±«Óãtv

It's hard to believe but Freddy Zapp has been spinning his golden oldies on ±«Óãtv Radio Cornwall for more than 16 years.

It was at 9am, Saturday 10 February 1992, that Freddy presented his first ever radio show for the ±«Óãtv.

±«Óãtv Cornwall web producer Matt Shepherd was a weekend volunteer at the radio station at the time, and he worked with Freddy on his first ever show.

Freddy meets Screaming Jay Hawkins

"It was an amazing experience," smiles Matt who was still at school at the time. "At 8.30am Freddy bounced into reception, larger than life, and full of energy. I knew that working with Freddy was always going to be a fun experience."

Freddy instantly drew on his knowledge to not only play classic oldies, but also the rarely heard and forgotten gems of yesteryear.

Freddy has also spoken to many of the people behind the hits.

His favourite programmes include those in which he's interviewed his musical heroes such as Wee Willie Harris, Emile Ford, Screaming Lord Sutch, Jimmy James and Desmond Dekker.

Freddy gets to grips with Seb Coe

Freddy grew up in Cornwall during the '60s and was heavily influenced by the music of the time.

"My dream was always to become an entertainer," remembers Freddy. "I grew up at the time when everybody wanted to be in a beat group."

The young Freddy may have been enthusiastic but his careers officer had different ideas.

"I told him I wanted to be a drummer in a band. But he told me to stop wasting my time and to get a proper job."

Every weekend Freddy gets huge audiences in Cornwall (and around the world through the internet) for tracks that you won't hear anywhere else on your radio.

On the road with Freddy

Nostalgic favourites from the '50s and '60s predominateÌý - many are rarities from his own collection and imported from the States.

Away from the radio Freddy’s found time to restore his classic sports car in time for its 50th birthday.

Freddy even managed to stand as a candidate for the Monster Raving Loony Party in three general and five town council elections.

Check out Freddy each Saturday from midday on ±«Óãtv Radio Cornwall. You can also hear the show online by clicking on our 'listen live' option on the top right hand side of this page.