1981 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 1981.

January

 * 2 January – Dave Lee Travis presents his final edition of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show after two and a half years at the helm.
 * 5 January – Mike Read succeeds Dave Lee Travis as presenter of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

February

 * 11 February – BBC Radio London begins broadcasting in stereo.
 * 19 February–9 April – BBC Radio 3 makes the unusual move of broadcasting a sitcom when it airs campus comedy serial Patterson.

March

 * March – Garry Richardson first presents sports news on BBC Radio 4's Today programme; he will continue in this role until 2024.

April

 * No events.

May

 * No events.

June

 * No events.

July

 * 4 July – BBC Radio Blackburn expands to cover all of Lancashire and is renamed accordingly.
 * 27 July – Northsound Radio launched in Aberdeen from studios at 45 King's Gate.
 * July – The Home Secretary approves proposals for the creation of Independent Local Radio services in 25 more areas.

August

 * No events.

September

 * 21 September – Steve Wright in the Afternoon is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 for the first time.
 * 24 September – John Lade presents BBC Radio 3's Record Review for the final time. His last broadcast is the programme's 1,000th edition. Paul Vaughan takes over the programme the following week.

October

 * October – BBC Radio Deeside is expanded to cover all of north east Wales and is renamed BBC Radio Clwyd
 * 3 October – Kenny Everett rejoins the BBC to present a Saturday morning programme.
 * 4 October – The first edition of All Time Greats, presented by Desmond Carrington, is broadcast on BBC Radio 2. The programme, broadcast on Sunday lunchtimes, remains on air until the late 2000s.
 * 6-31 October – For four weeks, Radio 2’s overnight show, You and the Night and the Music, is replaced by 2’s Company with features a blend of music, drama, talks and documentaries from all the radio networks.

November

 * 23 November – BBC Radio Birmingham expands to cover the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire and is relaunched as BBC WM.

December

 * Three months after launching, Essex Radio expands into mid-Essex when it starts broadcasting from transmitters located near Chelmsford.

Station debuts

 * 27 July – Northsound Radio
 * 1 September – Radio Aire
 * 7 September – Centre Radio
 * 12 September – Essex Radio
 * 15 October – Chiltern Radio
 * 27 October – Radio West
 * 4 December – West Sound Radio

Programme debuts

 * 19 February – Patterson, BBC Radio 3 (1981)
 * 8 March – The Lord of the Rings (radio series), BBC Radio 4 (1981)
 * 21 September – Steve Wright in the Afternoon, originally billed as Steve Wright, BBC Radio 1 (1981–1993, 1999–2022)

1940s

 * Sunday Half Hour (1940–2018)
 * Desert Island Discs (1942 – present)
 * Down Your Way (1946–1992)
 * Letter from America (1946–2004)
 * Woman's Hour (1946 – present)
 * A Book at Bedtime (1949 – present)

1950s

 * The Archers (1950 – present)
 * The Today Programme (1957 – present)
 * Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
 * Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

 * Farming Today (1960 – present)
 * In Touch (1961 – present)
 * The World at One (1965 – present)
 * The Official Chart (1967 – present)
 * Just a Minute (1967 – present)
 * The Living World (1968 – present)
 * The Organist Entertains (1969–2018)

1970s

 * PM (1970 – present)
 * Start the Week (1970 – present)
 * Week Ending (1970–1998)
 * You and Yours (1970 – present)
 * I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972 – present)
 * Good Morning Scotland (1973 – present)
 * Kaleidoscope (1973–1998)
 * Newsbeat (1973 – present)
 * The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
 * File on 4 (1977 – present)
 * Money Box (1977 – present)
 * The News Quiz (1977 – present)
 * Breakaway (1979–1998)
 * Feedback (1979 – present)
 * The Food Programme (1979 – present)
 * Science in Action (1979 – present)

1980s

 * Radio Active (1980–1987)

Births

 * 25 May – Huw Stephens, Welsh radio presenter
 * 1 July – Clemency Burton-Hill, classical music presenter
 * 3 September – Fearne Cotton, broadcast presenter

Deaths

 * 7 January – Alvar Liddell, 72, BBC Radio announcer and newsreader
 * 10 February – Leonard Plugge, 91, commercial radio promoter and politician
 * 15 March – Derek Roy, 58, comedian
 * 13 April – Gwyn Thomas, 67, Welsh writer and broadcaster
 * 23 September – Sam Costa, 71, crooner, voice actor and disc jockey
 * 30 November – Val Gielgud, 81, pioneer director of broadcast drama