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.
Career
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. In 1952 he was invited to audition as a radio announcer and commenced working for 7LA in Tasmania, known as the teenager's station. Freeman's duties included that of continuity announcer, presenter of musical programmes incorporating opera, ballet and classical music, DJ for the top 100, news reader, quiz master and commercials reader.
After moving to radio station 3KZ in Melbourne, in 1957 he took a nine-month trip around the world, 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.