Barry Alldis

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales (Australia) in 1930, Barry’s Public School education led him to a music scholarship at the University of Sydney and then into radio, first on station 2TM in Tamworth and later 4BH in Brisbane.

He moved to London in 1955 and unsuccessfully applied for a job on Radio Luxembourg. However, while playing trumpet around London clubs in 1956, he met DJ Dick Norton, who had just returned from the Grand Duchy, and introduced himself as an out-of-work disc jockey.

At Norton’s suggestion, Alldis applied again and, this time, succeeded, arriving in Luxembourg on 28 December 1956. He started on air on New Year’s Day, 1957. This marked the start of a career that would make him the station’s longest-serving announcer.

Listeners in Britain recognised him instantly by his famous catchphrase, “This is your DJ, BA,” and his signature theme music, The Luxembourg Waltz.

He hosted the successful “Top Twenty Show” from 1958 to 1966, which – at its peak – attracted a nightly audience of up to 12 million young music fans.

He and Keith Fordyce also hosted a segment called “Smash Hits” where they played listeners’ most hated records and then ceremonially smashed them to bits (pictured).

When Fordyce left Luxembourg in October 1958, Barry became Head of the English Service and stayed until 1966.

During these early years, he was Radio Luxembourg’s first DJ to go on the road – perhaps even the first in Europe from any radio station – in an era when discotheques didn’t exist, and the concept of the roadshow-style personal appearance had not yet evolved.

Barry fell in love with Luxembourg – the country as well as the radio station – and it was almost inevitable that he should also fall in love with a Luxembourg girl – Fernande.

“Luxembourg was so very different, so old world, that I couldn’t get over it. There were fairytale castles, warm, friendly people, and I was working in the medium I knew best. I was also fortunate enough to meet the girl I married.”

Barry never lost touch with his first love, music itself, and although his trumpet playing took second place to his career as a disc jockey, he remained actively involved in music.

Over the years, he composed more than 100 tunes that were good enough to be published.

Alldis left 208 in 1966 and returned to London, where he worked on BBC programmes, including Housewives’ Choice, and later Swingalong, Newly Pressed, Monday Monday, as well as the TV series Juke Box Jury.

He eventually returned to Luxembourg in 1975 and stayed on 208, becoming their longest-serving presenter until his untimely death. Alldis passed away suddenly from stomach cancer on 21 November 1982 at the age of 51.