Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Alan FREEMAN (1927-2006)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Alan Freeman, disc jockey and broadcaster, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Thames Television's Teddington Studios, having been led to believe he was there to take part in an interview.
Alan, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, began his radio broadcasting career in 1952 with Tasmania's 7LA station before returning to Melbourne to work on the all-night station 3AK and, later, the commercial station 3KZ. After settling in London in 1957, he found work as a summer relief disc jockey with Radio Luxembourg.
He joined the BBC in 1960, where, in addition to introducing radio's Pick of the Pops, he moved into television as one of the original presenters of Top of the Pops. In 1979, he left the BBC for Capital Radio, where he revived Pick of the Pops, a show he had become synonymous with, through his catchphrases, 'Greetings, pop pickers', 'Alright? Stay bright!' and 'Not arf!'
"How could you do this to me?"
programme details...
- Edition No: 731
- Subject No: 725
- Broadcast date: Wed 14 Oct 1987
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Wed 7 Oct 1987
- Venue: Teddington Studios
- Series: 28
- Edition: 1
- Code name: Chart
on the guest list...
- Michael Aspel
- Noel Edmonds
- Ed Stewart
- David Hamilton
- Simon Bates
- Nicky Campbell
- Tommy Vance
- Tony Prince
- Don Moss
- Dave Cash
- Johnnie Walker
- Roger Scott
- Richard Allinson
- Peter Young
- Tony Blackburn
- Mike Read
- Dave Lee Travis
- Keith Fordyce
- Ted - brother
- Joyce - sister-in-law
- Lynette - niece
- Trevor - Lynette's husband
- Louise - grandniece
- Christopher - grandnephew
- Beryl Jones
- Graham Bye
- Muriel Young
- Tony Bateman
- Redvers Kyle
- Helen Shapiro
- Craig Douglas
- Pete Murray
- Jimmy Savile
- Bill Wyman
- John Smith
- Dr Gareth Morgan
- Martin Crowley
- David Crowley Filmed tributes:
- Kay Starr
- Cliff Richard
related appearances...
- Stuart Henry - Nov 1983
- Danny La Rue - Apr 1984
- Alvin Stardust - Mar 1985
- Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson - Nov 1986
- The Bee Gees - Feb 1991
- Gary Glitter - Jan 1992
- Helen Shapiro - May 1995
- John Peel - Jan 1996
- Noddy Holder - Dec 1996
- Chris Tarrant - Mar 1997
- Phillip Schofield - Oct 1998
production team...
- Researchers: Claire Jenkinson, Tom Wettengel
- Writer: Roy Bottomley
- Directors: Stuart Hall, Terry Yarwood
- Associate Producer: Brian Klein
- Producer: Malcolm Morris
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
tuning in the broadcasters
Screenshots of Alan Freeman This Is Your Life
Michael Aspel – though not as presenter of the Life – and Noel Edmonds were there to greet the doyen of DJs Alan 'Fluff' Freeman when he walked into Teddington Studios on 7 October 1987.
Twenty years before, said Noel Edmonds, at Radio Luxembourg, 'Fluff' had been god, his catchphrases 'Greetings, pop-picker' and 'Right, all right, stay bright' familiar to millions of listeners.
Every one of his 'disciples' turned out for him: Ed Stewart, David Hamilton, Simon Bates, Nicky Campbell, Tommy Vance, Tony Prince, Don Moss, Dave Cash, Johnnie Walker, Roger Scott, Tony Blackburn, Mike Read, Dave Lee Travis, Keith Fordyce and fellow 'veterans' Pete Murray and Jimmy Savile were there. So was Rolling Stone Bill Wyman.
Michael Aspel told Eamonn Andrews he had first met 'Fluff' at the Radio Show at Olympia thirty years before. Alan Freeman was totally unknown here and had just arrived from Australia.
He told Michael, 'I think I'll be lucky to last until Christmas.'
But he didn't say what year.
Series 28 subjects
Alan Freeman | Roy Barraclough | Georg Solti | Jimmy Cricket | Kitty Godfree | Tom McClean | Jane Rossington