Andy Peebles

Andy Peebles (13 December 1948 - 22 March 2025) was a British radio broadcaster who was a colleague of John Peel at Radio One from 1978 to 1992. After leaving he worked for BBC Radio Lancashire: Peel recalled hearing him dispensing consumer advice on that station in 1994. ^[1] He began his radio career in 1973 with BBC Radio Manchester. In 1974, Peebles was among the founding DJs of Piccadilly Radio in Manchester. After four years at Piccadilly, Peebles was a presenter on BBC Radio 1 from 1978 to 1992. During his time with the BBC, he also presented 15 editions of Top of the Pops from 1979 to 1984 and broadcast for the British Forces Broadcasting Service and the BBC World Service. Peebles' Radio One career is particularly remembered for his interviews with John Lennon in New York in December 1980, a few days before the murder of the ex-Beatle.

Radio One[]

Following the late 1970s reshuffle and expansion of the Radio One evening schedule that saw Peel's Friday night show dropped for The Friday Rock Show (hosted by Tommy Vance), Peebles presented a show 8-10pm Mon-Thur (commencing 13-11-1978 [1]), immediately before Peel's programme. This was a development much welcomed by JP:

"Quite an exciting programme for me this actually, because if you think about it, this is the first time in a very long time when I've actually followed a programme which might be listened to by people who would also listen to this, if you see what I mean. In other words, people would be listening to Andy Peebles and then stay on at 10 o'clock and say, "Let's listen to this Peel blighter and see what he's like." And perhaps stay with the programme for perhaps three or four minutes. Whereas previously obviously following things like Friday Night Is Music Night, you didn't get a great many people - in fact, I should be amazed if I met anybody who listened to Friday Night Is Music Night and then listened to my programme following it. Especially as Tommy Vance is on Friday nights - but you know what I mean." (29 January 1979)

This arrangement didn't last long, however, and Peebles was replaced in the early evening slot by Mike Read. The latter clearly impressed management when he presented the programme for seven weeks during July and August 1979 (when Peebles sat in for Dave Lee Travis on the breakfast show) and was given the job full-time. Peebles took over Tony Blackburn's Mon - Fri afternoon slot (2 - 4:30 pm) in September 1979 before moving to a late morning slot a year later.

In 1984, Peebles interviewed Peel as his guest on the My Top Ten show (see My Top Ten (Transcript)).

Top Of The Pops[]

On 10 October 1979, Peel looked forward to Peebles' upcoming first appearance on TOTP: "Couple of treats coming up later in the week, one of them tomorrow night, when Andy Peebles makes his debut on Top Of The Pops. And I bet he's dead nervous, and I hope he does well because he’s a good lad. I shall be watching anyway."

Andy Peebles appeared as a co-host with Peel in sporadic, multi-DJ episodes of Top of the Pops during the 1980s. They never appeared as joint hosts.

Relationship with John Peel[]

On the Perfumed Garden of 22 July 1967, Peel plays The Move's "Walk on the Water" for "Andrew Peebles of Bishop's Stortford". According to Wikipedia, Peebles (born in 1948) went to school in Bishop's Stortford. When he interviewed Peel for the My Top Ten programme in 1984 he mentioned that "My first recollections of course of the name John Peel obviously align themselves with Radio London, the pirate station in the sixties, and your programme the Perfumed Garden..."[2]. In the interview, Peebles also named several other Radio London DJs, so he was clearly a listener to the station.

Peebles presented the Radio One breakfast show for seven weeks during summer 1979. Peel happenened to listen to his first day in the job on 16 July 1979 after being woken earlier by his children. He was complimentary: "Very good it was too, he just got on with it, no messing, lots of music and it was a real treat."

On 05 February 1980 Peel mentions that Peebles had borrowed his copy of the latest single by Any Trouble so he could play it on his own show that afternoon.

Peel wasn't above a few light-hearted digs at his Radio 1 colleague.

Peel (reading out a list of records chosen by his colleagues): Andy Peebles has chosen 'Reasons To Be Cheerful Pt 3', Ian Dury & the Blockheads, which has already registered itself as one of my least favourite records of the year. 30 July 1979

Peel (introducing Glasgow girl-group Strawberry Switchblade with): Andy Peebles would doubtless describe them as 'Those Bonnie Wee Lassies from North of the Border'.[3]

Peel: You probably wonder why I say "if I may say so". One of my colleagues at Radio One says it all the time in a context I can't fully understand. I find myself screaming at the radio "why SHOULDN'T you say so!!.[4]

Peel (introducing a session track entitled 'He's An Angry Bastard But I Like Him' by Norwich band Serious Drinking, having preceeded it with an inane Radio One jingle featuring the voice of Peebles): That's Andy Peebles. He's an angry bastard but I like him.[5]

Peel: I was going to play you something called I Swear, but I played it on the radio last night here in Britain and to my horror found that it repeated fairly frequently the common word for the process by which most of us got here. Except possibly for Andy Peebles. 02 September 1988 (BFBS)

Peel: Do you ever feel that you're intended for another planet? I know that Andy Peebles must, and there are times when I certainly do as well. 21 April 1990 (BFBS)

Peel (during the last Festive Fifty he hosted): I remember hearing Andy Peebles, he used to work for Radio 1, doing a chart rundown at some stage, and he said, "In that all-important number 17 spot", and that's something that has stayed with me forever, so, in that all-important number 40 spot... 24 December 2003^[2]

Links[]

Footnotes[]

↑ Olivetti Chronicles, Corgi edition, p. 205.
↑ 2003 FF#40 Broadcast - Pendulum

[1] Olivetti Chronicles, Corgi edition, p. 205.

[2] 2003 FF#40 Broadcast - Pendulum

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John Peel Wiki