Annie Nightingale: How Radio 1’s first female presenter and longest-serving broadcaster changed the industry forever
“Our disc jockeys are husband substitutes,” Annie Nightingale was told when she knocked on Radio 1’s door following it’s launch in 1967. So why on Earth, they said, would a woman would want to join the airwaves?
“They were bewildered,” Nightingale told Desert Island Disc’s presenter Lauren Laverne, during her appearance on the much-loved radio show in 2020.
The male bosses were bewildered, but Nightingale was determined. Not only was she the first woman to join the station, in 1970 – remaining the only female host until Janice Long’s arrival 12 years later – she was also its longest-serving broadcaster, male or female, still on air until late last year with Annie Nightingale presents…
Nightingale paved the way for the likes of Jo Whiley (left)
She was a friend of The Beatles and David Bowie, but more importantly supported waves of popular music genres including prog rock, German electronica, punk, acid house and grime. Now highlighted following her death at 83, her influence on the world of British music culture cannot be overstated.
Even into her 80s, she was a champion of new music. Look at her Desert Island Discs choices and you see a mix including John Lennon and Bowie, yes, but also Billie Eilish and Beyonce, interspersed with Ethel Merman and Sid Vicious.
While most of us turn to the music of our formative years and early adulthood when we think of the songs that have defined our lives, Nightingale was constantly soaking up the new, always with an ear for those artists who might become stars. “You want to hear something you’ve never heard before,” she told Laverne, quoting the late John Peel. “Something that surprises you.”
Nightingale was born in Osterley, now part of outer west London but then part of Middlesex, on 1 April 1940. She started her career as a journalist in Brighton and first broadcast on the BBC in 1963 as a panellist on the TV show Juke Box Jury.
Nightingale was friends with Paul McCartney and The Beatles
It was in Brighton where she first interviewed The Beatles, and she went on to become a frequent guest at the band’s Apple Studios in London during the 1960s – a front-row seat to one of the most creative periods in British popular music.
She knew about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s relationship before it was made public, but did not report what she knew would be a headline-making story as she did not want to break her bond of trust with the band.
And Paul McCartney even proposed to her on one occasion, according to the BBC. “Well, sort of yes,” she said when asked about it in an interview. “But I don’t think he was serious!”
‘I hate the R word’
Nightingale said she had not really experienced sexism until she was “rebuffed” by Radio 1.
But in 1969, a new controller arrived who wanted a female DJ, and asked The Beatles’ publicist for a recommendation. Her first show was a disaster technically, she said, but it was the start of an incredible career.
As a DJ she travelled the world, telling The Independent in 2009 that she had been “mugged in Cuba, drugged in Baghdad and bugged in Russia”.
She was also the first woman to present music show The Old Grey Whistle Test, from 1978, which featured live performance from artists as diverse as Bob Marley, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Roxy Music and Randy Newman.
She would say in interviews how she had no plans to slow down. “I hate the ‘R’ word: retire,” she told This Is Money just six months ago. “I don’t want to watch daytime TV.”
Nightingale received an MBE in 2002 and a CBE for services to radio in 2020, which she described as the “coolest big-up ever”.
Her memoir Hey Hi Hello was released in 2020 and offered a look back at her five decades at the forefront of popular music culture in Britain, coming after previous autobiographical books Chase The Fade: Music Memoirs And Memorabilia in 1981, and Wicked Speed in 1999.
A ‘trailblazer’ and ‘legend’
In 2021, a scholarship for female and non-binary music DJs was launched by Radio 1 and named after Nightingale, aiming to “celebrate and elevate talented women and non-binary people in the electronic music scene”.
She kept going, a role model who rallied against not just sexism but ageism, too, a much-loved favourite and authoritative voice on music into her 80s, on a station whose target audience is 15-29 year olds.
“She kept going, her very existence as an older woman playing underground music on Radio 1 was subversive,” said Annie Mac in her tribute.
For Mac and the other female presenters who followed in Nightingale’s footsteps – the likes of Zoe Ball, Jo Whiley, Sara Cox, Fearne Cotton and Clara Amfo – she was a “trailblazer”, a “legend”, “the coolest woman who ever graced the airwaves”; a woman who broke down doors during a time when the industry was pervaded by sexism, and held them open to break the misogyny down, little by little, over more than 50 years.
“Thank you, Annie,” said Laverne, sharing a photo of her conversation with Nightingale. “For opening the door and for showing us all what to do when we got through it.”
Entertainment
Eurovision 2024: Bambie Thug calls on EBU bosses to show ‘humanity’ as Israel-Hamas war ‘overshadows’ event
Ireland’s Eurovision entry, Bambie Thug, has called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to “gain some conscience” and “humanity,” as the contest bosses struggle to keep politics off the stage at the annual competition.
The 31-year-old, who is non-binary and uses the pronouns “they” and “them”, also said “they cried with their team” when they found out Israel had got through to the grand final of the contest.
Eden Golan. Pic: Reuters
Bambie is currently fifth favourite to win the competition with “ouija pop” song Doomsday Blue.
Israel’s act, Eden Golan, will compete with her song Hurricane which was reworked after an initial version titled October Rain was ruled too political by the EBU, which believed some lyrics referred to the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.
In March, Bambie was one of the nine contestants – including the UK’s Olly Alexander, Finland’s Windows95Man and Switzerland’s Nemo – who called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the “safe return” of Israeli hostages in a joint statement.
Earlier in the week, Bambie said the EBU prevented them from displaying a pro-Palestinian message during their performance during the first semi-final.
They told reporters at an earlier news conference that they had been forced to change writing painted on their body which had been painted in an early Medieval alphabet which translated to “ceasefire and freedom”.
At the time, a spokesperson for the EBU said: “The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.
“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show.”
Pic: Reuters
Bambie said for the EBU to better handle future political issues it needed to focus on “gaining some heart and some conscience and some humanity”.
They also said demonstrations and calls for Israel to be banned over their ongoing ground offensive in Gaza was “completely overshadowing” the contest.
They said: “It’s an incredibly intense atmosphere, you know… I don’t think it’s sitting well with any of the contestants, to be honest.”
There are more pro-Palestinian protests planned in Malmo to coincide with the Eurovision grand final, amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Police estimated more than 10,000 people took part in a march on Thursday.
During an earlier rehearsal on Wednesday, Golan was met with some boos and cries of “Free Palestine”, and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.
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Eurovision fans boo Israeli singer
Separately, Spain’s state-owned broadcaster hit out at the EBU on Friday, calling for it to respect “press and opinion” at this year’s event.
RTVE wrote on social media: “The Spanish delegation from @eurovision_tve has conveyed to @EBU_HQ its commitment to freedom of the press and opinion and has asked that @Eurovision let them watch it.”
The post was made shortly after it was announced that Madrid would be hosting the Junior Eurovision Song Contest later this year.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Some 26 countries, including UK entry Olly Alexander, 33, with his track Dizzy, are due to battle it out for the coveted Eurovision glass trophy tonight.
Bambie also referred to an unexplained “incident” involving Netherlands act Joost which happened on Friday and resulted in him being “investigated” by the EBU and removed from the two grand finale rehearsals.
Joost Klein. Pic: AP
When asked if they and other acts were supportive of him, Bambie said: “I don’t know what exactly happened with the incident, but I am with anyone who was pro-Palestine.”
There is no indication that today’s “incident” is linked to disagreements about the situation in the Middle East.
Joost had been part of the flag parade at the start of Friday’s rehearsal, and walked around the stage in full costume, but then failed to arrive on stage for his performance around 30 minutes later.
He later failed to perform in the grand final jury vote – which is the final rehearsal before the real show.
The EBU – which has said the investigation is “ongoing” – is yet to confirm whether Joost will be performing in the grand final tonight.
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Golan responded to a question over whether she was a ‘security risk’
Bambie also said they were worried Ireland might miss out on votes due to the ongoing boycott to stop Eurovision.
They said: “I’m fearful that we will miss a lot of votes because of the boycotting, and that those then will make someone else have more of a chance to win.
“I don’t think it should, but there are 200 million viewers.”
They said people should vote for Bambie Thug “for art, for change, to shake things up and for best song, best performer in the competition”.
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The crowd chanting ‘Joost’ and booing in response to his absence
Croatia is currently predicted to win the contest, followed by Israel, with fellow non-binary contestant Nemo, who is competing for Switzerland, resting in third place.
Meanwhile, Irish premier Simon Harris has said the “whole country will be rooting” for Bambie, who is the first Irish finalist since 2018.
:: Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the final as it happens
Entertainment
Eurovision 2024: The Netherlands’ entry Joost Klein not rehearsing ‘until further notice’ over ‘incident’
The Netherlands’ Eurovision entry Joost Klein is under investigation by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) due to an unexplained “incident” – and will not be rehearsing again until “further notice”.
The Dutch singer, 26, missed his slot in the show’s penultimate dress rehearsal in Malmo, Sweden, on Friday, where he had been due to perform his track Europapa in fifth place, ahead of Israel’s Eden Golan, 20, with her song Hurricane.
It is not yet clear if Klein will be performing in the Eurovision Song Contest’s grand final on Saturday.
The EBU said in a statement: “We are currently investigating an incident that was reported to us involving the Dutch artist. He will not be rehearsing until further notice.
“We have no further comment at this time and will update in due course.”
Klein had been part of the flag parade at the start of the rehearsal, and walked around the stage in full costume, but then failed to arrive on stage for his performance around 30 minutes later.
He had been vocal in a news conference on Thursday night, which brought together the 10 acts from the second semi-final selected for the final, including Israel and the Netherlands.
Some 26 countries, including UK entry Olly Alexander, 33, with his track Dizzy, and Ireland’s Bambie Thug, 31, with the song Doomsday Blue, are due to battle it out for the coveted Eurovision glass trophy on Saturday.
A clip of Klein’s offering – happy-hardcore inspired Europapa – was played out in the recap clips of all 26 songs throughout the rehearsal show, but with a clip of a previous Klein rehearsal.
UK entry Olly Alexander. Pic: Reuters
Ireland’s Bambie Thug. Pic: Reuters
The track, which is one of the most memorable of the show and was described by one critic as “so bad” it will “put you off music forever”, is among the current favourites to win.
Towards the end of the news conference, Golan was asked was asked by Polish radio outlet Newsletter whether she thought she was causing a security risk for other participants by attending the event.
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Israel performs at Eurovision semi-final
The moderator of the conference, Swedish presenter Jovan Radomir, told Golan she did not have to answer the question if she did not want to.
Klein shouted out loudly: “Why not?”
Golan responded to the question, saying: “I think we’re all here for one reason, and one reason only. And the EBU is taking all safety precautions to make this a safe and united place for everyone. And so, I think it’s safe for everyone or we wouldn’t be here.”
Her response was met with a round of applause.
Golan’s song Hurricane was reworked from a previous track called October Rain, which was thought to reference the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.
Read more:
Politics pushes its way into the spotlight
For a contest trying to avoid politics, Eurovision is proving challenging
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The Israeli entry to the competition has drawn criticism due to the war against Hamas in Gaza.
At the start of the news conference, Klein had also draped what appeared to be a Dutch flag around his head completely, sitting like that for a short while before the questions began.
Sky News has emailed Klein’s representatives for comment on his absence in the dress rehearsal.
There are more pro-Palestinian protests planned in Malmo to coincide with the Eurovision grand final, amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
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Eurovision fans on Israel
Security is high in the host city, with extra police being drafted in from neighbouring Denmark and Norway.
Over the last few months there have been demonstrations and calls for acts to boycott the show, after the EBU refused to remove Israel from the competition, insisting it had broken no broadcasting rules.
During an earlier rehearsal on Wednesday, Golan was met with boos and cries of “Free Palestine,” and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.
On Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called protests against Israel’s participation in Eurovision “wrong,” adding “scenes we’ve seen here [in Malmo] have been outrageous”.
A Pro-Palestinian demonstration took place in Malmo on Thursday
Police estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 people took part in a march on Thursday which began in Stortorget square near Malmo’s 16th-century town hall before travelling through the city for a rally in a park several miles from the Eurovision venue, the Malmo Arena.
During the march – which included families with young children, and people with dogs and bicycles – smoke canisters in the colours of the Palestinian flag were set off, with some protesters carrying signs displaying images of Gaza civilians who have been injured amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.
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There was also a banner done in the style of Eurovision with the word “genocide” on it – an accusation vigorously denied by Israel amid the war with Hamas.
Among those in the crowd was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Meanwhile Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent his support to Golan, telling her in a video message: “When they boo you, we are cheering you.”
:: Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the final as it happens on Saturday.
Entertainment
Baby Reindeer: Woman alleged to be inspiration for stalker character to take legal action over Netflix show
A woman alleged to be the inspiration for the stalker character of Martha in hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer has branded the show “defamatory” and plans to sue.
Fiona Harvey said she had been “forced” to come forward after receiving online death threats from “internet sleuths”.
In the Netflix drama series inspired by the real-life experiences of comedian and writer Richard Gadd, his character Donny is stalked by a woman named Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning, after he serves her a free cup of tea in the pub where he works.
But in an interview with Piers Morgan posted on YouTube, Ms Harvey repeatedly denied being a stalker and described the series “a work of fiction”.
The 58-year-old said the show has “taken over enough of my life. I find it quite obscene. I find it horrifying, misogynistic. Some of the death threats have been really terrible online, people phoning me up”.
She added: “It’s been absolutely horrendous. I wouldn’t give credence to something like that, and it’s not really my kind of drama.”
When asked if she will “categorically be taking legal action”, she replied: “Absolutely, against both him (Gadd) and Netflix.”
In the opening sequence, viewers are told in an on-screen message: “This is a true story.”
It later adds: “This programme is based on real events: however certain characters, names, incidents, locations, and dialogue have been fictionalised for dramatic purposes.”
Both Gadd and Netflix have been approached for comment.
The Netflix show purports to be a ‘true story’. Pic: Ed Miller/Netflix
In her interview, Ms Harvey disputed several of the incidents and details depicted, including where the character Martha admits to intimidating Gadd’s character and receives a nine-month prison sentence.
“That is completely untrue, very, very defamatory to me, very career damaging,” she said.
“I wanted to rebut that completely on this show – I am not a stalker, I have not been to jail, I’ve not got injunctions – it is complete nonsense.”
Read more on Sky News:
Dutch Eurovision entry not rehearsing ‘until further notice’ over ‘incident’
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Ms Harvey said she met Gadd when she visited a London pub for a meal. Unlike in the show, she said, Gadd never offered her a cup of tea.
She said she had never heckled his comedy show, visited his home or contacted his parents.
Pressed over her contact with Gadd, she said she had sent a handful of emails, tweeted him about 18 times and written him one letter.
She said she never texted him or messaged him on Facebook as portrayed in the series.
Asked about the show’s title – a nickname that Martha gave Donny – Ms Harvey said she did own a baby reindeer toy as a child.
She said her joke mentioning it to Gadd inadvertently gave the show its name.
After the show’s popularity boomed, viewers began to speculate over the real people who inspired the events behind the series.
It led Gadd to post a message to his Instagram story asking fans to stop with their guesswork.
But Ms Harvey told Morgan: “Saying ‘don’t speculate’, wow, that’s a bit rich now, isn’t it? Fans do speculate.”
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