AN 84-YEAR-OLD Ferndown man has claimed to be the UK's oldest working DJ helping people dance since 1961 with no signs of wanting to stop.

Peter Shaw began his DJ career aged 22 in 1961 and since then has not stopped partying, owning clubs in London and hanging out with some of the biggest names in show business. 

While now on the slower side of life, he believes he is one of the oldest DJs in the UK, if not the oldest. 

He said: "I was in the promotion business and then began working in major discos in the West End of London and I got involved with music and the sound systems.

"I eventually got my own sound system and started taking on work privately and did a work due for Matchbox Toys and started getting inquiries and then moved into one my own clubs around West and Paddington."

Peter sticks to the classics still providing the best from the jive, rock and roll and boogie-woogie genres and still performs to crowds as large as 300 people. 

A recent event at The Hamworthy Club in Wimborne was hugely popular.

When asked why he remains popular, Peter simply said he believes the older generation 'don't want to see an 18-year-old rapping.'

He said: "Hank Marvin said to me once, 'a good song is always a good song'. That resonated with me so I look for good songs that are well performed. Most people are stuck in one genre but I like it all. 

"I particularly like retro stuff, I'm not suddenly going to get into Eminem, no matter how good it is but if people enjoy themselves to it, jump about it, I like to watch it that happening."

Asked how long he plans to keep going, Peter said he has no end in sight and still travels across the country to perform gigs. 

Asked what keeps him going, Peter was honest in that a lot of it is an 'ego trip'.

He said: "We're all driven by a little bit of ego. I've had my fair share of stuff nights where I've completely messed up but when people don't want to go home and didn't want to leave, that's how I get my kicks."