A natural rebel, he did not always follow the guidelines set down by the station's management and was fired for six months after mocking the sponsored American religious shows which were a regular part of Radio London's schedule. This unwillingness to toe the line was to be a recurring pattern in his radio career at the BBC and Capital Radio, and then in his subsequent TV work. Like many pirate radio DJs (and listeners) he resented the Labour Party's opposition to what was then called "free radio" and encouraged his listeners to support the Conservatives, who had promised to introduce commercial radio if elected. (The Tories' surprise victory in the 1970 general election was seen by some as due to the number of young first-time voters who had been won over by the campaign for free radio.)