Annie Nightingale

Annie Nightingale, MBE, is a legendary broadcaster who became the first female DJ on the BBC. Annie brought a completely new perspective to Radio 1 and her husky, confidential tones can still be heard there today making her BBC Radio 1’s longest serving broadcaster. Annie even holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest ever running radio show. 

Annie, like her friend and colleague the late John Peel, has specialised in championing new and underground music, though she is not cut off from the mainstream. She was an early supporter of bands such as Basement Jaxx and Daft Punk.  

In 2002 Annie was awarded the MBE for her services to Broadcasting. In 2007 she was nominated for the Broadcasters’ Broadcaster Award and in 2008, Annie won the John Peel Award For Outstanding Contribution To Music Radio, awarded by the PRS Radio Academy. In 2011, for the sixth year running, she also won Best Radio Award at the International Breakbeat Awards before receiving the first ever Pioneer in Media Award in 2014 from Music Week magazine. 

Annie is a regular guest columnist for The Times comment and opinion pages, covering popular music related subjects. At the same time she has become a regular contributor to BBC 4 news programmes such as The Today Programme, The World At One, and the World This Weekend. 

2015 marked Annie's 50th anniversary in music which was celebrated by a documentary on Radio 1 alongside a series about her career on BBC Radio 2. Annie was also at the Glastonbury Festival performing at the Glade Area on the Saturday night ahead of her album Masterpiece.