The first love of BBC Radio producer Richard Willcox was music hall and variety, and for many years he produced the famous Billy Cotton Band Show. The programme, which was broadcast from 1949 to 1968, became a national institution and was as much a part of the traditional Sunday lunchtime as roast beef.

Cotton, a former racing driver, was a larger-than-life character who started each show with the cry “Wakey-Wakey!”. This was followed by the band's signature tune, Somebody Stole My Girl. Willcox revealed that Cotton's catchphrase originated in the days when the band had toured the country the week prior to Sunday morning rehearsal. Cotton would arrive in the BBC studio to find weary band members nodding off. “Oi, come on,” he roared. “Wakey! Wakey!” Noting its effect on everyone, it was suggested by a BBC executive that that was how the show should begin.

Cotton was the undisputed star, and he loved clowning around, but also popular were regular guest singers Alan Breeze and Kathy Kay. The show also ran on television, but Willcox remained with the radio version until its demise in 1968. Billy Cotton died a year later from a heart attack.

Richard Willcox was born in Sheffield in 1938 and was educated at Merchant Taylor's School. He joined the BBC as an assistant producer on various light entertainment shows before becoming producer of the Billy Cotton Band Show.

When the series finished his knowledge and love of light entertainment made him a natural choice for producing other radio series such as The Windsor Davies Show and The Impressionists. In 1989 he produced a special edition of I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again.

He produced Pop Score, 1974-92, a light-hearted quiz that featured the likes of Pete Murray, Ray Moore and Ken Bruce, and devised and produced Jazz Score, 1978-92, which was not so much a quiz show as an excuse for jazzsters such as Ronnie Scott and Benny Green to provide listeners with entertaining anecdotes. Willcox himself was a talented jazz musician who played trombone, often in company with Wally Fawkes (the cartoonist Trog).

During his long career with BBC Radio he held several posts including assistant head of light entertainment and, prior to taking early retirement

in 1993, he succeeded Martin Fisher

as chief producer of light entertainment.

In the 1970s he was chairman of the Green Room Club of the Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead. He claimed it as his local drinking haunt and was determined to improve the quality of the beer.

He is survived by his wife Maureen and two sons.

Richard Willcox, radio producer, was born on November 30, 1938. He died after a long illness on December 21, 2007, aged 69