Peter Powell

**Peter Powell** (Peter James Barnard-Powell, b. 24 March 1951) is a former British DJ and music TV presenter, popular in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Powell was the voice that launched BBC Radio Birmingham on 09 November 1970. After a brief stint with BBC Radio 1 he joined Radio Luxembourg where he became famous with the young audience thanks to his youthful style and good looks.

## Radio 1

In 1977 Powell grabbed the opportunity to return to BBC Radio 1, hosting the Sunday morning show from 10.00 am starting on 20 November 1977, later moving to Saturdays at the same time. He hosted his first Top of the Pops on 03 November 1977, and his first Radio 1 Roadshow the following summer in the week beginning Monday 31 July, with a second stint in August.

After several 'stand-in' spots at various time-slots, from 01 September 1980 Powell hosted the late afternoon 'tea-time' weekday show, Radio Times stated that month: *Peter Powell is Radio 1's newest weekday dee-jay, with a time-slot that means he has the crossover audience of housewives, kids home from school, students who've finished the day's lectures and people on their way home from work. With this wide-ranging audience, there's something for everyone in Peter's show. 'Mind you," he says, 'apart from the regular spots like That Drivin' Beat, we do like to keep things as unpredictable as possible and surprise the listeners with a special guest now and then. Musically, with the entire BBC Record Library at our disposal, I can include Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly, disco and dance music, plus the singles and album charts, and quite a few new album tracks that people might like to hear.'*

Regular features included the Top 40 rundown on Tuesdays at 6.00 pm, which young people had been unable to listen to at lunchtime. In 1981 he stated in Radio Times: "*I play all the new entries, the high-climbers and the top three - important because they are the top best-selling singles in Britain. I think that the chart has never been so well reflected than now by what's being played on Radio 1. and the chart music today is more evenly balanced than before"*. On featuring the weekly Album chart on Thursdays he said: "*I do feel that the album chart gives listeners a chance to hear music they wouldn't normally hear during the day on the radio, and is really a much broader reflection of current musical tastes."[1]*

A popular feature on Fridays was Ring-a-Disc, in which, "Peter invites you to phone him from 4.30 onwards and choose a disc from the Top 40 singles chart". Powell stated in 1981: "*I really enjoy doing the Ring-a-Disc. as I love "meeting my audience", and I'm a natural extrovert anyway! [...] As it's all totally live, the programme's as much the listeners' responsibility as mine!*"

Powell was also keen on launching new bands and artists and featured the occasional live session, "*They are all chosen very carefully.' explains Peter. 'I (and my producer) listen to a tremendous number of demo tapes. The important thing with recording a new band is to try to look ahead of what is actually happening on the music scene. I mean, for example. I was into the Futurist sound before it became widely popular, which led to the recording of bands like Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran (who I think will be very big). I felt the time was right for that and the kids were also getting into it too*.

However it was the "Five 45s at 5.45" feature which, by Powell's own admission, was a way of getting round the Radio 1 'playlist' and Top 40 dictat. In Radio Times he stated, '*These [...] Are the best 20 singles selected from over 100 new releases that I've listened to with my - producer, and think are good listening. They must have something, because we usually only have time to hear them once. I'll only review in the affirmative, or if there's something favourable to say, there's no point in being negative. Many of them are first-time plays and a vital piece of air-time for an enormous number of new groups.*

Other features include: Stepping Out - "a look at the latest on the dance music scene", a Club Top Ten and Record Race, "your chance to win the Top Ten Singles". From Friday 22 April 1983 he began Peter Powell's Select-a-Disc, in which listeners were invited to write in and, "If you're one of the lucky ones chosen, Peter will ring you live on the air and you can select your favourite Top 40 hit and have a dedication".

In 1983 he travelled with producer Dave Atkey to Australia to interview fellow-Midlanders Duran Duran who were fast becoming a global success. The special programmes went out on 21 and 24 November 1983 (two episodes repeated in January 1984).

On 29 September 1984 he took over the weekend breakfast show from Tony Blackburn, broadcasting at from 8.00 am on Saturdays and Sundays (while still continuing with Select a Disc on Fridays). His final weekend show for Radio 1 went out on Sunday 25 September 1988.

In February 2000 he contributed to the Radio 2 documentary *The Great 208 - the Story of Radio Luxembourg*[2]. His Radio 1 Vintage show and interview went out on Monday 02 October 2017. See also *21 Years of Radio 1*, first broadcast 01 October 1988.

TV
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### TOTP

Since his first top of the Pops in November 1977 with The Jam performing The Modern World and Showaddywaddy in the studio and ABBA's Name of the Game at no.1, Powell presented over 100 episodes of the show. His final edition went out almost 11 years later, on 15 September 1988, with Bros and The Proclaimers in the studio and Phil Collins' Groovy Kind Of Love at no.1.

### ORS

The BBC2 Friday evening music-magazine show Oxford Road Show from Manchester was hosted by Powell beginning on 19 November 1982. The 1984 season was rebranded as ORS 84 and was also 'integrated' into Powell's radio show, most notably with 'ORSPS' on Thursdays, which looked forward to the following day's TV show and also featured letters commenting on the previous week's edition.

### Other shows

* Host of *Seaside Special*, weekly show on BBC One, beginning 14 July 1979
* *Get Set For Summer,* Season 1 starting 11 July 1981, Season 2 from 17 April 1982. For Season 3, with the show re-branded to get Set, Powell presented only 'Poparound', "a report on the pop scene".
* *The Saturday Picture Show*, 1984 - Powell reviewed the latest pop videos.
* *1 On The Road,* from 28 July 1984 "Peter Powell introduces a summer series designed to bring a splash of holiday colour to Saturday evenings."
* 1985: "ORS 85" external broadcasts only; various live music performance programmes with interviews etc. (Howard Jones, King, OMD,...), Children in Need.
* *Heart Beat 86* (02 August 1986) - Famous pop and rock musicians from the Midlands join together for a pop/rock extravaganza at the National Exhibition Centre.
* Occasional guest contestant on *Blankety Blank* (1985, '86, '87)

## Private life

From around 1984 Powell was said to be in a relationship with colleague Janice Long, neither publicised the fact although it was a 'rumour' that went around the music press at the time. Long has only said in more recent years that Powell 'taught her to drive' (she met her life-long partner Paul Berry in 1987). Powell was married to English television presenter Anthea Turner for eight years from 1990. Turner had previously been in a relationship with Bruno Brookes.

After leaving broadcasting, Powell has enjoyed a second career in talent management.

## External links

* Much of the information here is based on Sean Tilley's, *Peter Powell - From Star To Star Maker* first broadcast 28 December 2022.
* Radio 1 Vintage - Radio show - interview