Pick of The Pops - Original Format (1955-1972)

Original Format (1955-1972)

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. This was around 11 pm on Sundays.

David Jacobs brought the first averaged BBC Top 20 to the helm on 29 March 1958 (on a Saturday). Alan Freeman took over in Sept 1961, but finally took the show to a regular Sunday slot at 4 pm on 7 Jan 1962. The show moved to 4.30 pm on 27 Aug 1967, the chart increased to a top 30 then. When Radio One began, the show then moved to the 5–7 pm slot on 1 Oct 1967, until its demise on the 24 Sept 1972.

Freeman, who presented the longest and whose name is probably most closely associated with the programme, had been a radio announcer in Melbourne, Australia. Freeman 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, broadcast late on Sunday afternoons. It was produced by Derek Chinnery.

Denys Jones (producer 1961–72) and Freeman split the programme into four: chart newcomers, new releases, LPs and the Top 10.

The programme attracted a huge audience as there was little other pop music on BBC radio at that time. The BBC had to pay "needle time" to artists, but felt it inappropriate to use its radio licence revenue for copyright fees, when it had its own orchestras and singers available. That worked in the 1940s and '50s for orchestral music and crooners, but was difficult with up and coming artists such as Elvis, Little Richard and Tommy Steele.

Freeman continued with the show when Radio 1 replaced the Light Programme and stayed until the programme ended in September 1972.