BBC News reporter Ros Atkins has revealed his surprising past life as a Drum and Bass DJ – before the birth of his first child put paid to his hobby.
Mr Atkins, 47, revealed his colourful background after making a surprise appearance as the presenter of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Desert Island Disco All-Dayer.
The presenter, who has received praise for his forensic explainer videos of stories including the Downing Street Party scandal, displayed a series of photos on Twitter of him in his DJing days in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Mr Atkins said that, while living in South Africa, he also worked the decks during a ‘huge rave’ inside Johannesburg train station.
He said he performed his last ‘gig’ in 2006 in London’s Regents Park, which was a ‘reasonably sweaty affair’.
His eldest daughter was born ‘a few days later’ and he has not performed since.
On Monday, Atkins took to the airways to present his favourite tracks.
Revealing his ‘set’ on Twitter, he said it included hits from ‘DJ Hype & Ganja Max’ and ‘Shimon and Andy C’.
BBC News reporter Ros Atkins has revealed his surprising past life as a Drum and Bass DJ, before the birth of his first child put paid to his hobby
Mr Atkins, 47, revealed his colourful background after making a surprise appearance as the presenter of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Desert Island Disco All-Dayer. He shared a series of images of him performing, including at his last gig (above) in Regents Park in 2006
He said before beginning his 25-minute set: ‘Before the BBC was letting me anywhere near a TV studio, I used to DJ drum and bass, and much to my delight Steve Lamacq and the team at BBC Radio 6 Music have asked me if I would like to get back behind the decks for today’s desert island disco alldayer, and of course I said yes.
‘This mix is inspired by Brixton electric in South London. It is a place I have had some great drum n bass nights, hopefully there are many more to come.’
Mr Atkins, who grew up in Cornwall, said he started ‘going to raves’ and listening to ‘hardcore’ Drum and Bass music in the 1990s.
One image he shared showed him wearing a high-viz jacket with a friend after a ‘long night’ at the ‘Helter Skelter’ rave in Milton Keynes, Buckingamshire, in 1997.
He said he began DJing at a similar time after being inspired by DJs including ‘LTJ Bukem’, whose real name is Daniel Williamson.
Mr Atkins then shared an image of him running an event in Brixton, south London. He said he also performed in Cornwall and Cambridge.
Mr Atkins said that, while living in South Africa, he also worked the decks during a ‘huge rave’ inside Johannesburg train station. Whilst in the country, he also performed at Pretoria’s ‘Oppi Koppi’ festival. Pictured: Mr Atkins at Oppi Koppi
The presenter, who has received praise for his forensic explainers of stories including the Downing Stret Party scandal, displayed a series of photos on Twitter of him in his DJing days in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He said the above image showed him after a ‘long night’ at the ‘Helter Skelter’ rave in Milton Keynes
Speaking of his time in South Africa, he said: ‘I also lived in South Africa for a while and, improbably, ended up playing in the D&B room at a huge rave in Joburg train station.’
Whilst in the country, he also performed at Pretoria’s ‘Oppi Koppi’ festival.
His final gig came when family life intervened.
‘I got booked to play a festival in Regent’s Park. It was a reasonably sweaty affair,’ he said.
‘A few days later, our eldest daughter was born and suddenly I had a lot less time and energy! DJing didn’t fit into life so well and I’ve not done a gig since.’
Mr Atkins said he was then invited onto Radio 6 Music and accepted the offer ‘before anyone had a chance to rethink the offer’.
Milton Keynes’s ‘Helter Skelter’ event was held at The Sanctuary music venue (pictured)
A poster for the 1994 Helter Skelter event. The Sanctuary was famous for holding enormous raves from 1991 onwards
He said the ‘mix’ he selected was inspired after some ‘brilliant pre-COVID nights’ spent at the Electric Brixton music venue.
The broadcaster added that, to his younger self, the ‘idea I’d do a mix on the BBC would have been incomprehensible. I’m very touched to have been asked’.
Milton Keynes’s ‘Helter Skelter’ event was held at The Sanctuary music venue, which was knocked down in 2004. An IKEA branch has since been built in its place.
Mr Atkins said he began DJing after being inspired by DJs including ‘LTJ Bukem’ (pictured)
The Sanctuary was famous for holding enormous raves from 1991 onwards. An estimated 750,000 people are said to have visited the venue, which could hold 9,000 people at a time.
Last year, an exhibition commemorating the rave hotspot opened in Milton Keynes’s MK Gallery.
The Sanctuary had originally been built as an ordinary warehouse before it was used to hold the Dreamscape 1 rave, which is regarded as historic by music fans.
Bands who performed there included The Prodigy and The Cult.
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