Alan Freeman
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Alan Freeman |
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Alan Leslie "Fluff" Freeman
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Born and educated in Melbourne, Australia, Freeman worked as an assistant paymaster/accountant for one of Australia's largest timber companies after leaving school.
Freeman originally wanted to be an opera singer, but decided his voice was not strong enough. In 1952 he was invited to audition as a radio announcer and commenced working for 7LA in Tasmania, known as the teenager's station. Freeman's varied duties included that of continuity announcer; presenter of musical programmes incorporating opera, ballet and classical music; DJ for the top 100; news reader; quiz master and commercials reader.
After moving to radio station 3KZ in Melbourne, in 1957 he took an agreed nine-month trip around the world with the verbal promise to return to Melbourne by January 1958. He got to London, and on deciding to stay wrote numerous letters of delay, and later apology, to his former Melbourne employer
Freeman started 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 1961
he moved to the
In April 1972
Freeman joined the ranks of daily presenters on Radio 1,
taking over the afternoon (3-5 pm) show from Terry
Wogan. This continued until June 1, 1973. During this time he spotlighted youth
clubs and young people, and became Vice-President of the
He left the BBC to work for Capital Radio from 1979 to 1988, reviving both Pick of the Pops (now called Pick of the Pops Take Two and combining the then-current Top 15 with an earlier chart) and The Rock Show. He returned to the BBC and Radio 1 in January 1989 to revive both The Rock Show and Pick of the Pops. This run of Pick of the Pops ended on 27 December 1992, but he continued to host The Rock Show until 23 October 1993, when he, along with other long-serving DJs, left the station as it was revamped by controller Matthew Bannister.
In December 1993
he presented the Alternative Chart Show on a trial
one-off
He returned to the BBC on BBC 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. But as arthritis got the better of his hands, he eventually handed Pick of the Pops over to ex-Radio Trent DJ Dale Winton.
He was awarded the
He died in Twickenham, England.
His funeral took place on December 7th 2006 at South West Middlesex Crematorium and was attended by DJs Paul Gambaccini, Dave Lee Travis, Nicky Campbell, and his Radio One Top 40 successors Wes Butters, Simon Bates and Richard Skinner.
In March 1994 Freeman revealed on breakfast television that he had become celibate in 1981, but had previously been bisexual.
In his later years, Freeman suffered from severe arthritis
and asthma
from a 60-a-day smoking habit, and he used a Zimmer
Frame or motorised wheelchair to get around. He lived at Brinsworth
House, a retirement home for actors and performers run by the
'Fluff' died in Brinsworth House, Twickenham, south-west London after a short illness. He was age 79.
Freeman's distinctive presenting style included the frequent
use of classical music stings between records, and many memorable
catchphrases such as 'Alright, pop pickers? Alright!'
and 'Not 'arf!'. His style has been much parodied, and he was the model
for Harry
Enfield's popular character 'Dave Nice', although he
contributed to the satire
himself in good grace by appearing on Enfield's show. For all Freeman's
supposed
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