25 Facts About Paul Gambaccini

Paul Matthew Gambaccini was born on 2 April 1949 and is an American-British radio and television presenter and author.

Paul Gambaccini is a dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom, having become a British citizen in 2005.

Paul Gambaccini was presenter of Pick of the Pops on BBC Radio 2 from 9 July 2016, to 7 October 2023 and America's Greatest Hits on Greatest Hits Radio on Saturday afternoons since February 2020.

Paul Gambaccini then migrated to the United Kingdom and attended University College, Oxford, where he studied politics, philosophy and economics.

Paul Gambaccini has since returned to Oxford, where he delivered a series of lectures in January and February 2009, as the News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media.

Paul Gambaccini's broadcasting career began at Dartmouth College, where he was music director of the now-defunct WDCR, a college-owned-and-operated Top 40 radio station.

Paul Gambaccini may have first achieved wider prominence when his tips for playlisted songs likely to see greater chart action were published in the 11 May 1968, issue of the international trade publication Billboard, alongside similar tips from radio programming talent at major commercial stations across the United States.

Paul Gambaccini then started broadcasting in the UK, on BBC Radio 1, from September 1974, first as a music reporter on the John Peel Saturday show Rockspeak and as presenter of All American Heroes.

In 1992 Paul Gambaccini became a founding personality on the UK's classical music station Classic FM, where he hosted the weekly Classical CD Chart show.

Paul Gambaccini left for BBC Radio 3 in 1995, where he broadcast an hour-long morning show, in a slot formerly used for Composer of the Week.

For 13 years Paul Gambaccini reviewed films for breakfast television, first on TV-am and then GMTV.

Paul Gambaccini's first show was on 18 April 1998, opening the first of his weekly shows America's Greatest Hits with "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen.

Paul Gambaccini was a contributor to the London station LBC when it was taken over by Chrysalis.

Paul Gambaccini has worked widely across the BBC and the British Forces Broadcasting Service as well as contributing to many television shows, mostly related to music, film, and the arts.

Paul Gambaccini narrated the BBC Radio adaptation of Espedair Street, the Iain Banks novel.

Paul Gambaccini has presented the annual Ivor Novello Awards since 1990, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards since 2005, the Music Industry Trust's Man of the Year Dinner since 1999, and the Radio Academy Awards for a ten-year stretch from 1998 to 2008.

Paul Gambaccini returned to BBC Radio 2 with America's Greatest Hits on 15 November 2014, and hosted it until 2 July 2016, when he took over Pick of the Pops from Tony Blackburn, the following week.

Paul Gambaccini has presented special shows on Greatest Hits Radio on bank holidays and over the Christmas holidays.

On 22 October 2023, Paul Gambaccini was interviewed by Wright in a special programme on Radio 2 to celebrate his 50 years of broadcasting on UK radio.

Paul Gambaccini was co-author of The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and related titles, with Tim and Jo Rice, alongside Radio 1 colleague at that time, Mike Read, between 1977 and 1996.

Paul Gambaccini was active in the realm of comic book fandom.

Paul Gambaccini has been an official guest at many British comic conventions, including the United Kingdom Comic Art Convention, and Comics Festival UK.

Paul Gambaccini is a patron of the London Gay Symphony Orchestra.

Paul Gambaccini was released on bail and his spokesman said that he denied the allegations.

Paul Gambaccini argued in favour of a 28-day bail limit; Home Secretary Theresa May had announced in December 2014 that she was consulting on such a limit in all but exceptional cases.