2001 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 2001.

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Events

January

• 31 January – BBC Radio 2 begins broadcasting the eight-part series, Kirsty MacColl's Cuba, which was postponed as a mark of respect following her death in December 2000.[1]

February

• 19 February – Jo Whiley begins presenting her weekday morning programme, The Jo Whiley Show on BBC Radio 1.

March

• No events

April

• No events

May

• 10 May – For the first time, BBC Radio 2 becomes the UK's most listened to radio station, overtaking BBC Radio 1. [2] It has held that position ever since.

June

• 28 June – Chris Evans was dismissed by Virgin Radio for repeatedly failing to arrive at work. Evans was replaced by the older Steve Penk, whom Evans criticised for his age – 39 versus Evans's then 35.[3] Evans subsequently attempted to sue Virgin Radio, claiming that he was unfairly dismissed and denied share options worth £8.6 million,[4] but in 2003 was found to have been fairly dismissed and not entitled to the share options.[5]

July

• No events

August

• August – the KM Group take full control of Neptune Radio and CTFM.

September

• 11 September – Following a terrorist attack on the United States, and the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City, live on television, most broadcasters abandon regular programming in order to provide up to date coverage of unfolding events.
• September – the KM Group rebrands its newly acquired Mercury FM stations as KMFM West Kent and KMFM Medway.

October

• 1 October – BBC Radio 2 starts broadcasting a weekly album chart show. The one-hour programme is broadcast on Monday evenings and is presented by Simon Mayo.[6]
• 4 October – Premier Christian Radio receives an official warning from the Radio Authority for broadcasting "items that were offensive to people of other, non-Christian beliefs".[7]
• 16 October – Saga 105.7 FM, the first radio station dedicated to the over-50s, is launched in Birmingham.
• October – BBC London Live changes its name to BBC London 94.9.
• October – BBC Three Counties Radio launches opt-out programming for the county of Buckinghamshire.
• October – The Sky News Radio service is expanded to provide hourly news bulletins, audio and scripts for a number of clients in the commercial radio sector.

November

• 2 November – It is reported that police are to examine an edition of BBC Radio 2's Jimmy Young Show broadcast on 31 October to decide whether comments made on the programme by Abdul Haq, a spokesman for the extremist Muslim group al-Muhajiroun amount to incitement. Haq said he and other Muslims would "continue to struggle and strive until we see the flag of Islam flying over 10 Downing Street". The show drew over 200 complaints.[8][9]
• 24 November – On the tenth anniversary of Freddie Mercury's death, BBC Radio 2 airs The Mercury Tapes, a programme featuring recently discovered recordings made by David Wigg in which he talks to the Queen frontman about his life and music.[10]

December

• 17 December – Release of the Gordon Haskell song How Wonderful You Are which was issued as a single after mass promotion by BBC Radio 2 where it became a favourite of listeners after being played on the Johnnie Walker show.[11] The song was the most requested song of all time at the station and became the Christmas number-two in the UK charts.[12]
• 20 December – Enda Caldwell presents Atlantic 252's final programme before the station goes off air after twelve years. It continued with an automated output for a few weeks before finally ending in January 2002.
• 25 December – Classic FM broadcasts its Nation's Favourite Christmas Carol countdown for the first time.
• December – The eight medium wave Magic stations in northern England begin networking 10 am – 2 pm and 7 pm – 6 am with the London station Magic 105.4 providing the programmes.

Station debuts

• 1 March – 107.8 Radio Jackie
• 3 March – Hertbeat FM
• 31 March – Bright 106.4
• 30 May – Castle Rock FM
• 3 June – Compass FM
• 16 June – KCR 106.7
• 4 July – Quay West 107.4 (2001–2010)
• 27 July – Energy FM
• 16 October – Saga 105.7 FM (2001–2007)
• 23 October – Lakeland Radio
• 31 October – Mix 107
• 5 November – 3TR FM (2001–2010)
• Unknown – Garrison FM

Programme debuts

• 28 January – Parsons and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections on BBC Radio 2 (2001–2007)
• 31 January – Kirsty MacColl's Cuba on BBC Radio 2 (2001)
• 19 February – The Jo Whiley Show on BBC Radio 1 (2001–2009)
• 4 April – The Leopard in Autumn on BBC Radio 4 (2001–2002)
• June – Comedy Album Heroes on BBC Radio 4 (2001–2003)
• July – Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting on BBC Radio 4 (2001–2002)
• 28 July – Jammin' on BBC Radio 2 (2001–2008)
• 16 October –
  • The Boosh on BBC Radio 4 (2001)
  • Think the Unthinkable on BBC Radio 4 (2001–2005)
• Unknown – Go4It on BBC Radio 4 (2001–2009)
• Unknown – Kermode and Mayo's Film Review on BBC Radio Five Live (2001–Present)

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)
• Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

• Farming Today (1960–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)
• You and Yours (1970–Present)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972–Present)
• Good Morning Scotland (1973–Present)
• Newsbeat (1973–Present)
• File on 4 (1977–Present)
• Money Box (1977–Present)
• The News Quiz (1977–Present)
• Feedback (1979–Present)
• The Food Programme (1979–Present)
• Science in Action (1979–Present)

1980s

• Steve Wright in the Afternoon (1981–1993, 1999–Present)
• 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 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)
• Private Passions (1995–Present)
• Parkinson's Sunday Supplement (1996–2007)
• The David Jacobs Collection (1996–2013)
• Westway (1997–2005)
• The 99p Challenge (1998–2004)
• Puzzle Panel (1998–2005)
• Drivetime with Johnnie Walker (1998–2006)
• Sunday Night at 10 (1998–2013)
• In Our Time (1998–Present)
• Material World (1998–Present)
• Scott Mills (1998–Present)
• The Now Show (1998–Present)
• The Attractive Young Rabbi (1999–2002)
• It's Been a Bad Week (1999–2006)
• Jonathan Ross (1999–2010)

2000s

• Dead Ringers (2000–2007, 2014–Present)
• BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (2000–Present)
• Sounds of the 70s (2000–2008, 2009–Present)
• The Human Zoo (2000–2002)
• Little Britain (2000–2002)
• Big John @ Breakfast (2000–Present)

Ending this year

• 20 January – Saturday Night Jack (2000–2001)
• March – The Big Booth (2000–2001)
• 21 March – Kirsty MacColl's Cuba (2001)
• 8 November – The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
• 20 November – The Boosh (2001)
• 25 November – Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)

Deaths

• 27 March – Irene Thomas, 80, radio personality
• 26 April – Bryon Butler, 66, football correspondent
• 22 October – Cliff Adams, 77, musician and bandleader[13]

See also

• 2001 in British music
• 2001 in British television
• 2001 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2001

References

1. "ENTERTAINMENT | Postponed MacColl series airs". BBC News. 2001-02-01. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
2. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/may/10/broadcasting.bbc Radio 2 is top UK station]
3. "Penk replaces Evans at Virgin Radio". BBC News. 2001-07-02. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
4. "Evans sues for lost Virgin shares". BBC News. 2001-12-14. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
5. "Christopher Evans v SMG Television et al". Royal Courts of Justice. 2003-06-23. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
6. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/jul/20/broadcasting.bbc Simon Mayo to front Radio 2 album show]
7. Notes of Radio Authority Meeting, Radio Authority, 4 October 2001.
8. Leonard, Tom (2 November 2001). "Police study Jimmy Young Show after 'incitement' complaints". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
9. Higham, Nick (1 November 2001). "The media battles on". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
10. "The Mercury Tapes – BBC Radio 2 – 24 November 2001 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
11. Eden, Richard (24 December 2001). "And then they go and spoil it all for Gordon Haskell". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
12. "Haskell's 'old school' rules". BBC News. 13 January 2002. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
13. "Cliff Adams obituary". The Guardian. 1 November 2001. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.