RADIO ONE THE DJs

Love or loathe the silly old sod, Wonderful Radio One/Britain's Favourite 275 and 285/One FM/97-99FM Radio One is indelibly stamped on the Cream era's cultural subconcious. For better or worse, it's been a national institution, a refuge for the bland and mindless, and 'the life and soul of the workplace' for over 30 years, often all at the same time. We come, as ever, not to bury Radio One, or even to praise it, but to sort of cut it open and have a rummage inside. There have been moments of genius and ages of dross, brilliant music and fatuous chat, loons and luminaries, all making up a mess of... well, mess, between those two legendary wavelengths. Rumour has it that 285 was slightly better than 275. Somehow. It's the Happy Happy Sound...

MIKE AHERNE (1967) Co-presented the first two editions of Top Gear with Peel, before being dumped from the network.

SIMON BATES (1977-93) Hereinafter referred to as 'Bates'. Mystifyingly, this deep-voiced, oh-so-sincere bespectacled housewives' choice poltroon became something of a 'national phenomenon' during the 80s, thanks to his Kleenex-baiting, HGV-stopping OUR TUNE. That never-changing 11am format - syrupy music, Simes' sympathetic tones... "Godda ledder from a young laydee from Bristol, we'll call her Carol. Now, last year, Carol went on holiday to Menorca, where she met Brian. They got on well, had a few drinks, a few laughs... before the inevitable happened." Now, the inevitable would be either Brian and Carol splitting up, Brian and Carol marrying, Brian and Carol marrying and splitting up, Brian dying, Brian ending up in a wheelchair, Carol ending up in a wheelchair, Carol having an abortion, Carol having a baby, the baby ending up in a wheelchair. Or they're all happily living together (unlikely, though). Whatever the tragedy, though, there was always 10cc's I'm Not In Love as Their Tune. Simes - he always referred to himself as Simes, and, endlessly referred to his production team and BBC management as if anyone cared - also presided over The Golden Hour - "But what was the year?" Once the potential target of an unlikely fighting party made up of JOHN PEEL, KID JENSEN and PAUL BURNETT at the dreaded R1 Christmas Party. ("General rejoicing if people found they weren't anywhere in the vicinity of Simon Bates" - Peel) Enjoyed a short drag racing career in the Radio One Trans-Am. Now on Classic FM.

MADELAINE BELL (1981) What was the idea here then? Some American-type female (a singer?) drafted into front Sunday mornings when Noel was on holiday. Had a jingle that went "You can ring my be-e-e-ll, my bell, Madelaine Bell!" to the tune of the Anita Ward "classic".

ALAN BLACK (early 70s) Presented the Wednesday 10pm show with Anne Nightingale.

TONY BLACKBURN (1967-84) The original original R1 jock, whose dulcet tones introduced The Move's Flowers In The Rain all those years ago. And he never really shifted from that bog-standard, down-the-line, Transatlantic-accented "pop" persona, if indeed persona it was. In the late 70s, blubbed down the microphone because his missus, TESSA "ROBIN'S NEST" WYATT dumped him. In the 80s came the weekend breakfast show, which showcased Tone's solitary gimmick - Arnold The Dog, a tape loop of some poor Radiophonic Workshop underling scraping the inside of a dustbin in an attempt to create a barking dog sound. Why they never just taped a dog barking is probably something Tone'll take with him to his grave. Towards the end of its run, roped in Swap Shop's Keith and Maggie, and needless to say, such reckless overmanning, coupled with regular Junior Choice records of the likes of Ralph McTell's Holly The Hedgehog and Captain Beaky again, meant something had to give. Did the TOP FORTY in the early 80s, and after stints with Radio London and Capital Gold, Tone's settled down to the supermarket/conference/shopping channel/ironic cameo appearance in comedy show lifestyle. And it suits him, like an old pullover.

PETE BRADY (late 60s) Ex-Radio London pirate on the team from day one. In another life was lucky enough to share a studio with Tony Bastable and Susan Stranks on MAGPIE.

JAKKI BRAMBLES (1989-93) Late 80s token girlie jock, originally from Inverness' Moray Firth Radio, did her time on the weekend early show and as Simon Mayo's weather girl, before taking over the Drivetime show. Early 90s reinvention saw her playing lots of Pearl Jam and Nirvana and being promoted to the lunchtime show. In 1993, moved to the States and was slated to be 1FM's 'girl about America', although this never transpired, and she was quietly forgotten amid all the hoopla about Danny Baker. Now filing LA showbiz reports for GMTV. And called Jackie Brambles. Tch...

BRUNO BROOKES (1984-95) Once the brightest star in the Radio Stoke firmament, the self-styled Compact Disc Jockey arrived at Radio One to take over the teatime slot from Peter Powell, armed with a list of hilarious Twisted Lyrics - humour-free misheard songwords. Later fronted the TOP FORTY, before being teamed for no good reason with Liz Kershaw (qv) to present the weekend breakfast show, before he was Bannisterised in 1995. Always the kind of DJ to be pictured pointing at a record in his Radio One promotional photo. Is now a heavyweight internet presence, able to pick up the phone and confidently say, "Sort it!" It says here, anyway. Be careful out there.

PAUL BURNETT (1974-80s) Utility player equally at home in defence or midfield. Perhaps best known for seeing fit to join forces with a Mr DL TRAVIS (qv) to form Laurie Lingo and the Dipsticks and inflict Convoy GB (hilarious comedic concept - redo CW McCall's CB-themed novelty record in a Scouse accent) on an otherwise innocent 1970s British public.

NICKY CAMPBELL (1987-97) In the same way that GARY DAVIES (qv) fancied himself as Radio One's sex god, Nicholas Andrew Argyle Campbell (he's got a degree, you know) touted himself as the network's intellectual egghead on his ten-till-midnight Into The Night slot with his clever-clogs quizzes, serious guest roster - Edward Heath, Paddy Ashdown etc, and about six Van Morrison tracks every night. Habits included "guessing" phone-in callers' star signs, and doing funny pretend Doug E Fresh-era raps over the few dance tracks that made it under the wire onto his show: "Have you noticed all these dance records all sound the same? Here's Deacon Blue." And don't forget the Teasingly Topical Triple Tracker...

Nicholas Andrew Argyle speaks! The great man recently emailed Radio Cream, to correct our initial claim that he'd announced Simes had been made Minister For Pop in a wacky April Fool's Day stunt - it was Mark Goodier who was on air at the time, but, quoth NAAC, "I was indeed the author of the wacky idea - for which I got a bottle of Moet from Johnny Beerling. Nicky 'Here's Deacon Blue' Campbell" The man's a gent.

DAVE CASH (1967-70) Most famously the "straight man" to Everett in their molto-popular double act on Radio London, Cash rocked dependably on The One before leaving for Capital and Everett again, as Kenny and Cash. Dave's legendary career started on board the pirate ship Radio London in 1964. Fronted early concert slot Monday Monday, largely featuring tame cover bands enjoyed by rows of knitting pensioners, who got a rude awakening when The Jimi Hendrix Experience showed up one week.

JENNY COSTELLO (1990-91) Dimly-remembered Bramblesesque youth ticket jockette from that early 90s intake, usually heard on the weekend milkround shift,as well as assorted "swing jock" assignments.

GARY DAVIES (1982-93) Along with the Brookes, perhaps the embodiment of 1980s red-white-and-blue-bodywarmer, get-your-R1-bugs-from-Smiley-Miley-on- the-Goodiemobile DJs, Davies carved a ludicrous niche as the network's 'sex symbol' (Young, Free and Single!), with embarrassing nudge-nudge patter on his Bit In The Middle and 'Woo! Gary Davies!' jingles. Regular features included The Sloppy Bit - a tired ballad, and The Day To Day Challenge, a five-day competition where the prizes included a pair of Radio One boxer shorts, natch. Later on in his 1FM career, attempted to reinvent himself as a man with musical taste, ie playing a couple of Steely Dan tracks on his Sunday late night show. It was to no avail - he was one of the first casualties of Bannisterisation.

CHRIS DENNING (late 60s) Another former jock from The Big L. Now works in the professional voice-over game.

PETE DRUMMOND (late 60s) Dependable former Radio London (again) jock, again of the Top Gear persuasion. Famed far and wide for his single Rocking At The BBC.

NOEL EDMONDS (1970-83) Years before he assaulted a nation's Saturday night senses, Noely spent his tenure at R1 perfecting his melange of zany stunts, madcap japes and Funny Phone Calls™ ("Hello, your library book is 27 years overdue!"), first on the breakfast show (lots of pretending to spill coffee over Tony Blackburn), and more notoriously on Sunday mornings, where he pretended to present the show from a country house with a funny name. Hmm. Dingley Dell played host to sonorous R4 bloke Brian Perkins reading the news, John Gielgud reading The Railway Children, and Captain Beaky and his Band every bloody week.

KENNY EVERETT (late 60s) The Ev did wonders for ITV's sketch comedy scene (see TV Cream entry), but radio was his first love, and it was a medium he was born into. From his early days on Radio London - often in cahoots with DAVE CASH (qv) - he'd become an expert in the medium of sound, making up jingles over old record backing, perfecting the "talking back to tapes" routine, and generally transforming himself from the quiet, unassuming bearded bloke outside Broadcasting House to the manic, chaotic bearded bloke in the studio. Crisp the butler, Bert the janitor, and his own deranged grandmother were among the "characters" he created in a radio world of his own, but this was far more perfected and inspired than the Steve Wright "funny voices" of later years. The following he acquired was immense, and a sizeable hardcore of fans followed him when he was eventually "moved" from The One after an off-the-cuff remark about the Transport Minister's wife passing her driving test, to Capital Radio. From there, he liased with Thames, and thence came the Video Show and a return to the national stage. Later migrated to Radio Two for a while, and then back to Capital Gold. A true maverick and originator of many revolutionary ideas that we now take for granted as lesser talents run them into the ground in lieu of any ideas of their own, Kenny, inspiration to jocks as diverse in temperament (and talent) as ADRIAN JUSTE and CHRIS MORRIS, remains unique.

ALAN 'FLUFF' FREEMAN (1967-1973 and 1988-1993) Beyond all ridicule, the Fluffmeister's loveable, never-changing, Brentford Nylons-flogging patter fortunately can still be heard to this day on Radio Two. In original R1 tenure, was responsible for the Saturday Rock Show and the PICK OF THE POPS countdown, counting down the hits over the majestic At The Sound Of The Swinging Cymbal. First ever Roadshow compere too. Brought back in late 80s to plug Saville-sized gap in weekend schedules, reviving Pick Of The Pops as oldies showcase, replete with those catchphrases: "Greetings pop pickers!", "All right? Stay bright!", "Not 'arf!". By dint of his apparent lack of ego, a genuine love of music and his eagerness to send himself and the whole thing up, the man is a national treasure.

EMMA FREUD (1993-4) Observerite daughter of Liberal gourmet and cat food salesman Clement hosted R1's Birtist lunchtime show. Running feature was Freud and researchers attempting to answer obscure questions sent in by listeners - eg how much does TV ad airtime cost? In later months was accompanied by a bloke called Andy doing the weather with sound effects, whom we suspect was a nascent ANDY DAVIES, now Saturday sidekick of JONATHAN ROSS. Replaced by the hopeless LISA I'ANSON.

PAUL GAMBACCINI (1973-86) Yank smooth talker and memory machine was R1's trivia expert throughout his tenure on the station. If you wanted to know how many number two hits The Animals had in Malaysia, Paul was your man. Moved on to the mellower climate of Radio Two, as well as co-scribbling the Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles with Tim Rice. Always had too many syllables in surname to allow the stereotypical Radio 1 jingle to scan ("De-da-do doooooooo/Paul Gam-ba-cci-ni!")

MARK GOODIER (1987-) Inevitably rechristened Mark Goodybags. Assorted stints in various timeslots - including Saturday night's Club 2200 - led to early-evening Teatime Show, with features such as the Music Jam (Teatime - jam), write in with your three favourite tunes and win a jar of Radio One rock. Next move was to The Evening Session, where Goodier span the tunes from the last throes of Madchester (The Soup Dragons!), and the dismal ascendance of shoegazing. Goodier was also charged with six o'clock chartfest Megahits, and the full-blown TOP FORTY show.

'WHISPERING' BOB HARRIS (1970-1974 and 1988-1993) The king of American FM-style "and to take us up to the 3am news, here's a couple of classic album tracks from Bob Seger" type jocks, the sedate Mr Harris, originally one of the network's early 70s hippy intake and the face of Whistle Test, hosting Sounds Of The Seventies, was among that wave of presenters who washed up back at the station in the late 80s, taking you through the night with some vintage Van Morrison, but before that, here's the new one from Sting...

LENNY HENRY (1984) Just as he was moving from Three Of A Kind to his own BBC shows, Len did a Saturday afternoon slot for a while and wasn't bad. Delbert Wilkins figured of course, as did Elfreda the loopy charwoman and Trevor MacDoughnut for Tiswas nostalgists. Best was the mini-serial Gronk Zillman - Private Eye of the 21st Century, a bizarre freeform yarn featuring Leonid Eagleburger (that's enough!), the most evil man in the world.

STUART HENRY (early 70s) Scotsman fronted Saturday mornings before (or was it after?) ROSKO. "Stuart Henry, ma friend". Moved to Radio Luxembourg, before going down with MS.

NICKY HORNE (1970-74 and 1992-93) Earnest, "diminutive" bearded rock-centric frontman from early seventies, before departing for Capital and Channel Four American Football presentation gig. After appearing on the awful, awful, awful Channel Four "quality music" show Rock Steady, resumed overnight duties briefly in early 90s, along with bank holiday specials Barbed Wireless, where listeners had to make humorous connections between different records.

NEALE JAMES (1991-95) Ineffectual weekend early morning frontman, who makes this list by virtue of his classic gaffe, "On this day in 1941, Bob Dylan was born, and what a shame he's not around to celebrate his birthday." Also did pointless Sunday afternoon 'put your questions to Ray from 2 Unlimited' slot Rockline.

DAVID 'KID' JENSEN (1977-85) Fresh-faced Canadian blond smoothie, original helmer of the proto-indie evening show , perennial moonlighter on such TV extravaganzas as The Daily Mirror Rock and Pop Awards, and endlessly teamed up with John Peel for a Top Of The Pops presentation double act surreal in its "worlds in collision" banter. Partook in "year out" at early 80s, spending time at CNN. Upon his return, the increasingly incongruous 'Kid' monicker was history. Left the Beeb in 1984 to host ILR's Network Chart Sponsored By Nescafe. Also presented TV kids' quiz Worldwise, in a hovering armchair. Can now be found on Heart FM.

ADRIAN JOHN (1982-89) Archetypal 'lets the music do the talking' (ie dull patter, tinted pilot spectacles etc) jock, presented weekday early mornings for seven years. Main reason for employment seems to have been to cause confusion with Adrian Juste.

DUNCAN JOHNSON (late 60s) Former Radio Northsea International pirate.

STEVE JONES (70s and 80s) Better known (well, not much) as the host of The Pyramid Game, Search For A Star and for voiceover duties on numerous sleep-inducing awards shows, but he had a stint on Saturday afternoons in the 70s, and fronted R1 and R2 early show in late 70s.

PAUL JORDAN (1985-86) Unremarkable youthful mid 80s recruit, mainly restricted to swing jock duties and Friday afternoon show, before being shuffled out again not long after. No doubt stuck pins in a knitted effigy of Simon Mayo on a regular basis.

ADRIAN JUSTE (1976-93) Time-honoured wacky-thumbs-aloft character, with permanent helium-hysterical microphone voice, who linked funny comedy clips (Steven Wright et al) in an unfunny way (interrupting every other line of routine with a jokey "Oh, really?", "So what happened?" etc) on a Saturday lunchtime, between DLT and a documentary about Steve Lillywhite. Notorious for fronting a Vote Conservative promotional mock phone-in cassette for the 1992 election, "Ring and tell us how much extra it would cost you in tax if a socialist government ran the country!"

ANDY KERSHAW (1984-99) Best known to non-One-ers as the "professional northerner" voice behind a thousand bog-roll ads (but see also JOHN PEEL), but Liz's rather more credible brother has continued to plough the furrow which was briefly termed World Music for about a fortnight in the mid 80s, when Janet Street-Porter's mates all bought the same Bhundu Boys record and then forgot to listen to it. The Eagle-Eye Cherry co-hosted Big World Cafe debacle on Channel Four aside, he continues to plug the 'exotic' likes of Dembo Konte and The 3 Mustaphas 3 on Radio Three and the World Service.

LIZ KERSHAW (1987-92) Northern harridan and sister of Andy, bafflingly teamed with Bruno Brookes to present weekend breakfast show, to the infinite irritation of a hangover-struck nation. Much forced banter and desperate name-calling ensued, as did several unsuccessful records (It Takes Two, Let's Dance, Come Outside) for charidee.

GARY KING (1990-92) One of those "next big thing" jocks who never quite made the breakthrough, despite several weeks presenting the Breakfast Show when Simon Mayo was on paternity leave. Steve Wright-lite schtick, funny voices etc. Usually to be found on weekday early show, where, like Brambles and Mayo, he had a jingle that went: "You know you gotta, you don't wanna, but you gotta, 'cos it's time to wake up, take a look at the clock! Shake the sleep from your head, get yourself outta bed, 'cos Gary is here to put your system in shock! Gary King! Radio Ooooone F! M!"

ALEXIS KORNER (1970-83) Mellow-as-mellow-gets voiced guitar legend-cum-Sunday evening post-Top Forty blues show frontman. Erm, that's it. Think he died not long after the show finished.

JANICE LONG (1982-87) Dependable presenter of the original evening session, taking over from The Kid in that early evening semi-alternative slot spanning the vast gulf between Steve Wright's back-to-back Chris Rea extravaganza and Peel's Beefheart retrospective. Left in much-publicised controversy when she became pregnant.

THE MAN EZEKE (1990-93) One of a long line of R1's token black jocks (also Gary Byrd, The Ranking Miss P) in the network's less-enlightened past. Presented, ahem, The Sunshine Show, before graduating to Sunday lunchtime Number Ones On 1FM slot, before disappearing forever...

SIMON MAYO (1986-2001) The Vicar of Broadcasting House, notable for a) relative longevity b) adopting Tarrantesque zoo format for nationwide breakfast consumption. Started on the usual array of weird-hours shows with the occasional live-gig-introduction slot. Breakfast Show enabled various attempts at knock-on TV stardom, especially for the patented Confessions™ concept. Also kicked around - On This Day In History, a round-up of famous events in the past set to George Michael's I Want Your Sex, and the awkwardly-titled Identik-Hit Quiz. This 'height of fame' period was also notable for knockabout pseudoshagging sixth-form sexual chemistry with the likes of SYBIL RUSCOE, JAKKI BRAMBLES and DIANNE OXBERRY, news bulletins from stolid ROD McKENZIE and wacky japes aplenty from RIC 'GUEST PRODUCER' BLAXILL. 'Spawned' several novelty hits - Donald Where's Your Troosers, Kinky Boots and Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life. Married to a producer of religious programmes. Not an atheist.

ANNE NIGHTINGALE (1970s-) First female jock on R1. Cheerful big sister archetype turned largerette dance guru, famously, during Creamtime, in the post-Top Forty Sunday evening slot, where a sprinkling of light indie - The Smiths, New Order and Love Cats again - requested by kids busily dashing off last-minute homework or, during the season, last-minute chenistry revision. Annie dusted down the anecdotes, dispensed advice for "growing" teens, and cued up that bloody Fish Heads novelty record for the tenth time. For all that, far better than most of her male contemporaries. Now to be found in small hours "chillout" slot.

MARK PAGE (mid 80s) Otherwise known as "Me, Mark Page", to those few who listened to his tucked-away show. A junior Steve Wright in appearance, but every bit a young Alan Partridge in reality, Page's main triumph was to fabricate a story in which he had, in a previous life, had a "try-out" for Darlington FC. This rather feeble tale was, in fact, a lie.

DIXIE PEACH (early 80s) Long-forgotten but colourfully-monickered jock who manfully worked the token black music brief in the early 1980s (is that Imagination's Body Talk I hear?) Just a hunch, possibly not his real name?

ANDY PEEBLES (1978-92) Another 'just the music' man, Peebles did an early 80s morning show which included gardening tips from Alan Titchmarsh, before manning the smooth Vandross soul-lite shift for donkey's years, as well as a Friday night sports show. Famously declares to all and sundry that he was the last person ever to interview John Lennon. Whether you ask him or not.

JOHN PEEL (1967-) The formidable alterno-colossus was the tramp-resembling bloke scowling at the back of that infamous original R1 group photo on the steps of All Soul's Church by Broadcasting House. He'd got there via California, Dallas and the heady days of the 60s pirate stations, but John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (as we're duty bound to refer to him), despite often embodying the exact opposite of many of the station's favourite fly-by-nights, has remained a solid fixture on The One ever since, mostly by dint of being any good. From the days of the wonderfully of-its-time Perfumed Garden and Top Gear, through prog, punk, "new wave" (Gang Of Four and Wire, generally), "indie" (anything on Beggars Banquet and Factory, generally), and onwards, The Peel has championed and promoted the best (and, to be fair, a good measure of the worst - Carcass, anyone?) music of the last three-plus decades, without ever appearing a bandwagon-jumper. Show, until recently, always introed with the increasingly inappropriate blues plodding of Grinderswitch. But at least as much as the music, the manner maketh the man, and the eternally-bearded (even his voice seems to have a beard these days) JP has, in spite of himself, developed an unmistakeable aural persona. Playing records at the wrong speed (still, after about 40 years in which to get it right); never talking over a fade-out if he can help it (often resulting in a battle of wits with some avant-garde stop-start-ending disc); continually praising The Fall above most everything else except Liverpool FC (nothing wrong there); continually bemoaning the state (ie lack of Fall songs) of the reader-voted and self-compiled Festive 50 chart; odd, whimsical shaggy dog anecdotes about his kids meeting the bloke out of Napalm Death on a ferry, or buying underpants; odd, silly anecdotes about long-time producer John "What's on!" Walters etc etc. It all sounds frighteningly misconstrued, but it works, generally due to Peel's unforced and self-effacing on-air style, unlike his one-time sworn enemy The Bates (fact - the only two people in the world who hate John Peel are Bates and the singer off The Pooh Sticks. Enough said.) Still with R1, and is unlikely to be shifted in the foreseeable future - pipe, slippers and fucking in the streets.

In 1993 Peel took over the lunchtime slot for a week after then-controller Johnny Beerling was challenged by someone at a conference. He'd obviously been told "Look man, we don't want to compromise your show, but remember there will be a different audience listening, and we do have a daytime playlist to follow... just bear that in mind, OK?" First record - "Why Are People Grudgeful?" by The Fall, followed with the obscure reggae original version of the same song. He then continued in the same vein, playing a lot of hard-trance, the odd Beefheart classic and making snide comments about most of the playlist. For instance, the Chris Issak which included the line '...and you can't do a thing to stop me' to which Peel retorted, "Yes I can, mate, I can take your awful CD out of the machine and throw it as far away from this studio as possible." For a brief moment, we thought we'd won. Next week, he was back on the night-shift. Bet off.

PETER POWELL (1977-88) "Suuummer radio, on the Peter Powell show..." These days he's better known as top showbiz agent and Mr (ex-) Anthea Turner, but in his time at R1, he was the Mark Goodier of his day - fresh-faced, uncontroversial, liked to nurture new bands - "Here's a great new single from a band I think are going to be huge, this is Level 42!" Best remembered feature from his teatime show was Five 45s at 5.45, whereby he'd play five 45s. At 5.:45. Just don't get genius like that any more. Later shifted to weekend breakfast. "Hear his music flow on the Peter Powell show!"

Click below for some top Powellite Shape Up and Prance exercise routines in MP3 format. But remember, "only do what you feel capable of doing..."

MIKE RAVEN (1967-74) Former Radio Invicta/390/KING Radio pirate. Died of a heart attack in 1997.

MIKE READ (1978-91) Dark-glassed frustrated musician (see SATURDAY SUPERSTORE), Ready regularly serenaded his breakfast listeners or roadshow crowd with a quick strum through Alice's Restaurant, before running through the day's listening on R1 by doing bad impressions of all the jocks. Most famous for banning Frankie's Relax (although claims that Reid's censorship helped it become a hit are urban myth - the record was already at number two when he banned it). Inventor of the distinctly Our Tuneish 'First Love' slot. Forever wittering about playing tennis with Cliff, or Dan Dare - he briefly had a column in 80s relaunched Eagle comic. Became a millionaire through Curiosity beret bloke-endorsed Pop Quiz board game. Had own band (Mike Read and the Rockolas!) and released single extolling the virtues of living in a high rise tower block to the tune of his "Mike Read! Mike Read! 275 and 285!" jingle ("me neigbours are bangin' on the wall again!") Jingle later changed to Mari Wilson going "Mike Read, just what I've always... want-ed!" Booming-voiced newsreader Andrew Turner had to sit in on the occasions when Ready's alarm clock famously failed to go off. Top story on John Craven's Newsround, we seem to recall...

EMPEROR ROSKO (1967-78) Alias one Michael Pasternak. Made The One by way of Beverly Hills, Radio Luxemburg, Radio Monte Carlo, and of course Caroline. One of several jocks poached by the Beeb when Caroline finally came to an end, along with Blackburn and Everett. He did a variety of slots, including Saturday mornings, and Rosko's Round Table. Also did an early version of the Roadshow on Aberavon beach. Famed for Transatlantic mindblowing vocabulary all of his own (he was, in his own words, a "toe-tapping, hand-clapping, lean, mean record machine"), much imitated (and in itself adapted from US jocks), but never equalled - on one occasion, after Rosko handed over to the newsroom in typical style, the reader said "Here is the news from the BBC, in English." Now broadcasts from California to over 15 Euro stations. All right, cats and kittens?

JIMMY SAVILLE (1967-87) Rivalled only by Bruce Forsyth in the catchphrase stakes ("Uhuhuhuhuh! Howsabout that, then! Goodness gracious guys'n'gals! Now then now then!"), The Sav's main contribution to R1 was The Old Record Club (theme - The In Crowd), his Sunday lunchtime rundown of two archive top tens. Plenty of fun trying to win points from Sir Jim: "Now then, now then, two points if you got Combine Harvester open brackets Brand New key close brackets by The Wurzels from this week in 1976 - you had to have the brackets." Carried on doing show whilst running marathons. Bear in mind he's bought us a lot of machines.

ROGER SCOTT (1987-89) Fondly remembered long-time Capital mainstay, in the Johnnie Walker "DJ's DJ" mould, frequently credited with introducing Bruce Springsteen to a British audience. Finally lured over to The One to front The Saturday Sequence and late night Sunday show in the twilight of his career, as he died of cancer not long afterwards.

RICHARD SKINNER (1977-92) Stolid R1 standby for all those regular slots which didn't call for ker-azy madcap DJ japes - Top Forty, Round Table, Mailbag and The Saturday Sequence - the mid 80s five-hour Q-skewed coffee-table afternoon rock marathon, always featuring a documentary about Elvis Costello, Hue and Cry in concert, and an interview with Quincy Jones. Defected in early 90s to help set up Virgin Radio.

KEITH 'CARDBOARD SHOES' SKUES (late 60s) One of the original group of ex-pirates that sat on the steps to be photographed in 1967. Now entertaining the folk of East Anglia including John Peel with the evening slot on BBC Radio Norfolk.

MIKE SMITH (1982-88) For a while back there, Smitty was Mr BBC - The Late Late Breakfast Show, The Montreaux Rock Festival, Live Aid, erm, Friday People - but he also managed to find time to become perhaps R1's least memorable Breakfast Show presenter between 1986 and 1988. Prior to that, he'd done the lunchtime and early shows. Claims that Smashy and Nicey destroyed Radio One. You don't see him much any more, do you?

TIM SMITH (1988-89) Another of those Beerling period fresh-faced recruits who was handed the prime weekend-early-show-cum-ejector-seat slot. Later got gig on GLR and hosted Popcall on Radio 5.

ED 'STEWPOT' STEWART (1967-80) Scouser Stewpot was briefly king of all media in the 70s - prime R1 slot (could-do-better catchphrase - "Morning!"), tenure as affable cabbage-baiting Crackerjack frontman, resident Look-In gagmeister ("Smile With Stewpot!"), and star of "don't let your two-year-old talk to strangers" PIF, along with daughter Francesca. Main gimmick - a voice on tape which went "Allo Darlin!". Later moved to Nellie-centric Junior Choice presentation duties, and now to be found chez Radio Two.

DAVE LEE TRAVIS (1968-that Sunday in 1993) Pipe Smoker Of The Millennium, creator of Give Us A Break: Snooker On The Radio, and Treble Top: Darts On The Radio, the Hairy Monster, nay, the Hairy Cornflake presided over the breakfast show in the late 70s, before progressing to the REO Speedwagon car wash slot in the 80s ("It's DLT, OK!"), spending time inbetween at his charming Buckinghamshire farm with his charming Swedish wife. Notorious for going off on one - seal-culling, nurses' pay and inconsiderate drivers: "Remember, in fog - it's Foot Off Gas" all came under the Travis ire. Other Travis gimmicks included the Tranogram and the Think Link - 'think literally, and think laterally.' After resigning on air: "I wanted you to know first, changes are being made here against my principles," DLT now presents an oldies show on Classic Gold radio. And smokes a pipe.

TOMMY VANCE (1975-93) "TV" on the radio! Do you see? Forget the "gravel voiced" stereotype, Mr Vance had a whole Cornish quarry down his throat. They used to film episodes of Blake's Seven on his adam's apple, and so when he told you how good the latest Nazareth "waxing" was, you bloody believed it. "Rock" was the key word here, and boy, did he. Came on very much like Alan Freeman's younger brother from the wrong side of the tracks. Later migrated to Virgin, and VH-1 as The Night Fly, in those mafioso shades. As with dear old Fluff, will gladly take the piss out of himself at the drop of a hat. Toast his name in foaming, nut-brown ale.

JOHNNIE WALKER (1969-75 and 1988-94) Yet another easy on the ear, just-the-music presenter. What's the matter with these people? Just tell us a joke! Anyway, despite all that "he's the DJ's DJ" bollocks, JW deserves a bit of respect, not least for his bonkers "man's fight for freedom" speech on the defiant Radio Caroline when the government tried to shut down all the pirates in 1967. Errant free thinker whose unwillingness to do things their way led to repeated run-ins with the BBC hierarchy. Did lunchtimes for a while in the early 70s (including a daily phone-in quiz called Pop the Question). In later R1 days, usually found in The Saturday Sequence chair (cf Richard Skinner), and also did R5's post-Baker slot, The AM Alternative. Now on Radio Two, reviving his marvellous sisters-of-distortion "He's in! Johnnie Wal-keeer! He's on!!" jingle.

STEVE WRIGHT (1980-95) Radio One's original purveyor of In The Afternoon zoo-style bollocks, initially a blokey miscellany with The Afternoon Boys, Mr Angry from Purley, hilarious gay hairdresser Gervaise and a bloke (Phil Cornwell) who pretended to be John Cole, Mick Jagger or David Bowie ("Tell us what the time is! Tell us what the temperature is!") Also around this time, the continuing adventures of The Gay Cavalleros, which featured on one of Wright's forays into the recording studio, which also produced I'm Alright ("'e's alright, if you're alright you can't go wrong!"), and Yank mini-soap Laura's First Love. Around 1988, all the politically incorrect stuff went out of the window (and Wright stopped getting his hair permed) and The Afternoon Boys became the ultra-cretinous Posse - "and we're back with another talkie bit, talking about our favourite fruit. Richard, what's your favourite fruit?" Characters now featured a man who came on and said "Easy life!" a lot, and another called Diamond Geezer, who had a song which went "Mr Spoons! Mr Spoons!" and, most cretinous of them all, Roadshow favourite Dr Fish Filleter. Shifted to the Breakfast Show in 1994, but the writing was on the wall and he exited soon after. Now on Radio Two.

Radio One's Sound Advisers: Tim Unwin, Louis Barfe, Kay Cotterill, Michael Binns, Ben H, Chris Hughes, Cassandra J, Adrian Partington, Graham Kibble-White, Droog Robinson, Peter Bowyer, Martyn Lycett