A walk round Capital Radio on New Year's Eve 1990 - EXTENDED VERSION

This is an extended cut of the video I uploaded in 2016. I've taken the opportunity to add a few additional geeky studio shots and start and end it in the Euston Centre car park, because why not?
If you watch the 720p50 stream, the picture should retain its original smooth "live video" motion.
**Please note, I've had to mute part of the video to remove Bamboleo by the Gypsy Kings, as it was causing the entire video to be blocked**
NYE 1990, and it was my job to play out the party mix tapes (4x1 hour) on Capital FM London between 10pm-2am. Knowing how boring this was going to be, I borrowed a video camera so that I could film around the building, because... well, I can't remember now. But I'm glad I did, because this footage has become something of a time capsule.
28 years later, much has changed. Everything you can see is long gone, gutted and redeveloped after Capital moved out in 1997. Radio studios are now entirely computerised; Capital in 1990 was just introducing digital systems into its studios, and was one of the first radio stations in the UK to do so.
In 2018, Capital is no longer the most popular music station in London. But in 1990, it really was the hot-rockin' place to be.

[@MediaGrope]

This is brilliant! Glad someone did this. I waited outside for Pete Townshend on Gary Crowley's show but I never went inside. So atmospheric. I wish there were more videos like this

[@stuartkent]

I remember these days of listening to Capital Radio back in the day...When radio was radio and the DJ's played great music

[@Candolad]

Before researchers told commercial stations how to maximise revenue by only playing popular recognisable songs and no unheard of new or old music just in case listeners tuned out to another station that played only popular recognisable songs.

[@jdgreen5422]

Thanks for sharing this - wonderful days of when radio was personality-led by real radio talent and self-operated mixing desks! Even Tech Ops playing out pre-recorded tapes used to 'play' the desk like a command performance getting a real buzz when the timings (of ads, into news and show starts, etc) were perfect. Sadly today most of it's been replaced by automation, voice-trackers and mediocre presenters who are more famous for having been in a boy band, or on a reality show, rather than the pure artform of radio.

[@ricardoborges9295]

Great!! Very interesting vídeo !! I lived in London in 1990, and used to listen to Capital FM on my Walkman.

[@DarrenAltmanvo]

Wonderful. From the golden age of Capital.

[@planetmaxretroreview]

A rare treat thanks ever so much.

[@NoName-jq7tj]

I do remember listening continuously to Capital FM in those days. As market traders this was on all the time. Pat Sharp followed by Mick Brown. Pat Sharp was absolutely phenomenal. He had that style that American DJ’s had.

[@stanmonzon5788]

The top ten at ten…Lon-DON! Pat Sharp wooo woooo. On the radio!!

[@simonnlaroche5438]

Amazing, grew up with Capital, my life and dream.

[@joenest2122]

Great to watch, thanks for uploading. Were you full-time at Capital? You say you jumped over to TV, which intrigues me. I work in TV but always wondered if I should've persued radio instead (I did a few stints at my local BBC and GWR stations and loved it). What made you leave radio? And what did you end up doing in the world of TV if you don't mind me asking?

[@rwheeler393]

Great Video , Thanks for uploading.Was listening to pirates then, but Mike Allen was Great circa 84/85. I did some work at leicester sq on the new studio build for capital around the Johnny Vaughn era, totally different style. This footage reminds me of the old bbc studios. Some of which were still around not as long ago.Got to love 1/4 inch tape !

[@stanmonzon5788]

Why would you listen to pirates? They were illegal. How dare you encourage that?!

[@christopherhulse8385]

Such a huge building that dwarfed our own Beacon Radio studios in Wolverhampton.

[@TheSSMusicChannel]

This was when Capital was Capital. I won so much stuff in the competitions. I even got the DJ white jacket in a competition with Nicky Horne who I loved to talk to often. It was the people of Londons station, and now? its like any other. The names that made it great havent been replaced. Dr Fox...... Is one I admire too.

[@TheZacDJ]

Those were the days. I did the same shift at GLR inumeral times. We usually had pre-recs on ¼ inch tape, but we did use dat for tx one Christmas, like you I had a playlist disc in the cd player just in case the dat failed!

[@dunebasher1971]

The BBC Mark 3 is my favourite desk of all time. I cut my teeth on it at BBC Essex as a 15-year-old weekend helper :)

[@peteandurnot]

Brilliant

[@ajs41]

I always wondered what the hell anyone ever did in that tower I see every time I arrive at Euston station from the Midlands: it always looks totally deserted these days, as if nothing is going on there. It's like a labyrinth inside the studios.

[@ajs41]

@@nicholastristian4091 What's that got to do with this video?

[@Chimp981]

Well the person is talking about the building which Capital radio was in ..DUH 🤡​@@ajs41

[@juliataylor2623]

The great Gerald Harper, Anna Raeburn or decoded---when i was young.

[@guksack]

Why does this feel like the opening 10 minutes of a British Die Hard movie?

[@Chimp981]

I used to work nights in a bakery in the late 80s and my work colleague and myself took some donuts to Lynne Parsons and gave them to the security guard in the Capital radio building 🍩🍩🥳Great times

[@mikedorey5891]

Hiya - great video - could you put a version up with the speeded up parts at normal speed? And 'extended extended' version?!! Cheers!

[@DarrenAltman]

I have been looking for the bit where Neil Long is in the studio and is smoking a slim cigar! I can't find it anywhere!! Was it on one of your videos? Has it been removed? I'm friends with Neil and wanted to show it to him, but I can't locate it! Many thanks.

[@neilnash5661]

Hmm, 5 years after I left

[@ajs41]

I posted this comment on the other video but I'll post it again here just in case someone only sees it here and can help me out: Between 30th December 1989 and 1st January 1990, Capital Radio, and a lot of other independent radio stations like BRMB in Birmingham, broadcast a special Top 500 of the 1980s countdown which took 3 days to play. Can anyone remember this? Or does anyone have any recordings of it? I've got a few cassette tapes featuring some of the countdown but I'd like to hear more of it if possible. Thanks in advance.

[@dunebasher1971]

Capital's top 500 countdown was a regular three-day event around New Year during the late 80s and early 90s. It was Capital's own thing, it wasn't shared with any other stations - if others did it, they were doing it independently off their own backs. They used to publish a leaflet each time with the top 500 listing for that year. No, I don't have any recordings, I'm afraid.

[@techno1972]

Interesting video. I'm guessing that landing a job at Capital back then was like getting 5 balls plus the bonus on Lotto :-) Do you still do this kind of work (albeit in the digital domain)?

[@dunebasher1971]

I jumped from radio to TV 20 years ago. And yes, back then Capital was the top of the tree for pop radio. We really were number 1 in London by a long way, beating Radio One out of sight.

[@agfagaevart]

such a shame how Capital became Crap-it-all!!

[@disneyremixes]

@@agfagaevart Crap-it-all, I love that, so true! 87-92 were the best years for me :)

[@radio-su6lh]

@@disneyremixes 75-85 for me

[@danps7167]

Good to see at the start of the video the studios of Thames television next door. Euston Road really was the media capital of London.

[@terryhawkes573]

So what exactly was your job at Capital , tape op or a bit more ,thankyou for sharing your video it's great to see those good old times but already on the video you can see things changing for the worst , along with the changing of technology so personality radio radio changed as well , sad .

[@dunebasher1971]

I was an assistant producer. We had to be able to do everything, from production to driving the desk.

[@terryhawkes573]

Nice timing on the jingles by the way ! Taking out the boredom bit I'll bet it was a cracking job at times r u doing tv stuff now

[@dunebasher1971]

Oh yes, it was great normally, just that on this occasion all I had to do was babysit 4 hours of tapes of non-stop music, so all I had to do was start the next tape at the top of each hour. Normally taped programmes had ad breaks and you had to backtime to the news each hour, so there was something to do.

[@ajs41]

Whereabouts was the studio based? I thought it was Leicester Square but it doesn't look like Leicester Square when you go outside. By the way, if you know anything about the Top 500 of the 1980s that was on Capital Radio exactly 12 months before this, I'd be interested to know if you still have a list of what was in the Top 500. I've been searching for years for information about this Top 500 countdown. It seems to be impossible to find out anything about it, which just makes it more intriguing.

[@CJT80]

@@ajs41 Capital and Global (it's owner) are based at Leicester Square. However Capital Radio/FM was based at the Euston Tower where this would have been filmed

[@319metresMW]

Who's the tech op handing over to Alex George?!?

[@aprilrusso9002]

Okay i have a question: Is this new years 1989-1990 or 1990-1991?

[@dunebasher1971]

The title is New Year's Eve 1990, meaning 31/12/90. And if you watch the video, you hear Neil Fox saying "What a way to end 1990" and one of the jingles says "Into 91 with Capital FM"

[@justin.trading]

Should do a update video on how it all works nowadays

[@dunebasher1971]

Kind of hard when I stopped working for Capital in 1992 and don't know anyone who works there any more. Plus they moved to a new building in 1997.

[@justin.trading]

@@dunebasher1971 that is a shame😢

[@RossPatzelt]

06:06 is that the phone lines ringing in?

[@dunebasher1971]

Yes.

[@Candolad]

Capital was great in its first 15 years, but that's when over-formatting and safety play began to take hold ending the human input. Beacon Radio in the West Midlands was better (from its launch in 1976) than Capital with its fantastic American influenced playlist, young sound, imaging and presenters. Unfortunately, Beacon got its knuckles rapped in 1979 and it no longer sounded the same afterwards. Had Beacon been in London it would've knocked the socks off Capital.