volume 3
september 2000

Rare pictures from radio's past

Radio London: 11. April Fools Day 1967

by Gerry Bishop, Hans Knot and John S. Platt

Sometimes the deejays pulled their own jokes on the audience. On April, 1st 1967, after 9.00am the Keith Skues Show was interrupted by what appeared to be a new station, Radio East Anglia, testing. As the morning progressed the tests continued from time to time interrupting not only records, but commercials and news. It really sounded like the start of a new station. Just before Noon Radio London faded in and Radio East Anglia was never heard again. The whole thing had been broadcast from the Galaxy by clever mixing and very good production work.

Kenny Everett

Promo card Voice of Prophecy

Tony Windsor on air

For April Fools Day 1967 a hoax had been devised which would involve the aid of the Radio Caroline DJ's, but they backed out for fear of being dismissed. Instead Radio London thought up a very clever hoax. Just after 9.00am the Keith Skues Show was interrupted by what appeared to be a new station, Radio East Anglia, testing. As the morning progressed the tests continued from time to time interrupting not only records, but commercials and news. The 10.30am Radio London news should have enabled the listener to deduce what was going on. Lead item concerned the extension of Felixstowe Pier to two miles, so as to bring the offshore stations within the three mile limit, and there followed a number of other fake items including an impossible weather forecast.

Listen to Radio East Anglia on April, 1st, 1967

Sticker Wonderful Big L Club

Tony Blackburn

During that 1st April the signal from Radio East Anglia gradually improved and just before 11.30am completely drowned Radio London. It was announced by the DJ's, Bob Parkin and Apsley Guise that Radio East Anglia was broadcasting from Norfolk on 267 metres with a power of 25OkW. Advertisements for various businesses were aired and it really sounded like the start of a new station. Just before Noon Radio London faded in and Radio East Anglia was never heard again. The whole thing had been broadcast from the Galaxy by clever mixing and very good production work.

Kenny Everett

Radio London sticker

Dave Dennis

Kenny Everett and Tony Windsor

Paul Kaye

Tender Offshore 2

Tendering the MV Galaxy

Mike Lennox

The sound fragment on this page is copyrighted. It is used here according to the rules of fair use and academic quoting. Look here for other pictures and documents of Radio London (1964-1967).