The show after the 4th Birthday boat trip - which was the first ever pirate radio broadcast from the inshore waters on the Thames.

The Thameside Radio 90.2 Christmas party is next Sunday 27 December 1981 at the Shepherds Bush Community Hall. Were you there? There will also be an extended Thameside broadcast on New Year's Eve (which only just kept me awake as far as I can remember).

Bob Edwards plays records from the year for listeners to vote on for a chart on New Year's Eve. Many of them have  definitely stood the test of time.

Sarah has a spot at 8pm. She reads a couple of the 10 letters that Mazzy wrote this week.

Dave Birdman tells us about the trip. It really was quite unreal being on a pirate ship in the snow on the Thames playing music - he had a driving test which was cancelled due to snow. Dave plays Christmas in Dredland by Judge Dredd and wishes he hadn't. Loads of new sketches too.

There are some snippets from the boat trip - including Mothball being given the bumps for his birthday.

There are a number of transmitter changes. It takes up to an hour to track down a pirate transmitter so the regular changes kept the Home Office at bay. It does require a lot of technology and staff to do it though - especially without the benefit of mobile phones. Each site is temporary so the  aerials have to be put up, the equipment connected, the show broadcast  then it's  disconnected, dismantled and moved on. Sundays were very busy for the Thameside crew. Busy for listeners too as they had to move their aerials around. 

  I have assorted recordings of most of Thameside Radio's 4th birthday almost ready to podcast  but it's a bit of a jigsaw with some better than others. The end of the birthday show is sadly missing. Do you have the end of the broadcast somewhere?

Thameside Radio 90.2 listeners mentioned include Keith Murray from Pinner, Nower Hill High School, Andrew Simpson, John Graves, Clive Barwood, Jerry Sinclair, John Brennan, Doug McLane, Dave Booth, David Swift of West Ealing, Adam Raven.