Simon Bates

Simon Bates (Simon Philip Bates, b. 17 December 1946) is a British DJ and radio presenter.

Originally joining the BBC in 1971, working for Radio 4 and then Radio 2, he first became well known for his work at Radio 1 where he was a regular DJ from November 1977 until resigning in 1993. His programmes were also popular for the "The Golden Hour" and Our Tune features. As was the custom, he was also a Top of the Pops presenter, making his debut on 06 December 1979 and presenting his final show on 14 July 1988 (appearing later for the 25th anniversary Special on New Year's Eve 1988).

After leaving Radio 1 he went on to Irish broadcaster Atlantic 252, Talk Radio UK and Liberty Radio, as well as on Classic FM firstly in 1997, then as a regular presenter from 2002 to 2010. From January 2011 he presented the breakfast show on Smooth Radio, bringing back both "The Golden Hour" and the "Our Tune" features. He left Smooth Radio in March 2014, moving on to BBC Radio Devon from 2015 to early 2017.

See also: What links here, Radio 1 Vintage