Tony Blackburn is getting a regular slot on Radio 2 – as host of the Saturday lunchtime Pick of the Pops show.
He's taking over from Dale Winton who finishes next month – and will start the show on Saturday 6th November 2010.
Tony tells us: "I'm delighted to be taking up the reins of one of radio’s most iconic and famous shows at the UK's most listened to radio station. I'm very much looking forward to indulging in two hours of fantastic, rarely heard music from across the decades each week."
Based on the Top 20 UK singles chart, Pick of the Pops is one of the longest-running BBC radio shows, starting out on the Light Programme in 1955 and originally running to 1972. It returned in 1997 hosted by Alan Freeman and Dale's been doing it for the last 10 years.
Tony's recently presented one-off specials for Radio 2 – the latest being over the August Bank Holiday Weekend when he hosted the UK's Million Sellers Chart. His current weekly busy schedule includes regular gigs such as weekend breakfast on Smooth Radio, Sunday lunchtimes on BBC London with the Soul & Motown show, Sunday evenings networked on smaller commercial radio stations and Friday mornings on KCFM in Hull.
Lewis Carnie, Head of Programmes, Radio 2 said: "I'm delighted to welcome Tony Blackburn to Radio 2 on a permanent basis. He is one of this country’s legendary broadcasters and brings a wealth of knowledge of popular music spanning the years. I'd like to thank Dale for being such a tremendous host of Pick of the Pops for the last decade, and I look forward to continuing our relationship with him on future Radio 2 projects."
Pick of the Pops is produced by Unique for Radio 2.