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Alan Freeman
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Alan Freeman

Written by
John Pidgeon
(d. 2016) Rock critic; radio broadcaster and producer; writer, The Story of Pop BBC Radio series.
John Pidgeon
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History

Australian Alan (“Fluff”) Freeman was an announcer on Melbourne’s 3KZ when he visited the United Kingdom on vacation in 1957; he stayed on to become one of British radio’s most distinctive and durable broadcasters. Freeman was heard initially on Radio Luxembourg but joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1961 as the host of Records Around Five, where his trademark “At the Sign of the Swinging Cymbal” theme was first heard. Within months he moved to a new chart show, Pick of the Pops. Rescheduled in 1962 from Saturdays to a Sunday afternoon slot, Pick of the Pops became a pop radio institution, which Freeman, with his catchphrase opening, “Greetings, pop pickers,” hosted for the next 10 years. Although he continued to be associated with current (and oldies) chart-based programs, from the 1970s through the ’90s on Radio 1, Capital Radio, and Virgin Radio, Freeman also championed heavy metal on a succession of award-winning rock shows. Pick of the Pops was reborn in 1997 on BBC Radio 2, where Freeman’s lifelong love of classical music also found an outlet.

John Pidgeon