops for Radio 2.

Despite his death, his memory will live on for many years to come and he'll be missed by radio fans around the world. Not 'Arf.

~~steve~~
www.tellytunes.com