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Tony Blackburn

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Tony Blackburn
OBE
Blackburn at the BAFTA Awards in 2008
Born
Anthony Kenneth Blackburn[1][2][3]

(1943-01-29) 29 January 1943 (age 81)
Guildford, Surrey, England
Occupations
  • Disc jockey
  • singer
  • TV presenter
  • broadcaster
Years active1964–present
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1972; div. 1977)​
Debbie Thompson
​
(m. 1992)​
Children2

Anthony Kenneth Blackburn OBE (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter, whose career spans 60 years.

Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, initially broadcasting on the BBC Light Programme.

Blackburn was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1[4] at its launch, on 30 September 1967, and has had several stints working for the corporation. He has also worked for Capital London, Classic Gold Digital and BBC Local Radio, and currently BBC Radio 2 and British Forces Broadcasting Service. He has also had a singing career. As a DJ, Blackburn is known for his championing of Motown and soul music as well as his popular presenting style.

In 2002, Blackburn was the first winner of the British reality TV series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Early life

[edit]

Blackburn was born in Guildford, Surrey, on 29 January 1943,[5] but in 1946 his family moved to Poole, Dorset, where his youngest sister, Jacqueline, was born. His sister was born suffering from polio and was unable to walk from birth.[6] Blackburn's father, Kenneth Fleming Blackburn,[7] was a GP and his mother, Pauline Cubitt (née Stone), was a nurse. He was educated at Castle Court School in Corfe Mullen, near Poole in Dorset. He gained entry to Millfield in Somerset on a sports scholarship and captained the school's cricket team.[8]

Blackburn left before taking any examinations, but gained O-levels following private tuition, and enrolled for an HND course in business studies at Bournemouth Technical College.[9]

Career

[edit]

Early career as disc jockey

[edit]

After beginning his career as a singer, Blackburn then worked as a DJ for the offshore pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio London (1964–1967), before joining the BBC in the summer of 1967, initially broadcasting on the BBC Light Programme.[10]

After a simulcast with BBC Radio 2 hosted by Paul Hollingdale, Blackburn was the first DJ to be heard on BBC Radio 1 when it officially launched at 7 am on 30 September 1967,[11] with his first words on the new station being "And good morning everyone! Welcome to the exciting new sound of Radio 1!"[12][13] The Move's "Flowers in the Rain" was the first complete record he played.[14] In a 2024 interview with Vernon Kay, Blackburn revealed that film of this scene had actually been recorded the previous day.[citation needed] Blackburn recalled in 2014: "My job was to entertain and tell corny jokes, not have opinions or talk politics. If I wanted to wish the Queen a happy birthday, I had to get clearance from above."[6] In the early years of his Radio 1 career Blackburn often employed an audio clip of a barking dog, "Arnold", over an extract of Johnny Dankworth's 1964 tune "Beefeaters", which he had previously used at Radio Caroline and Radio London.[15]

At first he was associated mainly with mainstream pop, but he later championed soul music. It was largely due to him that "I'm Still Waiting" by Diana Ross, which was initially just an album track, was released as a single in the UK in 1971 and reached number one. He was a regular host of Top of the Pops for more than a decade and he appeared with fellow DJs Noel Edmonds and Kenny Everett on the 500th show special where he performed the spoken part of "Won't Somebody Dance with Me" and then danced with singer Lynsey de Paul.[citation needed]

In 1968, he fronted his own show, Time For Blackburn, produced by Southern Television for the ITV network.[10] "The Radio 1 DJs were a massive attraction. We were mobbed everywhere we went", Blackburn told Simon Hattenstone,[8] referring to personal appearances. "It was all a bit mad, but great fun", he told Judith Woods in 2014. We "were built up to be stars in our own right, and as a result we were as famous as the artists we played."[6]

In 1973, when his pantomime performance was interrupted by a power cut, he said the miners should "go back to work". He was admonished by management and taken off-air for two weeks.[8] In an interview for the Radio Academy's Radio Talk podcast in 2013, Blackburn said that it is "not advisable" for a broadcaster to reveal their political allegiances. In this interview, he said that he is "not a great lover of the TUC or of unions ... but I keep it to myself now."[16]

Singing career

[edit]

He was in a group called Tony Blackburn and the Rovers which at one point included Al Stewart; they performed in Bournemouth and the surrounding areas. His singing career failed to take off, although three studio albums and fourteen singles were released, of which two, "So Much Love" and "It's Only Love", made the UK Top 40 in 1968 and 1969 respectively.[10] "So Much Love" suffered from a shortage of copies because "the pressing plant went on strike, so nobody could get the record", he once recalled. "I don't think the strike was anything to do with the record, though it might have been... quality control or something."[17]

In 1972, he released a self-titled album on the RCA label. Two of the tracks were released as singles: "Chop Chop", written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and "House of Cards", written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Green.[18] His version of Doris Troy's "I'll Do Anything" was recorded in 1969 for his second album, Tony Blackburn, which was released on Polydor label. This version of the Gamble and Huff song was re-discovered by Northern soul fans when it was pressed up as a white label[19] and became a hit on the scene's dancefloors. The single was re-released as a single under the pseudonym Lenny Gamble on Casino Classics in June 1978, with the pseudonym being a portmanteau of songwriters Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble.[citation needed]

All of Blackburn's singles, including "I'll Do Anything" and "House of Cards" were released in 2012 on a CD compilation album The Singles Collection 1965–1980 on the Cherry Red label.[20][better source needed]

From 1973 to 1984

[edit]

In June 1973, he took over Jimmy Young's mid-morning slot when Young moved across to Radio 2, where he introduced "The Golden Hour". The feature was to prove durable, being carried on by Simon Bates, Simon Mayo, and Chris Moyles when they subsequently took over that time slot.

Over several years of the 1970s, Blackburn was a co-presenter on the BBC's summer programme Seaside Special, alongside other well-known names from BBC Radio, such as Dave Lee Travis and David Hamilton. On 16 August 1975 he appeared singing "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", with a lion tamer, in a cage of lions.[21]

In November 1977 he took over the weekday afternoon show and from 2 September 1979 until December 1981 he presented the Sunday Top 40 show on Radio 1.

With Maggie Philbin at a Radio 1 Roadshow in the early 1980s

At the start of 1980 he took over from Ed Stewart as the presenter of Junior Choice, broadcast on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8 am to 10 am, while continuing to present the Sunday chart show until the end of 1981. He was succeeded by Tommy Vance. During 1982, BBC Radio 1 dropped the name Junior Choice and the show became the Tony Blackburn's Saturday Show and Tony Blackburn's Sunday Show. Blackburn hosted both shows until his final show on 23 September 1984.

In addition to his Radio 1 weekend show, he joined BBC Radio London in 1981, where he presented the afternoon show. It was here that he showed his appreciation of soul music. "Soul music is sexy music, raunchy music. I didn't want it to be a niche thing, I wanted to bring it to a mass audience. I wanted cab drivers to listen to it because I think pop soul is fabulous, I do, really", he told Simon Hattenstone.[8] He left the station after over 40 years in December 2023.

From the mid to late 1980s, Blackburn presented the show "Soul Station" on BFBS Radio.

Blackburn had a difficult relationship with fellow DJ John Peel, whom he recalled saying: "'People don’t realise how much you’ve done for soul music', and I said: 'I bet you’d never say that publicly', and he said: 'Oh no!'"[8]

Having left Radio 1 after seventeen years of broadcasting, he took over Radio London's weekday mid-morning show in 1984, playing a pure soul format.[10]

Later career

[edit]

He joined Capital London in 1988,[10] and was involved in the launch of Capital Gold London station, presenting programmes such as the Breakfast show, Weekends, Drivetime then the Weekday evening show playing his own choice of music, where he remained until 2002. He hosted similar shows on Jazz FM in London and Smooth FM Smooth, and the Real Radio Network.[22]

In 1987, Blackburn made an extended appearance on the second ever edition of After Dark on Channel 4. In 1989 Blackburn co-presented the morning TV show Sky by Day on Sky One. The show aired weekdays at 11:00 and was broadcast live.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1992, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel while broadcasting his Capital Gold radio show at the company's studios in London.[citation needed]

In 2002, Blackburn was the winner of the first series of the British reality TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here![23][24]

In 2004, Blackburn re-joined BBC Radio London, originally taking over a two-hour timeslot on Monday evening from 20:00 to 22:00. Here he would be given free rein on his choice of music. In addition to this he also took over the station's Saturday Lunchtime show, broadcasting from 12:00 to 14:00.

Blackburn began presenting the Breakfast show for Bedfordshire-based Classic Gold Digital in late 2003.[25] He was suspended in June 2004 for playing too many Cliff Richard records as the singer was not on the station's playlist. Noel Edmonds, whose company owned a majority shareholding, thought Blackburn would soon return to broadcasting for the station.[26] The suspension was short-lived. Blackburn won his dispute with management over the playlist a few days later, and Cliff Richard was added to it. "We should be playing him as much as The Beatles", said the station head.[27] Whilst doing the Breakfast show, he left his Monday evening show on Radio London but continued to present Saturday Lunchtime.

"I’m still a part of the disco generation," Blackburn told The Times in December 2004.[28] "There is no pretence there and it never seems to date. I think disco did much more as a contribution to music than Bob Dylan or Neil Young. People get snobbish about music. Disco never takes itself too seriously."[28]

In early 2008, Blackburn took over Weekend Breakfast on Smooth Radio, originally broadcasting to London audiences only, but a couple of months later the show was networked across the Smooth Radio network.

On 6 November 2010, Blackburn replaced Dale Winton as the regular host of BBC Radio 2's Pick of the Pops programme.[29] One of his remaining ambitions was to present a programme on Radio 2. "I was 37 when I left Radio 1, and 2 seemed a natural progression. So it's only taken 30 years", Blackburn said in 2010.[30] Blackburn presented the show every Saturday from 13:00 to 15:00. He also presented shows on BBC Radio Berkshire from 22:00 to 01:00 on Fridays and Sundays, and BBC London 94.9 on Sundays from 12:00 to 15:00.

Between 2 July 2016 and June 2017, Blackburn presented a weekly four-hour soul music show, the Soul and Motown Show, every Saturday from 18:00 to 22:00 on London's DAB station Thames Radio.[31]

From 2007 to 2020, he presented a weekly three-hour show, Tony's Blackburn's Playlist every Sunday from 16:00 to 19:00 on KMFM in Kent.[32] This included a retro chart feature for many years.

Blackburn has won two lifetime achievement awards from the Radio Academy, the second of which was to mark his fifty years of broadcasting.[8]

In 2023, Blackburn launched the digital music channel That's 60s, focusing on 1960s music. He chose "Flowers in the Rain" as the first song to be played, similar to Radio 1.[33]

In October 2024 he was featured in BBC's Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.[34]

BBC dismissal and return

[edit]

On 24 February 2016, Blackburn was dismissed by the BBC in an announcement from Lord Hall, the corporation's Director General, stating that the contents of documents from the early 1970s were in conflict with evidence Blackburn had given to Dame Janet Smith's inquiry into Jimmy Savile's sexual abuse at BBC premises.[35] Blackburn said he repeatedly told Smith and the BBC that he had never been interviewed about an alleged incident in the 1970s and that Smith's report made no suggestion that he was guilty of any misconduct whatsoever. Smith found Blackburn's denial that he was interviewed by light entertainment head Bill Cotton and Sir Brian Neill QC unsatisfactory.[35][36] Neill had been appointed by the BBC to look into unrelated matters concerning Top of the Pops.[36] Cotton's colleague, Tony Preston, had written a memo at the time concerning the interviews.[37] Neill, the only one of the three men still alive, initially declined to comment,[38] but later said he had interviewed Blackburn and, in 1972, had cleared him of wrongdoing.[39]

Blackburn complained that the BBC was dismissing him and damaging his career based on the discrepancy.[40] He said that like Smith's report, a coroner's inquest and a police inquiry had made no suggestion that he was guilty of any misconduct, adding that the report was a "whitewash" and that he had been "scapegoated" for giving his best recollections of events 45 years before. He asked: "Given Dame Janet Smith's concerns of a culture of fear in coming forward at the BBC, what whistle-blower at the BBC would ever come forward when they see the way they have hung me out to dry?"[41] He said he intended to take legal action against the BBC.[42]

Nina Myskow commented on Radio 2: "It should be a sad black day for the BBC because of the revelations about the whole Savile episode, but in fact that's been buried very cleverly by the BBC as usual by sacking Tony Blackburn."[41]

Blackburn continued to present a show on KMFM. A spokesman for the station said, "He is a great asset, a fantastic broadcaster and someone we are proud to work with."[43]

In October 2016, it was reported that Blackburn would again be working for the BBC, presenting an hour-long programme on BBC Radio 2 on Friday evenings, and additionally returning to BBC Local Radio.[44] He returned to BBC Radio 2 on New Year's Eve 2016, and to BBC Local Radio on both New Year's Day and 6 January 2017, opening with Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".[45]

Blackburn now presents Sounds of the 60s on Radio 2, having taken over on 4 March 2017[46] from Brian Matthew, who hosted it for 27 years. The show is now broadcast live on Saturday mornings between 06:00 and 08:00, and he now also presents his Golden Hour music programme on Sunday nights.[47]

On 30 September 2017, Blackburn recreated his first Radio 1 breakfast show on BBC Radio 2, playing the songs from vinyl, and he later joined Nick Grimshaw, and guests Mike Read, Simon Mayo and Sara Cox for a special show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launches of Radio 1 and Radio 2.[48]

In 2020 Blackburn teamed up with Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson to present a new series of podcasts entitled Ricky and Tony's Pop Detectives. The shows centre around Blackburn and Wilson trying to unravel long-held myths and rumours about pop stars' lives and their music. The first episode centred around whether Debbie Harry had really been in a car with serial killer Ted Bundy, as she had previously claimed. The series was released to positive reviews and a further series was released in the summer of 2020.[49]

On 2 January 2023, in the month in which he celebrated his 80th birthday, Blackburn presented a two-hour slot, "Your Soul Mate"[50] for BBC Radio 2, sharing his favourite genre of music and his personal memories associated with the playlist.

In April 2023 Blackburn took a leave of absence from his radio work and other work commitments. While working in Milton Keynes he felt unwell and on returning home, he collapsed and was admitted to hospital with a chest infection; he fully recovered and resumed his radio work.[51][52]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1972 Blackburn married actress Tessa Wyatt.[53] The couple had a son, Simon,[54] who was born on 8 April 1973, but they divorced in November 1977 after separating the previous year.[55] In June 1992 he married his second wife, Debbie, a theatrical agent. They have a daughter, Victoria, who was born in 1997.[56] He has two grandsons.[6]

Blackburn has been a vegetarian since the age of four.[7] He lives in Arkley, London Borough of Barnet.[57]

Blackburn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.[58][59]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Tony Blackburn - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk.
  2. ^ "Tony Blackburn - Biography". IMDb.
  3. ^ "Tony Blackburn Special", Sunday Night is Music Night, BBC Radio 2, 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2021
  4. ^ "Radio Rewind – BBC Radio 1 History – Main Events". Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. ^ Tony Blackburn, Oxford Reference. Retrieved 27 January 2021
  6. ^ a b c d Woods, Judith (28 April 2014). "Tony Blackburn: 'I was relaxed because I was on Valium'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b "International Vegetarian Union – Tony Blackburn (1943– )". International Vegetarian Union. 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Hattenstone, Simon (10 August 2014). "Tony Blackburn: 'John Peel looked upon me as the devil for some reason'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  9. ^ Blackburn, Tony (2007). Poptastic My Life in Radio. Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 978-1-84403-600-4.
  10. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 253/4. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  11. ^ "50 facts about Radio 1 & 2 as they turn 50". news.bbc.co.uk. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  12. ^ "History of the BBC: Start of Radio 1 30 September 1967". BBC. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  13. ^ Reynolds, Gillian (27 September 2007). "The day we woke up to pop music on Radio 1". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  14. ^ "Flower power". BBC News. 24 August 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Missing Arnold reunited with Tony". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  16. ^ Tim Davie (7 February 2013). "RadioTalk: Tony Blackburn at 70" (Podcast). Radio Academy. Event occurs at 23:30–24:30. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  17. ^ Taylor, Paul (10 January 2013). "Tony Blackburn: My life's work has been about talking nonsense". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Tony Blackburn – Tony Backburn". discogs. 1972. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. ^ Keep on Burning - a Northern soul documentary produced by Outta Sight Records on Talking Pictures TV between 12:05pm-2:05pm on 19 October 2021 with Tony Blackburn, Marc Almond and Ian Levine
  20. ^ "Tony Blackburn – The Singles Collection 1965–1980". Discogs.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Tony Blackburn в Твиттере: Abba + Guests - Seaside Special 1976 BBCTv August 1976 Part 2 Of 2 (here I am with the Lions on Seaside Special)". Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Profile: Tony Blackburn". BBC News. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  23. ^ "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here: the previous winners | The Week UK". The Week. 20 January 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  24. ^ Busk-Cowley, Mark (2014). I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!: The Inside Story. Bantam Press. pp. 203–204. ISBN 978-0593073483.
  25. ^ MacDonald, Marianne (30 March 2003). "Blackburn is Back". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  26. ^ Hamilton, Alan; Malvern, Jack (24 June 2004). "Overdoing Sir Cliff's hits lands Tony Blackburn a long summer holiday". The Times. Retrieved 25 February 2016. (subscription required)
  27. ^ "Blackburn victory over Cliff ban". BBC News. 25 June 2004. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  28. ^ a b "At the smoochy bit she broke off and did her own thing". The Times. 28 December 2004. Retrieved 25 February 2016. (subscription required)
  29. ^ Plunkett, John (24 September 2010). "Tony Blackburn to present Pick of the Pops". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  30. ^ Craig, Olga (3 October 2010). "Tony Blackburn interview: 'So what if people call me cheesy?'". The Sunday Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  31. ^ "Tony Blackburn joins Thames Radio schedule". Radiotoday.co.uk. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  32. ^ "Tony Blackburn's Playlist - kmfm". 4 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Legendary DJ Tony Blackburn on new music channel That's 60s". freesat.co.uk. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  34. ^ "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - Series 7: 4. River Trent, Nottinghamshire - Barbel" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  35. ^ a b Foster, Patrick; Ward, Victoria (25 February 2016). "Tony Blackburn sacked by BBC because his evidence to Savile review 'fell short'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  36. ^ a b Burgess, Kaya (26 February 2016). "I'm just a scapegoat, says Tony Blackburn". The Times. Retrieved 27 February 2016. (subscription required)
  37. ^ Ward, Victoria (26 February 2016). "BBC memos 'prove that Tony Blackburn was quizzed over 1971 sex claim'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  38. ^ Burgess, Kaya (27 February 2016). "Savile inquiry chief shocked that BBC logs went missing". The Times. Retrieved 27 February 2016. (subscription required)
  39. ^ Boyle, Danny (29 February 2016). "Tony Blackburn: I did interview DJ over claims he seduced girl of 15, retired judge insists". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  40. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin; Sweney, Mark (25 February 2016). "BBC 'parted company' with Tony Blackburn over Savile inquiry evidence". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  41. ^ a b Tony Blackburn: 'I've been hung out to dry by BBC' dated 25 February 2016 at bbc.co.uk
  42. ^ Johnston, Ian (25 February 2016). "Tony Blackburn: I've been 'sacked by BBC' ahead of Jimmy Savile report". The Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  43. ^ "Tony Blackburn to continue with kmfm radio show". Radiotoday.co.uk. 25 February 2016.
  44. ^ "Tony Blackburn to return to the BBC". Bbc.co.uk. 19 October 2016.
  45. ^ "'Good Lord, I'm back': Tony Blackburn returns to BBC". BBC News. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  46. ^ "BBC Radio 2 – Sounds of the 60s, 25/02/2017". Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  47. ^ "New weekend schedule announced for Radio 2". Digital Radio Choice. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  48. ^ Hepworth, David (30 September 2017). "This week's best radio: Tony Blackburn's Sounds of the 60s". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  49. ^ "Ricky & Tony: Pop Detectives on Apple Podcasts". Podcasts.apple.com. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  50. ^ "Tony Blackburn Your Soul Mate". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  51. ^ Delaney, Zoe (30 December 2023). "Tony Blackburn's health battles and Radio 2 absence explained as he's handed OBE". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  52. ^ "BBC Radio 2's Tony Blackburn reveals he had sepsis and pneumonia in health update". Independent.co.uk. 24 August 2023.
  53. ^ "Tony Blackburn: BBC presenter's career spans six decades". The Guardian. Press Association. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  54. ^ "@tonyblackburn". Twitter. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  55. ^ Blackburn, Tony (28 September 2007). "Hedonism, addiction and 300 one nights stands – the confessions of Tony Blackburn". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  56. ^ @tonyblackburn (28 January 2011). "Happy 14th Birthday to my wonderful Daughter Victoria.....have a lovely day Tori xxxxxx" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  57. ^ Mclaughlin, Charlotte (3 May 2020). "Tony Blackburn thanks Potters Bar pharmacy for being the best". Welwyn Hatfield Times.
  58. ^ "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N12.
  59. ^ "Awards for New Year 2024" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
[edit]
Media offices
Preceded by
First
 BBC Radio 1
Breakfast Show presenter
1967–1973 		Succeeded by
Preceded by BBC Radio 1
Chart show presenter
2 September 1979 – 3 January 1982 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
First
 Smooth Radio
Weekend breakfast show presenter
2008–2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by BBC Radio 2
Pick of the Pops presenter
2010–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
First
 I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!
Winner & King of The Jungle
2002 		Succeeded by
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