Tarrant and Peel in Hall of Fame

Veteran DJs John Peel and Chris Tarrant were honoured by the radio industry today as they were inducted into a broadcasting hall of fame.

The pair joined legends of the airwaves such as Kenny Everett, Alistair Cooke and Tony Blackburn by landing the honour. The hall of fame was created by industry body the Radio Academy last year to mark the achievements of broadcasters.

Peel has been championing cutting edge acts for four decades and is the longest serving original DJ at Radio 1. He has been with the station since it began in October 1967, and has also won acclaim for his quirky Radio 4 family life show Home Truths.

Tarrant is soon to bow out from his Capital Radio breakfast show which he has hosted since the mid 1980s. His bumptious delivery has become a way of life for millions of listeners in London for the past 17 years.

Also accepted into the hall of fame today were:

:: Sue MacGregor, known for her many years on Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Today shows. She still presents A Good Read and The Reunion for the station.

:: John Dunn, who was one of the most familiar voices on Radio 2 until his
retirement five years ago. Known as "the gentle giant", he hosted the drivetime show for many years.

:: Douglas Cameron, whose broadcasting career has spanned 42 years - 30 of them spent at London's LBC.

They were honoured at a lunch at London's Savoy Hotel in London today. Radio Academy director John Bradford said: "These five names have set the standard to which others follow.

"Their voices have helped make radio today more popular than it has ever been, even as media diversifies beyond all recognition."

The academy has created its hall of fame online with biographies, photos and audio clips of their performances as a permanent reminder for successive generations.