Pick of the Pops

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Pick of the Pops in its original incarnation, was a BBC radio programme based on the Top 20 UK singles chart and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1955, transferring to BBC Radio 1 (but simulcast on BBC Radio 2) when the latter launched in 1967. Its last edition in its original form was broadcast on 24 September 1972. The presenters were Franklin Engelmann (1955), Alan Dell (1956), David Jacobs (1956-61 and 1962), Don Moss (1963) and Alan Freeman (1961-62, 1963 and 1964-72). Under Freeman it achieved vast audiences, due not least to the relative dearth of pop music on BBC radio at the time.

Having concentrated on rock shows for some years, Alan Freeman first revived the show on Capital Radio in the 1980s, where it was called "Pick of the Pops Take Two", combining the new chart (for much of the time a London-only Top 15) with a chart from the past. In 1989, he returned to Radio 1, where the show featured three past charts each week, but claimed at the end of 1992, when this run ended, that he would never present it again.

However in 1994 the show was revived again on Capital Gold, moving to BBC Radio 2 in 1997, with Freeman now counting down two archive charts each week, interspersing trivia about the records featured, as researched by the show's producer Phil Swern. In 2000 Freeman retired due to health concerns, and the show was taken over by Dale Winton. The last regular weekly edition was broadcast on August 28, 2004, and over the following year bank holiday specials of the show were broadcast sporadically.

Pick Of The Pops returned on a weekly basis in September 2005, independently produced by Unique Broadcasting for Radio 2, on Sunday afternoons from 3.30-5.00 pm with Winton remaining at the helm and with only one archive chart per week. It moved to the slightly earlier time slot of 3.00-4.30 pm from January 28, 2007, being extended to run from 2.30-4.30 pm from February 25. Since October 2007 the show has reverted to featuring two archive charts per programme, from the years between 1963 and 1995.

The theme tune is "At the Sign of the Swinging Cymbal" performed by Brian Fahey and his Orchestra.