"The Official Chart The Official Chart is a long-running United Kingdom music chart programme, airing each Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1. It airs the UK Singles Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company, and is currently hosted by Scott Mills. In March 2015 it was announced that ""The Official Chart"" would move from its traditional Sunday slot to Friday afternoons from July 2015. This was to coincide with the global change in new music release dates from Sundays to Fridays. The chart airs between 16:00 and 17:45. ""Pick of the Pops"", as the chart was originally known, transferred to"
"by Radio 2 but sometimes by Radio 1 until that station acquired its own FM frequencies in 1988. The long-running soap opera ""The Archers"" was first heard nationally on the Light Programme, on 1 January 1951, although a week-long pilot version had been broadcast on the Midlands Home Service in 1950. BBC Light Programme The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the longwave frequency which had earlier been used – prior"
"arranged. For example, one guest wanted to announce the trains leaving from Euston Station. Another guest, young John Clark, wanted to talk to an airline pilot live while he was in the air, and to talk to Joe Davis, his snooker hero. No problem. Unfortunately, no recordings of a whole programme have survived, although the famous signature tune ""It's Monday Night at Eight O'clock"" does exist in the BBC Sound Archives. After becoming a producer in Television Light Entertainment, in 1950 Waldman rose to be the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment. He launched many of distinguished names in light entertainment,"
"Alan Freeman Alan Leslie ""Fluff"" Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006) 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. Born and educated in New South Wales, 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. He was invited to audition as a radio announcer in 1952 and commenced working for 7LA in Tasmania,"
"BBC Light Programme The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the longwave frequency which had earlier been used – prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 – by the BBC National Programme. The service was intended as a domestic replacement for the wartime BBC Forces Programme (later, the General Forces Programme) which had proved popular with civilian audiences in Britain as well as members of the"
"Pops"" host Paul Gambaccini, Dave Lee Travis, Nicky Campbell, and his Radio One Top 40 successors Wes Butters, Simon Bates and Richard Skinner. Alan Freeman Alan Leslie ""Fluff"" Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006) 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. Born and educated in New South Wales, 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"
"that the 'campaign' had totally failed to alter the listening trends of the time – Wogan still increased figures at a faster rate than Moyles. The chart show's ratings fell after the departure of long-time host Mark Goodier, amid falling single sales in the UK. Ratings for the show fell in 2002 whilst Goodier was still presenting the show, meaning that commercial radio's Network Chart overtook it in the ratings for the first time. However, the BBC denied he was being sacked. Before July 2015, when the chart release day was changed to Friday, the BBC show competed with networked"
"British economy. The BBC, for its part, was very happy to continue with a show which had proved a national success even if it did mean transporting crew, cable, microphones, two pianos, a producer, two pianists and a group of variety artists up and down the country three times a week. On 1 October 1957 the programme switched to the Light Programme, a move which seemed to recognise that it no longer had the national sense of purpose which made it so essential during the war and the post-war peace. Many famous variety, vocal and comedy artists appeared over the"
"Sessions recorded for ""Saturday Club"" by Chas McDevitt, the Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Johnny Kidd, Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, Small Faces, Cream, Harry Nilsson and the Who have been released on CD. Saturday Club (BBC Radio) Saturday Club was an influential BBC Radio programme in Britain, broadcast on the Light Programme and later Radio 1 between 1957 and 1969. It was one of the earliest – and for several years almost the only – radio programme in the country to broadcast pop music. For most of its history it was presented by Brian Matthew. The programme"
"with fewer tensions and uncertainties, perhaps where righteousness prevailed more often (though perhaps not); certainly more yearned-for."" In 2005, the programme was televised for the first time on BBC Four as part of a 1940s' and 1950s' theme night, with a playlist concentrating on classic light music by composers such as Eric Coates, Trevor Duncan, Ronald Binge and Leroy Anderson. The compère was actor and comedian Roy Hudd. On Friday 19 March 2010, the programme was broadcast from the BBC Television Centre in Shepherds Bush for the first time. Singers John Lawrenson and Cynthia Glover for many years were the"
"years as the BBC's representative in Canada. In 1956 he joined the BBC Light Entertainment group, under Ronnie Waldman. During this period, he provided the British commentary for the Eurovision Song Contests in 1957, 1958 and later the 1964 on radio (BBC Light Programme), and in 1959, 1961 and 1968 on BBC Television. In 1961 he was appointed Head of Light Entertainment, taking over from Eric Maschwitz (who became Assistant Controller of Programmes). One of his first tasks was to attempt to hold on to one of the BBC's biggest stars of the time, Tony Hancock. After he failed to"
"the BBC Light Programme. At the time, the programme had a long list of forbidden topics. Self-effacing and gently spoken, she pioneered the art of interviewing stars in their own homes, including the wartime 'forces sweetheart' singer Vera Lynn, the irascible television personality Gilbert Harding, the song and dance man Frankie Vaughan and the stiff-upper-lipped film actor Kenneth More. The ""Daily Mail"" made her broadcasting personality of the year in 1955, and she won a Variety Club of Great Britain radio personality award in 1963. She gave up broadcasting in 1967 to devote her time to her family and did"
"fame include Andrée Bernard and John Scott Martin. The main theme music for the show was composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst. Although opening and closing credits appear to use different themes they are respectively the first & third sections of a longer piece. Another track associated with the show is the stock track ""The Detectives"" by Alan Tew (also known as the theme to 1975 Yorkshire TV series ""The Hanged Man""). This was used for the Charlie Farley & Piggy Malone story ""Stop You're Killing Me"". The programme became one of the most successful and long running light entertainment shows on"
"but returned to what had been the Light Programme, now renamed Radio 2, from 5 April 1970. The last show was transmitted on 21 January 2007 – a run of over 47 years. For most of this time, it was presented by the original creator, Alan Keith, who continued up to the age of 94. After his death in 2003, Richard Baker presented the show. Holiday guest presenters included Lady Evelyn Barbirolli, Rosalind Runcie, Earl Spencer and Ursula Vaughan Williams. The show was terminated by BBC controller Lesley Douglas, who replaced it with a longer ""Melodies for You"", presented by"
"based on the television series ""Doctor Who"" and starring Peter Cushing. He also provided the music for ""The Challenge"" (1960), ""The Leather Boys"" (1964), ""The Comedy Man"" (1964), ""Corruption"" (1968), the cult horror film ""The Asphyx"" (1973), and ""The Cherry Picker"" (1974). McGuffie performed on many occasions with Benny Goodman outfits when Goodman toured in Europe. He can be heard playing with the Benny Goodman Sextet recorded live in Copenhagen in 1972. Bill McGuffie was voted Britain's top pianist in 1953, 1954 and 1955. He won an Ivor Novello Award in 1960 for his composition ""Sweet September"" and a Song"
"in its own right in 1962, with Freeman presenting it until 24 September 1972 and continuing with his 'Swingin' Cymbal' signature tune. At the same 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 compere of the lunchtime pop music show ""Go Man Go"" on the BBC Light Programme in 1963. In 1968 he presented a music magazine-style television show for the BBC, ""All Systems Freeman"", which aired for several weeks on Friday evening, but despite good"
"in 1951. One of his early successes was ""Top Town"", a talent show pitting contestants from neighbouring towns against each other. His longest running success was ""The Good Old Days"", which started in 1953 and was on air for 30 years, making it the longest-running light entertainment programme ever broadcast. Colehan tested his idea for a television variety show with a pilot broadcast in 1952 from the City Varieties Theatre in Leeds, entitled ""The Story of the Music-Hall"". Colehan also came up with the idea of dressing the audience in Edwardian costumes. Many high-profile entertainers appeared on the show, including"
"adaptation of his own novel ""Like Men Betrayed"" for the BBC Light Programme. Other notable radio dramatists included Brendan Behan, from Ireland, and novelist Angela Carter. Among the most famous works created for radio, are Dylan Thomas's ""Under Milk Wood"" (1954), Samuel Beckett's ""All That Fall"" (1957), Harold Pinter's ""A Slight Ache"" (1959) and Robert Bolt's ""A Man for All Seasons"" (1954). While poets T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden and Dylan Thomas were still publishing after 1945, new poets started their careers in the 1950s and 1960s including Philip Larkin (1922–85) (""The Whitsun Weddings"",1964) and Ted Hughes (1930–98) (""The"
"the original ""Swinging Cymbal"" theme were used occasionally by Alan as jingles in the show. By April 1970, the show used a new version of ""At the sound of the swinging cymbal"" arranged by former Ladybirds singer Barbara Moore and recorded by Brass Incorporated. This version is still used by the BBC today. The Propellerheads modernised the song in their 1998 re-imagining ""Crash!"" which was included on the second soundtrack of the movie . After joining BBC Light Programme from Radio Luxembourg in 1961, Alan Freeman used the piece as his theme music for ""Records Around Five"" and a year"
"Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty. Based on his radio success, in the mid-1950s he produced television shows for ITV such as ""Armchair Theatre"", ""The Golden Fleece"", ""The Boy About the Place"", ""Teddy Gang"", ""The Lady Asks for Help"", ""The Scarlet Pimpernel"", ""The Suicide Club"", ""The Little Black Book"", ""The New Adventures of Martin Kane"", ""A Christmas Carol"", ""24 Hours a Day"", ""Down to the Sea"", ""Gun Rule"", and many others. On 7 April 1956 ""Billboard"" magazine announced J. Elroy McCaw's Gotham Broadcasting Corporation Radio WINS AM New York made a deal with Harry Alan Towers, for deejay Alan Freed to"
"fact, either effectively began their careers with the BBC, or had works adapted for radio, including Caryl Churchill and Tom Stoppard whose ""first professional production was in the fifteen-minute ""Just Before Midnight"" programme on BBC Radio, which showcased new dramatists"". John Mortimer made his radio debut as a dramatist in 1955, with his adaptation of his own novel ""Like Men Betrayed"" for the BBC Light Programme. Other notable radio dramatists included Brendan Behan, and novelist Angela Carter. Among the most famous works created for radio, are Dylan Thomas's ""Under Milk Wood"" (1954), Samuel Beckett's ""All That Fall"" (1957), Harold Pinter's"
"were a number who made repeated appearances including Bryan Michie, Roy Rich, Godfrey Winn, Robert McDermott, Richard Murdoch, Gary Miller, Kenneth Horne, Sam Costa, Desmond Carrington and David Jacobs. One of the most popular was George Elrick, who sang his own lyrics over the theme music, beginning with ""Dooodle-dum-de-doodle-dum"" and ending with ""I'll be with you all again tomorrow morning"". The programme ended when the Light Programme was replaced by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 in 1967. Its short-lived successor, ""Family Choice"", was broadcast on both Radios 1 and 2, but by September 1969, had also ended. In"
"to 5pm show from Jono Coleman, who had moved to co-present the breakfast show with former actress JoAnne Good. His BBC London 94.9 shows tended to feature off-the-wall phone-ins and discussions with his on-air team, Amy and Baylen Leonard, often regarding music and entertainment nostalgia of the 1960s and 1970s. His interviews focused on off-beat trivia rather than the guests' latest or most famous work, and shows would be interspersed with relatively obscure rock tracks from bands such as Yes, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. The programme was axed in November 2012 as part of a"
"situation. ""The Al Read Show"" was one of the most popular radio comedy shows in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. Up to 35 million people listened to it each week. His catchphrases ""Right, Monkey!"" and ""You'll be lucky - I say, you'll be lucky!"" were well known. In 1963 he headed a variety format for ITV called ""Life and Al Read"" which was apparently unscripted and was broadcast live. In 1966 another ITV series called ""Al Read Says What a Life!"" was broadcast. He also worked extensively on the variety stage. In 1954 he appeared high on the"
"and radio programmes. Other notable radio dramatists included Brendan Behan, and novelist Angela Carter. Novelist Susan Hill also wrote for BBC radio, from the early 1970s. Irish playwright Brendan Behan, author of ""The Quare Fellow"" (1954), was commissioned by the BBC to write a radio play ""The Big House"" (1956); prior to this he had written two plays ""Moving Out""and ""A Garden Party"" for Irish radio. Among the most famous works created for radio, are Dylan Thomas's ""Under Milk Wood"" (1954), Samuel Beckett's ""All That Fall"" (1957), Harold Pinter's ""A Slight Ache"" (1959) and Robert Bolt's ""A Man for All"
"on the BBC Light Programme and now on its successor, BBC Radio 2, making it the world's longest-running live orchestral music radio programmes. Many attribute the programme's format to the composer and conductor Sidney Torch. In particular, it is notable for now being one of the few programmes to feature light music on Radio 2. From the early 70’s onwards it was fronted by the aforementioned Robin Boyle; ‘Boyle came to be the linchpin of the programme’""Robin Boyle possessed a public voice and persona that took listeners of a certain age gracefully back to another era, perhaps more leisurely, perhaps"
"popular 1950s and 1960s musicians such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Supremes, The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Beach Boys, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, The Mamas & the Papas, The Lovin' Spoonful, Herman's Hermits, The Doors and The Band. The Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster appeared on the program 67 times, a record for any performer. The American public's first exposure to Itzhak Perlman was on the show in 1958, when he was 13. This performance was a breakthrough not only for classical music, but also for Perlman, who rode the"
"first introduced in 1955 by Peter Milne, and was later refined by McKenzie and David Butler and used nationally in the 1959 General election for the BBC. At first Butler used the meter, but in 1964 McKenzie enthusiastically took over. He appeared on all BBC election nights from 1955 to 1979, and was later replaced by Peter Snow in 1983 due to McKenzie's death in 1981. Additionally, he introduced and moderated the discussions in each episode of Milton Friedman's 1980 television series ""Free to Choose"". McKenzie also famously interviewed Lord Hailsham on the BBC programme ""Gallery"" in 1963, asking questions"
"After the Second World War he began a long and productive career with the BBC, where his ready wit, musicianship and broad musical knowledge made him much sought after as a musical accompanist for panel games and magazine shows, such as ""Whirligig"" and ""Many a Slip"". In 1949 his jazz group recorded the first British bebop records, and he also had a sideline arranging player piano rolls for the Artona company. From the 1950s to the 1980s he presented countless music programmes on radio and television. Additionally, in 1955, he was appointed the first Light Music Advisor to the early"
"became a full-time freelance sports commentator, working for Radio Éireann, Ireland's state broadcaster. In 1950, he began presenting programmes for the BBC, being particularly well known for boxing commentaries, and soon became one of television's most popular presenters. The following year, the game show ""What's My Line?"" began and Andrews was the host. Throughout the 1950s, he commentated on the major British heavyweight fights on the BBC Light Programme, with inter-round summaries by W. Barrington Dalby. On 20 January 1956, he reached No 18 in the UK Singles Chart with a ""spoken narrative"" recording named ""The Shifting Whispering Sands (Parts"
"the staff of the BBC, this time serving as its Head of Publicity. Adam spent nine years in this role, before in 1950 the Director General of the BBC, William Haley, took the perhaps surprising decision to appoint him as the Controller of the BBC Light Programme, one of the BBC's most popular national radio stations. Adam took up the post at the end of the year and successfully ran the station for the next four years, although he apparently became frustrated at the lack of opportunities to move across into the newer medium of television, which was his latest"
"as the BBC's Brian Matthew and Alan Freeman, Radio London's John Peel, Radio Caroline's Tony Blackburn, and Radio Luxembourg's Jimmy Savile. Alan Freed is commonly referred to as the ""father of rock and roll"" due to his promotion of the music and his introduction of the term rock and roll on radio in the early 1950s. Freed also made a practice of presenting music by African-American artists rather than cover versions by white artists on his radio program. Freed's career ended when it was shown that he had accepted payola, a practice that was highly controversial at the time, resulting"
"""Saturday Night Function"". Gilmour's Albums Gilmour's Albums was one of the longest-running radio shows on CBC Radio, and was hosted by former newspaper reporter Clyde Gilmour. The show started in 1957, and its format consisted of selections of music, hand-picked by Gilmour, many from his own vast personal record collection. The show, which was an hour long, defined the eclectic format, with a mix of opera, chamber music, show tunes, and jazz, and often concluded with a humorous musical number or comedy sketch. Every genre save rock and roll was played on his show. Known for Gilmour's trademark ""Hello!"" and"