Ken Bruce awarded his MBE at Buckingham Palace
For his services to radio, autism awareness and charity
Last updated 27th Oct 2023
Greatest Hits Radio’s very own Ken Bruce was among the people recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours in June, being made an MBE for his services to radio, autism awareness and to charity - and today (27th October) Ken was given his MBE at Buckingham Palace.
The Palace had said that Ken is being made an MBE for his services to raising awareness of autism, as well as his work in radio and within charity. Speaking of the honour, the DJ described it as a "great surprise and privilege."
The radio DJ boasts a career of over 45-years on air, recently joining the Greatest Hits Radio family, bringing us The Good Times every weekday from 10am-1pm.
Upon the honorary appointment, Ken said he hopes being made an MBE will highlight the challenges facing autistic people following his son’s diagnosis. The Greatest Hits Radio presenter released his autobiography, Tracks Of My Years, back in 2009 where he detailed his experience raising his autistic son Murray, who is non-verbal, with his wife Kerith.
It took three years for Ken’s son to be diagnosed, with our radio DJ writing in the Daily Mail: ‘It didn’t come as a surprise. But I can’t pretend it wasn’t a blow.
‘It was not easy to accept I had an autistic son. Some say that after such a diagnosis you have to grieve for your lost child. I don’t like the terminology.
‘Yes, you regret the lost opportunities and the changes it will mean to family life. I remember one of my early reactions was sadness that I wouldn’t be able to tell him bad jokes and hear him laugh. But my child is not lost. He is simply different.’
This year, Ken appeared in Chris Packham’s BBC Two documentary Inside Our Autistic Minds. The show sees Chris explore what it is like to have the condition and increasing understanding of it, helping autistic people illustrate how their minds work.
Ken joins our very own Simon Mayo in receiving the honour, with Simon receiving his MBE for services to broadcasting just over a year ago, in May 2022, after he was included in the Queen's Birthday Honours list the year prior.
Congratulations to our very own Ken Bruce!
When is Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio?
You can listen to Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio on weekdays 10am-1pm.
You can find out more about how to listen to Ken Bruce here, as well as how to listen to Greatest Hits Radio here.
Meet the rest of the Greatest Hits Radio presenters:
Ken Bruce
Greatest Hits Radio is the home of the legend that is Ken Bruce, weekdays 10am-1pm - including PopMaster, the UK's biggest music quiz for 25 years and counting.
Find out more about Ken and PopMaster.
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo hosts Drivetime every weekday at 4pm and The Album Show on Sundays from 1pm.
Simon said of his Drivetime show: "I think the thing about Drivetime is that it is like the flip side of breakfast. You kind of know what an awful lot of people are doing, it's the end of most people's day, they're doing some final bits of work, they're shutting the laptop, they're doing a bit of food preparation, they're driving home. I think it is that sense of camaraderie, it's the end of the day, people want to be cheered up and they want to spend some time with some decent folk on the radio!"
Find out more about Simon Mayo here.
Paul Gambaccini
Paul brings us his famous America's Greatest Hits programme every Saturday between 5pm-7pm, featuring two hours of the Greatest Hits that made it big in America.
Sharing some of the things he loves about his show, Paul said: "Radio is the perfect form of one-to-one communication. TV can be direct, too, but the camera operator is always in your line of vision! I enjoy sharing my favourite music, and my admittedly freakish knowledge of it, with people who care about that music. I love the opportunity for challenging talk overs, too!"
Find out more about Paul Gambaccini here.
Alex Lester
The Dark Lord keeps you company in the small hours. Join him for the Music Marathon from 1am and the Best Time Of The Day Show 4-6am weekdays.
Alex brings: "Your favourite songs. Bizarre insights and unusual thoughts," to his show and told us that he loves that during his show: "It's just the two of us. You and me. (Against the world)."
Find out more about Alex Lester here.
Jenny Powell
Jenny plays the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio to kickstart your weekend, every Saturday and Sunday from 6am.
On Jenny's show, listeners can look forward to The Breakfast Club, which she says is: "A warm-up for the weekend, full of positive vibes and feel-good factor when you wake up on Saturdays and Sundays. I insist you have a dance with me on the Kitchen Disco, I share some fun news stories from the previous week on The Headliners and get you smiling no matter what, sharing some of my favourite tracks from the 70s, 80, and 90s."
Find out more about Jenny Powell here.
Andy Crane
Join Andy's late-night community of music and company, Sunday-Thursday at 10pm.
Andy has three hours of the biggest songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s as well as The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon. His show is full of: "Great music and plenty of laughing."
Find out more about Andy Crane here.
Martin Kemp
Join Martin Kemp with The Mix Tape every Friday from 7pm!
Martin has got "the perfect soundtrack to start your weekend," and his show includes: "All the biggest songs of the 70s 80s and 90s that we grew up listening to on full volume. I'll give you TV recommendations for your weekend, there's always a slow dance at the end, and I turn the decks over to you to pick your favourite songs. Plus plenty of stories from my career in music, film and TV. We always have a good laugh and the music is absolutely popping."
Find out more about Martin Kemp here.
Jackie Brambles
Jackie Brambles hosts The Evening Show every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm.
Jackie promises to deliver: "Great music and great conversations! Every night we're joined by one of your favourite artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s for an in-depth chat about the highs and lows of their careers and their musical influences over the years."
Find out more about Jackie Brambles here.
Kate Thornton
Catch Kate Thornton on Saturdays from 7pm! It's the best night of the week - so if it's a kitchen disco you're after, Kate will make it fun and have you dancing and laughing with her perfect blend of playlist and good times chat.
Kate explained what listeners can expect from her show: "It's the kind of show that lets you know it's Saturday night, no matter where you're listening in from and no matter who you're with. Three hours of songs that make a night in feel like a night out if you're with friends, or offers up the soundtrack for the perfect party for one if you're tuning in alone."
Find out more about Kate Thornton here.
Richard Allinson
Richard Allinson is live on Greatest Hits Radio on Saturday afternoons from 1pm with the perfect Soundtrack of the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s and weekend anthems.
Speaking about his show, Richard said: "The idea is to recreate all those great memories I have of Saturday afternoons growing up, a bunch of us meeting up to buy clothes, records, maybe sort a date…everything happened on a Saturday and we remember the records we played at that time."
Find out more about Richard Allinson here.
Des Paul
Join Des for Rhythm Of The Night every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm, where he plays all the greatest soul, funk, disco and Motown hits to start your weekend.
Des explained what he loves the most about his show: "The favourite bit of presenting Rhythm of the Night is when listeners contact me to say how much they've loved hearing a particular track and then tell us all about when and where they used to hear it."
Find out more about Des Paul here.
Now read:
Ken Bruce: Get to know the newest member of the Greatest Hits Radio family
Get to know Greatest Hits Radio presenter Simon Mayo
Get to know Greatest Hits Radio's Mark Goodier