Johnnie Walker, legendary BBC Radio presenter, dies aged 79

Walker first rose to fame among British music fans as a disc jockey on pirate station Radio Caroline in the Sixties, and later became a favourite among BBC listeners, even if he did hate the Bay City Rollers

BBC DJ Johnnie Walker in a radio booth in November, 1971 (Getty)

Popular radio presenter Johnnie Walker, a former pirate radio DJ who began his career with the BBC in 1969, has died aged 79.

The veteran DJ had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and announced his retirement from radio, after a career spanning almost 60 years, in October 2024.

His wife, Tiggy Walker, said she “couldn’t be more proud” of her husband and “how he kept broadcasting almost to the end”. She praised the “dignity and grace [with which] he coped with his debilitating lung disease”.

“He remained his charming, humorous self to the end, what a strong amazing man. It has been a rollercoaster ride from start to finish,” she said in a statement.

“And if I may say – what a day to go. He’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a stash of great musicians in heaven. One year on from his last live show. God bless that extraordinary husband of mine who is now in a place of peace.”

BBC director general Tim Davie described Walker as a “pop radio pioneer and champion of great music”, adding: “No one loved the audience as much as Johnnie, and we loved him back.”

Walker had previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a condition in which “the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes difficult”.

The NHS says it is not clear what causes the condition and that, while treatments can reduce the rate at which it worsens, there is nothing that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs.

Born in Birmingham, Walker began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station, before moving to Radio Caroline, where he became a household name as host of the popular night-time show. He continued in defiance of government legislation, introduced in 1967, against broadcasters without licences.

Johnnie Walker arriving in Felixstowe with his Radio Caroline colleague Robbie Dale on 15 August 1967 (Getty)

Speaking about being on the MV Mi Amigo when the law came into force, he told the Radio Times: “It was such an emotional time... I was frightened to death.

“I was exhilarated, excited. It was just incredible. I knew the moment that the second hand swept past the 12, that if I said a word I’d be a criminal, liable for prosecution for the next two years, living in exile in Holland. It was a huge moment.”

He summoned up the courage to play the tracks “We Shall Overcome” and The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” after telling listeners: “This is Radio Caroline: it is now 12 midnight.”

Radio Caroline served as inspiration for the 2009 Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked, which starred an ensemble cast including Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Kenneth Branagh and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Hoffman’s character The Count was loosely based on one of Walker’s fellow Radio Caroline alumni, American DJ Michael Joseph Pasternak – who presented under the moniker Emperor Rosko – while Walker himself served as a consultant for the film.

Walker interviewed Pasternak for a BBC special in 2009, where they recreated the era of pirate radio using jingles, commercials and music from the mid-Fifties to the mid-Seventies.

In 1969, a year after Radio Caroline closed, Walker joined BBC Radio 1, and he remained there until 1976, when he was involved in a dispute with BBC management over the music he played.

BBC DJ Johnnie Walker in a radio booth in November 1971 (Getty)

He was also scolded for criticising the Bay City Rollers song “Give a Little Love”, which he described as “musical garbage”.

However, in 2015, the BBC stood by Walker after a listener complained that he hadn’t played a single Bay City Rollers song in more than 310 Radio 2 shows and accused him of being “anti-Scottish”.

BBC Audience Services acknowledged that Walker had made “no secret” of his “poor opinion and dislike” of the band, which the listener hailed as “Scotland’s answer to The Beatles”, but said his job was to play the classic tracks he felt his audience would “most enjoy”.

It added that the show was named after Walker and “reflected his taste”.

After his dispute with management in 1976, Walker moved to San Francisco to record a weekly show for Radio Luxembourg, while also working for local stations KSAN, WHFS in Bethesda, Maryland, and KPFA in Berkeley, California.

The BBC stood by Johnnie Walker after a listener complained about his dislike of the Bay City Rollers (YouTube)

He returned to the BBC in the late Eighties and remained there until his retirement in 2024. In 1990, he was dismissed from the then newly launched local station BBC GLR for remarking that people would be “dancing in the street” over the resignation of Margaret Thatcher as UK prime minister.

His last episode of The Rock Show aired on Friday 25 October between 11pm and midnight, while his last Sounds of the 70s show aired on Sunday 27 October between 3pm and 5pm.

Walker was replaced on Sounds of the 70s by former Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris, while Shaun Keaveny took on the task of presenting The Rock Show from 1 November.

“I am proud and honoured to be taking over a BBC Radio 2 institution from a true broadcasting great,” Harris said of his new role at the time.

“Johnnie and I have been friends since my years presenting The Old Grey Whistle Test and the original Sounds of the 70s, and I will do everything I can to maintain his legacy and curate the programme with the very best music from that incredible decade.”

DJ Johnnie Walker stepped down from his role as a BBC Radio presenter in October 2024 (PA Archive)

Announcing his retirement on 6 October, Walker read out a letter from a listener whose father had loved his Sounds of the 70s show but had died in 2022 from the same condition Walker suffered from (IPF).

“Now, that leads me to make a very sad announcement,” he told listeners. “The struggle I’ve had with doing the show and trying to keep up a professional standard has been getting more and more difficult... so I’ve made the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years.

“I’ll make the last three shows as good as I possibly can.”

Walker remained upbeat in spite of his diagnosis, revealing in a Daily Mail interview that he had an “unshakeable belief in an afterlife”.

“I think it’s a beautiful place,” he said. “Unless you’ve done some awful things down here, I don’t think there’s anything to fear.”

Helen Thomas, head of BBC Radio 2, said: “Everyone at Radio 2 is heartbroken about the passing of Johnnie, a much-loved broadcasting legend.

“He made Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show appointments to listen to, sharing his personal memories and tales each week. He loved radio and inspired a generation of presenters, passionately promoting the artists and music he cared about so deeply.

“Johnnie’s wry sense of humour and his warm, open style of presenting ensured he was adored by his audience. The airwaves simply won’t be the same again. He will be very much missed by Radio 2 presenters, staff and listeners alike, and our thoughts are with his wife Tiggy and his children.”

Towards the end of his life, Walker used a wheelchair and relied on oxygen from a machine. He was cared for by his wife of more than two decades, Tiggy.