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Remember, remember when station launched with a bang 40 years ago?

Jodie HalfordEssex
BBC A group of people have glasses and champagne and are raising a toast. Many of the men are wearing bright red sweatshirts, one woman is wearing a dark blue top with a white collar and a man in the front of the picture is wearing a dark top with a white and grey striped blazer. BBC
BBC Essex launched on Bonfire Night in 1986 - toasting its first day with pop star Nik Kershaw (wearing a striped jacket)

On fireworks night in 1986, the county of Essex wasn't just awash with the booms of exploding rockets and crackles of Catherine wheels.

That day, a new BBC local radio station for the county had been launched, pitching itself as a rival to the big commercial stations which already had a foothold with hundreds of thousands of listeners.

Forty years on, BBC Essex will celebrate the milestone with special programming, celebrity well-wishes and a look back at the moments, stories and sounds that shaped the county and the people who live there.

Here are some key moments - and some of the famous faces whose careers began at the big white house on the corner in Chelmsford.

Remember, remember, the fifth of November

A poster features a drawing of a cartoon town crier sitting atop a firework which is rocketing into the sky with a coloured trail and fireworks exploding behind. The text reads: On air from November 5th, it's the radio station for you, BBC Essex in red, orange and yellow text.
The station, which had a cartoon town crier as its first mascot, broadcast from a fireworks display on its first night

The breakfast show, presented by Alex Lester, began at 06:00 GMT on 5 November 1986, broadcasting on FM and medium wave.

Breaking with the convention of BBC local stations having "radio" in their name, BBC Essex was pitched to its audience as being less buttoned-up and more contemporary, while avoiding confusion with the pre-existing commercial station Essex Radio.

The first song played was We Built This City by Starship, and among the news of the day was updates on industrial action at Essex schools.

A colourful leaflet advertises how people could tune into BBC Essex when it launched in 1986, using a brightly-coloured map against a blue background with small photos of the presenter line up.
A leaflet advertising the station's launch included all the information listeners needed for tuning in

Just under a week later, on 11 November, the station was officially opened by the Marchesa Marconi with a commemorative tree planting.

Marconi was the wife of Guglielmo Marconi, known as "the father of radio" and inventor of wireless communications, who lived in Chelmsford.

In 2011, for the station's 25th anniversary, presenters shared their recollections of the big day.

Before they were famous...

A man wearing a dark-coloured t-shirt sits behind a microphone. He is wearing headphones.
TV and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary began his broadcasting career at BBC Essex

The station has seen a number of famous faces pass through its doors, both as guests and as employees.

TV presenter Dermot O'Leary started out by working on sports programming, while the station's first breakfast presenter Alex Lester went on to become Radio 2's "Dark Lord" with his long-running "The Best Time of the Day Show".

Blue Peter's Katy Hill also started off at the station, presenting a slot called Katy's Capers.

Outspoken DJ James Whale presented the breakfast show for a period, and it was also home to Eric 'Monster' Hall, a record plugger turned football promoter.

Jodie Halford/BBC A large, white building has a grey slate roof and the words BBC Essex in large blue letters fixed on the side. There is blue sky and white cloud above.Jodie Halford/BBC
BBC Essex still broadcasts from its building on New London Road in Chelmsford

Sports presenters Mark Pougatch and Jonathan Overend began their careers at the station, along with journalists Paddy O'Connell, Richard Bilton and, in more recent times, BBC foreign correspondent James Waterhouse.

In December 2025, the station lost one of its longest-serving presenters, Dave Monk, who had worked at BBC Essex from the start in November 1986.

He was described in tributes as "the voice of Essex" who had a "remarkable impact on the county".

Battles, evictions and TOWIE

Press Association A caravan burns, with red flames visible, and in the foreground are black tyres with white paint on them, spelling OUR HOME.Press Association
Dale Farm made national headlines in 2011, when Basildon Council evicted 80 families from their illegally-built homes at Europe's largest traveller site

A special 40th anniversary programme will look back at some of the biggest moments in the county over that period.

From The Battle of Brightlingsea in 1995 over live animal exports, to the Rettendon murders later that same year, Essex has been home to countless national news stories that still resonate today.

Culturally, the county has navigated its white stiletto and Essex Man stereotypes through to the tropes of The Only Way is Essex, which hit our screens in 2010 and birthed stars such as Gemma Collins, Mark Wright, Joey Essex and Sam Faiers.

In the decades since the station came on air, the county has gone from not having any cities to now having three - Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend-on-Sea.

Reporters and presenters will share their memories of other events, such as the Dale Farm evictions, V Festival at Hylands Park and the saga of Southend United as part of the programme.

Celebrating unsung heroes

A large group of people stand on a stage with a purple sign behind them which reads "BBC Make a Difference Awards". They are smartly-dressed and some are holding awards.
BBC Essex's annual Make a Difference awards recognise the work of groups, individuals and charites across the county

Over the years, BBC Essex has celebrated local unsung heroes and people making an impact in their communities.

Through its annual Make a Difference awards, the station has brought together volunteers, individuals, groups and charities to celebrate the work they do with a special awards ceremony.

It's also played host to a variety of events and challenges for BBC Children in Need, including quiz nights, theatre shows, 2024's Big Swim and last year's thousand-mile challenge.

Alison Hodgkins-Brown/BBC A group of people wearing burgundy jackets smile at the camera. The man in the middle is holding a microphone and a megaphone in the other hand. Alison Hodgkins-Brown/BBC
Long-serving BBC Essex presenter Dave Monk, pictured holding a megaphone, worked at the station from its first week

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