"The most companionable co-voyager into all their journeys so far has been Brian May..." - The Sunday Times

1969 was one of the most culturally significant 12 months in the 20th century. In this programme, Brian will explore the impact that the year 1969 had on him and the world of music and culture.

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The landmarks in music are almost too numerous to mention: Led Zeppelin released their debut album, The Who released ‘Pinball Wizard’, David Bowie’s futuristic ‘Space Oddity’ single was released. Hundreds and thousands of music fans flocked to huge musical events such as Woodstock to see some of the biggest artists in the world perform, the Rolling Stones put on a free concert in London’s Hyde Park and Jimi Hendrix defied BBC producers when he played live on Lulu’s TV show.

On the 20th July 1969, humankind conquered space with the first Moon landing – an event which had a great impact on young Brian, who had just graduated from Imperial College London. The moon landings inspired his fascination with science, and he would begin working on his PhD in Astrophysics. He would also form the band, Smile, in this year with Roger Taylor, laying the foundations of what would become one of the biggest rock bands in the world; Queen.

Set to a soundtrack of amazing music, Brian’s personal insight into the year and its resonance will provide Radio 2 with a unique programme in a year when Queen have earned their place in movie history with the Oscar-winning ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

The programme was broadcast on Saturday 20 July 2019 at 9pm on BBC Radio 2.