Guernsey Press

In Pictures: First female disc jockey at Radio 1 broke the glass ceiling in 1970

Annie Nightingale was the sole woman to spin the discs in the early days of a male-dominated Radio 1.

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When Annie Nightingale started work for Radio 1 in 1970, the station was a male bastion which had been created during the social revolution of the 1960s.

She remained a well-known figure in music circles decades later, bringing a different style to the airwaves than some of her male colleagues.

Her death at 83 comes at a time when no-one would bat an eyelid at a woman making her way in what was very much a man’s world when she started out.

Women of the Year Lunch and Awards 2010 – London
Annie Nightingale attends the Women of the Year Lunch and Awards 2010 (Fiona Hanson/PA)
Annie Nightingale death
Stella McCartney and DJ Annie Nightingale (Peter Jordan/PA)

She was a friend of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones during the 1960s and was still a regular figure at music events even in her advanced years.

While some of her male colleagues saw their success tarnished by revelations later in life, she remained a respected figure, still visible on the music scene.

Annie Nightingale death
DJ Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) with Annie (Yui Mok/PA)
London Fashion Week Vauxhall Fashion Scout – London
Annie arrives for the SuperSuper Magazine Show (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Her death at 83 comes at a time when the industry she loved has become diverse, in what had once been a world dominated by white men.

She had described it as “her battle” to make sure women could succeed in that world.

Until Janice Long came on board in 1982, she was the only woman working as a DJ at the station.

The Sony Radio Academy Awards 2011 – London
Annie with the The Special Award, at the Sony Radio Academy Awards 2011 (Ian West/PA)
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