Tony Brandon
Encyclopedia
Tony Brandon is a British
radio presenter and comedian
.
in 1966 he joined pirate Radio London
.
later in 1967, presenting editions of Midday Spin as well as deputising for presenters on the station. In 1970 he took over his own daily show entitled, Sounds Like Tony Brandon, every weekday afternoon from 2-3pm, where he remained until 1971, when he joined BBC Radio 2
, presenting the early show, along with "Percy", a recording of birdsong, which Tony would play at some point in the show, to indicate that Percy had "woken up". His first outside broadcast road show was at HMS Raleigh
in June 1972. He also presented weekday lunchtime, teatime & afternoon shows. He then went onto present the weekly Tony Brandon meets the Saturday people & also a comedy show for the station. He eventually left Radio 2 in 1982
From 2001 - 2004, he was heard on Birmingham's Saga 105.7FM, where he presented his weekly Wireless Workshop show, every Sunday from 10am-1pm.
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...
radio presenter and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Early career
Brandon originally worked on television and abroad as a comedian. Following on from a brief spell on Radio LuxembourgRadio 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 ....
in 1966 he joined pirate Radio London
Wonderful Radio London
Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
.
BBC Radio
Brandon joined BBC Radio 1BBC 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...
later in 1967, presenting editions of Midday Spin as well as deputising for presenters on the station. In 1970 he took over his own daily show entitled, Sounds Like Tony Brandon, every weekday afternoon from 2-3pm, where he remained until 1971, when he joined 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...
, presenting the early show, along with "Percy", a recording of birdsong, which Tony would play at some point in the show, to indicate that Percy had "woken up". His first outside broadcast road show was at HMS Raleigh
HMS Raleigh (shore establishment)
HMS Raleigh is the modern-day basic training facility of the Royal Navy at Torpoint, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is spread over several square miles, and has damage control simulators and fire-fighting training facilities...
in June 1972. He also presented weekday lunchtime, teatime & afternoon shows. He then went onto present the weekly Tony Brandon meets the Saturday people & also a comedy show for the station. He eventually left Radio 2 in 1982
Theatre
From 1984, Brandon returned to the theatre & spent three years touring the UK & Canada in various plays & has also been in pantomime.Commercial Radio
From the mid 1980s, Brandon was heard on various commercial radio stations across the UK, including Southern Sound Radio, where he presented the weekday lunchtime show.From 2001 - 2004, he was heard on Birmingham's Saga 105.7FM, where he presented his weekly Wireless Workshop show, every Sunday from 10am-1pm.
Semi Retirement
Following Brandon's departure from Saga 105.7, he has continued to work as a commercial voice-over actor from his own studio.- Tony Brandon page on the Radio Rewind website (includes biography, audio clips and an image)