Web Page No 2666

6^th March 2020

1st Picture.  Franklin Engleman

3rd Picture. David Jacobs

4th Picture. Paul Gambaccini

Pick of the Pops

What did you listen to during the 1960’s? For most of us it was Pick of the Pops  a BBC Radio programme, originally based on the Top 20 UK Singles Chart and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1955. It transferred to BBC Radio 1 (simulcast on BBC Radio 2) from 1967 to 1972. It was revived for six years in the 1980s. Its current production run started in 1997.

Initially the show did not feature the charts, but in September 1957 Alan Dell introduced the format of running through the charts of the week, playing the top tens from various music papers plus entries to top 20s.

David Jacobs brought the first averaged BBC Top 20 to the show on Saturday, 29^th March 1958. Alan Freeman took over in September 1961, taking the show to a regular Sunday slot in January 1962. The programme ended in September 1972, while the Top 20 continued as part of "Solid Gold Sixty".

Alan (Fluff) Freeman, who presented the longest and whose name is probably most closely associated with Pick of the Pops, had been a radio announcer in Melbourne, Australia. He arrived in Britain in 1957 and joined the Light Programme in 1961 to present Records Around Five. That same year he replaced David Jacobs for Pick of the Pops, which was then part of a Saturday-evening programme called Trad Tavern, after traditional jazz which had a following at the time. Pick of the Pops became a separate programme in January 1962. It was produced by Derek Chinnery.

Denys Jones (producer 1961–1972) and Alan Freeman split the programme into four: chart newcomers, new releases, LPs and the Top 10. The programme attracted large audiences as the BBC had restrictions on "needle time" and could play relatively few commercially available recordings each week. Alan Freeman continued with the show when it moved to Radio 1 and stayed until the programme ended in September 1972.

Fluff revived Pick of the Pops on the local London station, Capital Radio, from 1982 to the end of 1988 as Pick of the Pops – Take Two, combining the new chart (Top 15s compiled successively by Record Business, the NME and MRIB) with a chart from the past. In 1989, He returned to Radio 1 where the show featured three past charts each week through March 1992, and for the rest of 1992 by Sue Foster. Alan Freeman's final programme, at the end of 1992, stated that he would never present it again, and signed off with the Beatles' "The End".

From April 1994 to January 1997 Fluff revived the show once more on Capital Gold as Pick Of The Pops – Take Three, featuring two vintage top 12s, and the "Battle Of The Giants", and on other occasions featuring three vintage top 10s, two vintage top 20s and a rock request, along with competitions on Saturday mornings.

Pick of the Pops returned to the BBC as an independent production by Unique Broadcasting on BBC Radio 2 on 5^th  April 1997, with Alan Freeman now counting down two archive charts each week featuring the top 10s and what was number one in Canada & other parts of the world., interspersing trivia about the records,

On 1st April 2000, Fluff presented his last show and retired for health reasons, and the show was taken over by Dale Winton, who first presented the show on 8 April 2000. The regular weekly edition ended in August 2004, with limited broadcast of special editions. Pick of the Pops then returned on a weekly basis in September 2005 with Dale Winton at the helm. The BBC moved Pick of the Pops to a Saturday slot in April 2009 and Dale Winton bowed out of Pick of the Pops on 30 October 2010 owing to other work.

Tony Blackburn took over on 24^th  September 2010. Although the show was pre-recorded during the Dale Winton era, from January 2011 the show was mostly broadcast live, which allowed Tony Blackburn to interact with his listeners.

Tony Blackburn was dismissed by the BBC on 25^th February 2016. Mark Goodier took over and was the youngest presenter on Pick of the Pops to feature charts before he was born, he featured 1957, 1960 & 1962. He was also the last presenter to feature texts & emails which began during Tony Blackburn's reign of host of Pick of the Pops. Mark Goodier hosted the show between 27 February to 2 July 2016 when  Paul Gambaccini took over on 9^th  July 2016and the show now features the Billboard charts along with the UK 20 twenty normally in the first hour then the Billboard chart in the second hour. On 6 January and 24 February 2018, Paul missed Pick of the Pops for the first time in the show's history since 1992 due to snow or ill health, Mark Goodier covered on both occasions. In May 2018 Paul presented a special Pick Of The Pops to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and featured their birth years in celebration: 1981 and 1984. On 25 August 2018, Paul presented another special on Prince & Madonna to celebrate their 60th birthdays and counted down their best selling singles.

So who have been the presenters?

Franklin Engelmann (1955)

Alan Dell (1956 and 1957–58)

David Jacobs (September 1956 – September 1957, March 1958 – September 1961, September–December 1962)

Don Moss (September–December 1963)

Alan Freeman (1961 – April 2000)

Dale Winton (April 2000– October 2010)

Tony Blackburn (November 2010 – February 2016)

Mark Goodier (February–July 2016, plus occasional Cover for Gambaccini)

Paul Gambaccini (July 2016–present)

Finally the theme tune (1961–1966) was "At the Sign of the Swingin' Cymbal" written and performed by Brian Fahey and his Orchestra. It was later replaced (1966–1970) with "Quite Beside The Point" by the Harry Roberts Sound. Since April 1970 the show has used a new version of "At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal" by Brass Incorporated.

Stay in touch

Peter

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On this day 6^th March 1960-1965

On 06/03/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was The Larkins (ATV) and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/03/1961 the number one single was Walk Right Back/Ebony Eyes - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/03/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/03/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was 2 journalists jailed in London for protecting sources.

On 06/03/1964 the number one single was Anyone Who Had a Heart -Cilla Black and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/03/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.