The radio highlight of Saturday is Pick Of The Pops on Radio2, presented by Tony Blackburn. Today was the fiftieth anniversary of Alan Freeman taking over presenting duties, and Blackburn kept mentioning a surprise towards the end of the show. The first year covered this week was 1959, a strange year of transition for popular music, given that the chart contained a pretty diverse selection featuring Lonnie Donegan, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Jerry Keller and Cliff Richard among others. What was weird, (and what is also wonderful about this show) is that they were songs that everybody knows the words to. How does this happen? I even knew the words to the songs I didn't know I knew in the first place.

The surprise came just before the end, when they played an archive recording of Alan Freeman reading the same chart that they were doing. Listening to Fluff reading the rundown literally (proper use of the word) gave me goose-pimples and brought tears to my eyes. I remember being in the kitchen washing up when the news came on the radio and announced that he had died, very sad. Tony Blackburn is doing an admirable job of carrying the Pick Of The Pops programme, with a 'DJ' voice that fits perfectly. I once used the music 'At The Sign Of The Swinging Symbol' as an opening musical bed on my Sherwood Radio show, and I struggled to keep the rhythm going as it requires you to slot a short sentence into a gap in the beat.

I can't believe it has been five years since Alan Freeman died. I hope the BBC (or even one of the commercial radio stations) pay suitable tribute.