This is a list of events in British radio during 1981.

List of years in British radio (table)
In British television
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
In British music
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
+...

Events

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January

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February

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  • 11 February – BBC Radio London begins broadcasting in stereo.
  • 19 February–9 April – BBC Radio 3 makes the unusual move of broadcasting a sitcom when it airs campus comedy serial Patterson.[1]

March

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April

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  • No events.
  • No events.

June

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  • No events.

July

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August

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  • No events.

September

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October

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  • October – BBC Radio Deeside is expanded to cover all of north east Wales and is renamed BBC Radio Clwyd
  • 3 October – Kenny Everett rejoins the BBC to present a Saturday morning programme.
  • 4 October – The first edition of All Time Greats, presented by Desmond Carrington, is broadcast on BBC Radio 2.[5] The programme, broadcast on Sunday lunchtimes, remains on air until the late 2000s.
  • 6-31 October – For four weeks, Radio 2’s overnight show, You and the Night and the Music, is replaced by 2’s Company with features a blend of music, drama, talks and documentaries from all the radio networks.

November

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December

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Station debuts

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Programme debuts

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Continuing radio programmes

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1940s

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1950s

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1960s

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1970s

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1980s

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Closing this year

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Births

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Deaths

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  • 7 January – Alvar Liddell, 72, BBC Radio announcer and newsreader
  • 10 February – Leonard Plugge, 91, commercial radio promoter and politician
  • 15 March – Derek Roy, 58, comedian
  • 13 April – Gwyn Thomas, 67, Welsh writer and broadcaster
  • 23 September – Sam Costa, 71, crooner, voice actor and disc jockey
  • 30 November – Val Gielgud, 81, pioneer director of broadcast drama

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Radio Times issue 2988". BBC Genome. 12 February 1981. p. 56. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Garry Richardson: Broadcaster to leave BBC Radio 4's Today programme after 43 years". BBC. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Extension of Independent Local Radio". transdiffusion.org. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  4. ^ "BBC Radio 3 – 24 October 1981 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Desmond Carrington – BBC Radio 2 – 4 October 1981 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2018.