DJ Nightingale wins Peel honour

Nightingale has paid tribute to Peel's courage "to defy convention"

Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale has won an award set up in honour of her late colleague John Peel.

Nightingale was presented with the John Peel Award at the Radio Academy Hall of Fame lunch at the Millennium Hotel in central London.

She said winning the award had made her "more aware than ever of what a huge contribution John Peel made".

Peel died in October 2004 aged 65 after suffering a heart attack while on holiday in Cuzco, Peru.

'Challenging music'

Peel was Radio 1's longest-serving DJ at the time of his death, having championed new music for nearly 40 years on his late-night show.

Nightingale said: "Myself and other colleagues would find it more difficult to play the more out there, strange, challenging music that we do, without John's legacy.

Peel was inducted into the hall of fame in December 2003

"He had the courage to defy convention and play solely the music he believed in - that's inspiring."

Also at the lunch, former Radio 1 DJ Simon Bates - who now appears on classical music station Classic FM - was inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame.

Jim Naughtie, a presenter on Radio 4's Today programme, and veteran radio DJ Emperor Rosko were also inducted.

Peel is a previous inductee of the hall of fame.