Paul Burnett
Encyclopedia
Paul Burnett is an English
radio
disc jockey
, who began his radio career while in the Royal Air Force
in the Persian Gulf
in 1964. In 1966 he joined offshore radio
station, Radio 270
, broadcasting off Scarborough, North Yorkshire
. After the banning of the offshore stations he moved in 1967 to Manx Radio on the Isle of Man
, but he soon joined Radio Luxembourg
; where he hosted the chart show and discovered many recordings, which had been thought lost, of William Joyce
's propaganda broadcasts to Britain, made from the Luxembourg stations during the Nazi
occupation of the Grand Duchy. On Luxembourg, he presented the Saturday Top 20 show from 1967-74.
In 1974 Burnett joined BBC Radio 1
hosting a Sunday morning show "All There Is To Hear" (a radio one airplay chart show) and sitting in on the station's National Top 20 show. From 5 July 1976 he hosted the weekday lunchtime show after Johnnie Walker
left the station and moved to California
. Here he had the responsibility of revealing the new singles chart every Tuesday lunchtime. His popular show included several features such as Pub of the Day, Fun at One and Is, Was, Should Have. Burnett became a regular presenter of Top of the Pops
, and presented the Radio 1 Roadshow during the summer. In 1981 he moved from lunchtimes to later in the afternoons, but his daily show ended in 1982 to allow Steve Wright's show to be extended. He briefly presented a Saturday morning show before leaving Radio 1 altogether.
In 1976, an on-air parody
of the U.S.
hit single
"Convoy", became "Convoy GB" (by Laurie Lingo & The Dipsticks), which led to a release of the song as a single
along with fellow DJ Dave Lee Travis
. The song reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart
, and Burnett appeared dressed as a chicken on Top Of The Pops. During 1982-85, Burnett was heard on BBC Radio 2
,as a stand-in host for the likes of David Hamilton and Terry Wogan
. Between 1985-87, he moved to Pennine Radio (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire
) in Bradford
, Southern Sound (now Southern FM
) in Sussex
, and Capital Radio
. In October 1985, billed as the 'Pee Bee Squad' he reached #52 in the United Kingdom
chart
with "Rugged and Mean, Butch and On Screen". In 1988 Capital split its frequencies and he joined Capital Gold
. Where he presented a daytime Vintage Chart programme (Mon-Fri at 1pm), playing charts from 1956-72. He also did a Sunday afternoon show on Capital Gold (2-5pm). This featured an hour of listeners requests. He featured a Vintage Top 30 in the final couple of hours, playing complete top 30s again from 1956-72. He left Capital Gold around 1994, and turned up on Classic Gold firstly in 1996 in an early evening show, when GWR swallowed up the Chiltern Stations. The Classic Gold platform was then broadcast on the old Chiltern Network's Supergold stations, as a replacement. This show disappeared a couple of years later.
Burnett replaced Jimmy Savile as the long-time host of 'The Vintage Chart Show' on the BBC World Service
(1989-99). He returned to Classic Gold
around 2000, where he presented at lunchtimes and early afternoons. He left the station when it merged with Capital Gold to form the new Gold network in August 2007. In 2003, he was regular guest presenter on a Networked show on a few stations The UK Top 20 Rewind along with Shaun Tilley
. During that run, he had to have a gallstone operation, and was off for a period. In the last week of August 2007, Burnett was heard on Big L International 1395MW
Sky0190 as a replacement for afternoon DJ Steve Garlick, who was on holiday. He was due to present a regular weekend show on BigL, but this never happened.
On 9 November 2007 Burnett broadcast with Dave Lee Travis on KCFM from Hull
, and on 16 November 2007 he did the show as their 'Live Legend' of radio. For the following four weeks he had a three hour weekly spot on the station - 'Burnett Live' - which broadcast live late on Friday evenings. Blackburn replaced Burnett in this slot in January 2008. However, Burnett continues to regularly broadcast on the station. He did a late evening show there, in the early Summer of 2008. Stood in, for Shaun Tilley in October 2008, and also did the 4-7pm slot there on Christmas Eve 2008.
Paul could be heard presenting weekdays between 5 and 7 (Feb 09-Sept 09) on internet radio station Wight FM
(this was voicetracked). He could be heard on KCFM (Hull) on Sunday afternoons between 12 and 3 between Summer 2009-Summer 2010. On Saturday 16th October 2010, he stood in for Dave Cash on BBC Radio Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Solent, Oxford and Berkshire presenting a classic chart show featuring top 40 sounds from 1971 & 1981. He also did a Christmas Eve show on Time106.6 in 2010, & another on Monday 27th December at 10am. He can now be heard from time to time on The Vintage Top 40 Show on various BBC Local Stations on Sundays at 5pm.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, who began his radio career while in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
in 1964. In 1966 he joined offshore radio
Offshore radio
Offshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures, usually in international waters. The claimed first wireless broadcast of music and speech for the purpose of entertainment was transmitted from a Royal Naval craft, the HMS Andromeda, in 1907...
station, Radio 270
Radio 270
Radio 270 was a pirate radio station serving Yorkshire and the North East of England from 1966 to 1967. It broadcast from a converted Dutch lugger called Oceaan 7 positioned in international waters off Scarborough, North Yorkshire.-Origins :...
, broadcasting off Scarborough, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
. After the banning of the offshore stations he moved in 1967 to Manx Radio on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, but he soon joined Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
; where he hosted the chart show and discovered many recordings, which had been thought lost, of William Joyce
William Joyce
William Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality...
's propaganda broadcasts to Britain, made from the Luxembourg stations during the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupation of the Grand Duchy. On Luxembourg, he presented the Saturday Top 20 show from 1967-74.
In 1974 Burnett joined BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
hosting a Sunday morning show "All There Is To Hear" (a radio one airplay chart show) and sitting in on the station's National Top 20 show. From 5 July 1976 he hosted the weekday lunchtime show after Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker (DJ)
Johnnie Walker MBE is a popular British veteran radio disc jockey and broadcaster....
left the station and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Here he had the responsibility of revealing the new singles chart every Tuesday lunchtime. His popular show included several features such as Pub of the Day, Fun at One and Is, Was, Should Have. Burnett became a regular presenter of Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, and presented the Radio 1 Roadshow during the summer. In 1981 he moved from lunchtimes to later in the afternoons, but his daily show ended in 1982 to allow Steve Wright's show to be extended. He briefly presented a Saturday morning show before leaving Radio 1 altogether.
In 1976, an on-air parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Convoy", became "Convoy GB" (by Laurie Lingo & The Dipsticks), which led to a release of the song as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
along with fellow DJ Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis , also known professionally as DLT and the Hairy Cornflake, is a British radio presenter, best known for his career on BBC Radio 1.-Early life:...
. The song reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and Burnett appeared dressed as a chicken on Top Of The Pops. During 1982-85, Burnett was heard on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
,as a stand-in host for the likes of David Hamilton and Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
. Between 1985-87, he moved to Pennine Radio (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse is a British Independent Local Radio station that serves the Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale areas of West Yorkshire. The station was originally known as Pennine Radio...
) in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Southern Sound (now Southern FM
Southern FM
Heart Sussex is an Independent Local Radio station which is owned by Global Radio and plays commercial, chart-oriented popular music...
) in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
. In October 1985, billed as the 'Pee Bee Squad' he reached #52 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with "Rugged and Mean, Butch and On Screen". In 1988 Capital split its frequencies and he joined Capital Gold
Capital Gold
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007...
. Where he presented a daytime Vintage Chart programme (Mon-Fri at 1pm), playing charts from 1956-72. He also did a Sunday afternoon show on Capital Gold (2-5pm). This featured an hour of listeners requests. He featured a Vintage Top 30 in the final couple of hours, playing complete top 30s again from 1956-72. He left Capital Gold around 1994, and turned up on Classic Gold firstly in 1996 in an early evening show, when GWR swallowed up the Chiltern Stations. The Classic Gold platform was then broadcast on the old Chiltern Network's Supergold stations, as a replacement. This show disappeared a couple of years later.
Burnett replaced Jimmy Savile as the long-time host of 'The Vintage Chart Show' on the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
(1989-99). He returned to Classic Gold
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
around 2000, where he presented at lunchtimes and early afternoons. He left the station when it merged with Capital Gold to form the new Gold network in August 2007. In 2003, he was regular guest presenter on a Networked show on a few stations The UK Top 20 Rewind along with Shaun Tilley
Shaun Tilley
Shaun Tilley is a British radio presenter, currently working for Gold & Wish FM.He has worked for a variety of other radio stations, including Rock FM, Capital FM, Radio Caroline, Real Radio, KCFM, Time 106.6, Big L, and Radio Luxembourg...
. During that run, he had to have a gallstone operation, and was off for a period. In the last week of August 2007, Burnett was heard on Big L International 1395MW
Big L 1395
Big L is the name of a broadcasting company registered by the British licensing authority Ofcom from for a satellite radio service known as Big L. The license states that the station "… will provide an eclectic mix of rock and pop, both modern and classic. News and weather will be broadcast hourly...
Sky0190 as a replacement for afternoon DJ Steve Garlick, who was on holiday. He was due to present a regular weekend show on BigL, but this never happened.
On 9 November 2007 Burnett broadcast with Dave Lee Travis on KCFM from Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, and on 16 November 2007 he did the show as their 'Live Legend' of radio. For the following four weeks he had a three hour weekly spot on the station - 'Burnett Live' - which broadcast live late on Friday evenings. Blackburn replaced Burnett in this slot in January 2008. However, Burnett continues to regularly broadcast on the station. He did a late evening show there, in the early Summer of 2008. Stood in, for Shaun Tilley in October 2008, and also did the 4-7pm slot there on Christmas Eve 2008.
Paul could be heard presenting weekdays between 5 and 7 (Feb 09-Sept 09) on internet radio station Wight FM
Wight FM
Wight FM was an internet radio service based on the Isle of Wight which closed in December 2009. It was first launched on 1 February 2009 and initially included high-profile radio DJs such as David Hamilton, Paul Burnett, Mike Read and Howard Pearce among others. Its main sponsorship and form of...
(this was voicetracked). He could be heard on KCFM (Hull) on Sunday afternoons between 12 and 3 between Summer 2009-Summer 2010. On Saturday 16th October 2010, he stood in for Dave Cash on BBC Radio Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Solent, Oxford and Berkshire presenting a classic chart show featuring top 40 sounds from 1971 & 1981. He also did a Christmas Eve show on Time106.6 in 2010, & another on Monday 27th December at 10am. He can now be heard from time to time on The Vintage Top 40 Show on various BBC Local Stations on Sundays at 5pm.