BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball 'locked out of studio' in pirate radio takeover
BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball was locked out of her studio in a pirate radio takeover by Tony Blackburn.
During this morning’s Breakfast Show (March 28), the broadcasting legend staged a brief takeover of the station, to mark 60 years since the launch of pirate station Radio Caroline.
Blackburn broadcasted on the station from the ships, as well as on fellow pirate station Radio London, for three years, before joining the BBC in 1967.
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After hijacking the airwaves, Blackburn said: "We are back, the pirates are back! Zoe Ball has been locked out of the studio. I’m here, anarchy once again. We ARE pirates, we’re pirate Radio 2 and here we go, and for the next hour I’m going to play you proper music! Here it is!"
Having taken over the controls, he played a string of tracks from the '60s for the next hour – the songs that he used to play to listeners on pirate radio.
Ball joined him in the studio halfway through his hour, where she spoke to him about his years on pirate radio and what it was like to broadcast from the waters.
She joked: "I’ve just managed to free myself from the tape and get myself out of the cupboard. I’m loving this pirate takeover, Tony Blackburn."
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Listeners were thrilled by this burst of nostalgia and took to social media to give their thoughts on the show.
One listener wrote: "Tony Blackburn absolutely on fire this morning. What a broadcaster. Nice little surprise takeover."
Another said: "Tony Blackburn taking over the Radio 2 breakfast show is the best thing to happen in a long time. That was an utter joy."
A third posted: "Tony Blackburn on Radio 2 – absolutely sublime! Setting me right up for a great day!"
This week, Blackburn said goodbye to local radio, after stepping down from his BBC Sunday afternoon show.
"I have loved doing the show bringing music from the '50s up to the present day," he said in a statement in February. "I have loved the callers and the fun we’ve had."
The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show airs between 6.30am and 9.30am on BBC Radio 2 every weekday.
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