The Voices of 80's Heaven
Meet the Presenters
The voices behind 80's Heaven — passionate, knowledgeable, and absolutely obsessed with Pop's most decadent decade.
Shaun Tilley
Shaun was heard on a bunch of local stations and offshore radio during the 80's. However, by the end of the decade he was broadcasting all over Great Britain and Europe as the youngest DJ on Radio Luxembourg whilst appearing on Children's TV and regularly, in teen magazines. Since then, he's enjoyed a career spanning 40 years with commercial radio and the BBC, where he presented the acclaimed Top of the Pops Playback and My Radio 1 series.
Mark Williams
In the 80’s, Mark experienced professional broadcasting for the first time at his local station on the South Coast. His career quickly took off and he enjoyed successful spells on commercial radio in a number of areas such as Manchester and Birmingham. His knowledge of the decade is huge and his love for the music is even more impressive which makes him the perfect fit for 80’s Heaven.
Paul Burnett
At the beginning of our favourite era, Paul was already a household name thanks to his long stint with Radio Luxembourg before he joined BBC Radio 1. He began the 80’s as the network’s long standing lunchtime DJ whilst his face was instantly recognisable too thanks to TV appearances on Top of the Pops, Seaside Special and as the compère of Miss World. He eventually switched to Radio 2 which then led to him becoming one of the original presenters on London’s Capital Gold. Throughout the decade, he also hosted the weekly Top 20 programme on BBC World Service.
Gavin McCoy
Gavin has a rich history in broadcasting, being one of the pioneering DJ's in the early days of commercial radio. However, during the 80's, he was best known for voicing popular characters for his best friend Steve Wright's show on Radio 1 whilst hosting his own local BBC programmes. His exquisite tones have since been heard on many of the UK's biggest stations.
Dave Asher
Dave spent the vast majority of the 80's on offshore radio before dropping anchor at various land based commercial stations. He is one of our most travelled DJ's, successfully broadcasting all over Europe for the last 40 years.
Tony West
Tony enjoyed many successful years on local radio during the 80's. By the end of the decade, he was invited to be part of the launch team at Atlantic 252, broadcasting across Great Britain and Europe from Ireland. During this time he regularly appeared in teen magazines and newspaper pop columns before returning to commercial radio in the UK.
Opal Bonfante
Opal fell in love with radio as a music mad kid during the 80's. She kick started her own broadcasting career on shopping TV before appearing on various stations all over the UK. Her television career then progressed to QVC, Argos TV and Channel 4's 5 O'Clock Show which eventually led to a long and successful spell as a voice over for BBC and commercial radio.
Nino Firetto
Nino enjoyed a huge career break when he was plucked from a Bristol discotheque and given a one hour special on Radio Luxembourg at the start of the 80's. His career went from strength to strength for the rest of the decade, hosting high profile Children's ITV programmes and music television shows across Europe. Whilst he established himself as a household face, he proved to be just as popular as a voice on local radio in the UK.
Martin Buchanan
Martin became a popular face in Europe during the 80's, thanks to his time as a key presenter on Music Box Television. However, radio has always been his natural home and by the end of the decade, his voice was heard on many top stations including Radio Luxembourg which reunited him with millions of former TV viewers.
Dixie Peach
Following a successful career as a singer and musician, Dixie swapped making records to actually playing them. Initially, this was as an offshore DJ before he got his big career break on BBC Radio 1. His 'Midnight Runner' show proved popular on the network every Saturday which led to him regularly hosting Top of the Pops in the 80's. By the end of the decade, he left the Beeb and was then heard on various commercial stations.
Howard Pearce
In the early 80's, Howard was an established local presenter in the South. He was then given the chance to be heard across Great Britain and Europe on Radio Luxembourg, replacing his friend and former colleague Steve Wright. For the remainder of the decade, he continued to be a much in demand voice broadcasting locally and nationally which included a series of early morning programmes on BBC Radio 2.
Alton Andrews
Alton was heard locally in the North West before he landed a prestigious job on Radio Luxembourg. Whilst in The Grand Duchy during the second half of the 80's, he covered every slot on The Great 208. This eventually led to him joining BFBS at the end of the decade, which saw him broadcast globally and work with British forces all around the world.
Mike Hollis
Mike was an established DJ on local radio in the West Midlands before he made the big move to Radio Luxembourg in the early 80's. For the rest of the decade, he became one of most popular voices on '208' broadcasting across Great Britain and Europe from The Grand Duchy. During this time, he also hosted music television shows for Sky Channel and wrote pop columns for UK based newspapers and magazines.
Tony Blewitt
After a number of years working for various local stations, Tony joined Radio Luxembourg halfway through the 80's. He proved to be one of 208's most popular voices broadcasting across Great Britain and Europe whilst holding down the prime time slot on Luxy. During his time in The Grand Duchy, he also appeared on RTL Television before a highly successful move to South Africa beckoned at the end of the decade.
Nik Martin
Nik started as a local DJ in the 80's which eventually led to his big national break on Radio Luxembourg. Following a fruitful stint in The Grand Duchy, he returned to the UK to work for a number of top commercial stations before his career brought an equal amount of success as a respected journalist.Nik Martin takes you on a journey through the greatest decade in music history. His shows are full of energy, great tracks and the kind of 80's knowledge that only a true fan possesses.
Neale James
Neale began his career as a local DJ in the late 80's before he enjoyed a meteoric rise to BBC Radio 1. During his time with the network, he covered most of the prime time shows including the legendary 'UK Top 40' whilst hosting his own weekend early morning programme. Other highlights were fronting the iconic Summer Roadshow and interviewing the biggest pop stars every Sunday as host of the station's 'Rockline' series.
Graham Bannerman
Graham started on commercial radio in the 80's before he was heard nationally on BBC Radio 1 at the age of 21. During his time hosting the Saturday evening programme, he introduced sessions by The Pogues and Simply Red prior to their chart success. He also took part in the network's 'Great Rock 'n' Roll Trivia Quiz' and covered the weekend early show before returning to local broadcasting, which eventually led to a career doing TV voice overs.
Paul Jordan
Paul began his career as a local DJ before making the giant leap to BBC Radio 1 halfway through the 80's. Whilst there, he covered many of the network's most listened to shows alongside his regular Friday and Sunday afternoon programmes. He also appeared on the station's legendary Roadshow and regularly hosted Top of the Pops before returning to commercial broadcasting during the second half of the decade.
Rod McKenzie
Rod began his career with a highly successful spell at London’s Capital Radio before he moved to the BBC. From the middle of the decade, he fronted Radio 1’s Newsbeat which led to him becoming ‘the voice of news’ on the network’s Breakfast Show. During that time he appeared on the legendary Roadshow each Summer and co-hosted Top of the Pops. He might be best known for breaking the big stories of the time but his passion has always been for the songs we play from this incredible era in music history.
Emperor Rosko
Put simply, Rosko is broadcasting icon. From his earliest days as an offshore pirate to the legendary shows he hosted for RTL in Paris, he was already a star before joining BBC Radio 1 and fronting Top of the Pops. After returning to the network during the early 80's, he spent the rest of the decade with Radio Luxembourg where he presented his weekly show from LA 'In Exile'.
Emperor Rosko
Put simply, Rosko is broadcasting icon. From his earliest days as an offshore pirate to the legendary shows he hosted for RTL in Paris, he was already a star before joining BBC Radio 1 and fronting Top of the Pops. After returning to the network during the early 80's, he spent the rest of the decade with Radio Luxembourg where he presented his weekly show from LA 'In Exile'.
Adrian Juste
Adrian was already a well known on air personality in the Midlands before he was given his national break on BBC Radio 1. Throughout the 80's he was heard in the Sunday morning and afternoon slots but is best remembered for his unique Saturday lunchtime blend of music and comedy. His voice is also recalled fondly for the opening announcements on the Roadshow each Summer and he was also seen co-hosting Top of the Pops during the decade.
Steve Blacknell
Initially, Steve worked as a record plugger before he became a broadcaster in the early 80's. He appeared on TV programmes such as Riverside, Pop Carnival. Breakfast Time, Whistle Test and the marathon music spectacular 'Rock Around The Clock'. He was heard regularly introducing Radio 1's 'In Concert' series and was chosen to be one of the presenters during the BBC's Live Aid coverage. He also fronted shows on Music Box Television during the decade which led to him hosting London Calling on MTV.
Tim Smith
Tim Smith rounds off the weekend in style. His late Saturday show is a perfect end to the week — great 80's music, a relaxed vibe and the kind of presenting that keeps you tuned in.