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Happy Birthday Maurice Cole

How Christmas-born radio legend Kenny Everett started life as a quiet Merseyside school boy. Paul Rowley looks back. From 2009.

A look at the early life of Kenny Everett, who was born 80 years ago on Christmas Day 1944.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Political Correspondent Paul Rowley tells the story of a quiet Catholic boy from Merseyside called Maurice Cole who became Britain's most creative, innovative DJ.

Deliberately, the programme is not about his TV work, his gay lifestyle, or his brief flirtation into politics, all of which have been widely covered.

There are no celebrity interviews. Rowley went back to the home where he was born, speaking to neighbours, friends and family including the man who first showed him how to use a tape-recorder.

With extracts from a little-heard but very revealing interview he did with Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Merseyside in 1976 when he talks about his schooldays, his failed attempts to become a missionary, and his first job "scraping gunk off sausage rolls" in a bakery.

He talks about his pioneering work on pirate radio, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Light Programme, and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1, illustrated with rare recordings from Rowley's extensive personal archive.

Hear about his sackings, his love of classical music, and some of the jingles from his time on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Local Radio in the 1970s after he was fired from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1.

With;

Rosemarie Robertshaw
Tony Ormesher
Dora Hirons
Lee Everett Alkin

Producer: Paul Rowley.

First broadcast on 20 Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ local radio across England at Christmas 2009.

1 hour

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Christmas Day 2024 10:00

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