BBC Radio One - Blood on the Carpet (1)

The fall and rise of the BBC's pop music station
in the 1990's. Part 1 of 4.
When Matthew Bannister was appointed Controller of BBC Radio 1, his plans to make the station cool again began with the ousting of a number of long-serving DJs. But they would not go quietly, and millions of listeners were lost. Bannister thought he had found a saviour in new DJ Chris Evans, but when he also departed he left the managers with only each other to fight.

[@dlamiss]

Jim Carters narration on this programme was absolutely brilliant

[@merson812]

Hear, hear. 👍

[@BruceDanton-xw6eg]

Yes indeed too.

[@josephriley4460]

Love Smash and Nicey’s skit on this. Brilliant!!

[@metafis]

I used to listen to Alan freeman on Radio 1, Sunday afternoon in the late sixties early seventies. He championed hard rock and(what would become ) heavy Metal...First time I ever heard Zeppelin, Sabbath and Purple was on his show in 1970. Still my fav musical genre today. First time I heard "Paranoid"(It was on the chart run down section), is etched into my mind..I was in my bedroom, still got the mental image. and the icing on the cake, was the next song in the rundown "Black night" by Deep purple. I'd just started my first job(I was 17), and bought "In rock" and Paranoid albums as well as the Black night single with my first weeks wages R1 today? ...well...I think everyone else has said it alll......

[@richardthompson2892]

That's when I first heard of them as well, don't know what the stations like today as Radio 2 might be going the same way

[@chrishenniker5944]

metafis The only radio station that the BBC has that's worth listening to is Radio 6 Music.

[@andyhalstead3949]

Well said, I remember it well ,freeman was the godfather of rock .

[@harryurz]

Fluff and Tommy Vance. Nuff said.

[@markdaly1648]

This was the best documentary about the inner workings of BBC radio 1. That was ever made. And how brutal matthew bannister was.

[@markdaly1648]

I loved smashy and nicey end of an era. Johnny beergut chasing them out of the building was hilarious.

[@BigDuke6ixx]

'Im not ageist, but I sacked all the old people' Matthew Bannister

[@johnking5174]

Well why should Dave Lee Travis get a pride of place Saturday slot when he was 47/48 years old by 1992/93, way out of the age group of Radio 1 should be attracting.

[@brucedanton3669]

I first saw this when it aired on BBC2 in January 2001. It was excellent then as, of course, it is now too. A wonderful documentary on what had been Radio 1 before then. Of course, as we know, Radio 2 has become like this too, particularly of late. Jim Carter (of Downton Abbey fame) is excellent too as the narrator. Thank you so much-wonderful for sure!!

[@brucedanton3669]

Thank you for that of course!!

[@wanderer1955]

Saw this when it was aired on bbc4 years ago it was a great documentary!! Should be aired again!!!

[@ajs41]

I get the impression that people will always love the way Radio 1 was before 1993 more than they'll love the way it's been since then. I was 14 years old when Radio 1 was modernised, but I actually listened to it more before I was 14 than since.

[@andyhinds542]

We all did.

[@craigsimons817]

That Radio 1 is unlistenable to now by both young and old proves how wrong Bannister was.

[@busterkeatonsbriefs]

You can't dictate to people what's "cool" and what's "not cool" no matter how hard you try.

[@TheBarnacleBlimp]

I was an avid radio 1 listener, and yes, I had grown up with the station from my early teens. By the time bannister came in I was in my early 30's. Change was always going to happen, I saw DJ's come and go and were younger than the ones they replaced. But in my opinion the BBC gave no thought of how to keep listeners like me and the many more like me. After the slaughter of radio 1, none of the other BBC stations were shuffled around to accommodate the potential new listeners migrating from the the former flagship station. We were thrown into a radio less abyss as the local radio stations had nothing to offer only adverts and corporate playlists. I did return to BBC radio many years later, but to radio 2 when the penny finally dropped that us "young older" listeners needed a home, so some of the old radio 1 dj's were brought in to try and boost the BBC networks overall falling listenership, they even brought the ginger twat back as well for the breakfast show. However, the bbc in their usual dim-witted fashion started imposing a set of guidelines for broadcasters that were never going to work and so the rift and eventual departure of its mainstay presenters left. The bbc network has haemorrhaged listeners to Greatest Hits Radio. The final nail radio 2's coffin was the way they treated Ken Bruce in his "mutually agreed departure" from the station. What is the answer? In my opinion there isn't one, the bbc has lost any hope of keeping a loyal listenership that would move through its its stations as the years rolled on. I can still dream.

[@notworthaquid7611]

After ten years, Matthew Bannister has stepped down as the presenter of BBC World Service’s Outlook programme to join the “world of podcasting”. The Almighty now a Podcaster. Funny!!!!! Where the Radio One DJ he sacked doing bloody well for themselves. Good luck to them

[@balearicsoundwave89]

as a youth only peely held any attraction at radio one.i always listened to pirates in leeds,especialy 105 reggae.

[@fazbell]

John Peel was beyond demographics. He transcended most radio conventions.

[@jonathanwarner1844]

He wanted to get rid of them, and was annoyed when they quit. That's pretty messed up!

[@Seal00754]

Radio 2 is going downhill now, sad that radio is something more portable then TV. The playlists are dodgy as they can be, songs that are played and never to be heard again, I go back to the Pirate era and that January when the airwaves were controlled again. Those Dj's were the best foundation for the BBC. Sad that we have polished the turd too much.

[@john111257]

hitmix1075

[@dmpcornwall]

For me it was its best between 1995 and ooh, 2002ish. Chris Evans, Simon Mayo, Lisa I'Anson, Nicky Campbell, Mark Goodier, The Evening Session (Lamacq/Whiley), Mark Radcliffe and Riley, Chris Moyles (in his early years) , John Peel, Dave Pearce, Pete Tong (the latter three all on at reasonable times), Clive Warren, Kevin Greening etc. The mix of music and humour was excellent in this period.

[@rtc9063]

And now in 2022, it looks like Radio 2 is going exactly the same way!

[@colinirving6504]

Bring it back I miss it so much as this was part of the day the week, its so sad that we all used to take our morning break at the time of "our tune" and the golden hour was the best if anyone from the bbc are looking here take heed bring it back & watch your ratings go back up !!!!!!!!!!

[@whatamalike]

I completely understand Matthew bannister's mentality; very similar to that of the whole revamping of bbc radio in the late 60's to make it young. The only difference is that whilst the people who revamped bbc radio in 1967 for the better and succeeded, bannisters clique tried their damned hardest to revamp it and instead became another victim of bland, generic globalisation that has rotted at least part of every major form of media since the early 2000's...

[@notworthaquid7611]

Power Freak who wanted to be the Headlines he once read

[@loosewheels1000]

I use to listen to Radio 1 for years, then stupid Bannister arrived, once he had his way I switched to other stations, eventually I went back to Radio 2, but never again Radio 1, such a pity.

[@timmiles4337]

loosewheels1000 You listened to Radio 1 for years, and then switched to Radio 2? So you weren't exactly on the cutting edge of youth culture then. I think you missed the point.

[@augnkn93043]

+Tim Miles Lol , point well made :)

[@evertonporter7887]

​@@timmiles4337Radio 1 was a big part of my childhood and teenage years...now I listen to Radio 4 more often.

[@burntrim]

I couldn't have put it better myself!

[@leepenfold]

Radio 1 had target audience 30-45 Year Olds it ran for 26 Years 1967-1993 next year it's 20 Years when these big changes came in

[@BruceDanton-xw6eg]

This is excellent of course. Thank you too.

[@voiskumbeaver3285]

Backstab-trocious policies, great mate...

[@Inthemixmedia]

Quite literally hit the nail on the head great mate

[@leepenfold]

If Matthew Bannister went back to radio 1 he do a 1993 clear out again

[@nelsonholmes6174]

I find it hilarious that certain people who listened to Radio 1 25 years ago, say that it's terrible today. Maybe because you're 45 and the target audience is 16 to 32.

[@Robert_Manners]

I am 45 and I just don't listen to it. I listen to Absolute radio 90's because that is the era of music 🎶 that I can most relate to. Simple but effective 🎧🎼🎤🎵🎉

[@DanBmthUK]

Radio 2 is shit now as well

[@craigsimons817]

@@Robert_Manners I listen to Absolute 70s and occasionally 80’s but find the repetitive playing of the same songs by the same artists annoying. So many great songs from these eras, why play just a small fraction of them?

[@Robert_Manners]

@@craigsimons817 Yes I have recently jumped to a few new stations as I have found the repetitive nature of the play lists an issue.

[@theculturedthug6609]

@@craigsimons817 Money.

[@merson812]

A fascinating piece. After all these years, I am coming very close to discovering what really did happen.

[@cymro6537]

And the listening figures *never* recovered....

[@johnholmesinchesahead2347]

Our care home made us listen to Radio 1 in preparation for the Catholic Priests who used to visit. They made us feel young again by putting the DLTs up us!

[@BigDuke6ixx]

Matthew Bannister also destroyed Radio London in 1988, relaunching it as the bland and uninteresting Greater London Radio in the same year. No one remembers GLR.

[@geoffjoffy]

Haha. I love this documentary. Watched it many times.

[@richardthompson2892]

Remember listening to it early in 1993 when DLT said Rolf Harris might be the new number one

[@BB-br4qh]

Scott Mills 46 still at radio 1

[@brucedanton3669]

Well he's on Radio 2 now then surely?!

[@RetroCool73]

@dmpcornwall What you say is correct - a neat balance of relevant old & new dj's. After 2002 the station, and the generation it now represents, jumped the shark.

[@andystreet4022]

The DJs reputation lives on well beyond the fragile ego of Bannister. There's nothing worse than having someone steal your thunder.

[@hauntedhouses9248]

BBC radio is finished the same as its licence fee.

[@aldershot5100]

I dont how DLT ever got on there in the first place .

[@garyhughes7518]

Don't knock the hairy cornflake

[@UnbelievableEricthegiraffe]

@@garyhughes7518 Or old Touchy Feely as was his other Nickname among his Colleagues.

[@Candolad]

He was on the pirate ship Caroline North and Radio 1 was set up by the BBC and the government to replace the successful pirates. That's why he was brought into the station as were most of those early DJ recruits.

[@aldershot5100]

Fair enough but Radio 1 like the rest of Britain at the time were slow to move on

[@lndnflms484]

Bannister had a dirty job to do. The story I would like to hear is why Radio 1 was allowed to get so out of touch. In 1977, the year punk, reggae and disco broke big, they appointed Simon Bates to prime time. I can remember working in a warehouse in 1991 and having to listen to radio 1 the whole day. Simon Bates 9-12 slot was a horror show of middle aged banter, with his thin veneer of charm often failing to hide the anger he had underneath. It was clear he hated a lot of the records he had to play, never expressing any enthusiasm for anything unless it was some other old geezers like Genesis.

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

They were PRESENTERS....they were ALL told what to play by invisible folk who Joe Public rarely gets to see or hear about...if you're gonna have a pop, find out who these individuals were behind the scenes...PRESENTERS were there for one reason...to PRESENT!!!!!.....and that sums up everything. Radio 1 is still driven by clowns like the ones in the past....which is why nothing about today's music is a level playing field.....basically NOTHING'S CHANGED. These Radio stations wouldn't know where to find quality music if it bit them in the f*cking arse!!!!..FACT.

[@James_BAlert]

👍!!!

[@petef7323]

Let the youth have radio1. We've grown up now. But wait! Its happening all over again at radio2!!! 😂

[@liammccarron8191]

Smashie was great!

[@evertonporter7887]

This was The Night Of The Long Knives at Radio 1.

[@SamHodkin23]

Strange how since 1993, the average age of a Radio 1 listener hasn't budged from 32-33. And in truth, Radio 1 in 2012 is truly awful, with dross like Cotton and Grimshaw on the breakfast show? Don't make me laugh.

[@Magicttmt]

Ive just found Jack fm, its great :)

[@audreyperrin320]

I still have a Mike read mug

[@dangale123]

Narrated by Mr Carson.

[@christopherhulse8385]

If Matthew hadn't done what he did in 1993, would the likes of Bates etc still be on the air today?

[@paulchallinor2420]

I was never a fan of Radio 1, but it has to be pointed out that Bannister and Dann might have collected many awards for their work on GLR in London, but Dann has admitted that listening figures actually went down. Of course, it doesn't sit with the tone of the documentary that Bannister and Dann were a success.

[@capitanvonchickenpants8492]

Hip hop rap and r&b made me turn it off, I hated it, but I was getting older and that's what young people wanted, good for them, now days I wouldn't piss on the BBC if it were on fire, what an awful institution it now is, it needs to be scrapped

[@Inthemixmedia]

The ice age killed the first dinasaurs

[@560smr4]

How did Steve right not get the boot.. And why is he still on the radio. He must know to many secrets..

[@johng1420]

He still is on air on radio 2 doing the stuff and gets the listening figures...

[@tomstickland]

Radio1 is awful now and it was awful then. There have been some redeeming features...John Peel, Mark and Lard and, er, that's about it really.

[@tomstickland]

I forgot about Annie Nightingale.

[@northernlad9424]

tomstickland it wasn’t awful then, was brilliant in the 70s

[@john111257]

@@northernlad9424 i thought so too, roadshows etc

[@albaproductions9602]

People who always think they know better know nothing.

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

No point in me commenting to you then.

[@Candolad]

You mean like Matthew Bannister and Chris Evans?

[@johnnydiamondsmusic1673]

Same thing happened to FAB Fm.

[@stephenreeds3632]

He'd rather sack them than let them resign!? There's something wrong him.

[@RetroCool73]

@ripplepooch The Simon Bates "cull" was important to Bannister for two reasons - one being Bannisters ego, the second being Bates had spent years "empire building" at R1 and was a very subversive influence, more so than his status suggests

[@stevenwiltshire9004]

I liked the old radio one I don't lison to bbc radio anymore as it's shit like there tv channels

[@paulsoddsends8967]

I listen to nothing but Radio Caroline and Caroline Flashback. Fantastic as ever!

[@calvertphoto]

Back in the 80's I worked with DLT and Bates. All I'll say is that I never want to work with them again.

[@abhudson14]

alright mate made your point I enjiy Radio2 all day except Jeremy Vine. Did you ever listen to Radio1 and which era was it. I listened from 15 years old to when Matthew Banister took over and made the station shit I started listening to Radio 2 and virgin Radio when Radio 2 had Terry wogon ,jimmy young or at a sunday But since Chirs Evans took over breakfast show He top DJ i listen to Radio 2 all day

[@martinhughes2549]

I was 18 /19 at the time and into Indie music; radio 1 outside the evening was terrible: cheesey; changes had to be made. Radio 1 for a while was really good. Radio 1 went a bit backwards; however it's still nothing like as awful as it was in the early 1990s. It's a station aimed quite rightly at a youth audience and reflects theier musical tastes.

[@kawasaki5187]

Note the voice over !!!!!!!!!!!

[@Candolad]

Fantastic !

[@mikepxg6406]

The Dave Lee Travis radio 1 show was brilliant. The 2 buffoons who fired him are not.

[@zivkovicable]

I hope you're sitting down. Daily Mail headline 20th Dec. 2011 - " KRANKIE HANKY PANKY : Al fresco encounters & backstage affairs in the seedy past of children's TV stars. Status Quo said they were 'wilder than a rock act on tour'. "

[@davidrobinson2776]

The youngest, hippest DJ was always John Peel. Even 20 years after his death, he still is.

[@pyeriotsquad]

Bit Saville adjacent when he was in Texas.

[@ShadowTVNetwork]

Peel was a wrong un.

[@dark108x]

I was 16 when all the changes were made, and what a pleasure it was to finally hear new and relevant music on Radio 1, and despite the likes of Chris Moyles and so now, there are still many brilliant specialist shows where you can hear music that the other commercial stations won't play. It was a disgrace that the national station for 'new music' consisted of pensioners playing Toto records. Bannister made a wise move by employing presenters who actually liked music.

[@garyunsworth726]

Radio 1 was great to listen to back in the day, my favourite was Tommy Vance Friday Rock Show I loved it, this shit Bannister came and basically fucked up BBC radio, his actions are still being felt today, Radio 1 is appalling now with boring youngsters talking shit, I'd rather listen to Radio 3 than Radio 1 now Radio 1 is fucking horrible now

[@stevegarrod4764]

I totally agree. I grew up with Radio 1. Always good entertainment. It must have done something right with the amount of listeners it had.

[@bevmorris7434]

I absolutely agree! Got rid of all the best disc Jockie's that we grew up with, all the jingles, radio 1 roadshows!! How dare they be allowed to do this without giving us anywhere to go!! Never listened to radio 1 again!!!

[@lemsip207]

The DJ's that started on Radio 1 in the 60's when the Light Programme split into Radio 1 and 2 stayed too long with Radio 1 and should have been moved on in the 80's not the 90's. It was only Jimmy Young that was moved onto Radio 2 in the 70's.

[@railman01]

BBC 6 Music puts them all into a cocked hat.

[@77Fortran]

Does Adrian Juste really have a radio voice!?

[@garyfautley9843]

Didn’t do Gary Davis tbh

[@trevorcathcart7047]

Why where they famous? They just played records.

[@sirtinycreep]

They may have been dinosaurs but Radio One was good back then, before Evans and the rest of the crap, like Jo Wiley.

[@Unsung_Earth]

Pop tabalus

[@martinj999]

Ginger nut is taking over Radio 2 with his kid doing the jiggles his Mrs phoned in to the show last week. He be doing the show from his house soon and asking for a 3 day week.

[@aldershot5100]

Radio 1 should have a cut off at 30.Scot mills is too old

[@andyhessey]

A fascinating interview with Matthew Bannister that references this documentary - audioboom.com/boos/4847022-conversations-episode-21-matthew-bannister?t=0

[@sparenovations7176]

Funny how Narcissist always fuck things up

[@RetroCool73]

In truth this sensationalised docu falls way short of substantial, interesting though it is. In truth this cull was necessary, but leaden-footed - a but like this documentary with the lack of interviews from anyone other than Bannister, Dann & Juste. DLT & Bates were way past their sell-by-date, many other dj's were not.

[@supersesqui]

PMSL...Dave Lee Travis....was a overweight 52 year old pipe smoking bearded DJ...who was talking to "the kids"....ffs

[@TheEctomorph]

Allow me to inform you, 'supersesqui', that DLT was in fact 48 years of age - not 52 - when he resigned from his job as a Radio One presenter/'DJ' in 1993.

[@supersesqui]

william kinch You are probably correct, unfortunately I dont follow the twats career.... ..he was and is an untalented annoying bastard...in my humble opinion !

[@meerkatandpug]

Get your facts straight at least then.

[@richardthompson2892]

Listened to his show later on Classic Gold, remember him going a bit mad when he was talking about peadophiles and saying what he would like to do to them

[@TheEctomorph]

Yes, I remember that, too, Richard. It must have been 20 years ago or more now.

[@brianpoole4369]

Bannister s, remit was to throw out the old "white people's" popular music....and force down the throat...the new music agenda.....black, aggressive, hip hop, gangster rap, et al,...the powers that be demanded, youth culture, has to go in a new dark direction....culture, as those who are now awake, know now, modern culture, is and always has been, manipulated, by the ruling elites, who still run this world...the good news...is we are now awake to their satanic plot, to subverate the young through degenerate music!!

[@UnbelievableEricthegiraffe]

BBC Radios job is to reflect tastes of the age group 15 years to early thirties It is No longer made up of Prog rock & Stadium rock bands loving white people As it was in the time of DLT / Simon Bates. And all those other Dinosaurs. Every generation has always had a different music taste from the last.

[@aldershot5100]

The cull was replaced with old farts too.Emma Froyd ??? My God she was terrible

[@djsimonrossprice9400]

" I can't do this anymore". WELL NAFF OFF AND DO SOMETHING ELSE..

[@davidjeffrey8164]

Radio 1 is god awful and has been for ages…..Radio 2 is well and truly heading the same way!

[@nelsonholmes6174]

Jackie Brambles "a dinosaur" she was 26 for christ's sake. Scott Mills is 44 and he's still going strong. The only DJ's Bannister should have got rid of were DLT and Alan Freeman. I won't mention the total disasters that were Lisa I'anson & Emma Freud at lunch time for goodness sake.

[@Theslavedrivers]

No case for abolishing Freeman's Saturday Rock Show. Outstanding show.

[@tarmonhill]

Mark Radcliffe was the only good thing on that station ever.

[@sonicfoxxmusic4281]

SPOT ON.

[@wendydavid9076]

Those 2 blokes ruined radio 1 by culling the best DJs ever , I ditched radio 1 years ago , radio 2 was good after that , even that is crap now apart from Johnny Walker sounds of the 70 s

[@abhudson14]

Radio 2 is a good station

[@zzkiplington]

Dull as

[@abhudson14]

Yeah your right

[@ChrisLynn68]

Back in the late 80's and early 90's I was 'forced' to listen to these egotistical muppets while at work. They all loved the sound of their own voices, Simon Bates the worst. When Harry Enfield & Paul Whitehouse did the Dave Nice & Mike Smash DJ's from 'Fab FM' it was just the perfect parody of what Radio 1 was at the time. They all talked with this pathetic 'mid-Atlantic' accent (just like Cliff Richard still does!) & Steve Wright on Radio 2 does to a lesser extent. Capital FM was much better.

[@roottoot1278]

Its a supposed to be a Radio station for youths. Not middle aged men. Get over it.

[@oaksted338]

it's gone the same way as Glastonbury.... pointless bloated tosh. Same as much of our once great culture

[@burntrim]

That's your opinion. Mine is,it's shit. Let me explain. Chris Evans,enough said. Ken Bruce...mediocre. Jeremy Vine,basically the red tabloids. Steve Wright,ok. Simon Mayo...ok. That's two ok,s and three shits and that's just the hours of daylight. It's shit.

[@Tim091]

What an appalling and cheap attempt to spin a story out of nothing!! The whole tone of the thing is preposterous; it would be comical if it wasn't such fake news. The real story: the BBC management needed to do something about Radio One's image amidst falling ratings. They brought in someone to do the job. What was he expected to do, keep the people who had been identified as the problem broadcasting?

[@burntrim]

Radio 2 is shit as well.