BBC Man Alive The Disc Jockeys 11th Feb 70

"When Auntie BBC put on a kaftan and beads and entered the pop age" murmurs the solemn opening commentary of this 1970 'Man Alive' TV analysis of UK pop radio. Posh voices in sepia suits submerged in cigarette smoke poke earnestly at this strange new radio thing growing with alarming speed its petri dish.

[@sandrashore4510]

So pleased I saw this. I was one of the dancers at the Top Rank Croydon. It's a bit blurred, but I'm the last one on the right.

[@irishboer7124]

You were a bit of alright love..., ❣️

[@_Ben4810]

Some great moves there Sandra..! 👌

[@neworiginal9902]

What a raver 💃

[@buffplums]

Beautiful ladies x❤

[@WesleyWattley-xy4fg]

❤ 🇬🇧 🎸 😅!!! 👌 wow

[@phillipecook3227]

This is wonderful to watch. In December 1970 I was 12 years old and had only started secondary school 4 months earlier. My whole life was in front of me. This evokes many memories not only of the personalities featured but of an entire time. Even the Man Alive theme music is powerfully nostalgic.

[@loonylinda]

Kenny Everett was a genius. enjoyd this programme thanks

[@phillipecook3227]

Yes. I think his best work was on radio.

[@garrywood5345]

Saw Tony Blackburn last year in Warrington for his road show, nice to see him in person after listening to him for 56 years.

[@markg6860]

Thank you so much for posting this video! I remember seeing it, live, back in 1970 and I was always looking for it on KZbin and elsewhere. It was this very program that made me want to be in radio, which I did for a while here in the States from 2007-2014. (Yes, It took me that long!) Radio technology sure has changed. The equipment back then looks rather dated now, but the DJs had real technical skill, as well as voice talent.

[@angelacooper2661]

This was four months before I was born. Obviously I have only just found out about it, more than half a century later!

[@Graphicxtras1]

Thanks for putting this up. Would love to see the BBC repeat all of the Man Alive episodes on BBC4

[@StarboundUK]

Someone has been kind enough to create a KZbin playlist for a whole bunch of Man Alive documentaries kzbin.info/aero/PLi_KyOSw9FCnoWpx_O3tiQzQSq88_xP2x&si=RfrRVuYOjpdjyfUH

[@knockshinnoch1950]

Wow, a very rare, fantastic time capsule of late 60s pop culture and in colour! Tony Blackburn's breakfast show is my first memory of Radio 1.

[@pigknickers2975]

Woof woof from Arnold!

[@RayZappa]

@@pigknickers2975 ..and now it's time for the Tiny Tots Spot, say hello Arnold

[@petewadsworth8492]

I can safely see we've had the best times feel sorry for The young ones and their future.

[@johnking5174]

5:40 - The physical work of producing a radio show in 1970 is seen here, a far cry from what we have now in 2020. Greg James on Radio 1 Breakfast Show has all of his playlist loaded onto the computer, and at a touch of a button he plays each song. No need to load records, ensure turntable ready etc.

[@markg6860]

The DJs had to have technical talent, too, back then. Continuity was much more of an effort.

[@DavidEsp1]

Respect to all the back-room folks who prepare everything (e.g. in the digital record library) so it can all run smoothly like that on the day

[@edmundpower1250]

That Riscoe guy looked very dodgy with the young girls. Savile not the only one at it

[@jeffsimon9594]

Meanwhile most of the moguls & impresarios were after the young boys..

[@LoneRanger100]

Yes John peel for instance

[@phillipecook3227]

More than 50 years later Roscoe has never been accused of anything. What's your point?

[@ivorsmith3999]

@@phillipecook3227 We didn't know the truth about Savile until he was dead.

[@phillipecook3227]

@@ivorsmith3999 So you think Roscoe was a sex offender based on a hunch?? You're not dead. Are you a sex offender also ? Do me a favour.

[@keithnaylor1981]

Quite interesting. Radio 1 was my world in 1970. Most disc jockeys were basically similar apart from Kenny Everett who was unique. Listening to Kenny was a bit like watching Monty Python - you were totally blown away by every bizarre inventive piece of comical genius. Kenny loved the Beatles and to see him in this doc being bowled over when listening to 'Because' from Abbey Road is totally understandable. KAN 10.19 UK

[@markg6860]

The technical skill-set was similar, but the presentation styles were quite different. Jimmy Young appealed to a different crowd (the housewife) versus Tony Blackburn (kids getting ready for school or work) versus John Peel (new and "specialized" music).

[@jaijai5250]

@@markg6860I wonder if they were all affluent, public school boys. Definitely not representative of the people who they entertained.

[@markg6860]

@@jaijai5250 They weren't. I think only Blackburn and Peel went to "good" schools.

[@Candolad]

​@@jaijai5250I believe most Radio 1 presenters had to have a degree at one point. It was also a BBC requirement for most roles. I remember Radio 1 taking on Pat Sharp in 1982, but he didn't last too long as, despite being privately educated, he didn't have a degree and trotted off to ILR.

[@daveuk1324]

The late great John Peel RIP. When there was real music.

[@cushyglen4264]

Everything about Peel was fake. His real name - John Robert Parker Ravenscroft Education - Shrewsbury boarding school Background - wealthy cotton merchant family, grew up in rural Cheshire Yet he faked a Brummy accent all his professional life. A self-confessed sexual predator & pedophile.

[@cushyglen4264]

But Peel wasn’t real. Everything about him was fake. That’s being polite.

[@clivebaxter6354]

Pervert said he had girls as young as 13 lining up willing to be abused and he was happy to oblige

[@philipbonner6486]

​​@@cushyglen4264Your feeble words, not anyone's else's learn life by your mistakes.

[@MatthewNorthArchive]

What a fantastic film this should be re run on BBC 4 wonderful footage of Kenny.

[@deborahrobertson8606]

I loved Kenny as a disc jockey and listened to him every week. Only a little girl but I knew genius when I heard it. It was an exceptional time.

[@pigknickers2975]

Still miss Kenny, still miss Peel. A golden age.

[@willbee7925]

You have a very low bar for "genius" that's for sure, Everett was annoying, irritating and borderline unwatchable unlistenable.

[@deborahrobertson8606]

@@willbee7925 For me, it depends upon the period. I didn't like his TV persona & I didn't listen to his later broadcasting. But back in the late '60's/turn of the '70's, his creativity felt unbridled. He had a painterly approach to the technique of broadcasting - all the knobs and tape reels - conjuring up a labyrinthine imaginal world.

[@TheCameraNever]

@@pigknickers2975 Two absolute classics

[@angelacooper2661]

When this came out, my mother was expecting me (I was born four months later). So the programme is only just older than me!

[@drssexy2142]

it seems no one cares, angela. What has the world come to eh?

[@GARY.94]

Kenny Everett is the true genius here!. RIP. Regards.

[@drmontague6475]

He was a right wing bastard.

[@Treviscoe]

He totally was, yes; I have very fond memories of his TV show in 1978. I sometimes wonder what he could have done if he'd had access to today's technology (computer graphics etc.).

[@duncanpriestley964]

​@@Treviscoe I think the analogue era actually suited Kenny's genius. Pretty much anyone can produce 'creative' media now with minimal effort using AI. Back then, Kenny stood out as unique because noone else had the skillset to show their creative genius like that.

[@GB-vn1tf]

​@@duncanpriestley964 undoubtedly Kenny was on a different planet in more ways than one, but it was all done in the best possible taste! 😉

[@whufciironworkes]

I can remember watching kennys tv show with my late mother both of pissing ourselves

[@alyciamarrison2916]

Wow watching this really shows that Kenny Everret was a genius to make those shows live! Sadly missed! Once saw this little man in Heaven (under Charing X station) & couldnt believe it was him cos he was so small, but brilliant man!

[@michaelkenny8540]

Who would have thought he would turn into a devout Thacherite supporter and right-wing nut-case.

[@FiveLiver]

To be fair you are 6ft 2

[@markg6860]

Ah, nostalgia! Back then, the Greenwich Time Signal "pips" were all the same length.

[@JohnSmith-wl8cv]

Because the last pip nowdays is longer because of the earth time so to catch up the last plp was a little bit longer something like that probably google it you will get the answer

[@sharonedwards6010]

I remember their jingles were just as iconic as the djs themselves.

[@MrTUCTUC1]

Fascinating just how refined John Peel's accent. was. He might have been very critical of other presenters developing a public persona but he was subconsciously in the process of developing one all of his own.

[@fisherpeter695]

Not many may be aware that John Peel - real name John Ravenscroft lived in the Hoylake suburb of Wirral on Merseyside that was the residence of Liverpool's ship owners and export companies. He attended the fee-paying Shrewsbury Public school in the 1950s which will have refined his speaking skills. His major break came when he was in Dallas Texas the day John F Kennedy was killed. He often said his connection with Liverpool gave him an opening interview for the UK News when there was no transatlantic links for TV. After which he joined the BBC. Back in the mid late 1960s I worked for a large import company in Liverpool and remember the large houses and wealth of the directors of the company.

[@RedheadLondon]

He blacked his copybook with a few sexual shenanigans. They said the stage at Glastonbury named after him, was going to be renamed.@@fisherpeter695

[@simonmoore2380]

Peel didn't "develop" any kind of persona. He was same when he started with Radio 1 in 1967 as he was in 2004, the year he died. OK, he was older, and his voice sounded older, and he didn't have the long hair anymore, or look like a hippy. But there was no pretense whatsoever with Peel. What you saw was what you got. Unlike the other prats on that channel.

[@RayZappa]

It's really striking how public school almost everyone sounds, Peel a bit less than some of them I think. And the woman doing the interviewing!

[@cushyglen4264]

He was a self confessed sexual predator too.

[@johnking5174]

14:50 - Watching this little bit, you can sense the different attitude at Radio 1 in 1970, Emperor Rosko certainly enjoying himself here, you do wonder how many of those girls he invited back to his place later. This scene sums up the attitude and acceptance in 1970s Radio 1.

[@michaelkenny8540]

John Peel never used to be shy of explaining how 'young' he liked his women and Blackburn was involved with the case of the young girl who committed suicide and her diary revealed she was a regular audience member at TOTP and she felt she was being exploited by the DJs.

[@knockshinnoch1950]

And Tony Blackburn encouraging sexual assault in the streets!

[@danw1374]

Claire McAlpine. So sad she was dismissed as being just a fame hungry starry eyed teenage girl. We know know she might have actually been telling the truth😢

[@redstrat1234]

Herbie Flowers playing with Blue Mink. Played with Elton, Bowie, Bolan, Al Kooper, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Jeff Wayne, David Essex, Cliff, Ringo, George Harrison, McCartney and many more. Amazing player.

[@johngammon963]

As a kid I absolutely adored Kenny Everett, what a genius indeed.

[@dlamiss]

Ironically Tony Blackburn played Melting pot on Pick of the pops today 46 years later......

[@buffplums]

dlamiss and a damn great song it is as well

[@edwardbennett3572]

Where’s the irony in that?

[@dlamiss]

Maybe in the fact he played a song on pick of the pops 46 years on radio two 46 years after playing it on radio one Ted ..

[@edwardbennett3572]

@@dlamiss that’s not ironic. Think you need to look up the word.

[@dlamiss]

@@edwardbennett3572 Thanks for the English lesson Ted, ironically I wont use the word Irony again without asking you first. Cheers

[@johnking5174]

20:20 - I adore sweet Kenny, he was really mad and lovely at the same time. Sad he passed away in 1995 from that horrible AIDs illness. Here, he is just so sweet, adorable, funny, kind, not arrogant - all the things 2020 BBC Radio 1 presenters aren't now. All ego driven asses in 2020.

[@1funkyflyguy]

.....and high.

[@pauloliver6813]

Sorry to disagree, but there are plenty of egos on display here.

[@michaelkenny8540]

Is this the same Kenny Everett who wanted to 'Bomb Russia' when he became a devout Thatcherite supporter? It caused quite a stir at the time and he later admitted it was a mistake for him to reveal his politics and that it cost him a lot of his fans.

[@stephenchappell7512]

​@@michaelkenny8540 I very much doubt that as most people have a sense of humour

[@michaelkenny8540]

@@stephenchappell7512 Nope youare wrong. Kenny even admitted it was a mistake and that he regretted it. Have another try.

[@kckazcoll1]

love these old Man Alive docos, also love the theme music! Be great to edit out the beginning high pitched squeal though :)

[@paulm.7422]

Just the countdown sequence for the VTR replay. The squeal is just to prove that audio is present.

[@gerry0302]

kaz coll Man Alive theme always takes me back to 65 when I started school and my surroundings oh to go back just for one day !!

[@kernowarty]

Kenny Everett unknowingly inventing "Scracthing" records at the end of this doc.

[@rickbowker]

Radio one was a government controlled version of Pirate Radio , only saved by Johnny Walker, Kenny Everett and legend John Peel! My best memory is radio One banning the Sex pistols in 77 and they still got to number one!

[@Candolad]

Rosko's extremely overinflated ego makes him come across as a total prat to absolutely brutal. He reminds me of Chris Evans when he started at Radio 1 breakfast in 1996.

[@grahamf9351]

Rosko was a showman style DJ who's character borrowed heavily from Wolfman Jack an american superstar DJ who was virtually unknown in the UK.

[@the100mdash]

Brilliant! I remember watching this when it was transmitted, all those decades ago. If Man Alive has been rescued from the BBC archives, i wonder if Late Night Lineup from 29th September 1967 is around or Nationwide 23rd November 1978? Both were set in the London Control Room and Continuity Suites.......

[@markg6860]

I somewhat doubt it. Man Alive was a weekly documentary series, so it was filmed, the edited for transmission. I think Late Night Line-up was a live broadcast, so no tapes were made.

[@MrDannyDetail]

According to Getty Images, who have an online index to the surviving BBC programming for the purposes of selling clips, the only Late Night Line-Up apparently surviving from September 1967 is 26th September, though a fair few others from the rest of the year are listed. As for Nationwide on 23rd November 1978 there are five separate entries for it at Getty Images, which I think are probably all inserts rather than the completed programme. Two of the five mention Sue Lawley and Glyn Worsnip and the radio frequency changes that had happened that day, so they are perhaps what you are thinking of.

[@bcoffey]

What a piece of fascinating archive. Mind you, one watches now a bit with narrowed eyes. What exactly was the story with all the girls in Rosko's studio at the beginning of the programme?

[@KatiePuckrikSmells]

They're the fans who were waiting for him outside as he arrives for his show. You can see it play out at 40:00. An early example of Chris Evans-style zoo radio - a call and response crowd in the studio.

[@buffplums]

brendan coffey it was just that girls who loved the DJs why is there such suspicion... young girls loved the DJs it was as simple as that .... I’m sick of people who weren’t alive in this era judging it.... we were there and there wasn’t a problem it was OUR a station it was OUR time and people today have NO fxxxxxxg clue what it was like back there....

[@bcoffey]

@@buffplums Ah but I was. Born 1958

[@buffplums]

brendan coffey lol yes it was your station too chap lol 😂

[@misterr279]

@Chris Cain the reason we watch with narrowed eyes is due to the fact we know our concerns have been proven true. Peodophiles were having a fucking ball in this period FACT kids were invited to “hang out” with adults whilst dimwits said “ ayyy there’s nuffing with it, just kids being kids” there’s a vile undercurrent to it all

[@christopherhulse8385]

Tony Blackburn still going strong today!

[@cushyglen4264]

Yes & most who rubbished him are either disgraced or no longer with us.

[@BarnabyBarry]

Cool video-I was a student DJ at UCLA late 70’s-remember the carts-PSA’s-music wheel colors-2 turntables-

[@willdatsun]

priceless footage of Kenny Everett and John Peel

[@stewartbootles5551]

thank god for peely and cuddly Ken R.I.P.

[@rentaghostokish5628]

The only people I could stand in this whole documentary were Kenny Everett and John Peel. Everett was a twisted comic genius who knew far more than he was letting on. Peel had the frivolity of it all sussed from the start.

[@paulm.7422]

All the DJs played their part and the job required technical skill, back then. Blackburn was the "Toy Boy" and Jimmy Young had the older crowd, too (... remember that he also had to accommodate the Radio 2 listeners on his show). JY was also the highest-paid, back then. Let's also not forget that in 1967, the BBC were having to make drastic changes to their old, stale format. Combine that with the dreaded "needle time" restrictions and in hindsight, Radio One did well for what it had to work with. Compared to radio now, I miss those old days and the sheer freshness and vitality of it all!

[@jimmann4284]

yes Kenny was eccentric but I understanding more when had his own TV I knew was he was a bout I like john peel very cool and and down to earth the bore was tony Blackburn with the silly jokes but great voices for introduced music and records rossco a big head in nice way and a lot of time for people I like his bike . Jimmy good voice and humour that was Jimmy yoing .for old ones two I was 9 year old then jimmy Seville was a dirt bag he of course .but a good DJ. but makes sick to say that

[@trevorrandom]

Absolutely

[@michaelkenny8540]

@@jimmann4284 Saville was not much different from Peel or Blackburn in regards to the way they exploited the young women in the TOTP audience. Peel even admits to it and Blackburn was very much involved in the case of the young girl who took her own life

[@LoneRanger100]

He wasn’t very much involved at all. Get your facts right.

[@gerrynicol3951]

Good to hear John Dunn finish his stint on b/fast a really liked the big guy.also a enjoyed Tony Blackburn each day .

[@thewkovacs316]

john peel was the greatest dj who ever lived i say that as an american

[@SuckasNeverPlayMe]

True story - I was working at Glastonbury festival, can't remember which year, but I was in a stand up men's toilet, a trough... Behind me I hear "so this is where all the big nobs hang out is it? Ha ha". I knew it was John Peel. I turned round to shake his hand, he looked at it and went "nah you're allrite mate" 🤣

[@phillipecook3227]

The generation of Radio 1 DJs from over half a century ago were individually brilliant in their own unique ways tho at the time I suppose I like millions of other listeners simply took it all for granted. JP was superb if you wanted your music cerebral without entertainment, Tony like many other DJs was an entertainer who loved music ( and the wake up voice for generations of people early in the morning). Kenny Everett was bordering on genius and then their was Alan Freeman, Rosko, Dave Cash etc al .....

[@pressureworks]

Emperor Rosko still going strong: In 2018, Rosko joined the line-up for the new United DJs DAB and online radio station.

[@RedheadLondon]

Is he still putting it about, though? He is 80 now!

[@stepheng8779]

​@@RedheadLondonSavile vibes 🤢

[@RedheadLondon]

@@stepheng8779 They were all at it. I don't think it is fair to think he was the only one. I read Kid Jensen say he had never slept with a groupie - indicating all the others did. Tony Blackburn said when he was married to Tessa, he used to hire a room in a hotel and take girls there after his morning programme.

[@nutcracker2916]

@@RedheadLondon Not condoning it of course , but these days with the prying tabloids ect. He wouldn't have got away wit it. Although he's been with his second wife Debbie an ex Dancer for years now .

[@RedheadLondon]

@@nutcracker2916 A bit too old to be putting it about. Like Rod Stewart, you've got to stop sometime.

[@johnking5174]

At 46:55 we see a band in a BBC recording studio with Rosko. There was a reason for this, due to needle time restrictions on the amount of records BBC could play per day, BBC got bands and singers into their own recording studios at BBC Broadcasting House in London to record a few songs of theirs, which would be recorded on to BBC tape, meaning when a DJ played their song from this tape it was exempted from the draconian needle time rules.

[@christophertalbot9064]

Pity Kenny says he doesn’t consider any pop music culture, I don’t believe him

[@TheBudgie29]

5:48 the record she Is plugging became a huge Hit. I have a copy of that Demo In the Picture Sleeve. It Is Murray Head doing "Jesus Christ Superstar" and a very young Yvonne Elliman doing "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from the at this point, The fourth coming Movie. 50:08 Cuddly Ken Inventing scratching, way back In 1970, brilliant. He was playing Alan Price and "Seventh Son" at the end.

[@ericwhite8010]

Murray head superstar was not a huge hit! Peaked at UK #47!!!! It got a lot of plays though.

[@josephstanton4872]

There's a scene from recent movie- Boat That Rocked, Welsh actor, Fans is leaning back, reaches to his right, pile of 45s, doesn't matter what he picks, it'll be a beauty! The scene summed up the sixties! Wonderful soundtrack, starts with The Kinks!😊

[@SpacemanSmee]

That film come out in 2009. It is is good it’s about pirate raid ain’t it

[@aminorchacha]

Jimmy Young had been a genuine pop star in the 1950s with two number one records in the U.K. chart and 10 top ten hits long before he became a DJ. He knew more about the music business than the rest of them put together. I still have a copy of his cook book compiled from recipes submitted by his radio listeners.

[@johnking5174]

In 1970 the needle time restrictions imposed on the BBC was really harsh. Amounting to 7 hours of pop records allowed to be played per day. This meant a huge amount of orchestras, bands, BBC orchestras, organ music, live sessions etc had to be used to fill their 21 hour schedule each day.

[@James_BAlert]

So John which stations did you go to to listen to continuous pop & rock music, Radio Luxembourg, AFN, Continental radio broadcasters, pirate stations? Who was responsible for this dumb restriction, unions, entertainers, commercial enterprises?🤔

[@johnking5174]

@@James_BAlert The music unions were responsible. They wanted people to buy the records, and not be content with hearing them played everyday on air. Also, they knew tape recorders was becoming popular, with people recording the records off radio, and saving them money from buying the records. That is why this stupid rule came into force since radio began really with the BBC in the 1920s. I am lucky, we never had any restrictions as these in America. Radio stations played as much as they wanted.

[@warpedpassages1681]

Originally the BBC had very strict policies about not advertising products, so virtually no records were played if they could be identified. Seven hours per day was a luxury compared to the early days.

[@harryurz]

As a Rock/Metal fanatic i always felt Fluff Freeman and Tommy Vance were the only DJs worth listening to. Watching this I feel I was 100% right.......

[@TheCameraNever]

Without Peel, much of the music many of us love would never have been given any airtime.

[@Tim091]

100% agree. Radio One was unlistenable other than the Friday Night Rock Show. I loved it when Fluff sat in for TV and used to really heavy it up!

[@lindseykerr]

Great footage of Kenny Everrett - The man was a genius - He knew exactly how to engage that listener! - Theartre of the mind - Sadly missed - Often mimicked but never bettered! I do have some concerns about Rosko tho - proper perv in my opinion and totally unacceptable behaviours especially with those young girls!

[@anonUK]

"Can we mention the kids in the dressing rooms?" "No, best not. Some people might think there's something peculiar going on."

[@cozener1]

As likeable and brilliant as the late John Peel was, there is no doubt he would have been asked some uncomfortable police questioning post Saville.

[@bencolemanart]

True. And lots of people would have merrily looked the other way because they thought/think he was a saint.

[@niceguy235uk1]

@@bencolemanart Most of them probably had a few skeletons in the closet.

[@TheBudgie29]

He married His then Girlfreind In America when she was just 15, then did It again In the UK when she became 21. This Is why John Is looked at as another BBC protected Nonce. Shame. I loved His show.

[@tedwards1604]

Tony Blackburn endorsing sexual harrasment is a bit disturbing.

[@johnking5174]

1969 and that was the way it was back then with regards to treatment of young women. It was seen on television too, for example on the awful sitcom On the Buses, with the two main male characters leering and having sex with young female bus staff.

[@ICanPlayPiano]

4:55 John Dunn in there, who was on Breakfast Special in those days (the show that preceded Tony's and which carried on after 7am on 1500 and VHF only).

[@johnking5174]

Breakfast Special launched in 1965 on the Light Programme. It was famous for having one of the biggest collection of bands and orchestras on it, as needle time restrictions meant very little records could be played in it's original three hour format, so bands and orchestras filled the void. Only about three records were played per hour.

[@_Ben4810]

I remember my first ever job as a mildly rebellious & moody teenage construction worker in the 80's, & having to endure Radio 2 on the hour long drives to & from work in the company vans, & Big John Dunn was the drive time host at that time & was actually a really, really good host & dj...He had a mystery voice quiz, that would last weeks & weeks with ever increasing suspense & tense frustration for the listeners trying to guess the voice...good times, despite my no doubt moody sulky moanings demanding "Why can't we listen to Steve Wright on Radio 1...???" 😄

[@lemsip207]

Tony Blackburn was one of my favourite Radio One DJ's from the 70's. He was squeakly clean and a tad cheesy.

[@johnking5174]

Tony always seemed to be to be an empty box - there was really no personality there at all. Now, I prefer Noel Edmonds on the breakfast show compared to Tony

[@RedheadLondon]

Used to love Paul Burnett at lunchtime. Wonder what happened to him.

[@_Ben4810]

Tony's just announced the last few weeks of his brilliant Sunday afternoon BBC Radio show...All the music is from his own collection from 50's to current day releases, it is the best show on the radio, he remains an excellent broadcaster who is sadly becoming frustrated by the current awful BBC Radio management...

[@michaelkenny8540]

Not so. Look up the case of the young TOTP audience member who took her own life and the name of the DJ who she mentioned in her Diary.

[@michaelkenny8540]

@@johnking5174 Edmonds is a total fruitcake and serial non-payer of his debts

[@johnking5174]

16:05 - At 10.00am weekdays Radio 1 and 2 shared the Jimmy Young Show. At 11.00am Radio 2 would leave the show and air Morning Story and Waggeners Walk until they rejoined Jimmy at 11.31am.

[@ON8EI]

Thanks so much, lovely to remember the 70's. ;-)

[@paulm.7422]

6:14 ... very interesting ... all that breakfast food laid out without any clear-glass "cough guard" as protection.

[@Thecrazyvaclav]

Emperor rosco comes across as a egotistical prick in this

[@michaelharrison3602]

They all were:Rosco,Savile, DLT talentless nobodies wallowing in their 15 minutes of fame 😂

[@baronmeduse]

Probably only his American citizenship in the way of a police investigation of him and his 'relationship' with the fans,

[@danw1374]

He stands out like a sore thumb.

[@trevorrandom]

Those people with cardboard tubes listening to the speakers in that factory...

[@helenhughes9420]

John peel, Kenny Everett genuinely nice guys !!

[@johnking5174]

I would place a large caution note over John Peel, with some very strong rumours about him. In 1975 he was quoted as saying about women "All they wanted me to do was abuse them, sexually, which, of course, I was only too happy to do". In an interview published by The Herald in April 2004 stated that Peel admitted to sexual contact with "an awful lot" of underage girls.

[@RedheadLondon]

The Glastonbury stage named after him was going to be renamed.@@johnking5174

[@GB-vn1tf]

​@@johnking5174 that being said, and of course not right if they were young, but it takes two to tango. The entire music industry had groupies falling over themselves to bed the superstars of the day including a group of groupies in LA that certain starts passed around. Jimmy Page was involved with one girl from that group who was 14/15. She has done very well from throwing herself at rock gods of the day. Again, that doesn't make it right, it just shows how then, as now, this continues in the entertainment industry.

[@johnking5174]

3:06 - I love this sentence from 1970, that the BBC did not splash out on huge salaries for the Radio 1 presenters. Now in 2021 that has all changed, and people like Greg James of the Breakfast Show earn around £275,000 a year, Scott Mills pockets near £345,000 a year. BBC claim it is down to competition which is more fierce in 2021 than 1970.

[@markg6860]

Commercial radio does not pay very much, either, other than to the very top names. Radio is not that attractive to most youngsters, as the pay is crap. With that, there is far less talent being developed, so a shortage is looming. Radio stations brought it all on, themselves.

[@johnking5174]

35:53 - Watching this moment now in 2021, it is obvious what Rosko had on his mind to do with this young girl in order for the record she wanted to be played by him to get played. Just swap the word "tea" for sex and you get what he was after. So blatant now when watching.

[@djsimonrossprice9400]

Really ??? Or your vile little mind..

[@johnking5174]

@@djsimonrossprice9400 No, as we now know what some of these DJs were up to back then.

[@numberstation]

It’s not as if the same kind of thing isn’t happening today though, is it? Unpleasant, but true.

[@johnking5174]

@@numberstation The thing is today DJs and presenters would be shit scared to try anything like that, as now it will all be exposed.

[@numberstation]

@@johnking5174 I don’t wish to offend but I think you’re being a bit naive there, or perhaps just optimistic. By the way, I’m certainly not accusing Rosko of any wrongdoing at all. He hardly needed any subterfuge to bed women. On the contrary, he was beating them off with a shitty stick.

[@kevinmorrow5467]

John Peel and Kenny Everett, the only two who pointed to the future. The best on BBC 1 at the time.

[@aquaboy68]

John peel was another savile....paedo

[@garyhillman4993]

I miss man alive. Great intro music

[@gerry0302]

The Music always reminds me of the sixties when I was growing up..

[@barnabyhughes5643]

Now I know where the phrase on Steptoe and Son: 'A Jimmy Young cock up' comes from,lo. I think the two that had the real talent as DJ's were Kenny Everette and John Peel. The others were complete egotists. John Peel was a real music lover and propelled many bands to stardom over the years with the Peel sessions.

[@TelevisionVault]

"Today the BBC, TOMORROW....ITV if they'll have me!" Funnily how he said that in 1970...! Fascinating look at Cuddly Ken at work and rest. At least he seemed as at home in his material recording studio as Rosko was flinging singles around his studio and annoying John Peel with his mess...!

[@pauloliver6813]

Fascinating how the sexual predation that is so unacceptable now was so openly discussed and referenced here, just part of "how it is".

[@johnking5174]

Jimmy Young shouldn't have been on Radio 1 from the start. He simply didn't fit in. Radio 2 was his home. Radio 1 should have had dedicated Radio 1 hosts and programming from 7am to 7pm and 10pm to Midnight from the very start in 1967. Yes, needle time restrictions and budgets, but if the BBC did care, it could have worked.

[@w1lf1ewoo]

Strange to notice that what comes forth from most DJs mouths is so incredibly puerile that it makes you wonder what qualifies someone to be one ~ I suppose we (the listener) just want something in our ear that bounces along to cheer along with the gibberish we all have in our heads most of the time

[@Beatle1407]

48:47 "Are DJ's really neccessary?" 50years later - hello Spotify/Apple music/Amazon music/You Tube etc... :) Though I do miss Kenny Everrett & John Peel. Jimmy Young had the feel that he didn't take himself too seriously & his shows were good. "Emperor" Rosko & Tony Blackburn on the other hand didn't come out of this looking good.....just sayin'.....

[@johnking5174]

Rosko looked like a sex perv in this. Notice how one key person on Radio 1 back then was not involved, Jimmy Savile.

[@Ian-gw2vx]

I turned 3 the day this was broadcast 😃I remember Jimmy Young in the 80s on Radio 2. There was always a bit of banter between him and Wogan as they passed the batten. I don't remember Roscoe.

[@salvadormarley]

Why do I always want to hear Tony Blackburn say Pans People?

[@mintythemoose]

Blackburn is a legend and a lovely man.

[@geoffjoffy]

Fascinating. Thanks.

[@baronmeduse]

Kenny most surely listened to the other Kenny (Williams) because his voice at 28:00 is Gruntfuttock from Round The Horne.

[@Agnethatheredhairkid]

Kenny Everett - Absolute genius! I noticed a Maurice Everitt in the credits. Kenny's birth name was Maurice Cole.

[@johnking5174]

Maurice Everitt was a sound producer at the BBC. He worked mostly on documentaries.

[@louisgreen3915]

I want to know what speakers Kenny was listening to at his home. They look like a pair of early Leaks. Does anybody know?

[@_Ben4810]

I just love seeing the canteen ladies giving Tony Blackburn some cheeky backchat, & Irene Cooke opening Tony's post...in the days when BBC Radio cared about their listenership & decades before the pinhead & weasel management types of today hollowed it out from the inside to make it the supposedly cash-strapped short-of-budget failing corporation we are slowly losing...

[@johnsweeney8934]

Not mentioned here becaause it was on Capital Radio probably the best pop music show of that era was Kenny and Cash on Sunday afternoons. Dave Cash was a great DJ and kept Kenny in his place.

[@cushyglen4264]

I squirm now when I see this. Like so many in this era I looked up to these prancing ponies. Thought they were clever, sophisticated, funny, talented. Now we can see that those that weren’t sexual predators were just overgrown school boys given a studio to play in.

[@chridignan9178]

OMG on so many levels. Lovely

[@michaelharrison3602]

It's disturbing watching them chatting up underage girls knowing what we do now

[@danw1374]

It's more than a little disturbing

[@michaelleacy]

Interesting, they were paid £45 a week - works out at about £650 now - no wonder they had to supplement their wages. Really low money

[@markg6860]

You don't have that quite right. The DJs were paid hourly ... as "talent" ... on 90-day renewable contracts. They were not regular BBC staff. They came in, did their show prep and shows, then they left the building. Everett did a two hour weekend show, so was paid accordingly. Blackburn, Young and the other weekday jocks were paid much more, as they were on air for more hours. Regardless, the real money was in outside projects. Radio One merely gave them celebrity, on which they could build outside gigs.

[@johnking5174]

Radio 1 presenters could do outside work, opening record shops, special appearances etc, that is where their real salary was made. Also in 1970 income tax was very high for big earners, so they would want to do plenty of outside work to ensure they had a decent income, especially when rates of 70% income tax were in place.

[@jaijai5250]

That wasn’t bad, considering factory workers were earning around £20 per week. Plus most of these DJs were wealthy, public school boys.

[@GARY.94]

How well John peel new his colleagues!. He's Spot on!. Regards.

[@johnking5174]

Interesting to see that nowhere in this documentary do we see a Mr Savile. The production chose to ignore him, even though he was associated a lot with the launch of Radio 1.

[@GARY.94]

@@johnking5174 1-month later I'm alerted to your post lol. You do have a very good point about that!. Hmmm . Regards.

[@RedheadLondon]

DLT not there either?

[@desmondrobinson169]

Knew

[@johnking5174]

19:15 - that £40 a week in 1969 when this was filmed worked out at just over £2,000 a year salary, which was very good in 1969. Today that £2,000 salary would be worth around £37,000 in 2022 values. Peanuts compared to the salaries earned by Radio 1 presenters now in 2022, averaging between £150,000 and £400,000 a year for the presenters.

[@kesgreen4639]

Actually just under £28000. Less than the median wage. Mind you, you could probably still buy a house with that salary at the time...

[@johnking5174]

@@kesgreen4639 Inflation calculators online all have a different amount for valuing. The one I used in 2022 said around £28,000.

[@evtigger1643]

Do you have the man alive episode coming of age? My late father is in it and I’d love to find it.

[@elephantestates6677]

Very creepy era. You can see how Saville & his cronys got away with it.

[@gotham61]

Tony Blackburn went to the same school as I did @ 5.29.

[@RedheadLondon]

It said it was the most expensive in Britain! More than Eton?

[@gotham61]

@@RedheadLondon 60 years ago Millfield was Britain's most expensive school. That's no longer the case. I just checked the current fees, and Millfield is UKP 15,925 per term, and Eton College is 16,666 per term. There are three terms per year.

[@RedheadLondon]

@@gotham61 I have always thought Eton and Harrow were the most prestigious schools in the UK. I have not heard of Millfield.

[@gotham61]

@@RedheadLondon It's a somewhat younger and more progressive school than those two more traditional examples, and it's especially well known for its sports programs. Plenty of well known people went there, in addition to Mr Blackburn. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_educated_at_Millfield

[@simonirvine1628]

The DJ = Narcissistic Maniacs, A grandiose sense of self-importance (exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance.

[@LeighRichards27]

is the blonde girl among the throng of so called 'teenyboppers' gathered around rosko at 40.17 into the programme claire mcalpine?

[@danw1374]

I'm certain it is her. Poor girl took her own life.

[@lennylaa1686]

Yes, she took a pills overdose at home and died on 29th March, 1971. She left a diary with allegations of sexual abuse, very likely Savile. She met certain DJ's after appearing as a dancer on TOTP, aged only 15. Naively thought she could get into the pop world, probably duped into sex with the promise of show biz work .

[@Treviscoe]

@@danw1374 Oh no! Tragic.

[@FiveLiver]

40:17

[@buffplums]

Blimey plenty of spiders legs around 2:11 👀 👀 😂😂😂

[@nutcracker2916]

Ironically John Peel came across as decent, but like Saville was accused of inappropriate behaviour . The Glastonbury stage named after him , has now been changed.

[@michaelkenny8540]

He never made any secret of it at the time and used to boast about how young his 'girl friends' were.

[@melgrant7404]

Kenny Everett such a great comedian and dj❤

[@Springamatul]

This was broadcast about fifty four years ago it looks as if it was just yesterday 😄

[@yell50]

Well this is proof how the BBC used to turned a blind eye to inappropriate behavior from its staff 4:03 Rosko kisses a your girl on the mouth, apart from this its a fascinating look into the past.

[@jayrox40]

Groupies perks of the job. Still happens today.

[@yell50]

@@jayrox40No it dont happen today unless it happens behind closed doors the BBC can no longer turn a blind eye as they did decades ago it took a sandal like Jimmy Savile and other lesser known DJ's to bring pure embarrassment to BBC.....

[@nutcracker2916]

@@yell50 John Peel has since been accused of suspect behaviour. That's why the Glastonbury stage that was named after him has been changed.

[@katewolfspirit6722]

The dirty BBC still proudly display their pedo statue outside Broadcasting House to this very day.

[@GB-vn1tf]

​@@yell50 it definitely still happens. The entire entertainment industry is full of it. Its just hidden better now......Hugh Edwards told me. 😉

[@thelancashirehotpots]

Great stuff

[@Candolad]

At 19:15 "But John Peel's views don't prevent him taking home his £40 a week salary from the man in charge" 😀 Yes, absolutely, the hypocrisy of a privately educated Champagne Socialist. At least Tony Blackburn was honest about what Radio 1 was.

[@sirPUNKsir]

That Roscoe guy.... every consecutive scene he becomes a bigger cartoon Lothario. (wonders what the Operation Yew tree file is like on him)

[@lennylaa1686]

Recently returned from America, John Peel seems to have lost his scouse accent. Did he ever have one? It was re-discovered a few years later!

[@johnking5174]

John was born in Liverpool but spent two years doing National Service in army which meant his accent might have loosened. He then left for the states in 1960 and spent nearly seven years resident there. So again his accent would have faded. I was born in Northern Ireland, but everyone says now my accent is gone, replaced with a more standard English accent, it is what you develop from people you listen to who are around you each day.

[@RedheadLondon]

He went to a fee paying school, so probably never had a broad accent, and living in the US, would have to get rid of it anyway, as they would not understand scouse. He changed his name from Ravenscroft, as they though Americans would not be able to pronounce it, so he had to modify his accent as well, I suppose.

[@bencolemanart]

Those factory listening tubes are fucking bleak.

[@thomaskemp904]

Yewtree would have a field day with this

[@andrewbclinton]

7.50 - the first scratching in the UK

[@Kiplargely1]

Kenny Everett getting in on the action at the end, too!

[@patrickcrowther9195]

Kenny Everett with The Band’s second album. Good man.