This Friday and Saturday, Mushroom FM celebrates the 60th anniversary of the start of the British offshore radio era

It was very clear from the positive reaction we received to the series of documentaries we ran about offshore radio last year that many of our listeners love offshore radio as much as many of the fun guys do. And Easter Saturday marks a significant 60th anniversary.

Easter Saturday in 1964 fell on 28 March. On that day, radio listening in Britain was changed forever, with the start of broadcasts from Britain’s first daytime commercial radio station Radio Caroline.

Anchored off the Essex coast and free of government control, Caroline (and the offshore radio stations that followed in her footsteps over the next few years) gave the British Radio Listeners a complete transformation in their radio landscape. In place of the limited pop music choice offered by the BBC Light Programme, listeners learned to love Offshore Radio Stations such as Radio Caroline, Radio London, Swinging Radio England, Radio 270 and many more.

Exactly 60 years on, join Mark Stafford, for “Please Don’t Take Them Away - The Story Of The Great British Pirate Era” as we revisit the Swinging 60’s and tell the full story of those great radio days along with a soundtrack of the wonderful music of the era.

Along the way Dave Cash, Robbie Dale, Tony Prince, Roger “Twiggy” Day, Don Allen, Johnnie Walker, John Peel and more will tell us exactly what life was like breaking all the rules in a life at sea.

There are two opportunities to hear this special anniversary show, on Friday at 6 PM Eastern, 10 PM in the UK, and once more on Saturday at 11 AM Eastern, that's 3 PM in the UK. Please check the Mushroom Fm schedule to find out when that is where you are.

We're looking forward to this celebration of a momentous event in radio history, here on Mushroom FM.