Editing Alan Freeman

{{Short description|British radio disc jockey (1927–2006)}}
{{About||the record producer|Alan A. Freeman|the Gaelic footballer|Alan Freeman (Gaelic footballer)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox presenter
| name       = Alan Freeman<br><small>[[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]</small>
| image      = Alan Freeman at BBC Radio 1.png
| imagesize  =
| caption    = Freeman presenting his daily afternoon show at BBC Radio 1, in 1973
| birth_name  = Alan Leslie Freeman
| birth_date  = 6 July 1927
| birth_place = [[Melbourne]], Australia
| death_date  = {{death date and age|df=y|27 November 2006|6 July 1927}}
| death_place = [[Brinsworth House]], London, England
| station    = {{plain list|
* [[Radio Luxembourg]]
* [[BBC Light Programme]] (1960–1967)
* [[BBC Radio 1]] (1967–1978, 1989–1993)
* [[Capital Radio]] (1979–1989)
* [[Capital Gold]] (1994–1997)
* [[BBC Radio 2]] (1997–2000)
}}
| years_active = 1952–2001
| country    =  {{plainlist|
* United Kingdom
* [[Australia]]
  }}
| prevshow   =  {{plainlist|
* ''[[Pick of the Pops]]''
* ''The Rock Show''
* ''Their Greatest Bits''
  }}
}}
'''Alan Leslie Freeman''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "'''Fluff'''",{{refn|The origin of Freeman's nickname "Fluff" is unclear. It has been attributed to his mistake while presenting ''Top of the Pops'' when he announced "[[Cast Your Fate to the Wind]]" by [[Sounds Orchestral]] as "Cast Your Wind to the Fates".<ref>{{cite news |title=Obituary: Johnnie Stewart |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/johnnie-stewart-236547.html |work=The Independent |date=4 May 2005}}</ref> Alternatively, it may have derived from a fluffy jumper that he was fond of wearing.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2940413.stm "Obituary: Alan 'Fluff' Freeman"], BBC News, 28 November 2006</ref>|group=Note}} was an Australian-born British [[disc jockey]] and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting ''[[Pick of the Pops]]'' from 1961 to 2000.

== Early life ==
Born and educated in [[Melbourne]], Australia, Freeman worked as an assistant paymaster/accountant for one of Australia's largest timber companies after leaving school. He wanted to be an opera singer, but decided his voice was not strong enough.

==Career==

=== Radio and television ===
Freeman was invited to audition as a radio announcer in 1952, and began work for [[7LA]] in [[Tasmania]], known as the teenagers' station. Freeman's duties included continuity announcer, presenter of musical programmes incorporating opera, ballet and classical music, DJ for the top 100, news reader, quizmaster and commercials reader.

After moving to radio station [[3KZ]] in Melbourne, he took a nine-month trip around the world in 1957, with the promise to return to Melbourne by January 1958. He arrived in London, and on deciding to stay wrote numerous letters of delay, and later apology, to his former employer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircheck Tracker<!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://www.geocities.com/thehotw/AlanFreemantracker.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022121557/http://geocities.com/thehotw/AlanFreemantracker.htm |archive-date=22 October 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Freeman began 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 1960 he moved to the [[BBC Light Programme]] as presenter of the ''Records Around Five'' show, introduced by his signature tune, "[[At the Sign of the Swingin' Cymbal]]", written by [[Brian Fahey (composer)|Brian Fahey]]. A more upbeat version performed by Brass Incorporated was introduced in April 1970.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/nov/29/guardianobituaries.media |title=Obituary: Alan Freeman |first=Adam |last=Sweeting |work=The Guardian |location= London |date=29 November 2006}}</ref> In September 1961, he introduced ''[[Pick of the Pops]]'' as part of Saturday evening show ''Trad Tavern''. ''Pick of the Pops'' became a permanent show in its own right; Freeman presented it until 24 September 1972, continuing with his 'Swingin' Cymbal' signature tune.

During this time he was one of the original team of presenters of BBC TV's ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', a regular member of the ''[[Juke Box Jury]]'' panel, and had a brief stint as compère of the lunchtime pop music show ''[[Go Man Go (radio show)|Go Man Go]]'' on the Light Programme in 1963. In 1961 and 1962, he presented the British version of the hit American quiz ''[[Play Your Hunch]]'' on BBC TV.<ref>[http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=Play+Your+Hunch+Alan+Freeman#search Radio Times listings - November 1961 to April 1962]</ref> He presented a music magazine-style television show for the BBC in 1968, ''All Systems Freeman'', which aired for several weeks on Friday evening, but despite good reviews did not return for a second series.

Freeman recorded a dance single, "Madison Time", with the Talmy Stone Band in 1962. Released by [[Decca Records]], F11523, it was reportedly one of the label's worst-ever sellers.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

In April 1972, he joined the daily presenters on [[BBC Radio 1|Radio 1]], taking over the 3–5 pm show from [[Terry Wogan]]. Freeman used "[[Soul Bossa Nova]]" by [[Quincy Jones]] as his theme until 1 June 1973. During this time he spotlighted youth clubs and young people, and became Vice-President of the [[London Association of Youth Clubs]]. During the 1970s he also presented the Radio 1 series ''Quiz Kid'' on Sunday evenings, recorded at youth clubs and boys' clubs all over the country, while on Saturday afternoons he presented a programme simply titled Alan Freeman, although retrospectively it is mainly referred to as The Rock Show. It featured an eclectic mix of music, although it is mainly remembered for pioneering heavy and progressive rock. It also featured a rundown of the current album chart. The show ran from 30 June 1973 to 26 August 1978.

He presented the original version of ''The Story of Pop'' as a 26-part Radio 1 series in 1973–74. From 1975 to 1977, Freeman presented the [[BBC Radio 2|Radio 2]] musical game show ''Free Spin''. In addition he lent his name to several rock and classical compilation albums, the best-known being ''By Invitation Only'' (1976), a collection of material sourced from artists on the [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] label.<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=Van der Kiste |year=2016 |title=Pop Pickers and Music Vendors |publisher=Fonthill Media |location=Stroud }}</ref>

Freeman left the BBC to work for [[Capital Radio]] from 1979 to 1989, presenting the Top 40 of the 1970s on 31 December 1979 under the revived Pick of the Pops name. He again revived ''Pick of the Pops'' from 13 March 1982 (now called ''Pick of the Pops Take Two'', combining the current [[NME]] Top 15 with an earlier chart) and ''The Rock Show'' previous to that on 7 January 1980. He returned to the BBC and Radio 1 in January 1989 to revive ''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, with other long-serving DJs, left the station as it was revamped by controller [[Matthew Bannister]].

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (UK TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1987 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at Thames Television's Teddington Studios.<ref>[http://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?type=programme&ProgrammeID={1a3b2d7f-a433-4b3e-989a-1c210cd0ba17}&EpisodeID=e7267370-8e3a-4fd6-89b2-10a8c5168600 Kaleidoscope's TV Brain website]</ref>  In 1990, he appeared as a celebrity guest on the television series ''[[You Bet!]]'', made by [[London Weekend Television]] and hosted by Sir [[Bruce Forsyth]].

In December 1993, for four weeks he presented the ''Alternative Chart Show'' Top 30 as part of a trial one-off [[Restricted Service Licence]] (RSL) broadcast by [[Radio X (United Kingdom)|XFM]] in London. Throughout 1994 he presented a revised and expanded version of the Radio 1 series ''The Story of Pop'', broadcast in 52-hour-long episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epguides.com/StoryofPop/ |title=Epguides |publisher=Epguides.com |access-date=4 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628210836/http://epguides.com/StoryofPop/ |archive-date=28 June 2012  }}</ref> He then hosted ''Pick of the Pops Take Three'' on [[Capital Gold]] from April 1994 until January 1997. In 1996 and 1997 he also hosted ''The Friday Rock Show'' on [[Absolute Radio|Virgin Radio]], and he hosted a number of one-off shows on [[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]] from December 1993 to December 1996.

In 1998 he was appointed [[MBE (Order of the British Empire)|MBE]] for services to broadcasting.

He returned to the BBC on 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'', which resulted in another compilation CD on the [[BBC Records|BBC]] label. Throughout his career, he was known especially for his jingles, which integrated short bursts of classical music and hard rock segued together, as well as his catchphrases, which included "Hi there, pop pickers!" at the start of ''Pick of the Pops''; "Greetings, music lovers!" when introducing his classical and rock shows; "All right? Right, stay bright!" when signing off, and "Not 'arf!" frequently uttered during his shows.<ref>{{cite book| first= John| last= Van der Kiste| year= 2016| title= Pop Pickers and Music Vendors| publisher= Fonthill Media| location= Stroud}}</ref>

In April 2000, after [[arthritis]] in his hands had started to make it too difficult for him to operate studio equipment, he handed ''Pick of the Pops'' over to [[Dale Winton]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/683704.stm | work=BBC News | title=Fluff's farewell to pop pickers | date=20 March 2000 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>

New editions of ''Their Greatest Bits'' continued to be recorded by Freeman until 2001.

=== Acting ===
Freeman acted in the horror film ''[[Dr. Terror's House of Horrors]]'' (1965) and the rock musical ''[[Absolute Beginners (film)|Absolute Beginners]]'' (1986), and played himself or a similar character in films such as ''[[It's Trad, Dad!]]'' (1962), ''[[Just for Fun (film)|Just for Fun]]'' (1963) and ''[[Sebastian (1968 film)|Sebastian]]'' (1968). He also played God (albeit a God who sat at a [[mixing desk]] and said "Alright?") in two episodes of ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'' in 1984. Freeman also appeared in TV advertisements for Brentford Nylons and for [[Omo (detergent)|Omo]] "with exclusive WM7 for perfect whiteness."

He appeared in Noël Coward's ''[[Private Lives]]'' at the Adeline Genee Theatre in East Grinstead<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/alan-freeman-27fwpzjbp8f|title=Obituary: Alan Freeman|date=29 November 2006|website=[[The Times]]|access-date=13 March 2019|url-access=registration }}</ref> in June 1968,<ref>"It's now the Genee - opening in June", ''[[The Stage|The Stage and Television Today]]'', 23 May 1968</ref> starring alongside Shirley Anne Field, Sally Anne Howe and Conrad Phillips.

=== Recognition ===
Freeman's style has been parodied, and he was the model for comedian [[Harry Enfield]]'s character [[Smashie and Nicey|Dave Nice]], although he contributed to the [[satire]] himself in good grace by appearing on Enfield's show. (Enfield praised Freeman in [[Simon Garfield]]'s book on Radio 1, ''The Nation's Favourite'', by categorising him along with [[John Peel]] as "DJs who loved music" as opposed to "DJs who loved the sound of their own voices, like [[Dave Lee Travis]]").

For all Freeman's supposed [[clichés]] and [[archetype]]s in his broadcasting style, he has been regarded as original by fellow broadcasters. When he appeared on John Peel's ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'', Peel said: "Fluff is the greatest out-and-out disc jockey of them all".

After Freeman's death [[Robin Gibb]] wrote a tribute, "[[Alan Freeman Days]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robingibb.com/news/2008/05/15/alan_freeman_days |title=Alan Freeman Days |date=15 May 2008 |website=robingibb.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083555/http://www.robingibb.com/news/2008/05/15/alan_freeman_days |archive-date=19 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Recorded in August 2007, the song was included on Gibb's first posthumous album ''[[50 St. Catherine's Drive]]'' in 2014.

[[Black Sabbath]] dedicated the [[instrumental]] track "Fluff" on ''[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]'' (composed by [[Tony Iommi]]) to Freeman, since he was one of the few radio personalities in Great Britain to play the group's music on-air.<ref name="iommiautobiography">{{cite book |last=Iommi |first=Tony |url=https://archive.org/details/ironmanmyjourney00iomm_0 |title=Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-30681-9551 |pages=134 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

In an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme ''[[Great Lives]]'' broadcast in January 2024, Freeman was the choice of [[Simon Mayo]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001vl9g|title=Great Lives |work=BBC Radio 4 |date= 23 January 2024 |access-date= 26 January 2024}}<br>A podcast is also available for downloading within the United Kingdom, but not necessarily elsewhere as in some cases the BBC blocks particular podcasts from being downloaded outside the United Kingdom.</ref>

==Honours==
He was appointed [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in 1998. In May 2000, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award at the [[Sony Radio Academy Awards]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/733968.stm |work=BBC News |title=Not arf! Awards glory for Fluff |date=3 May 2000 |access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> He was initiated into the [[Grand Order of Water Rats]] in 1976, and ten years later was elected "King Rat".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gowr.co.uk/all-water-rats/v/142 |title=Biography of a Water Rat |website=Gowr.co.uk}}</ref> He also served as Vice-President of the London Union of Youth Clubs.<ref>"Oratory youngsters give martial arts birthday display", ''Fulham Chronicle'' page 35, 15 August 1980</ref>

==Personal life==
In March 1994, Freeman revealed on breakfast television that he had become [[Celibacy|celibate]] in 1981, but had previously been [[bisexuality|bisexual]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://knittingcircle.org.uk/alanfreeman.html |title=Knitting Circle |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817010145/http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk/alanfreeman.html |archive-date=17 August 2007 }}</ref> He was described by [[Graham Chapman]] as being "keen on motor bikes and leather and men".<ref>Michael Palin: "Diaries 1969–1979" p. 290</ref>

From the early 1990s, Freeman suffered from [[arthritis]] and [[asthma]] (from a 60-a-day [[tobacco smoking|smoking]] habit) and used a [[Zimmer frame]]. He lived at [[Brinsworth House]], a retirement home for actors and performers run by the [[Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund]] in Twickenham, from 2000 until his death.

==Death==
He died on 27 November 2006 in [[Brinsworth House]], aged 79, after a short illness.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=166927 |title=Australian and World News – ninemsn, Nine News |work=news |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211095922/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=166927 |archive-date=11 February 2012 }}</ref> His funeral took place at South West Middlesex Crematorium on 7 December 2006, and was attended by singer [[Kenny Lynch]], his producer [[Phil Swern]] and DJs including [[Dave Lee Travis]], [[Ed Stewart]], [[Dave Cash (DJ)|Dave Cash]], [[Paul McKenna]], [[Nicky Campbell]], [[Paul Gambaccini]] and his Radio One Top 40 successors [[Wes Butters]], [[Simon Bates]] and [[Richard Skinner (broadcaster)|Richard Skinner]].

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1962|| ''[[It's Trad, Dad!]]'' || Himself ||
|-
|1963|| '' [[Just for Fun (film)|Just for Fun]]'' || Himself, Disc Jockey ||
|-
|1964|| '' Swinging U.K.'' || Himself, Disc Jockey ||
|-
|1965|| ''[[Dr. Terror's House of Horrors]]'' || Bill Rogers || (segment "Creeping Vine")
|-
|1968|| ''[[Sebastian (1968 film)|Sebastian]]'' || TV Disc Jockey ||
|-
|1986|| ''[[Absolute Beginners (film)|Absolute Beginners]]'' || Call-Me-Cobber ||
|-
|1995|| ''[[Mad Dogs and Englishmen (film)|Mad Dogs and Englishmen]]'' || Disc Jockey || (final film role)
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0293283}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060830192757/http://www.radioacademy.org/halloffame/freeman_a/index.shtml Bio and citation at the Radio Academy]
* [http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/alan_freeman_page.htm Bio at RadioRewind.co.uk] including a rare interview with [[Nathan Morley]]
* Obituaries
** [https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,1959272,00.html Guardian obituary] – ''[[The Guardian]]''
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20080205125730/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F11%2F29%2Fdb2901.xml&DCMP=EMC-new_29112006 Telegraph obituary] – ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190407/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2023805.ece The Independent] – ''[[The Independent]]''

{{s-start}}
{{s-media}}
{{succession box
| before=First
| title=[[BBC Radio 1]]<br>chart show presenter
| years=1 October 1967 – 24 September 1972
| after=[[Tom Browne (broadcaster)|Tom Browne]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Absolute Radio|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Alan}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Australian bisexual actors]]
[[Category:Australian bisexual men]]
[[Category:Australian emigrants to England]]
[[Category:Australian LGBTQ broadcasters]]
[[Category:BBC Radio 1 presenters]]
[[Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters]]
[[Category:British bisexual male actors]]
[[Category:British bisexual men]]
[[Category:British LGBTQ broadcasters]]
[[Category:British radio DJs]]
[[Category:British radio personalities]]
[[Category:Classical music radio presenters]]
[[Category:LGBTQ DJs]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Radio Luxembourg (English) presenters]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Virgin Radio (UK)]]
[[Category:Australian LGBTQ male actors]]