ANNIE NIGHTINGALE

Anne Nightingale MBE, the first female presenter on Radio 1 and presenter of BBC2's Old Grey Whistle Test says.....

"Yes i would love to (go on Southampton World and answer your questions), but just got too much on till mid aug. would that b too late? thanks"

I have replied telling her that mid August would be just super!!

Dear Annie, sorry if this makes you feel a little old, but I recall being in the audience for a short lived pop programme in the mid 1960's called Dad Your a Square. (Even the name is a bit squirmy now - actually it was then too). It was recorded at the old Southern TV studios at Northam in Southampton. I think it was supposed to be an answer to the BBC's Juke Box Jury. Do you recall the show?

And over the years you must have met and seen some really great bands and individuals. Do any stand out for you?

I believe that Annie should be on here soon now.



From Wikipedia....

Anne "Annie" Nightingale MBE (born 1 April 1942) is an English radio broadcaster. She is most commonly known by the more informal name of Annie. She was the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 and, since the death of John Peel in October 2004, is its longest-serving presenter.


BACK IN 1964

After attending Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton, London and the Polytechnic of Central London School of Journalism Annie began her career as a journalist in Brighton. In the 1960s she wrote colums for the Daily Express, the Daily Sketch and Cosmopolitan.



She started at Radio 1 on the 1st of January 1970 with a Sunday evening show. Later she then hosted the singles review show What's New in the early 1970s before graduating to a late-night progressive rock show, which was simulcast on the Radio 2 FM frequency.

In the late 1970s she presented a Sunday afternoon request show and by 1980 was presenting a Friday night show and the non-music-based Radio 1 Mailbag. In 1978 Nightingale began presenting the The Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC2; during her tenure the show moved away from its progressive rock bias and embraced more modern, popular styles such as punk rock and new wave.



In the late 1970s The Sunday Request Show began its run; originally broadcast on Sunday afternoons before moving in 1982 to a slot immediately after the Top 40. The show was one of the first on British radio to regularly play music from CDs. A gimmick was to allow the intro of the first song in the show to play uninterrupted before saying "Hi" in the very last second before the vocals started.



In 1994 Nightingale moved to a weekend overnight dance music show initially called The Chill Out Zone. She can still be heard in the early hours of Friday mornings on BBC Radio 1. On her current show she spins breaks, often featuring major breaks DJs such as Plump DJs, Freestylers, Noisia and Meat Katie. Nightingale regularly DJs live at clubs and festivals around the UK and Europe.

As a DJ Nightingale has travelled all over the world and made music-documentaries during visits to Russia, Romania, Iraq, Chile, The Philippines and Cuba. While in Havana in 1996 she was injured during a mugging, resulting in multiple injuries requiring an air-lift to a London hospital, since which she has worn the distinctive shades, now part of her image.



In 2002 Nightingale was awarded both the MBE for her services to radio broadcasting and The Caner Of The Year Award by Muzik Magazine. The award recognised her in depth coverage of the radio scene. In 2004 she was the first female DJ from Radio 1 to be inducted into the Radio Academy Hall Of Fame.

Nightingale has published two autobiographical books: Chase The Fade (1981) ISBN 0713711671 and Wicked Speed (1999) ISBN 0283061979. She has compiled two albums: Annie On One (1996, Heavenly Recordings) and her own installment of the Breaks DJ mix series Y4K (2007, Distinctive Records).


On 30 September 2007, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio 1 Annie 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 Annie's recollections of regular contributors such as "Night Owl of Croydon". The show featured many classic tracks which had been requested over the years and closed with one of Annie's favourites, Cristina's version of "Is That All There Is?".

A version of The Smiths song Panic interpreted by Mancunian cult comedian Frank Sidebottom dedicates its choruses to "Anne the deejay" and asks "Anne Nightingale what's your blinking game".

Hi,

It was terrible to hear of the mugging when you were injured. Are you still suffering from that to the present day? Or have the shades become a habit or fashion statement?

You have been credited with giving Fred Dineage his break, how did that come about?

Are there any other well-known personalities who were discovered or helped on their way by you?

Thanks for doing this for us.

As a young girl did you have dreams of becoming a journalist? or a DJ? or an entertainer?

Was your progression to DJ planned or luck??

I read that your husband once tipped a drink over Tony Blackburn!! What was that all about? Are you on good terms with Mr Blackburn these days??

Hi!! You have been close friends with Paul McCartney, are there any funny stories you can tell us about him?

If you were given the opportunity to live a year of your life over again because it was sooooo fantastic, which year would you choose?

And if you were given the chance to re-live and put right a year that you hated which year would you choose?

Great that you're doing this thanks!
A trademark of yours is to let the intro of your first track play and then say 'hi' just before the vocals started. Did that first start by accident or what made you first think of doing it?

Can you tell us how you first broke into broadcasting? Were you discovered by someone or were you successful in applying for a vacancy?

Are you superstitious? Are there things you do or things you wear for good luck?

You have interviewed many people. Which do you think was your best interview? And who was really hard to interview?

Hiya, Do you like football? Which team do you support? And do you have any memories of visits to Southampton?

There must have been some times that things have not gone right and you have been embarrassed? Please tell us about one or two.

Have you ever used bad language on the air? Ever been in trouble with your bosses?

You are famous for your delightful sexy husky voice, have you ever been nominated for a sexiest voice award or anything like that?

Answer these so we can see what makes you tick?

1. Do friends have a pet name or nickname for you?

2. At school were you well-behaved or how did you get in trouble?

3 What hobbies do you pursue? Do you play any sports?

4 Do you drive? What would be your ideal car to drive?

5 If you were offered a part in a TV soap, which series would you choose?

6 Who are your favourite singers/groups (past or present)?

7 Which personality would you like to interview?

8. What product would you like to be given a contract to advertise?

9 Do you have any pets?

10 What is your favourite meal? And favourite drink?

11 If you had not become famous what jobs would you have liked to do?

12. What musical instruments do you play?

13. Which colours do you prefer wearing?

14. In private life are you happier in jeans or skirts and dresses?

15. What do you prefer to sleep in? PJs, nighties or what?

16. What is your favourite perfume?

17. What is your ideal holiday/vacation?

18 Do you have a partner? Or children?

19 What is your favourite joke?

20 In 10 years from now what would you like to be doing?

Have you ever been asked to do celebrity shows like Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing on Ice? How do you feel about shows like that?

Fascinating questions…a pleasure to answer. Sorry its taken so long!

Alf Tupper wrote:Dear Annie, sorry if this makes you feel a little old, but I recall being in the audience for a short lived pop programme in the mid 1960's called Dad Your a Square. (Even the name is a bit squirmy now - actually it was then too). It was recorded at the old Southern TV studios at Northam in Southampton. I think it was supposed to be an answer to the BBC's Juke Box Jury. Do you recall the show?

And over the years you must have met and seen some really great bands and individuals. Do any stand out for you?

Yes I do recall the show, hilarious, all live probably, so nothing on Youtube now!

Aa for second part of your question, So many from Beatles, Bowie, Led Zep, The Who, The Kinks, The Stones, The Byrds, Hendrix, up to many nowadays like Skrillex, Magnetic Man, Ive always championed the underground!

Bob's your Uncle wrote:Hi,

It was terrible to hear of the mugging when you were injured. Are you still suffering from that to the present day? Or have the shades become a habit or fashion statement?

Thanks for asking. It was a bit of an ordeal in Cuba,, but most people have some time in their life which is a turning point. I decided that this experience, unpleasant though it was(and the uncertainty of recovery which is as bad!) made me a lot stronger as a person. And I did recover thanks mainly to an amazing Aussie physiotherapist called Christopher Maclean. I think he was helping out David Walliams on his epic Thames swim recently. Large ups to Chris! Positivity and all that! Wearing shades was nothing to do with it really. I enjoy wearing them, like jewellry.

Bob's your Uncle wrote:You have been credited with giving Fred Dineage his break, how did that come about?

Are there any other well-known personalities who were discovered or helped on their way by you?

Fred worked in the same office as me at the Brighton Evening Argus, and he had such a sparkling personality that I thought he would be great on TV, and tipped him off to try it out. Like to think there are a few bands I've helped on their way…Ian Dury And The BLockheads, The Police, and Underworld spring to mind, and I really rate Example, Tinie Tempah, Professor Green and Wretch 32 among the new British urban stars.

North End Mam wrote:Thanks for doing this for us.

As a young girl did you have dreams of becoming a journalist? or a DJ? or an entertainer?

Was your progression to DJ planned or luck??

I wanted to be a journalist, I think more because of Hollywood than anything else --- I had seen Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. I had no idea of becoming a broadcaster. Once I had decided to want to have a go at being a dj this was because of my passion for music. I cant sing or play an instrument well enough (or didnt think so, anyway) but I had done quite a lot of tv presenting and journalism, so thought being a dj would be a great idea. At the time Radio 1 was an all male preserve, I had to break down the doors to be allowed to have a go. There was no luck involved. Anyone reading this who wants to be a radio dj -- all the best, and don't take no for an answer! Persistence pays off.

Jillyanne wrote:Hi!! You have been close friends with Paul McCartney, are there any funny stories you can tell us about him?

Well its not vey funny, but. I did an interview with him recently for a BBC documentary --- being shown on BBC4 on Friday night Sept 24th at 1.15am. He told me something I had never known, that the Beatles' amazing invasion of the US and then their world domination came about because of: Paul's determination that the Beatles should not visit the States until they had had a No 1 hit there. Previous Beatles releases had flopped in the US. And Paul had witnessed other British pop stars who had failed to 'crack' America, so he knew The Beatles had to do something really different, really original.

Jillyanne wrote:If you were given the opportunity to live a year of your life over again because it was sooooo fantastic, which year would you choose?

And if you were given the chance to re-live and put right a year that you hated which year would you choose?

I've got lots of fave years 63-67, 78-82, 90-95, 99, 2000, 2011.

Well you can't re live or put right, so I cant answer the second part of the question.