Radio 1’s longest-serving broadcaster, dedicated to groundbreaking music for more than 50 years
Annie Nightingale didn’t only kick down doors in radio – she held them open
Fiona Sturges
The late Radio 1 DJ was inspiring for so many reasons: her unbounded tastes, her all-star connections, and her refusal to be a gatekeeper
Annie Nightingale: Radio 1’s first female DJ and champion of new music dies aged 83
The broadcaster’s family said she died at home on 11 January following a short illness and described her as a ‘pioneer, trailblazer and inspiration to many’
August 2020
Annie Nightingale: 'If I can play what I like and say what I like, that’s the dream'
At 80, DJ Annie Nightingale is still in awe of the young and a champion of new music. As she publishes her memoir, she recalls her long career in pop culture – and speaking her mind
July 2020
‘The guys were waiting for me to fail’: Annie Nightingale on battling the BBC
Still doing a Radio 1 show at 80, the veteran DJ tells Desert Island Discs about Beatles secrets and breaking down a ‘wall of no’
April 2020
'I was shattered' – Paul Weller, Booker T and more on the day the Beatles split
Fifty years ago today, the counter-cultural whirlwind that was the Beatles ended. Musicians, fans and insiders relive the devastating day their era-defining story came to an abrupt close
March 2020
Observer critics special
Inspiring culture: 50 works that changed our critics' lives
Our reviewers select standout moments in their field which still shape their love of the arts
September 2017
The week in radio: Love With Annie Nightingale; The Conversation: Simone Biles and Nadia Comaneci; The Unmissables
Annie Nightingale came over all romantic, while two great gymnasts failed to strike up a rapport
August 2017
How we made
How we made The Old Grey Whistle Test
‘Captain Beefheart took over the control room, as if he was producing the entire show, and Bob Marley and the Wailers were ridiculously good – and totally stoned’
November 2015
Radio review
Annie Nightingale: 50 Years in Music review: Nick Grimshaw talks raving, not ageing, with radio royalty
Readers suggest the 10 best …
Readers suggest the 10 best radio voices
August 2015
Watch television with …
Annie Nightingale’s favourite TV
The legendary BBC DJ, who is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting this year, tells us about her televisual bangers and clangers
July 2015
The week in radio – Annie Nightingale; In the Moment; Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids
Annie Nightingale relived crucial moments in pop history, while Stewart Lee revealed his love of free improvisation
The Guardian profile
Annie Nightingale: Radio 1's first female DJ – and Caner of the Year 2001
Nightingale has chalked up more than 40 years at the BBC station, dedicating herself to dance music in particular after acid house caught her ear in the 1980s
Radio review
On Air With Annie Nightingale review: ‘after 50 years as a DJ, the stories tumble out at breakneck speed’
Annie Nightingale webchat – as it happened
Annie Nightingale: ‘I’m always living in the future’
July 2013
Women make up only 20% of solo radio broadcasters, research reveals
Gender imbalance even worse in shows with multiple presenters and during peak times, according to lobby group Sound Women
May 2012
60 years of No 1 singles
The best No 1 records: The Specials – Ghost Town
Dorian Lynskey:1981: The mood is both pre- and post-apocalyptic: the lyrics say the crisis is coming while the eerie, hollowed-out music says that it's already happened
