Johnnie Walker announces retirement from radio after 58 years

The 79-year-old DJ hosts The Rock Show and Sounds Of The 70s on BBC Radio 2.

The DJ’s last episode of The Rock Show will air on Friday October 25 (BBC/PA)

DJ Johnnie Walker has made the “very sad announcement” he is retiring from radio after 58 years as a broadcaster.

Hosting today’s edition of Sounds Of The 70s on BBC Radio 2, the 79-year-old told listeners he would be stepping down from the Sunday afternoon show, as well as The Rock Show.

He began the announcement by reading out a letter from a listener whose father had enjoyed the show, but had passed away in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis, which Walker was diagnosed with earlier this year.

The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult ... so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years

Johnnie Walker

Walker then went on to tell listeners: “Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement.

“The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy, so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end after 58 years.

“And so I’ll be doing my last Sounds Of The 70s on October 27, so I’ll make the last three shows as good as I possibly can.

“Now this week in 1978, the Rolling Stones were special guests on America’s Saturday Night Live TV show and they appeared in a couple of sketches and performed three tracks from their latest album, Some Girls.

“Well, one of the tracks on the album seems quite suitable at the moment.”

He then played the Rolling Stones’s 1978 single Miss You, before announcing he would be replaced on the show by former Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris.

He added: “And by the way, I can also reveal not only my last Sounds Of The 70s, but the person taking over the show will be the one and only Bob Harris, so Bob Harris will be in charge of Sounds Of The 70s from November 3.”

Speaking earlier this year, Walker said his condition, which causes the lungs to become scarred and makes breathing increasingly more difficult, is “terminal” and getting “progressively worse”.

Johnnie and I have been friends since my years presenting 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

Bob Harris

He also credited his radio shows, saying he would “probably die a lot sooner” without them.

Speaking about taking over from Walker, Harris said: “I am proud and honoured to be taking over a BBC Radio 2 institution from a true broadcasting great.

“Johnnie and I have been friends since my years presenting 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.”

Shaun Keaveny will become the new presenter of The Rock Show on November 1.

Walker’s last episode of The Rock Show will air on Friday October 25, between 11pm and midnight, while his final Sounds Of The 70s will air on Sunday October 27 between 3pm and 5pm.

The Birmingham-born presenter began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station, before moving to the legendary Radio Caroline, becoming a household name by hosting the hugely popular night-time show.

When the station closed he joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969, continuing until 1976, when he moved to San Francisco to record a weekly show which was broadcast on Radio Luxembourg. He returned to the BBC in the early 1980s where he has remained ever since.

A special Sounds Of The 70s box-set collection on BBC Sounds will allow listeners to enjoy a selection of Walker’s best moments following the announcement.