Essex Radio team reunites after forty years

Four decades after first sharing a studio, the original “Wotnotters” from Essex Radio’s Saturday Wotnot programme have reunited for the first time since 1985.

The Saturday morning children’s show, presented by Tim Lloyd – known on air as Timbo – and his presenter wife Lindsey King, ran in the early 1980s and featured four young co-hosts keen to break into broadcasting: Pete Sipple, Shelley Coleman, Chris Farrell and Mike Toolan.

The group became a familiar part of the station’s output during a period when Essex Radio held a significant presence in the county.

Timbo’s profile at the time extended well beyond the studio. His roadshows regularly drew large crowds, his late-night programme enjoyed strong youth listenership, and a Chinese restaurant named after him continues to operate today. The Wotnotters were also widely recognised, appearing at local events including talent competitions and community fetes.

For Chris Farrell and Pete Sipple, the experience proved career-shaping and led both into long-term broadcasting roles.

The four had not been together since leaving the show in 1985, but that changed yesterday when they met for a reunion organised largely by Chris. The group gathered for an extended lunch in Covent Garden, spending much of the afternoon recalling early studio equipment, station libraries and the production methods of the era, including tape, carts and the high cost of jingle packages in the 1980s.

The reunion marked a milestone for a team whose first steps in radio created lasting careers and strong memories of a notable period in Essex broadcasting history.