Kenny Everett: The BBC Local Radio Years

KENNY EVERETT: THE BBC LOCAL RADIO YEARS (320kbs-m4a/127mb/55mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 23rd December 2024

The hitherto untold story of the 'wilderness years' of Kenny Everett long before he became a TV star.

In 1970, he was sacked by BBC Radio 1 for insulting the wife of a Government Minister. He was just 25 and was arguably the most creative broadcaster of his generation.

At that time, the BBC still had a radio monopoly in the UK, so the only outlet for his talents was on the corporation's Local Radio stations, then in their infancy.

Cuddly Ken worked for six stations in total, there were few listeners, and they didn't pay much.

The documentary was compiled by journalist and broadcaster Paul Rowley who as a schoolboy recorded Everett's shows on Radio Merseyside on his domestic tape recorder. It was a good job he did because the BBC didn't keep any of those vintage recordings.

Four of the stations even insisted that “the wireless wizard” never worked for them. But after a marathon treasure hunt, Rowley traced listeners who'd similarly recorded Kenny's shows 'off-air' and tracked down some BBC employees who'd 'borrowed' the master tapes.

Paul discloses that one station manager was carpeted after hiring him without permission from the top brass at Broadcasting House. Another station fired him after a feature deemed to be anti-BBC. Part of the banned show is included.

The documentary also looks at the internal politics of the corporation over its handling of the 'enfant terrible'.

Featuring:

* Kenny Everett's then wife Lee who blitzed stations to put her husband on-air
* Former BBC Radio 1 Controller Johnny Beerling
* David Waine (BBC Radio Bristol)
* Victor Marmion (BBC Radio Merseyside)
* Ken Warburton (BBC Radio Solent)
* John Holmes (BBC Radio Nottingham)
* Dennis Lewell (BBC Radio Medway, now BBC Radio Kent)
* Phil Fothergill (BBC Radio Brighton, now BBC Radio Sussex)
* Barbara Taylor
* Lawrie Bloomfield
* Richard Skinner
* Rob Salvidge

Kenny was finally allowed back on Radio 1 in April 1973 but left six months later at the start of Independent Local Radio, being part of the launch team for Capital Radio, the UK's first commercial music station.

He died on April 4, 1995 from an AIDS-related illness. He was just 50.

Fittingly, Radio 4 Extra is broadcasting the programme on December 23, 2024 on the 60th anniversary of the opening of pirate ship Radio London, where Kenny's radio career began. It was arguably the UK's most successful offshore station, with Kenny making his debut the following day on Christmas Eve, 1964 on his last day as a teenager.

The documentary was shortlisted for a Sony Radio Award in 2002 in the "Music Special" category.

Engineer: Darynn Garrett

First broadcast on BBC local radio across England at Christmas 2001.

*** This programme is part of a collection of shows in Christmas week as BBC Radio 4 Extra celebrates the work of Kenny Everett to mark what would have been his 80th birthday on Christmas Day, 2024.