Junior Choice With Ed Stewart

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites

A playlist of pure nostalgia for Christmas morning with all the music chosen by the Radio 2 listeners young and old.

Junior Choice first went on air on the first weekend of the brand new Radios 1 and 2 -Saturday, 30th September 1967. Leslie Crowther was the first presenter - Crowther was a seasoned radio broadcaster as well as the face of BBC children's television on Crackerjack. Junior Choice succeeded the old Light Programme 's Children's Favourites and in those early days it was a simultaneous broadcast on both stations. In February 1968 Ed Stewart or 'Stewpot' as he became known to children everywhere took over as presenter and he stayed with the show for the next 11 years until he handed the Junior Choice mantle to a younger man - Tony Blackburn. Audience figures recorded a regular 16 million listeners each weekend and the novelty records often championed by the show became smash hits - songs like My Brother(Terry Scott), Grandad(Clive Dunn) and Ernie the Fastest Milkman in the West(Benny Hill).

Ed's broadcasting career spans more than 50 years starting as an announcer with Radio Hong Kong . He was a regular Radio 2 presenter for 15 years. During that time he broadcast from the summits of Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Vesuvius and also broadcast live from the Falkland Islands.

For Christmas morning Stewpot returns with a nostalgic Junior Choice playlist - and whereas in olden times requests were asked for 'on a postcard please' - today listeners young and old can get in touch with Radio 2 by using text , email and social media.

Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart returns with a two-hour edition of Junior Choice.

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites

You can contact the show during the broadcast by emailing stewpot@bbc.co.uk, texting 88291 or calling 0500 288291. (Calls are free from most landlines. Some networks and Mobile operators will charge for these calls. Texts will be charged at your standard message rate. Check with your network provider for exact costs.)

Is that Santa I can hear? No, it's some kid shouting 'Allo Darlin'...

Ed Stewart presents a special Christmas edition of Junior Choice.

Featuring listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites, the show is sure to be a cracker(jack)!

As the programme is built around requests, and is live, we can't guarantee what tunes you will hear until the day itself. Judging by previous years, if you're a fan of Rolf Harris, Bernard Cribbins or Terry Scott, there's bound to be something for you to enjoy.

You can contact the show during broadcast via the Radio 2 website, or by emailing stewpot@bbc.co.uk, texting 88291 or calling 0500 288291 (calls are free from most landlines. Some networks and mobile operators will charge for these calls. Texts will be charged at your standard message rate. Check with your network provider for exact costs).

Ed Stewart presented Junior Choice from 1968 (taking over from Leslie Crowther) until 1980. The show returned to Radio 2 as a one-off special in 2007, as part of Radio 2's 40th anniversary celebrations. Since then, it has returned each Christmas, receiving hundreds of requests from listeners every year.

Ed says it's the quickest two hours of the year for him - and after the show, all he has to do is decide which motorway service station he will be eating his Christmas dinner at!

There will be tinsel, there will be red hats and there may even be some jingle bells.

Is that Santa I can hear? No, it's just some kid shouting 'Allo Darlin'!

Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart presents a special Christmas edition of the evergreen Junior Choice.

Listeners' requests and dedications, plus a few of Ed's favourites