Although the more whimsical side of the "Perfumed Garden" - the fascination with sparrows, hamsters and other small creatures, his sympathy for the childlike fantasies expressed in some listeners' letters - caused Peel some embarrassment in his later years, the social concern which accompanied his hippie idealism remained constant throughout his career. (On the "Perfumed Garden" programme, he publicised "Peace News" as well as the underground papers "Oz" and "International Times"). Time and again he championed the underdog and lent his support to unfashionable or difficult performers.