Annie Nightingale was the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 in 1970, and is its longest-serving presenter.
60 Facts About Annie Nightingale
1.
2.
Annie Nightingale had joined the weekly Brighton and Hove Gazette as a general reporter.
3.
Annie Nightingale joined Associated-Rediffusion TV and hosted her own show That's For Me.
4.
Annie Nightingale presented the pop culture show, booked guest musicians who had not previously been seen on TV such as The Yardbirds and introduced The Who's first promotion film.
5.
Annie Nightingale made numerous appearances on Ready Steady Go and was a guest on their uproarious New Year's Eve Specials, which included the biggest pop, soul and rock stars of the era.
6.
Annie Nightingale put on fashion shows and took part in them, notably a charity show for the Duke Of Norfolk at Arundel Castle, West Sussex.
7.
Annie Nightingale became a well-known fashion model at the time, with sessions with such photographers as Philip Townsend and Dezo Hoffman.
8.
Annie Nightingale specialised in writing about teen issues, burgeoning feminist perspectives and social issues.
9.
Annie Nightingale wrote for the music magazine Disc and Music Echo.
10.
Annie Nightingale was the pop music columnist and feature writer for Cosmopolitan when it launched in the UK.
11.
Annie Nightingale applied for a job as a Radio 1 DJ but was firmly rejected on the grounds of being a woman.
12.
Annie Nightingale persisted for three years and was only given a chance to audition by her friends the Beatles and their staff at Apple Records.
13.
Annie Nightingale was given a trial run of six programmes before she was signed as the first female DJ on Radio 1.
14.
Annie Nightingale remained the only female DJ at Radio 1 for 12 years, from 1970 until 1982 when she was joined by Janice Long.
15.
Early in the 1970s Annie Nightingale hosted a documentary film series for BBC 1 TV entitled Before The Event.
16.
Annie Nightingale played a talk show TV host and was billed as playing the part of herself.
17.
Later, Annie Nightingale moved to a Sunday afternoon slot on Radio 1, hosting a request show from 1975 till 1979.
18.
Annie Nightingale credited Bernie Andrews, the producer for the team for his success with this show, and later Pete Ritzema.
19.
Annie Nightingale was hugely influential in producing live sessions for the greatest names of the era, including Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd.
20.
Annie Nightingale hosted a live Friday night slot, produced by another top Radio 1 producer, Jeff Griffin.
21.
In 1981 Annie Nightingale published her first memoir, the vividly illustrated art book, Chase the Fade.
22.
Between 1989 -1990 Annie Nightingale hosted an interview TV series for ITV entitled One To One.
23.
Annie Nightingale conducted in-depth interviews with Debbie Harry, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Peter Gabriel, John Taylor of Duran Duran, and Status Quo.
24.
Annie Nightingale worked with BBC TV on the Old Grey Whistle Test for eleven years.
25.
Annie Nightingale worked further with the BBC team, presenting long-running shows such as Late Night In Concert in addition to her weekly Old Grey Whistle Test slot and Christmas specials.
26.
Annie Nightingale interviewed artists for the show, including Mick Jagger, Mick Taylor, Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa, Dusty Springfield and Paul Simon.
27.
For Live Aid 1985 Annie Nightingale was commissioned by the Live Aid team to be the BBC's sole presenter at the Philadelphia US special.
28.
Annie Nightingale commentated and presented, introducing artists such as Duran Duran, Madonna, the Pretenders, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Crosby Stills and Nash.
29.
Annie Nightingale became very involved with the burgeoning acid house music revolution from 1989 onwards, playing much of the coming nineties decade music on her Radio 1 show before it went mainstream.
30.
Annie Nightingale began her career as a journalist, broadcaster, columnist, TV host and fashion boutique owner, embracing the revolutionary years of her youth in the 1960s amid the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, David Bowie, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and other leading pop artists and writers.
31.
Annie Nightingale joined BBC Radio 1 in 1970, becoming the first national female DJ on the BBC and has remained a broadcaster there ever since.
32.
Annie Nightingale has specialised in championing new and underground music, she has led the movement and encouraged other women to become DJs and broadcasters.
33.
Annie Nightingale is BBC Radio 1's longest serving broadcaster and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a female radio presenter.
34.
Annie Nightingale started at BBC Radio 1 on 8 February 1970 with a Sunday evening show.
35.
In 1978, Annie Nightingale became the main presenter of The Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC2 as a replacement for long-time host Bob Harris.
36.
Annie Nightingale had begun The Sunday Request Show in September 1975, originally on Sunday afternoons until the end of 1979.
37.
In 1994, Annie Nightingale moved to a weekend overnight dance music show initially called The Chill Out Zone.
38.
Annie Nightingale has broadcast TV and Radio documentaries during visits to Russia, Romania, Iraq, Chile, Philippines, United States, France, Ibiza, Japan, China, India and Cuba.
39.
In 2002, Annie Nightingale was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to radio broadcasting.
40.
Annie Nightingale has published two autobiographical books: Chase The Fade.
41.
Annie Nightingale has compiled three albums: Annie on One, in which she included the then unsigned and undiscovered Daft Punk, her own instalment of the Breaks DJ mix series Y4K, and 'Masterpiece' on the Ministry of Sound compilation series of that name.
42.
On 30 September 2007, the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio 1 was celebrated, Nightingale co-hosted a special return of the Request Show with Annie Mac featuring contributions from musicians such as Paul McCartney and Chemical Ed, excerpts from the original show and Nightingale's recollections of regular contributors such as "Night Owl of Croydon".
43.
Annie Nightingale was made an honorary Doctor of Letters at the University of Westminster in December 2012.
44.
Annie Nightingale is an ambassador at Prince Charles' The Prince's Trust and a patron of Sound Women, an organisation to promote women in broadcasting.
45.
In 2013, Annie Nightingale was featured in the BBC Radio 4 programme Getting on Air: the Female Pioneers, presented by Jane Garvey.
46.
In 2015, it was revealed that Annie Nightingale had been approached by the BBC to sign a letter warning Prime Minister David Cameron that his plans to reform the corporation would damage it.
47.
In July 2020, Annie Nightingale appeared as a guest on the long-running BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs, choosing a saxophone as her luxury item and "Space Oddity" as the one track she would save in the event of a tropical storm.
48.
Already Member of the Order of the British Empire, Annie Nightingale was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to radio broadcasting.
49.
Annie Nightingale is the only BBC Radio 1 broadcaster ever to receive this honour.
50.
Annie Nightingale was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Audio Production Awards.
51.
Annie Nightingale recorded an audiobook version to coincide with the hardback publication.
52.
In 2020 Annie Nightingale recorded Desert Island Discs, for BBC Radio 4 with Lauren Laverne.
53.
Annie Nightingale's luxury item was a saxophone, and most treasured disc, David Bowie's Space Oddity.
54.
Annie Nightingale told Bowie this after a memorable encounter when she invited the artist for a solo drink and interview session at The Colonnade Bar, Brighton.
55.
Annie Nightingale was the first woman to host a rock music tv show singlehandedly.
56.
Annie Nightingale discovered female and non-binary DJs, three who were given a special one-off slot on a Saturday night.
57.
In 2022 Annie Nightingale was included in 100 Voices that represented significant BBC figures to celebrate the Corporation's centenary.
58.
Annie Nightingale has continued presenting this on an occasional basis, usually on bank holidays.
59.
In 2020, Annie Nightingale celebrated her 50th anniversary in broadcasting with a series of BBC specials, and a compilation album on Ministry of Sound.
60.
Annie Nightingale has been married twice: first to writer Gordon Thomas, with whom she had two children, Alex and Lucy; and then to actor Binky Baker, who appeared in Gangster No 1.