The 31st December 2024 shall forever mark a dark day for British radio as one of Britain’s best loved broadcasters passed away aged 79. One of the pioneers of music radio, Johnnie Walker was amongst the Radio Caroline generation who helped cultivate a brand new sound of British broadcasting. For over two decades, his wife Tiggy was the rock by his side, sharing every moment of his rollercoaster of a life with unwavering love and devotion. Throughout his illness, Tiggy began to write a book surrounding their life together and the responsibility of caring for someone you love at such a pivotal time in their life. Johnnie was known to millions as the voice of a generation who was a constant fixture in public life for over half a century. Yet what is possibly lesser known is the Johnnie Walker behind the microphone who Tiggy shared her life with.
Making his broadcasting debut in May 1966 on a pirate radio station called Swinging Radio England, Johnnie found himself right in the centre of this revolution and it wasn’t long before Radio Caroline came calling. Broadcasting from ships in the North Sea, this generation of musical mavericks were unknowingly re-writing the rule book and this heralded a new era in popular culture. This popular route into radio spawned a whole new generation of broadcasters who each would go on to become legends of their industry. From Kenny Everett to Tony Blackburn and John Peel, much of Britain’s broadcasting tapestry owes an enormous debt to these pirate radio stations in the North Sea.
Following the Broadcasting Act of 1967, pirate radio stations were moved out of British territory and continued broadcasting from the border of Holland until 1968. By this time, the BBC had the idea to re-structure its radio stations and created stations which could appeal to every section of the audience. In creating Radio 1, the corporation was able to appeal to the trawlers of listeners who had been loyal to the pirate radio stations who played the music that young people wanted to hear. Therefore with the new sound of Radio 1. Therefore, instead of berating the political forces which had put an abrupt end to Radio Caroline, figures like Johnnie, along with Tony Blackburn and John Peel, embraced this new platform and made it their own.
Just a year later, following a brief stint as a delivery driver, the BBC approached Johnnie with a proposal to join the newly formed Radio 1 alongside many of his fellow broadcasters who he had shared the airwaves with at Caroline. Figures like Tony Blackburn, John Peel and Johnnie Walker occupy a significant position in Britain’s social history and making the move to the BBC helped to cement this. Obviously, like the majority of his career, this took place decades before Johnnie and Tiggy met and therefore she understandably is unable to offer any personal insight into this era. Instead she takes the perception of a fan in such a magical era of pop culture and is totally in awe of Johnnie and this pioneering generation of broadcasters.
Tiggy met Johnnie in 2001 at a member’s club in Soho and married just a year later. At this time, Johnnie was presenting the drive time show on BBC Radio 2: a show which would arguably define the latter part of his career and saw him chatting with some of the most famous people in the world. While here, Johnnie identified an issue with broadcasting traffic reports and recommended that instead of reports being rang in via the communication lines, it would be more natural to have a reporter live in the studio. As soon as reporter Sally Boazman met Johnnie, the pair realised that they had instant on air chemistry which brought a new added dimension to the show. Sally was funny, intelligent and could easily match Johnnie’s maverick sense of humour. This was the main catalyst for the multi-faceted, multi dimensional radio show that we hear today with a plethora of news presenters and travel reporters each being stooges for the main broadcaster and it was all helped on by this legend of the airwaves.
Following a successful career in advertising, Tiggy entered Johnnie’s life when he was already a beloved figure in broadcasting. It wasn’t long into their relationship that Johnnie was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and was forced to take a hiatus from Radio 2. Therefore for a large portion of their marriage, Tiggy perfectly upheld the role of carer for Johnnie which became one of the key factors in why he could continue to work for so many years. No one expects to find themselves in a role as a carer for a loved one but Tiggy’s utter devotion for Johnnie meant that it was their only option. Through this experience, she gained a newfound respect for carers and witnessed firsthand the rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied being someone else’s arms and legs. Eventually becoming his full time carer: washing him, feeding him and taking care of everything that goes into supporting a loved one to remain at home, Tiggy honoured her marriage vows and lovingly nursed Johnnie until the very end.
2025 has been a whirlwind of a year for Tiggy, not only adjusting to life without Johnnie but beginning a life as an author. Both Sides Now: Laughter, Grief and Everything In Between was released on 11th September is a real life love story between an incredibly stoic woman and one of the most beloved broadcasters ever to grace the microphone. The book is available on the usual book retailers including Amazon and is an excellent read for anyone who wants to know more about the other side of the much missed broadcasting legend. It’s clear that Johnnie Walker might be sadly gone but the contributions he made to public service broadcasting, together with Tiggy’s success of this story will hopefully keep his memory alive forever.
Beyond The Title