Veteran DJ Blackburn defends ‘wonderfully-run’ early years of BBC Radio 1

The DJ, who was famously the launch host for the station when it went on air in October 1967, said it was “wonderfully-run” and not like the way it was being portrayed.

He made his comments as he accepted an honorary prize at the Radio Academy Awards to celebrate his 50 years of broadcasting, and they came in the wake of concerns about the activities of the presenter and prolific sex offender Jimmy Savile who was also one of the early station hosts.

There have been suggestions that people may have turned a blind eye to his activities and Dame Janet Smith has been writing a report into the culture and practices of the BBC during the years Savile worked there.

Blackburn, 71, told guests: “Radio 1 was absolutely amazing. You do read in the papers now, it’s got slightly tainted – but it wasn’t like the way they are writing about it now. It was a wonderfully-run radio station and I’m very grateful to it. It’s written about now by people who weren’t there. I was there and I can tell you it was wonderful, you know, the people that started it.”

Blackburn, who continues to broadcast nationally as presenter of Radio 2’s Pick Of The Pops, added: “I’m delighted as well, having opened up Radio 1 that it’s still doing well – I’m also delighted that it’s not doing as well as Radio 2.”

His colleague Graham Norton said that Blackburn often light-heartedly made reference to the Operation Yewtree investigation into a number of figures from the entertainment world. Norton told guests at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Monday night: “My greatest pleasure at Radio 2 is every Saturday morning when Tony comes into our studio and he bounces in and we say ‘how are you Tony?’, and he says ‘still not arrested’.”

Blackburn was given the Academy’s Gold Award, the second time he has been recognised with the honour.