A woman DJ? BBC baffled by DJ Annie Nightingale's job
PIONEER DJ Annie Nightingale was subjected to "locker room humour" from male DJs who were described by Radio 1 bosses as "husband substitutes for bored housewives".
The radio legend, 80, who got the job in 1970, was seen as "extraneous" by most of her all-male co-workers, who were waiting for her to fail. Recalling the atmosphere, Annie told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs: "It was all boys. They were very competitive, so I was kind of extraneous really. I don't know what they thought of me but it was kind of locker room humour. I did not feel very involved with most of them."
She told host Lauren Laverne that she was initially refused a job there because she was a woman.
They said: "Our disc jockeys are husband substitutes. That set up a lot of assumptions, that all the women pop fans were housewives at home doing the ironing. And they would say, 'Why would a woman want to be a DJ? They were bewildered'."
Annie, a former journalist, finally landed her job thanks to her friendship with the Beatles but it wasn't until 1982 that Radio 1 got its second female DJ, Janice Long.
Annie, who was appointed CBE in the New Year's honours list, puts down her longevity to never wanting to be a celebrity and only playing the music she likes.
Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 11am today