40 years of Radios 1-4 

3 October 2007 tbs.pm/3223

Mike Brown lists his personal BBC Radio moments of the last 40 years

Radio 1:

  • Wondering what on earth (or off it) Emperor Rosko was about.
  • Kenny Everett, Crisp, Granny and handovers to ‘Mike Collapsible’ [not to mention ‘Michael Aspirin’ – Ed.] on Family Favourites.
  • Trevor Dann’s classic Sunday evening documentaries, especially 25 Years of Rock and The Record Producers
  • Adrian Juste
  • Adrian Juste’s spoof ’26 Years of Rock’
  • Listening to Live Aid from R1 in stereo via BBC GLR.
  • Radio 1 starting on 104.8 in London. No big launch, no on air mention, just the first record of the day being Steely Dan’s ‘FM’

Radio 2:

  • Breakfast Special with Ray Moore and John Dunn
  • The very first ‘The Organist Entertains’ presented by Robin Richmond. It was only going to be a short series of about 13. It’s still going.
  • Pre-recorded Kenny Everett on Midday Spin
  • The stereo light coming on from Wrotham and hearing some programmes in stereo weeks before the official launch of the stereo service (sad, I know)
  • Ray Moore’s interview with Karen Carpenter
  • Ray Moore’s death
  • Roger Scott moving to R2 after years at Capital
  • Roger Scott’s death and the memorial programme they broadcast in his honour
  • John Dunn’s final programme – signalling the end of an era
  • JY being unceremoniously booted and ultimately replaced by Jeremy F**king Vine.

Radio 3

  • Waking to Morning Concert
  • The BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s ‘The Space Between’ and ‘Wee Have Also Soundhouses’
  • The Foundation Trilogy
  • Being introduced to Peter Schickele (aka PDQ Bach) when R3 played ‘Eine Kleine Nichtmusic’ one April 1st morning
  • Listening to their live concert relays, especially The Proms and classical music without the clicks and thumps of vinyl.
  • Robert Farnon’s Jubilee Concert from the Cheltenham Festival in 1977. (It’s since been released on CD)
  • A comedy on Radio 3 – ‘The Half-Open University’ (pilot programmes which gave birth to The Burkiss Way)
  • An 8-part sitcom on Radio 3 – Malcolm Bradbury’s ‘Patterson’ set in a fictitious redbrick university.
  • ‘The Revenge’ – Andrew Sachs’ binaural play without words.

Radio 4

  • The Archers before they moved it to 10.15
  • Desert Island Discs
  • Many a Slip
  • Round the Horne
  • Repeats of The Goons
  • The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols each Christmas Eve
  • Just a Minute
  • Week Ending
  • The News Quiz
  • Industrial action which resulted in a combined service which replaced Radios 1, 2 3 & 4 (was it really called ‘Radio 10’ or did I imagine that?)
  • The Burkiss Way
  • I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue
  • Radio Active
  • On The Hour
  • The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when it wasn’t a repeat (unbelievably from 8/3/78)
  • Earthsearch
  • Earthsearch 2
  • The Lord of the Rings
  • 1994 (‘The Environment is very big’!)
  • Plays which lasted longer than an hour
  • Series which ran for more than 6 weeks
  • The Falklands War and Rolling News
  • Test Match Special
  • Repeats of much-loved shows only being on f**king Long Wave
  • Home Truths (John Peel)
  • The Blackburn Files
  • Old Harry’s Game
  • Ballylennon
  • Bristow
  • The Masterson Inheritance
  • In the Red / In the Chair / In the End
  • Dan and Nick’s Wildebeeste Years
  • The Sunday Supplement
  • Giles Wemmbly-Hogg
  • Marcus Brigstocke’s rants on The Now Show
  • Absolute Power

You Say

2 responses to this article

garry 12 August 2016 at 7:34 pm

I agree with all of that. But I also think B.B.C. Radio Sports coverage [Over the years] is the best in the business Along with it”s Television counter parts in The Netherlands and Germany. As of course is Transdiffusion as always!

Craig Robins 19 August 2016 at 8:45 pm

Wonderful to discover that someone else remembers Bradbury & Bigsby’s glorious Patterson, which broke new ground for Radio 3

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