Aircheck Legends

Profile: John Dunn: Born in Glasgow on 4th March 1934, the son of an electrical engineer, John Churchill Dunn was educated at Christ Church Cathedral Choir School, - carving out a reputation for his singing voice, before his speaking voice - and then at The Kings School in Canterbury.  Throughout his time behind the microphone, he continued to be one of the most respected broadcasters in the UK, this despite his retirement from mainstream radio in 1998.  His full broadcasting career began in 1956 - prior to this, he did his bit for the country, carrying out National Service with the Royal Air Force in Germany between 1953 and 1955.  On leaving the RAF, he ran a Car Wash, assisted people with luggage at London Euston Station and worked in a Bristol cigarette factory.  

He maintained a desire and interest for the radio industry, having acquired a taste for the trade in Germany.  He applied to British Forces Broadcasting.  "They said I lacked experience and that perhaps the BBC was the place to acquire it.  1956's arrival in the broadcasting industry took him into the role of studio manager for the BBC's External Service on the Nine O'Clock News programme, and then the Home Service.   His pillars of reference were famous wartime newsreaders Frank Phillips and Alvar Liddell, who were still broadcasting as John took his early steps in the radio business.  "Big Ben would be on it's third stroke before one of them would come wandering in, pour a drink of water, sit down casually - and start reading the news.  I was deeply impressed." he once said.  His arrival behind a microphone on-air didn't come until he'd clocked up two years in the industry.  1958 saw John begin work as an announcer and newsreader with the General Overseas Service, joining the BBC's UK service a year later.  He read the latest headlines on all the domestic networks, Radio 1 included, where he once followed Rosko, clearly an American, by flatly announcing: "And now, here is the news...in English."  

Across a range of BBC services, 6ft 7" John presented such respected programmes as 'Friday Night Is Music Night', 'Sport' and the ever-popular 'Housewives Choice'.  In the 1960s, and following in the footsteps of 50s hosts John Ellison and Robert MacDermott, he presented 'Top Of The Form', a general knowledge quiz with contestants from rival secondary schools made up over different ages.  John Dunn passed the quiz baton over to Bob Holness in the 1970s.  

When BBC Radio 1 & BBC Radio 2 were created in 1967, John sided with BBC Radio 2 where he slotted into the 'Breakfast Special' seat - a post he held on one of the forerunners of the two new stations - The Light Programme, through until 1973 when he spent a year on 'Late Night Extra' and then moved to the more social hours of early evening between 5:00pm and 7:00pm.  Here, the show evolved into what has been more commonly known over recent years as Drivetime - a mix of music, chat and interviews, and a topical look at the news and current affairs affecting the nation.  His shows were renowned to start or finish with John's show theme - 'Central Park Parade' by The Syd Dale Orchestra.  Drive shows were broadcast from around the World as well as from Broadcasting House, John venturing abroad to NASA's Houston Space Centre in Texas, and MIT in Boston USA, Singapore, Beijing, Manila and Taipei, and, in 1996, even a show from the baron icy wilderness of Antarctica.  He also appeared on-air, but off land, from a Force 9 gale in the English Channel, a hot air balloon and even a Nimrod aircraft.   

John continued on the Drivetime show, with almost 1,000 guests per year, until October 1998 when, aged 62, after bringing in the highest rating on the station, and after 23 years on the station's early evening show, he announced he was stepping away, and into semi-retirement, much to the disappointment of a great many people.  On announcing his retirement, he voiced his opinion on the BBC's Director General John (now Lord) Birt: "I certainly don't like what Birt has done to the surroundings in which I work..  The atmosphere is terrible - morale is bad".   It was none other than Johnnie Walker who took the reigns after John Dunn's final show.  BBC Radio 2's controller at the time described John Dunn as being '...the broadcaster's broadcaster."  This retirement from the show however, was a most suitable time to acknowledge John's sterling service and he was then presented with a Sony GOLD Award for the best drive-time music show.  Despite being one of the most recognised voices in Britain, John said: "The only people who recognise me seem to be taxi drivers who are used to talking over their shoulder!"  On his Drivetime show, for which John commanded an audience of three million people, John once said: "After a long scratchy day at the office, stuck in a traffic jam, and it's raining, I just wanted to remind listeners that 98% of people out there, are extremely nice, and we tend to forget this."

Other awards made to John Dunn include the Variety Club Radio Personality of the Year (1983) as well as the Variety Club Silver Heart, the Daily Mail Silver Microphone, citations as the TV and Radio Industry Club Personality of the Year and in 1985, he was made a Freeman of the City of London.

Despite stepping away from Drivetime, he continued to take part in Radio 2 programmes, such as the evergreen 'Friday Night Is Music Night', and other shows including 'The Glory Days', 'The Waltz Kings' and a popular series on the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.  He also regularly appeared in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's word quiz 'Countdown'.  He was awarded the honour of becoming a member of the Radio Academy's Hall of Fame in 2003 at a special ceremony where his contribution to broadcasting was formally recognised.  His daily media activities were overseen by Jo Gurnett Personal Management.  In his retirement, John, who was married with two daughters, lived in Croydon, Surrey.

It was a little known fact that in John's final years, he'd been fighting cancer.  On Sunday 28th November 2004, John was unable to continue the fight.  He was 70.  Controller for BBC Radio 2, Lesley Douglas said: "John was one of the best known voices in Britain and was truly the gentle giant of broadcasting.  He had been with Radio since it's inception and his long and distinguished career earned him an army of listeners.  He will be remembered with enormous affection and will be greatly missed.  Friend, and fellow broadcaster Terry Wogan said: "What you saw, was what you got.  He was a gentle, good humoured, even tempered, and extremely fine broadcaster and a very, very nice man.  I know you're supposed to say these things about people when they pass on, but in John's case, it's entirely true.  One feels a great loss that such a fine man has passed on and that we've lost such a fine presenter."

With acknowledgements to BBC Online.