Kenny Everett was the first person to play Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the radio. Whilst working for Capitol Radio Kenny was given a copy of the song by Queen front man Freddie Mercury along with explicit instructions not to play it on the air. However, Kenny was so enamoured with the song that he not only played it (claiming that ‘his finger slipped’) he played it exhaustively, giving it a turn 14 times on the day of its release.
Although most remembered for his work on television, Kenny Everett had already led an extraordinary life before he ever made it onto the telly. His long career in radio ensured him a pivotal involvement in both the British music scene (including making friends and touring with The Beatles in 1966) and developments in comedy on the radio, developments that he would later transfer into television success.
Born Maurice Cole in Liverpool, England on Christmas day 1944, Kenny Everett, as he renamed himself, worked as a radio DJ for a variety of stations in Britain from the early 1960’s. He moved from station to station with regular writers such as Dave Cash accompanying him. He became known for developing a unique command of the medium, combining his off beat character with innovations in sound technology. He was also someone who courted controversy, notoriously being sacked by the BBC in 1970 for suggesting that the Minister for Transport’s wife passed her driving test by way of a bribe.
Kenny Everett’s television work was initially a vehicle for him to continue the work he did on radio in a new medium. The Kenny Everett Video Show (1978 – 1980) saw him once again present his often outrageous characters, interspersed with music videos. In 1981 he moved to the BBC where he performed on The Kenny Everett Television Show which focussed not on the music so much as the comic sketches. He has become synonymous with many of his character creations, such as biker Sid Snot, and the bizarre drag creation Cupid Stunt.
Openly gay and an advocate for gay rights, Kenny Everett died in 1995 of AIDS related disease. Often said to be a Tory supporter, Kenny claimed that his political beliefs were not avid. This didn’t stop him becoming involved in controversy on a regular basis, with this comment made in 1982, once again landing him in hot water: When England was a kingdom, we had a king. When we were an empire, we had an emperor. Now we’re a country … and we have Margaret Thatcher.