Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20140421 | Although the term Pirate Radio had been around since the 1930's, for UK listeners and a teen generation who had little choice but the Light Programme, the words really meant only one thing: Off-shore Radio. On Easter Sunday 1964 the most famous of all the off-shore Pirates, Radio Caroline, played its first record: 'Not Fade Away' by the Rolling Stones. Aimed principally at London and the South East to begin with, the mother of all the pirate ships had set anchor off the Essex coast and so began the story which, in three short years was to change pop music and radio broadcasting in the UK forever. Across the UK, millions discovered the stations that played pop music all day. Turning the dial of a transistor radio, teenagers searched for an escape from the BBC diet of the Northern Dance Orchestra and carefully selected pop to find the pirate station that everyone was talking about. And once they had found it they didn't stop listening for three years. For the first time, listeners, pop artists and DJ's connected through the airwaves, creating a hub that was to become the centre of the 60s pop culture explosion, and the permissive society. Three years later the pirates were gone, forced off the air by the Government but their effect on broadcasting, music and other art forms including fashion was lasting and considerable. They Didn't Fade away is the first of two programmes which reflect on the impact of the pirates. It's the story of the music, the pirates and lives of millions of ordinary people for whom the pirate radio stations were the key to freedom, expression,creativity and after the drab fifties - fun. Fifty years after Radio Caroline, a look at pirate radio's huge influence. 50 years after Radio Caroline, a look at the pirates' huge influence on music and radio. | |
| 02 | Blind Faith | 20140428 | On Easter Sunday 1964 the most famous of all the pirate radio stations, Radio Caroline, played its first record: 'Not Fade Away' by the Rolling Stones. The mother of all the pirate ships had set anchor off the Essex coast & began the story which was to change pop music & radio broadcasting forever. Teenagers searched for an escape from the BBC Light programme diet of the Northern Dance Orchestra & carefully selected pop to find the pirate station that everyone was talking about. And once they had found it they didn't stop listening to Caroline, & others like it, for three years. For the first time, listeners, pop artists & DJ's connected, creating a hub which became the heart of the pop culture explosion & the permissive society of the 1960s. By 1967 the pirates were gone, forced off the air by the law but their effect on broadcasting, music & other art forms including fashion was lasting and considerable. With a backdrop of the greatest pop music of the times, Blind Faith is the second of two programmes marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of Caroline. It examines the pirates' influence & also reveals a fascinating link to an unusually large cohort of teenagers who, like Stevie Wonder, had been blinded from birth by a medical mistake. For them the pirates were a lifeline to the fast-changing 1960's. Interviews with blind people who were teenagers in the 60s are honest; moving & patently underline the significance of pirate radio's place in the history of UK culture. We also hear from listeners, artists & DJs including a poignant account from Johnnie Walker, the 'defiant pirate', of the end. Blind Faith is a new take on those who George Bernard Shaw would have described as 'unreasonable people' who proved catalytic for a musical & broadcasting revolution. Fifty years after Radio Caroline, a look at the pirates' huge influence on music and radio 50 years after Radio Caroline, a look at the pirates' huge influence on music and radio. |