Radio 1 Roadshow

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The Radio 1 Roadshow was an annual summer event hosted and broadcast by BBC Radio 1 from the 1970s through to the 1990s. [1] The concept for the Roadshow came from Radio 1 producer and later controller, Johnny Beerling.

Various disk jockeys from the station would visit British towns (usually by the coast) to play a live set and meet local people to play their requests, take part in competitions and give away "goodie bags" of Radio 1 gifts. Accompanying the DJs were a support crew led by Tony Miles, nicknamed "Smiley Miley", who had provided the original caravan for the first Roadshow.

Several games and contests were devised especially for the Roadshow, most notably 'Bits and Pieces' where contestants would have to guess the names of a series of one-second snatches of pop tunes.

The Roadshows became a key part of the summer schedules for Radio 1, and attracted much support during their run.

The first Roadshow was held at Newquay, Cornwall on Monday 23 July 1973 and was hosted by Alan Freeman. The largest attendance was at Sutton Park, Birmingham on Sunday 30 August 1992, when 100,000 fans turned up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Radio 1 with live performances from bands including Del Amitri, Aswad, The Farm and Status Quo.

By the 1990's the Roadshow had increased to 54 live dates over 9 weeks. Two trucks reversed back-to-back to form an impressive 75-foot stage frontage.

Under reforms to the station, the Radio 1 Roadshow was axed in 2000 in favour of one-day pop concerts. [2]