BBC World Service

The BBC World Service is the most widely available English-language radio service: in operation since 1932, it has been traditionally broadcast on shortwave, but also via FM and MW relays, internet streaming, podcasting and satellite. John Peel's weekly half-hour programme for the service, of which an increasing amount of recorded material has been preserved, ran from 1978 until 2004 and enabled listeners in places as far apart as Israel and Nepal to hear his choice of music and droll humour. In the early 80's, according to "London Calling" of February 1982, the show was broadcast on Tuesday at 03:30, repeated Thursday at 08:30 and Friday at 14:30 GMT and was described as: "John Peel - selects tracks from a newly released albums and singles from the progressive rock scene in London." Another description can be heard in the announcement before October 1983 (BBC World Service) show: (Radio announcer): "Music next in the World Service, with John Peel, presenting samples of new music from the British rock scene".

What is certain is that from mid 1987 onwards foreign acts became a regular feature on the show. A documented occasion on which John Peel plays a record by an American band on the World Service, is the Late January 1987 (BBC World Service) show (a fragment), featuring Throwing Muses.

Another significant change came in early 1990's, when John Peel broke the rule not to play anything on the World Service that was not a current release. Among the first acts to be featured with an old release was The Fall, as on the show from November 1991 (BBC World Service), with a track from the LP "Hex Enduction Hour" from 1982.

Because the World Service programmes were prerecorded, they lacked some typical features of the Radio 1 show, like the "wrong speed" moments or Peel playing a wrong track, although at least on one occasion he made the latter mistake, playing All About Eve by the Wedding Present, but announcing it twice as Getting Nowhere Fast.

Session recordings from his domestic programmes became an intermittent feature after the establishment of Strange Fruit in the latter half of the 1980s, but Ken Garner documents a play for the first Siouxsie & The Banshees set the same day that it went out on Radio 1, 06 February 1978.

1980s
December 1982 (BBC World Service) / October 1983 (BBC World Service) / Late February 1984 (BBC World Service) / Early June 1985 (BBC World Service) / October 1986 (BBC World Service)(mixtape) / 14 January 1988 (BBC World Service) / July 1988 (BBC World Service) / August 1988 (BBC World Service) / November 1988 (BBC World Service) / November (No. 2) 1988 (BBC World Service) / November (No. 3) 1988 (BBC World Service) / Early August 1989 (BBC World Service) / 26 October 1989 (BBC World Service)

1987
Late January 1987 (BBC World Service) / Early February 1987 (BBC World Service) / February 1987 (BBC World Service) / 05 March 1987 (BBC World Service) / March 1987 (BBC World Service) / Late April 1987 (BBC World Service) / May 1987 (BBC World Service) / June (No. 1) 1987 (BBC World Service) / June (No. 2) 1987 (BBC World Service) / [http://peel.wikia.com/wiki/June_(No._3)_1987_(BBC_World_Service) June (No. 3) 1987 (BBC World Service)] / 16 July 1987 (BBC World Service) / July 1987 (BBC World Service) / August 1987 (BBC World Service) / [http://peel.wikia.com/wiki/August_(No._2)_1987_(BBC_World_Service) August (No. 2) 1987 (BBC World Service)] / [http://peel.wikia.com/wiki/August_(No._3)_1987_(BBC_World_Service) August (No. 3) 1987 (BBC World Service)] / Late Aug. - Early Sept. 1987 (BBC World Service) / 24 September 1987 (BBC World Service) / September 1987 (BBC World Service) / 15 October 1987 (BBC World Service) / 22 October 1987 (BBC World Service) / 29 October 1987 (BBC World Service) / 05 November 1987 (BBC World Service) / November 1987 (BBC World Service) / Early December 1987 (BBC World Service) / December 1987 (BBC World Service) /[http://peel.wikia.com/wiki/December_(No._2)_1987_(BBC_World_Service) December (No. 2) 1987 (BBC World Service)]

1990-1993
January 1990 (BBC World Service) / Early March 1990 (BBC World Service) / December 1990 (BBC World Service) / 01 July 1991 (BBC World Service) / 24 June 1991 (BBC World Service) / October 1991 (BBC World Service) / November 1991 (BBC World Service) / March 1992 (BBC World Service) / April 1992 (BBC World Service) / September 1992 (BBC World Service) / Early March 1993 (BBC World Service) / / Peel's World Service Comp

1994
January 1994 (1) (BBC World Service) / January 1994 (2) (BBC World Service) / January 1994 (3) (BBC World Service) / January 1994 (4) (BBC World Service) / January 1994 (5) (BBC World Service) / February 1994 (1) (BBC World Service) / February 1994 (2) (BBC World Service) / February 1994 (3) (BBC World Service) / 26 March 1994 (BBC World Service) / 02 April 1994 (BBC World Service) / 09 April 1994 (BBC World Service) / 16 April 1994 (BBC World Service) / 23 April 1994 (BBC World Service) / 30 April 1994 (BBC World Service) / 07 May 1994 (BBC World Service) / 14 May 1994 (BBC World Service) / 21 May 1994 (BBC World Service) / 28 May 1994 (BBC World Service) / 04 June 1994 (BBC World Service) / 11 June 1994 (BBC World Service) / 18 June 1994 (BBC World Service) / 25 June 1994 (BBC World Service) / 02 July 1994 (BBC World Service) / 09 July 1994 (BBC World Service) / 23 July 1994 (BBC World Service) 30 July 1994 (BBC World Service) / 13 August 1994 (BBC World Service) / 16 August 1994 (BBC World Service) / 15 October 1994 (BBC World Service) 29 October 1994 (BBC World Service) / 05 November 1994 (BBC World Service) / 12 November 1994 (BBC World Service) / 19 November 1994 (BBC World Service) 26 November 1994 (BBC World Service) / 03 December 1994 (BBC World Service) / 10 December 1994 (BBC World Service) / 17 December 1994 (BBC World Service) / 24 December 1994 (BBC World Service)

1995-1999
28 January 1995 (BBC World Service) / 04 February 1995 (BBC World Service) / 11 February 1995 (BBC World Service) / 18 February 1995 (BBC World Service) / 25 February 1995 (BBC World Service) / 04 March 1995 (BBC World Service) / 11 March 1995 (BBC World Service) / 18 March 1995 (BBC World Service) / 25 March 1995 (BBC World Service) / 01 April 1995 (BBC World Service) / April 1996 (BBC World Service) / 23 September 1996 (BBC World Service) / 30 September 1996 (BBC World Service) / 06 October 1996 (BBC World Service) / 13 October 1996 (BBC World Service) / 20 October 1996 (BBC World Service) / 03 November 1996 (BBC World Service) / 24 November 1996 (BBC World Service) / 01 December 1996 (BBC World Service) / December 1996 (BBC World Service) /  / 04 January 1997 (BBC World Service) / 11 January 1997 (BBC World Service) / 25 January 1997 (BBC World Service) / February 1997 (BBC World Service) / 08 February 1997 (BBC World Service) / 15 February 1997 (BBC World Service) / 07 February 1998 (BBC World Service) / April 1999 (BBC World Service) / 12 October 1999 (BBC World Service) / 19 October 1999 (BBC World Service) / 02 November 1999 (BBC World Service) / 17 November 1999 (BBC World Service) / 24 November 1999 (BBC World Service) / 28 November 1999 (BBC World Service)

2000s
12 November 2000 (BBC World Service) / 19 November 2000 (BBC World Service) / 07 January 2001 (BBC World Service) / 14 January 2001 (BBC World Service) / 21 January 2001 (BBC World Service) / 28 January 2001 (BBC World Service) / 04 February 2001 (BBC World Service) / 11 February 2001 (BBC World Service) / 18 February 2001 (BBC World Service) / 29 November 2003 (BBC World Service) / 05 November 2004 (BBC World Service) / 12 November 2004 (BBC World Service) / 19 November 2004 (BBC World Service)

Tracklistings Only
01 August 1991 (BBC World Service) / 08 August 1991 (BBC World Service)

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