Chris Tarrant package

Tarrant is hailed as a radio great. Certainly, like Moyles and Les Ross, he owned his market for a generation.

An ex-teacher who then sloshed around with buckets and gunge on TV, he joined Capital in 1984, hosting lunchtimes. In clearly inspired casting, 1987 saw Programme Director, Jo Sandilands, ask him to don the breakfast crown. It is easy to think the whole tenure was plain sailing, but the show faced the early challenges which many breakfast shows face. Thankfully, unlike so many, he was given the time to get things right; and the listeners time to grow accustomed to him. He was huge, not least under the direction of his new boss Richard Park. His face again became prime time TV with ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’.

His last show for Capital was on Friday April 2nd 2004, after more than over 17 years waking up London.