1995 in British radio explained

This is a list of events in British radio during 1995.

Events

January

• January – As part of major changes on the network, older music (generally pre-1990 recordings) is largely removed from the Radio 1 daytime playlist.

February

• 14 February – Talk Radio UK becomes the last of three national commercial radio stations to go on air. It broadcasts on the mediumwave frequencies previously occupied by Radio 1.

March

• No events.

April

• 10 April – Virgin Radio starts broadcasting on FM in London. The station is a full simulcast of the national service apart from a 45-minute weekday early evening program. Consequently, at around this time, the national station is rebranded from Virgin 1215 to Virgin Radio.
• 15 April – BBC Radio 3 launches a weekly music discussion programme called Private Passions.
• 21 April – Steve Wright^[1] and Bruno Brookes present their final shows for BBC Radio 1. Both had been at the station for more than ten years.
• 23 April – Following Bruno Brookes’s departure, Mark Goodier begins his second stint as presenter of the Sunday afternoon Top 40 show.
• 24 April – Chris Evans takes over the Radio 1 Breakfast Show from Steve Wright.

May

• May – BBC CWR closes as a stand-alone station and becomes an opt-out of BBC Radio WM.

June

• No events.

July

• The Radio Authority gives permission to GWR Group to begin programme networking across many of its FM stations. This landmark ruling begins the move by commercial radio companies in the UK to replace locally produced shows with networking.^[2]

August

• Rather than merely broadcasting the usual mix of non-stop music and promos, Heart 106.2's test transmissions include live broadcasts of New York station WPLJ.^[3] The station launches on 5 September.

September

• 27 September – The BBC begins regular Digital Audio Broadcasting, from the Crystal Palace transmitting station.^[4]

October

• 9 October –
  • BBC Radio 3 begins broadcasting an hour earlier on weekdays with breakfast show On Air extended from two hours to three hours.^[5]
  • Paul Gambaccini joins Radio 3 to present a new morning program called Morning Collection. Consequently, This Week's Composer moves to the later time of 12noon.
• 21 October – Johnnie Walker ends his third and final stint at BBC Radio 1.

November

• No events.

December

• No events.

Unknown

• The roll-out of BBC Radio 1’s FM network is completed and the station now has the same coverage on FM as the other BBC national stations and having been known on-air as Radio 1 FM, or even simply as 1FM, since the start of the decade to promote the station's move to FM, the on-air name reverts to Radio 1.
• Radio Harmony is rebranded as Kix 96 and changes frequency.
• The BBC last uses the Paris Theatre in central London as a venue for recording radio comedy and music with a live audience.^[6]

Station debuts

• 1 January –
  • Gemini FM and Gemini AM
  • Choice FM Birmingham
• 9 January – Tay AM
• 9 January – Tay FM
• 9 January – Northsound One
• 9 January – Northsound Two
• 14 February – Talk Radio UK
• 10 April – Virgin Radio 105.8
• 30 May – Radio XL
• 10 June – Premier Christian Radio
• 25 June – Vale FM
• 3 July – Viva 963
• 8 July – KMFM
• 17 August – London Turkish Radio
• 5 September – Heart 106.2
• 9 September – Sabras Sound
• 24 September – Amber Radio
• 30 September –
  • CFM West Cumbria
  • Sound Wave
• 30 November – 103.2 Alpha Radio

Programme debuts

• 5 January – In the Red on BBC Radio 4 (1995)
• 20 February – Alan Parker on BBC Radio 1 (1995)
• February
  • The Afternoon Shift on BBC Radio 4 (1995–1998)
  • Barrymore Plus Four on BBC Radio 4 (1995)
• 15 April – Private Passions on BBC Radio 3 (1995–Present)
• 19 April – Sunday Night at 10 on BBC Radio 2 (1995–2013)
• 31 May – Any Other Business on BBC Radio 4 (1995)
• June – This Sceptred Isle on BBC Radio 4 (1995–1996 +Extensions)
• 7 December – Change at Oglethorpe on BBC Radio 2 (1995–1996)

Continuing radio programmes

1940s

• Sunday Half Hour (1940–2018)
• Desert Island Discs (1942–Present)
• Letter from America (1946–2004)
• Woman's Hour (1946–Present)
• A Book at Bedtime (1949–Present)

1950s

• The Archers (1950–Present)
• The Today Programme (1957–Present)
• Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
• Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

• Farming Today (1960–Present)
• In Touch (1961–Present)
• The World at One (1965–Present)
• The Official Chart (1967–Present)
• Just a Minute (1967–Present)
• The Living World (1968–Present)
• The Organist Entertains (1969–2018)

1970s

• PM (1970–Present)
• Start the Week (1970–Present)
• Week Ending (1970–1998)
• You and Yours (1970–Present)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972–Present)
• Good Morning Scotland (1973–Present)
• Kaleidoscope (1973–1998)
• Newsbeat (1973–Present)
• The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
• File on 4 (1977–Present)
• Money Box (1977–Present)
• The News Quiz (1977–Present)
• Breakaway (1979–1998)
• Feedback (1979–Present)
• The Food Programme (1979–Present)
• Science in Action (1979–Present)

1980s

• In Business (1983–Present)
• Sounds of the 60s (1983–Present)
• Loose Ends (1986–Present)

1990s

• The Moral Maze (1990–Present)
• Essential Selection (1991–Present)
• No Commitments (1992–2007)
• The Mark Steel Solution (1992–1996)
• The Masterson Inheritance (1993–1995)
• Harry Hill's Fruit Corner (1993–1997)
• The Pepsi Chart (1993–2002)
• Wake Up to Wogan (1993–2009)
• Essential Mix (1993–Present)
• Up All Night (1994–Present)
• Wake Up to Money (1994–Present)
• Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade (1994–1997)
• Julie Enfield Investigates (1994–1999)

Ending this year

• February – Anderson Country (1994–1995)^[7]
• March –
  • Alan Parker (1995)
  • Barrymore Plus Four (1995)
• July – Any Other Business on BBC Radio 4 (1995)
• 20 December – Lee and Herring (1994–1995)
• 25 December – The Masterson Inheritance (1993–1995)
• Unknown – Alan's Big One (1994–1995)

Closing this year

• Sunrise East Midlands (1992–1995)

Deaths

• 7 January – Larry Grayson, 71, comedian and presenter (Late Night Larry)^[8]
• 30 January – Gerald Durrell, 70, naturalist, zookeeper, author and broadcast presenter
• 5 March – Vivian Stanshall, 51, comic singer-songwriter and broadcaster
• 4 April – Kenny Everett, 50, radio disc jockey and broadcast entertainer^[9]
• 16 April – Arthur English, 75, comedian^[10]
• 18 August – Alan Dell, 71, BBC radio presenter^[11]
• 4 November – Paul Eddington, 68, actor^[12]
• 24 November – Stuart Henry, 54, DJ^[13]

See also

• 1995 in British music
• 1995 in British television
• 1995 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1995

References

1. https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio1/england/1995-04-21 BBC Genome project Radio 1 listings 21 April 1995
2. Book: Stoller, Tony . Sounds Of Our Life: The Story of Independent Radio in the UK . John Libbey Publishing Ltd .
3. Web site: wplj before Heart 106.2 . Digital Spy . 21 October 2014.
4. News: Rhys . Williams . BBC switches on CD-quality radio . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/bbc-switches-on-cd-quality-radio-1603198.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live . Independent Print Limited . The Independent . 28 September 1995 . 3 May 2019.
5. https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio3/1995-10-09 BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 9 October 1995
6. The Skivers Series 2 Episode 5. 2 March 1995.
7. News: Brown. Maggie. Radio 4 silences 'Anderson Country'. 2023-10-16. The Independent. London. 1995-01-18.
8. News: Hayward . Anthony . Obituary: Larry Grayson . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-larry-grayson-1567199.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live . The Independent . 9 January 1995 . 3 January 2021.
9. The Advocate . Transitions . 16 May 1995 . 19 . 681 . 0001-8996 . Here Publishing.
10. News: Denis Gifford. Denis. Gifford. Obituary: Arthur English. The Independent. 1995-04-19.
11. News: Obituary: Alan Dell – independent.co.uk. 28 April 2012. London. The Independent. Steve. Voce. 29 August 1995.
12. News: Tributes flow for Paul Eddington, 'a brave man and a fine actor' . The Independent . 7 November 1995 . 22 July 2014.
13. News: Chris Welch. Chris Welch. Obituary: Stuart Henry | People | News . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-stuart-henry-1584058.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live . . 28 November 1995 . 27 October 2015.