The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Desmond: Farewell to radio star in Perth.
FUNERAL: Large turnout in Perth to honour Radio 2 personality Desmond Carrington
Friends, colleagues and family have said “bye, just now” to a broadcasting legend.
More than 100 people gathered at Perth Crematorium to remember Radio 2 star Desmond Carrington, who died earlier this month.
The 90-year-old famously broadcast his Friday night show The Music Goes Round from a converted barn studio at his home in rural Perthshire.
He died just months after his retirement, when he told listeners he “wasn’t so well” after his last birthday.
His coffin was brought into the chapel for yesterday’s service with a single red rose on top.
Reading a eulogy, head of BBC Radio 2 Lewis Carnie said Carrington’s voice and style gave listeners “a reassurance that the world was still all right”,
He said: “A career of 70 years is a remarkable feat for anyone. He was part of the lives of so many of us. We were a nation devoted to his dulcet tones on the airwaves.”
He said that for many years Carrington had repeatedly requested to BBC bosses to be able to broadcast live from his home at Dunning – instead of making pre-recorded programmes – but was knocked back each time.
However, they relented after the death of Princess Diana and asked Carrington to go out live, to capture the mood of the nation with a blend of poignant tunes. He was allowed to work from home every week after that.
He began every show with the words: “Evening all, from home in Perthshire” – and always ended with the closing remark: “Bye, just now.”
Partner of more than 40 years David Aylott, who was also the show’s producer, said: “Desmond was ill for far longer than most people knew.
“His day-to-day health was fading all the time, but his voice stayed firm all the time.
“He was a bit like the Cheshire cat who fades away in Alice in Wonderland. A lot bit of him disappeared each day until that amazing voice – just like the Cheshire cat’s grin – was all that was left.”
Mourners heard Carrington’s farewell speech from his last radio show in October.
He said: “Inevitably there comes a time to hang up the headphones and for me this is it. I’ll still think of you all.”
The service ended with That’s All by Mel Torme, the song Carrington closed his final radio programme with.
The star DJ began his broadcasting career in 1945. During the Second World War, he was posted to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he joined the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
After returning to the UK, Carrington became a radio producer and an actor. In the 1950s, he began presenting Movie Go Round for the BBC Light Entertainment Programme. This station later became Radio 2.
Carrington’s most famous programme, originally called All Time Greats and which later became The Music Goes Round, was a curated selection show, combining songs from across the eras according to a weekly theme.
He was awarded the Golden Badge of Merit in 1989 and voted Radio Personality of the Year in 1991.