In the eighties and nineties, there was always a keen sense of anticipation to discover when and where the summer’s biggest event would be held.
The Radio 1 Roadshow promised to deliver fun, laughter and the latest pop sensations, attracting thousands who hoped to snag freebies and potentially end up on stage for the grand prizes.
There was a certain excitement about the Roadshow arriving in town, with the nation’s favourite DJs leading the way and the top chart act poised to create a sensation.
Starting in 1973, the first Roadshow pitched up in Newquay, Cornwall and was hosted by Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman.
During the seventies and eighties the spectacle became an entertainment juggernaut, with it reaching a peak in 1992, when over 100,000 people turned up at Sutton Park in Birmingham to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Radio 1.
I can vividly recall the excitement of knowing that the Roadshow was coming to Weymouth and there were buses laid on from Yeovil to transport hordes of buzzing teens to the seaside.
The beach would be rammed with people wanting to be involved and there would be a raucous atmosphere by the time the show went live to the nation.
It would have taken a cold person not to be moved by the antics of DJ sidekick ‘Smiley Miley’ (real name Tony Miles), who had armfuls of ‘goodie bags’ to dish out to those that competed in ‘Bits and Pieces’ and other games live on air.
The stage was made from the back of a truck, which by the nineties had become two huge vehicles back-to-back, as the Roadshow expanded to 54 dates over a nine-week period.
The articulated trailer not only provided the stage area, there was also space for the audio control room and even an office for the production crew.
From 10am, the crowd warm-up would begin, so by the time Radio 1 was broadcasting to the nation at 11am, everyone was at fever pitch and fine voice.
Being the crowd with the loudest cheer always became a mission for the thousands that had gathered and that first announcement to the nation that they were in for the time of their lives over the next 90 minutes.
As the noughties started, so those in charge of the radio station were undertaking a huge modernisation of the brand and the Roadshow had had it’s day.
It was axed in favour of a series of one-day pop concerts that were called One Big Sunday, which has morphed in to the festival that is Radio 1’s Big Weekend, since 2012.
Nothing will beat the good old days of the Roadshow and anyone who went to one, will still have a place in their memory for that day, no matter how many decades have past since.
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