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Radio 1 Magazine 15th Anniversary Edition
Radio 1 Museum page 15 Back to the AIRCHECK Museum Home Page AIRCHECK home page
We hope you're enjoying taking a look through this cyber-magazine - probably one of a only a few actual copies left in the UK. On this page...
THE HMV SHOP MARATHON MUSIC QUIZ 1982
The biggest and largest test of pop knowledge in the World was staged over the 1982 Easter holiday between two teams - Radio 1 and the Music Business. In best marathon tradition, the event was set up to last for, not 26 miles 385 yards, but 26 hours and 385 minutes. Mathematicians amongst you will realise that this works out practically to 32 hours and 25 minutes.
It all started at 9:50am on Good Friday when David Jensen set the scene for Radio 1 listeners, the Radio 1 Doc, Alan Maryon Davis, checked out the physical state of the various captains and the question masters before the quiz was started with question number one at 10:00am. Mike Read was the Question Master, Paul Gambaccini, Captain of the Radio 1 Team and Record Producer (and winner of the Radio 1 DJ poll in the 1981 Rock & Pop Awards) Martin Rushent was Captain of the Music Industry side. These three stalwarts were scheduled to be there for the entire duration of the event but their teams were allowed to change as supporters joined them from varying periods of time. The end came on the following Saturday at 6.25pm when Radio 1 beat the Music Business by 1,506 points to 1,274.
The show was staged in The Bloomsbury Theatre in London and all the proceeds went to the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre. This centre was set up with funds raised by the music business and in it, specially trained music therapists help handicapped children to overcome their disabilities by using rhythm and music. Such is the support amongst the music business that over 150 personalities, artists and backroom people came along to take part in the quiz and during the night, the phone lines were opened so that the public listening to Radio 1 could phone in and pay to set questions. The calls came in by the hundred proving how many people will stay up for worthwhile entertainment, and others were prompted to drive from as far away as Newcastle.
HMV Shops who sponsored the whole event, also agreed to pay up to £1,200 to Mike Read if he could answer a separate series of questions put to him by members of the two teams. A sort of super Beat The Jock contest which Mike went on to win.
The Marathon Music Quiz was devised and produced by Daffyd Rees, a music researcher who has always been keen on quizzes about pop, and who was responsible for setting questions on TV's 'Pop Quiz', Radio 1's 'Musicology' and 'Quiz Kid'. He stayed the course too and is already thinking about another event for 1983, though whether he will go for another marathon is the one question he is not prepared to answer yet.
It must be a benefit to have a beard back in 1982 - both DLT & Noel Edmonds had large features about themselves in the magazine....here's Mr. Noel Tidybeard's item....
Noel Edmonds by Johnny Beerling
In
the Summer of 1970, on Monday July 20th to be precise, the then Chancellor of
the Exchequer, Ian McLeod died of a heart attack. This was sad news for
the country but another item of news occurred that day which was just as
upsetting for thousands of Kenny Everett
fans. The BBC management decided to sack Kenny, for repeatedly breaking
the terms of his contract and offered his popular Saturday morning show to a
young man who was relatively unknown up till then. His name was Noel
Edmonds. 
On the day the call came inviting him to take over the show, Noel was actually in Weymouth rehearsing for the Tuesday edition of Radio 1 Club. He was apprehensive about accepting, not because of any doubt about his ability to handle the show, but because he knew the regular Everett fans would resent anyone who stepped into the shoes of their hero. He also knew that Kenny was popular with the DJs on the station and if he were to accept then it would look as if he, Noel, was not sensitive about Kenny's sacking and was so ambitious that he would do anything to get a better time slot. It was a quandry, someone had to do the show, Radio 1 couldn't have a gap in it's programmes on Saturday mornings and Noel set aside his misgivings and accepted.
That
was the real start to a career that was to make the name Noel
Edmonds one of the best known in British
Broadcasting. On Saturdays he was eventually accepted by the fans because
he worked hard at being original and he brought a freshness which everyone
admired. Noel stayed on Saturdays for over a year until October 1971 when
he was promoted upwards by a day to Sunday mornings. A favourite time for
him and one which he still occupies for six months a year even now.
Between times, he has done a few
other things - in 1973, to be precise again, on June 4th, Noel took over the
Breakfast Show from Tony
Blackburn. This was another major step in his career and once
again, his originality soon made him a firm favourite. He introduced such
features as 'The Wellie Stickers' and 'The Garden Gnomes' as prizes.
Characters like Flynn the Milkman who called on him with his daily pinta and a
duck called Desmond. The Radio 1 Balaclava helmets were given away -
unfortunately these had the holes to see through in the back instead of the
front. All good fun, and features which attracted the public because they
were different, had not been heard of before and they appealed to an audience
that liked a little silliness with their breakfast.
After 5 years, Noel decided he had had enough of getting up in the middle of the night and announced that he would like to come off the Breakfast Show. It is typical of Noel in that it is always he who makes the decisions. He doesn't wait to be asked to move - he tells his employers what he wants to do. The same thing happened this year with 'SWAP SHOP', his BBCTV Saturday morning show. It could have gone on for longer but Noel felt it was time for a change. Perhaps that is the secret of his success, never keep on with anything until the audience becomes bored with it, always quit whilst you are ahead and move on to something different.
Certainly, he has carried out his philosophy with his recent Sunday morning series. In 1980/1981 it was set in Dingley Dell with different house guests popping in each week for visits. The last series introduced Brian Perkins, the Radio 4 Newsreader, in a new role along with songs from Fred Wedlock and stories told by Sir John Gielgud. What will we get next year? I doubt that Noel can tell you yet but whatever it is, it will be fresh, different and unique to Noel Edmonds - an outstanding broadcaster.
...and other than an advert for a DISCO shop and for TDK audio tapes, that's your lot - we hope you've enjoyed viewing another original radio feature....
However, move on as we bring you more up to date, as the nostalgia continues on the Radio 1 Museum page 15 and 16...
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