Broadcaster Mark Goodier is set to host BBC Radio 2's long-running Pick Of The Pops show, following the death of DJ Steve Wright earlier this year. Goodier, a friend of Wright, expressed his honour at taking over the role, though he wished it were under happier circumstances.
Goodier will begin presenting the show in July, with Gary Davies covering until then. Radio 2 had previously announced that Michael Ball would replace Wright on the popular Sunday Love Songs show. Wright presented his final Radio 2 show on 11 February, and his death was announced two days later by his family. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the death was not being treated as suspicious.
Wright was a pioneering radio figure, credited with redefining the role of a disc jockey through his lively Zoo-format shows on Radio 1 in the 1980s. He later hosted the Radio 1 Breakfast Show from 1994 to 1995, had a stint in commercial radio, and joined BBC Radio 2 in 1996 to host Steve Wright's Saturday Show and Sunday Love Songs. In 1999, he revived his weekday 'Steve Wright in the Afternoon' show, featuring celebrity interviews, showbiz news, and trivia. He took over Pick Of The Pops last year after his daily show ended.
Pick Of The Pops first aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1955 and later moved to Radio 1 before settling on Radio 2. The original presenter was Franklin Engelmann, who played a selection from the top shelf of current popular gramophone records. The chart rundown became an essential part of the programme, and Australian DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman, who joined in 1961, made it even more popular with his rapid-fire delivery and catchphrases. The show's theme tune, 'At the Sign of the Swingin' Cymbal', rearranged by Barbara Moore in 1970, is still in use today. The format now features classic charts from the past rather than the latest countdown. Freeman handed over to Dale Winton in 2000, and the programme has since been presented by Tony Blackburn and Paul Gambaccini.
Goodier said in a statement: 'I can't wait to reminisce with Radio 2 listeners as we revisit two years in their lives, playing some of the best records ever made.'
