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Tony Allan was one of the most talented broadcasters to emerge from the
offshore radio scene of the sixties. Although loved by his listeners and respected by his colleagues,
Tony largely chose to work in the world of unlicensed radio so never achieved the acclaim and
fame enjoyed by some of his, often less talented, contemporaries.
Like many teenage boys growing up in London in the sixties, Tony was fascinated by the offshore stations.
Whereas most lads were happy to just listen to them, Tony was determined to take part. He began
hanging around Caroline House, the offices of Radio Caroline. He helped about the place, sorting mail,
stuffing publicity photos into envelopes and doing odd jobs but, whenever he raised the subject of joining
the station as a DJ, he was told that, at 16, he was too young. Rebuffed by Caroline, he approached some
of the other stations and finally landed a job with Radio Scotland.
Tony opens Radio Scotland for the day (duration 49 seconds)
Tony and Mark West promote a Radio Scotland Clan Ball (duration 48 seconds)
Tony singing the praises of Radio Scotland T-shirts (duration 1 minutes 30 seconds)
Tony on the last day of Radio Scotland (duration 42 seconds)
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Tony stayed with Radio Scotland until it closed down on 14th August 1967. Most
of that final day's programmes were pre-recorded so that the disc-jockeys could
attend the last Clan Ball in Glasgow but Tony and Mark West stayed on the ship, playing out the tapes
and presenting the last live shows.
Following the closedown Tony worked as a television continuity announcer for Grampian TV, LWT and
Granada.
In 1970 the Swiss-owned offshore station Radio Northsea International began broadcasting. It did
not have an easy time and closed a few months later. However in February 1971 it returned to the air
and Tony joined the team.
Tony on the last day of test transmissions for Radio Northsea International, 21st February 1971
(duration 44 seconds)
Tony on a ‘Super Hit 50’ chart show on Radio Northsea International from early 1971
(duration 2 minutes 28 seconds)
A Tony Allan promotion for the Paul May show. The disc-jockey who can be heard at the end of
the clip is Terry Davis (duration 40 seconds)
A Tony Allan public service announcement (duration 39 seconds)
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Tony's career with Northsea was erratic. He left in June 1971, rejoined
in August, and then left again five days later! He worked in Paris for a while, returning
to Northsea in February 1972, as DJ/head of news. In October 1972 all the RNI English DJs,
including Tony, were fired. In the meantime Radio Caroline had returned to the air, broadcasting from
the mv. Mi Amigo off the Dutch coast. Tony finally achieved his ambition. He became a Caroline DJ, joining them
in January 1973, although initially he only stayed six weeks.
During the late sixties Abie Nathan, an Israeli restaurateur, sold his restaurant and all his property
and threw his energies into a new venture, an offshore radio station that would speak to all the people
of the Middle East, Jew and Arab alike - the Voice of Peace. He began fund-raising in Holland
and the Dutch Council of Churches donated a ship. It was a long slow process but eventually some £29,000
was raised in the Benelux. The boat was then sailed to New York in an effort to raise further funds. Tony
was fascinated by the project and signed up for it. He left Caroline and joined the Peace ship which, at
this stage, was still in New York harbour. He crossed the Atlantic on board and presented programmes when
she finally reached the anchorage off the coast of Israel. He stayed with the Voice of Peace until 1973,
returning to Caroline's Mi Amigo, where the station was now broadcasting under the name ‘Radio Seagull’.
Tony's station identification for the Voice of Peace (duration 26 seconds)
Tony on Radio Seagull in 1973 (duration 40 seconds)
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Tony left ‘Radio Seagull’ for a time and worked in Dutch clubs. He moved back to the Mi Amigo in June 1974, where the station was now called Radio Caroline again. In August the Dutch government passed a new law making offshore radio illegal, just as the British had done seven years earlier. The other Dutch-based stations, Veronica, Northsea and Atlantis, all closed down but Caroline continued. The ship raised her anchor and steamed back to Britain. And at midnight on 31st August 1974, as the new law came into effect, it was Tony Allan at the microphone.
In the first minutes of 1st September 1974, Tony Allan takes Radio Caroline into a new era
(duration 2 minutes 25 seconds)Tony was gay. This was not frequently mentioned on air although Tony did not make any effort to hide the fact. When a new jingle package was recorded for Radio Caroline, a few joke jingles were made as well. These were never intended for transmission, just for the disc-jockeys' amusement. One of them had the words “Tony Allan is gay”. Tony loved it and immediately started playing it on the air. He was asked to stop by the station boss, but that only encouraged him! Tony was probably the first openly gay broadcaster, a fact of which he was immensely proud.
The ‘Tony Allan is gay’ jingle (duration 2 seconds)
Tony Allan on Radio Caroline from November 1974 (duration 1 minute 40 seconds)Tony was an inveterate traveller. He never stayed in one place for long. He left Caroline in May 1975 to join Edinburgh's Radio Forth. This was the only time he presented programmes on legitimate radio. He hosted the afternoon show but it did not work out and in November he moved on. He rejoined Caroline in May 1976 but at the end of June was off again, to London where he worked as a freelance voice-over. For the next couple of years he alternated between Caroline and the Voice of Peace, returning to Caroline in October 1978, just as generator failure closed the station down. After a long period of silence and, for a brief time, the abandoning of the Mi Amigo to the elements, Caroline surprised even the most diehard fans by returning to the air at Easter 1979. Tony was the first voice to be heard, pointedly playing Chris Rea's “Fool If You Think It's Over”.
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Tony Allan reopens Caroline at Easter 1979 (duration 1 minute 42 seconds)In August 1979 Tony left Caroline for a holiday in Ireland and did not return. He discovered a thriving landbased pirate radio scene in Ireland, and a number of opportunities for a man of his skills. Tony stayed there for the rest of his career. Radio Nova, in particular, benefited but he was also heard on many of the other stations then flourishing.
Tony Allan on Radio Nova, February 1985 (duration 1 minute 22 seconds)Tony had always been a brilliant producer, as well as presenter,
and the Irish radio scene allowed his skills full rein. Chris
Cary, owner of Radio Nova, has written “much of the success of Radio Nova was down to
Tony's dedication, talent and professionalism.” Like many highly talented people,
Tony did not suffer fools gladly and could at times be difficult to work with. Many former
colleagues tell dramatic stories of blazing arguments but they usually also have memories of
his warmth, kindness and genius.
There are a number of recordings of Tony from his time in Ireland on the web, notably on
The DX Archive site.
Tony returned to the UK. Diagnosed as suffering from throat cancer, he lived in a flat in Camden,
north London, while undergoing the unpleasant chemotherapy treatment.
Despite frequently being in great pain, he still showed as much interest in music, radio and the
world about him as ever. He was regularly to be seen checking out new bands playing the many live
music venues near his home and was determined that his illness was not going to stop him making
the most of the time he had left. He appeared on the satellite version of Radio Caroline and was
there to help celebrate the station's fortieth birthday. He fought the cancer bravely
and without complaint, surviving much longer than his doctors had anticipated, but eventually he
could fight it no longer. He passed away in the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead, just before noon
on 9th July 2004. Tony was 54.
