30 September: Radios One and Two

On this date in 1967 BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 were launched in the UK. Here are 10 things you might not know about these two radio stations.

1. From 5.30am to 7.00am on 30 September 1967 the two stations broadcast simultaneously, only splitting into seprate stations at the end of Paul Hollingdale's early breakfast show. So it could be argued that it was Paul Hollingdale, and not Tony Blackburn, who was the first voice heard on Radio One.
2. The first record played on Radio One was Flowers in the Rain by the Move. Over on Radio Two, the first song played was The Sound of Music by Julie Andrews. Again it could be argued that the first pieces of music heard on Radio One were George Martin's Theme One and a jazz instrumental called Beefeaters by John Dankworth, played as part of the opening sequence.
3. The film footage of the launch of Radio One was actually filmed the previous evening. Tony Blackburn had to write down exactly the words he said, so that he could repeat them exactly the following morning on air.
4. There were numerous complaints about the weather forecast in the opening weeks of the two stations. People didn't complain about the forecast being wrong - merely about the fact the person reading it was a woman, called Rosie O'Day. One grumbled that she made the weather sound like a children's fairy story. "I'm sure she is a charming girl, but let us stick to a man for the weather news," he opined.
5. Radio Two had its own soap opera from 1969 to 1980. It was called Waggoners Walk and was set in Hampstead. It courted controversy by running storylines on homosexuality and contraception. When the BBC cancelled it at short notice, the cast and writers found out because they heard the announcement on the radio news. The writers retaliaited by ending the series with aliens invading Hampstead Heath.
6. The longest serving breakfast show presenter on Radio One was Chris Moyles, who was in the hot seat for eight years. Over on Radio Two, the longest serving breakfast DJ was Terry Wogan, who did the job for 27 years.
7. The first woman to become a Radio One DJ was Annie Nightingale, in 1969. At the time of the launch she was a freelance music journalist. She commented that it was strange that there were no female DJs. The BBC told her that the DJs were "husband substitutes" for stay at home housewives and that they wouldn't want to listen to a woman. Not surprisingly, this got Annie's back up - so she campaigned to be given a job. She hosted the first interactive request show on Radio One. And she is still there in 2019, aged 77, the longest serving DJ on the station. It was 1982 before a second female DJ joined her - Janice Long, and 1997 before a woman hosted the breakfast show (Zoe Ball) and 2013 before a woman hosted the Chart Show (Jameela Jamil).
8. Over the years there have been a number of records that were banned from air. Banning a record often ensured it shot straight to number one on the charts. Often it was because station bosses deemed that the song was about sex (Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin to name but a couple). Others were banned because they mentioned products, and could therefore be deemed advertising. One song was banned for mentioning the Evening Standard, and the Kinks had to re-record Lola, swapping the words "Coca Cola" for "cherry cola".
9. Between 1973 and 1999, Radio One had a summer roadshow, with DJs travelling to holidays resorts in a converted caravan. The first was in Newquay and was hosted by Alan Freeman. It almost didn't happen due to a technical hitch. The plan was to plug Radio One's equipment into the mains supply of a beachside cafe, but when they reached the location, the cable wasn't long enough. Luckily, they managed to find a longer one in time. The Roadshow's largest audience was in Birmingham in 1992, celebrating Radio One's 25th birthday. The last Roadshow was from Heaton Park in Manchester. The Roadshow has been superceded by Radio 1's Big Weekend, which is the largest free-ticketed music festival in Europe.
10. Among Radio One's many listeners is Prince William, who has been known to send in texts under a fake name. His mother, Princess Diana, was also a fan, and said her favourite DJ was Mike Smith.

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Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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