The story of Radio Caroline has over the years become something of a broadcasting legend. However all good legends are a mix of fact and fiction, none more so than Caroline, and the story has many myths associated with it.

Radio Caroline is probably the most famous of all the offshore “pirate” radio stations, although she was far from being the first with the idea.

Almost since radio was invented, governments have tried to control it, especially in Europe, where radio was soon state controlled. It was a case of the government giving people what they decided they wanted them to hear, rather than necessarily what the listeners wanted to hear. Governments have always been afraid of things they can’t control, but unfortunately for them, radio waves don’t recognise national boundaries. It wasn’t long before commercial entrepreneurs set up transmitters in one country, to broadcast programmes to a neighbouring and state controlled country. In the 1930’s, radio stations in Europe, like  Radio Normandy  and Radio Luxembourg broadcast popular music to England, which at that time only had the state licensed British Broadcasting Corporation. The BBC’s programmes were mainly serious music, talks, and “educational”, becoming even more so on Sundays.

Radio Normandy outside broadcast van

Radio Luxembourg

BBC Broadcasting House, London