He’s the King of the Jungle, the King of the Airwaves and, as it turns out, not quite the Lion King.
Tony Blackburn has survived a shipwreck, jumped out of a plane and performed face-to-muzzle with nature’s most fearsome predators. And at 83, he has absolutely no intention of retiring.
His career has already provided enough drama for several lifetimes. He was the first DJ on air when Radio 1 launched in 1967 – but before that, he made a splash as a pirate radio pioneer. Risking his neck on the kind of small vessel that housed the likes of Radio Caroline, he faced some adventures that would have today’s health and safety departments reaching for the aspirin.
Like in 1966, when his schooner Mi Amigo ran into trouble off the Essex coast. But even after joining the BBC, Tony still got involved in risky escapades. One of the most extraordinary came during TV variety show Seaside Special, when he went into a lion’s den and sang to the lions. Not once. Twice.
These days, he jokes, things have changed rather dramatically. “I’m not even allowed to carry a cup of tea into the studio now. It’s absolutely gone the reverse,” he says.
Tony still remembers the 1975 experience vividly. A musician, singer and guitarist before he became a presenter, he would often perform popular songs as part of his act.
“We used to go around with a circus,” he says. “It was on a Saturday night television, it was one of the big shows on and I’d got the reputation of being a daredevil then… and I’m not really. I did a parachute jump on my own, not with anybody else on my back, and I wouldn’t do that again.”
He agreed to enter the cage with four lions, along with a lion tamer, and serenade them with Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree. There was just one small problem. The tamer had stitches all over his arm.
“I said, ‘What have you done? Did you fall over or something?’ He said, ‘No. Last week one of the lions got me.’ I said, ‘Oh my God, really?’ He said to me, ‘When you go in just stay by my side and you’ll be fine.’ And I said, ‘What would happen if I drifted away from you?’ And he said, ‘Oh, they’d go for you.’”
Looking back, Tony admits it was a “really silly thing.” And he does not think it would happen today. He adds: “I don’t think the BBC would allow you to do it for health and safety. We’ve gone from one extreme to the other.”
Five decades later, Tony is still on the airwaves, presenting three shows on Radio 2: Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn, Tony Blackburn’s Sounds of Soul and Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour.
And in 2002, he became a star to a new generation when he won the first ever series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! He’s not ruling out doing more reality telly in future. But having married ex-dancer Debbie in 1992, he doesn’t fancy his chances on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
“It wouldn’t be for me, that one. I just couldn’t do it,” he says. “I’m awful. My wife tried to teach me how to dance and gave up. It’s a funny thing, a lot of musicians don’t actually make good dancers. I’ve got great rhythm, but it doesn’t progress to the rest of my body.”
What would really be tempting, he admits, would be a spot on The Celebrity Traitors. The BBC smash hit will return for a second series later this year, featuring the likes of comedian Joe Lycett and Love Island host Maya Jama. Tony says: “I think The Traitors is the best show on TV. The Traitors would be the one I’d like to do.”
The broadcasting legend is currently touring Britain with his Sounds of the 60s show. He’s especially excited about playing his home town of Bournemouth on September 16, quipping: “I’ve got my glitter jacket ready.”
But before that, he’ll be heading to Stirling to introduce Chaka Khan, one of his favourite artists, at BBC Radio 2’s In The Park. He’ll be joined by the likes of Paddy McGuinness, Gary Davies and Jo Whiley at the festival next weekend.
For Tony, music is not simply a job. It is what keeps him going.
“The thought of retiring really doesn’t appeal to me,” he says. “I love music. Having something to think about, I think that must be important.
“But it’s not the answer to everything. With my mind, I know it’s a certain amount of luck as well.”