PEEL
BIOGRAPHY
1985 - You'll never walk alone
In 1985, John was shocked by events surrounding his beloved Liverpool FC. In May, John and his wife Sheila travelled to see Liverpool play Italian team Juventus in the European Cup Final, held at Heysel Stadium in Belgium. Trouble on the terraces led to the collapse of a supporting wall and 39 Juventus fans died before the game had even kicked off. John was deeply disturbed by the events of the day and he didn't go to matches for several years. This event also fuelled a personal fear of large crowds. Liverpool were banned from European competitions for the next six years.
On a lighter note, back at Broadcasting House, John was shaking up the authorities yet again. In 1985 the Peel/Walters office was so overcrowded with records, half-eaten toast, coffee cups and general tat that a BBC busybody delivered a memorandum to say that the office was contravening the Health and Safety at Work Act!
