Rum Punch's Travis Jay: "I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me"
Having cut his teeth in the world of comedy, Travis Jay chats to Pass the Mic about returning to BBC Radio 4 for a full season of award-winning sitcom Rum Punch.
After the success of his pilot episode of Rum Punch last year, comedian Travis Jay is back for a fully fledged series of his radio sitcom – and it's only set to be the start of something greater, should the stars align for Jay who also has dreams for Rum Punch beyond the airwaves. As we speak before the release of the BBC Radio 4 series and even ahead of the live recording of his second batch of episodes, Jay is admittedly "super excited" for the release of the full season. "I think the response to the pilot was definitely eye opening. It was a real surprise because it's an audience I'm not familiar with, on a platform I'm also not familiar with. While I listen to podcasts, the idea of being on Radio 4 was just like, 'Okay, everybody speaks so positively about this'. It's just something I still didn't know. So, the response has been far bigger than I imagined," he says. And a positive reaction was definitely recieved around Rum Punch's initial episode, with the pilot going on to scoop up the award for Best Comedy Sitcom at BBC's 2025 Audio Drama Awards. Winning that was "something else", Jay beams, with it proving that the positive feedback "is not in my head and it really did connect". "I genuinely didn't know that we'd be in the running for something like that. When you start writing, it's the furthest thing from my mind. Then it's like – bam, nominations are in," he laughs. He continues: "It's my first comedy award, and I've been doing this for 16 years. I'm just grateful the people are enjoying the project. I think it's a powerful story to tell and I think the feeling it leaves is the thing I really aim for. "I'm one of these stand up comics – I do touch on serious things. Previous specials I've done, I've touched on grief, losing my grandfather. It would seem like, how did you make that funny? But I know that there's value in real life and authentic stories. "The comedy will come, I trust my bones to find comedy. But dealing with real subjects is also quite a powerful thing. The fact that a story like this could connect like that and we go to a full series in an audience I'm not familiar with in that way, it made me feel really, really proud." Describing Rum Punch as a "multigenerational family sitcom", the series follows Jay in the lead role as Marley, an aspiring boxer who has dreams outside of working in his family's Caribbean restaurant. Set in Lewisham, the family comedy follows the Campbell family as they come together to keep the business afloat but also, pursue their own individual ambitions. Upon first listening to it, many will likely be warmly reminded of other Black-led sitcoms that have aired alongside many of us growing older. Desmond's, My Wife and Kids and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air were all shows that were staple to Jay's experience growing up, he tells me. "It's a nod to the legacy of Black sitcoms," Jay says, with those shows remaining so iconic all these years on for a variety of reasons. The studio sitcom format gives viewers "a deeper connection" to many lead characters, Jay says. "The connection runs so deep, it's that real life experience. You're in the room laughing with them and I really wanted to touch on that because it's just things I grew up loving," he says. In reality, the laughter you hear dotted throughout the episodes is all real, recorded live in front of an audience. It's a part of the series that was special to Jay, he admits, but is was always part of the plan when a stand-up comedian is at the helm of the series. "I think if we're going to call it a comedy, it belongs in front of the audience. I think the fact it's real laughter, it lets you know in the moment whether this worked or it didn't. These are stakes that I like, that I'm used to having." The embracing of Rum Punch as an outright comedy is something that Jay says he's doing unashamedly. "I think sometimes we take a shot at comedy but we might fall a bit short so we might say, 'Hey, it's a comedy drama'. "Whereas, I'm like – nah, it's a comedy. We're going to shoot for comedy and if it doesn't hit, that means I didn't do my job. These are the stakes that I think comedy belongs in so I really embrace that challenge." Having gone to one of the live recordings myself, it seemed far from a challenge for Jay to leave the audience in hysterics. Just like the series itself, the audience was made up of all different ages, with jokes landing seamlessly across the auditorium. Just from the material itself, you wouldn't think that Jay wasn't the biggest consumer of audio dramas or really, a listener of BBC Radio 4 ahead of penning Rum Punch. It's refreshing to hear, I tell the comedian once he admits that, but the lack of a personal connection to the form or the platform was a challenge that Jay wholeheartedly embraced. "I thought that if I'm not familiar with this platform and consuming this type of content like this, I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me. It was a real good challenge as a writer, to write blind," he says. "There's no visual aid, your script is setting the tone of the imagination that you try to capture." Jay describes himself as a "very competitive guy", saying that once he sets a goal then he becomes "laser-focused" on it, which is something that the wider Rum Punch team fully supported him in. When it came to sitting down to writing Rum Punch's full series, Jay said one thing was at the forefront of his mind: "Alright, I've got to write for someone like me." He adds: "Because if we're going to drag these new ears to this space, we've got to do it with a big bang. That's why with the pilot, we went full-fledged into it. It was a nice challenge, I'm glad that the response is positive." Riding that high of positive feedback going into the full series must be a lovely feeling for any writer, with Jay saying that many remarked that listening to the pilot felt like watching a TV show due to the excellent visual storytelling at the heart of it. "A lot of people were just like, 'We need this on TV' or 'I haven't seen a family like this in so long'. So, I'm really grateful for that," Jay smiles. Part of the family appeal of the show comes down to the family at the heart of Rum Punch, a cast that Jay couldn't be more proud to work alongside. As well as his own mother, comedian Angie Le Mar, starring as his mother in Rum Punch, the cast also includes The Real McCoy legend Eddie Nestor, Jay's real-life best friend Kevin 'KG' Harry (Ted Lasso), comedian Kyrah Gray, 3 Non-Blondes star Ninia Benjamin and more. Describing them as "a cast of dreams", Jay says that transferring his stand-up comedy writing skills to Rum Punch really underlined the importance of teamwork, both in the realms of crafting narratives for a group of people and not himself, but also ensuring that every cast member felt supported and as though they can shine on stage. Although his mother couldn't make the pilot, she's now in the series and it's a role that Jay had written for her, describing working with her as a "phenomenal experience". "There's a lifetime of memories with this person and they're side by side with you," he says. He recalls one thing his comedian mother had taught him over the years and that's that if you have to explain the joke, it simply isn't funny. "The rules of comedy have been embedded in me from early," he smiles. When it came to crafting the story at the heart of Rum Punch, Jay also credits another anecdote from his mother, who told him to write what he knows. Simply put, the show is the life that I've lived, Jay remarks. "This is the community that I'm from. So, I know the textures and the nuances like the back of my hand." Jay says that most people can likely think of a cultural community hub, like the restaurant in Rum Punch. While he wanted to touch on those elements of relatability, Jay couldn't shy away from the fact that more serious topics do crop up. "Black sitcom has always been impactful," he says. "There's something that it does that just leaves people with a feeling. I think today, there is a little bit of a gap in terms of where we might see that on TV." When it comes to resonating with so many people, Jay also highlights the important of sticking true to the story you want to tell. "I always like to be in that pocket of authenticity all the time. That's why I'm quite stubborn, I'm quite a difficult person to work with because if I feel like we're straying away from authenticity, I'll dig my heels in," he admits. It's an admirable quality to have for any writer, I tell Jay, with the Rum Punch creator saying: "A lot of time we do focus on – especially when shows come out and it's created by a Black person – it's about, 'Okay, explain the Black experience'. Well no, it doesn't need to be explained actually because if I explain myself, it suggests that I have to explain myself. "With this show, it's not a case of anybody explaining why or how they are. Everybody's just living their lives. That's what I really wanted to capture." When it comes to the future of Rum Punch, Jay – as previously mentioned – is thinking big and would love to take the idea for the show to the screen. "I'm incredibly grateful for the radio opportunity we have, because what it's done for my pen has just been ... writing without visual has made my pen a lot stronger. So I think, if TV was available, I'd be ready for it," he says. No stranger to the screen himself with a recent notable role in Netflix's Supacell, Jay says that starring in such a hit Netflix series and working with Rapman opened up his eyes to how much he "really fought for the authentic capture of South London within a superhero show". It was inspiring to witness and was something that Jay took into Rum Punch, further proving that authenticity really can achieve what people think it does. In terms of what he hopes listeners get from Rum Punch, Jay says first and foremost that he wants people to laugh – it is a comedy, after all. "Outside of that, I hope that you see a family that you can connect with. I would love for somebody in the show to almost speak to your experience in some kind of way." He adds: "It's always nice when you've got somebody fighting for your perspective in a conversation. So, I hope that somebody feels represented in the show. We all come from different families, have different networks. That's really what I hope for – that connection is what comes when you listen to Rum Punch." Rum Punch airs on Thursday 27th November at 6:30pm on Radio 4, and is also available to listen to on BBC Sounds. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Radio Christmas 2025 line-up confirmed – with Hollywood legend set as guest editor for the Today programme
Six festive guest editors for BBC Radio 4's Today programme have been announced.
The BBC has unveiled its Christmas 2025 radio line-up, with Cate Blanchett, Baroness Theresa May and acclaimed historian Tom Holland among the celebrities set to guest edit BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this festive season. They will be joined by broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, inventor Sir James Dyson and AI entrepreneur Mustafa Suleyman, and each be curating an episode between 24th December and 31st December. The festive takeover kicks off on Christmas Eve, with a special guest edit from Bragg, where he will be exploring the origins of the nativity story. Dyson will use his episode on Boxing Day to explore how Britain can get its inventive streak back, while Blanchett’s guest edit, which will broadcast on 27th December, will examine a range of topics including the impact of AI technology on women in the film industry and beyond. Suleyman’s guest edit on 29th December will ask how we can navigate the realities of a post-superintelligence world. Holland will edit the programme on 30th December, hosting an early celebration for England’s 1100th birthday and examining the impact of AI on academic research. Finally, May will explore the themes of domestic violence, trust in politics and modern slavery in her guest edit on 31st December. Owenna Griffiths, Editor of the Today programme, said: "Every Christmas on Today, a new set of guest editors take up residence and bring with them a wonderful range of new stories, fresh ideas and, hopefully, a sprinkling of joy." She continued: "This year is no exception. In a rapidly changing world, this year's guest editors will help bring illumination and understanding and I'm enormously grateful to all of them for giving up the time to take part." Elsewhere on the BBC radio Christmas line-up, TV presenter Lorraine Kelly is set to make her Radio 2 debut. Kelly is set to take over Jeremy Vine’s slot during the festive period, while the station will also host a Jane McDonald special and a celebration of the music of Stevie Wonder presented by Trevor Nelson. Over on Radio 4, fans can expect a festive edition of Desert Island Discs with Kate Winslet, as well as a celebration of 75 years of The Archers, a new adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse’s Joy in the Morning, and a new performance of T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. Radio 1 will present the exclusive reveal of the official Christmas No. 1, while the return of the Presenter Takeover will give brand new DJs an opportunity to front some of the network’s most recognised programmes. Meanwhile, Radio 3 will aim to "blend tradition, reflection and celebration" with Carols Across The Country, live broadcasts from dawn to dusk, and a landmark Advent service from St John’s College, Cambridge. Read more: 'Lust is a great creative force': David Bowie reveals what drove him in exclusive interview Silent Witness star Emilia Fox on new true crime series: 'It's left up to the listener to decide' The BBC’s Orchestras and Choirs will also be presenting concerts on the stations throughout the Christmas period. Over on Radio 5 Live, fans can look forward to a packed schedule of live sport and special shows, including Elis James and John Robins celebrating their 500th episode, Roman Kemp and Tom Grennan’s festive You About?, and The Wayne Rooney Show. On Radio 6 Music, Jarvis Cocker and Bill Nighy sit in for Iggy Pop, Beth Ditto will curate indie disco hits, Nick Grimshaw will look back on the year, and Craig Charles will deliver funk and soul. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Rick Edwards reveals why fatherhood has changed his presenting work for ever - and talks his modelling past
The 5 Live DJ on the joys of fatherhood, the downside of modelling — and crying on air.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What’s the view from your sofa? It’s a fireplace that I think I like, but I’m not completely sure about. It’s very ornate, with a wooden surround that incorporates a mirror above it. It probably dates from, and hasn’t been changed since, the 1920s. Then there’s the TV, which is small and probably temporary, and keeps tilting backwards because I mounted the little feet on it badly. Sounds like you need a TV upgrade! We left the TV that we loved in our old house because it was wall-mounted, was perfect in the space and it felt like a nice thing to do, to leave it for the next people. My wife Emer [Kenny, Karen Pirie writer and actor] and I really regret that now. You began your career as a model — when did you realise you’re handsome? I was a cute kid, I think, and then, from 10 to 16, which is the worst age for this to be the case, I was not a good-looking boy. At all. I wonder if, in those formative years, it was character-building. Then, around 17 or 18, the proportions of my face sort of settled down, and from that point, it’s been fine. It’s weird to go from being not-good-looking to, a couple of years later, getting scouted for modelling work. I did it when I was at university and just after. That was odd. I didn’t like it one bit. Aside from the models, who seemed fine, it’s an industry of a lot of not very nice people. I found it a bit grubby. What’s the best TV programme you’ve watched recently? Your Friends & Neighbours on Apple TV starring Jon Hamm. He’s great – the whole cast is good – and it has some quite interesting things to say about family. As a fairly new father, with anything that says anything at all about family and fatherhood, I am quite likely to cry. How do you juggle family life and, among other things, 5 Live Breakfast? It’s tricky, because both Emer and I work and I’m very conscious of ensuring that she still has all the time she needs to work. Trying to dovetail it all together is a complicated jigsaw. One good thing is that, although the hours of my job are horrendous, doing a breakfast show does mean I’m home in the day and I get to spend time with my son then. You have to make it work. How ready were you for fatherhood? It was definitely something we wanted to do, and I thought and read about it quite a lot. But there is absolutely no way you can be prepared for what it’s like. There’s a depth of feeling you really can’t get your head around before you experience it. It’s crazy how it’s massively heightened my emotional response to almost everything, because you just see everything through a new lens of: “What is that going to mean for his future?” How has it affected your work? My emotions are much closer to the surface, so when we have people on who have distressing stories, I’m very affected by them. In my first year doing 5 Live Breakfast, Russia invaded Ukraine. In those first few weeks, we were speaking to Ukrainians and it was like nothing I’d ever done before. It was completely overwhelming and I really struggled. I’ve definitely cried on air, and I think the audience kind of get that because it’s quite a human response, but you don’t want someone crying all the time. How’s your relationship with your dad? My dad was and is terrific. The world I live in is probably quite different from the world he lived in and lives in, but I still go to him for advice, even when I know he won’t know much about the thing I’m asking him, because I’m still interested to get his take. He’s a safe person for me. What has surprised you most about becoming a parent? Sometimes, being a parent is hard, sometimes boring, sometimes annoying. But you don’t let those fleeting emotions override the core emotion, which is “this is brilliant, this is special”. What it has made me realise is how much my mum and dad must love me. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Rick Edwards presents 5 Live Breakfast Mon—Fri 6am/Fighting Talk 11am Sat/The Inside Track podcast Mondays. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Caroline Wyatt gets candid about life with MS - and why she thinks the BBC will endure
A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis disrupted BBC correspondent Caroline Wyatt’s career. But 10 years on she’s unbeaten and still broadcasting.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Caroline Wyatt uses the word “luck” a lot. Lucky to have started out in journalism at a time when the world seemed to be changing for the better. Lucky to still be broadcasting, even though it leaves her exhausted and bed-bound. And, yes, lucky to have only been struck down by what she describes as a “gentler” version of the chronic illness multiple sclerosis. “Some people get it very aggressively from the beginning, so yes, I have been so lucky with the way that my MS has developed.” She’s sunny and speaks with no hint of self-pity, even though she acknowledges, with almost a newsreader’s detachment, that her condition is deteriorating. “I am slowly getting worse and I have got to the stage where I’ve had all the drugs I’m eligible for with the NHS. The thing that I really notice now is the way my brain is changing. I can’t focus and concentrate as much… it’s like accelerated ageing.” She also has to contend with crushing fatigue. “You wake up in the morning feeling as if you haven’t been to bed. And the older I get [she’s 58], the worse it gets.” We last met 10 years ago in her central London flat, where she spoke for the first time about the hospital results confirming she had MS. Today, as that diagnostic anniversary approaches, we’re at the BBC’s HQ, from where she broadcasts a 30-minute version of Radio 4’s PM programme every Saturday. She laughs – as she does frequently – about the support she needs from colleagues in getting the programme on air. “My eyesight is really quite unreliable now, so if I’m nervous or have a lot of adrenaline in my system I find it really hard to read words on a screen. I ask the team to print out a script in big letters, which these days is the equivalent of saying I’m a dinosaur, but it just makes it a lot easier.” Today is also the day that Donald Trump is in town and the world’s broadcast media are in tow. Considering she was the BBC’s woman in Berlin not long after the reunification of East and West Germany, was Moscow correspondent at the time of Putin’s rise to power and the corporation’s first female defence correspondent covering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, does she miss the cut and thrust of it all? “A bit,” comes the reply, quickly followed by a story – despite self-proclaimed memory failings she’s a wonderfully detailed storyteller – of why she took her leave of the front line. It was 2014, and in northern Iraq Isis was committing a genocide of the Yazidi people. Wyatt was there as religion correspondent and reporting, as she describes it, “appalling stories of rape, murder and retribution”. “I came home after that and decided I really can’t do that again. I think everyone has a limit and I had reached my limit of witnessing other people’s suffering. I just thought I am really pleased that I have these amazing colleagues who are going to carry on reporting wars and extreme situations, but I can’t do it any more.” Part of it, she acknowledges, was also physical. The as-yet undiagnosed MS was taking its toll. “In those situations you need to be fit enough to get out quite quickly. But I thought if they [Isis] did come to kidnap us, or worse, I couldn’t run.” These days she uses a walking stick to get about and admits to episodes of tripping over “because my foot doesn’t lift in the right way”. Her MS is now classified as “secondary, progressive”, so how does she manage the symptoms? “I try not to fight it and just acknowledge that I need a lot more rest and sleep. If I work on a Saturday, I try not to arrange too much on Sunday and Monday and hope that by Tuesday I can go and see friends. Pacing myself has been a massive lesson that I haven’t quite cracked yet. I still try to do too much and then I crash.” Does she ever despair? “Yeah, of course I get down and depressed and despondent.” What lifts her spirits? “I think friends and family… all the normal things. Being able to talk to other people who understand.” Cue more throaty laughter. “There are four of us women near where I live, all with MS. The hospital we go to got us together and we’re supposed to meet once a month, but because we’ve all got MS we cry off at least every other month!” Her Saturday stint on PM is, she agrees, a lifeline. For all its debilitating aftermath, she still enjoys the challenge of live broadcasting, though admits she had to step back from the hour-long show on Fridays because of exhaustion. “By the end of the programme I was gripping the desk to keep focused. I feel so lucky to still be there and still working. But I don’t know how long it’s going to last, because I don’t know what’s going to happen in health terms or in BBC terms.” Her own future health may be as uncertain as the BBC’s, but she has faith in both. “There are lots of people at my stage of the disease where the thing you need most is hope – that something’s going to come along that will halt or slow down the progression. There’s lots of research going on. I just want them to hurry up.” And what of the BBC? Is it robust enough to withstand the body blows it’s receiving from all sides? “I think it is. I hope it is. I can see that the BBC is in the crosshairs a lot of the time – certainly on social media – but we do live in an age of partisan debate, and having something that’s available to everyone in a society that is increasingly atomised is really important.” What’s important to Wyatt is maintaining a sense of perspective and appreciating there’s much in life still to be enjoyed. Though she rarely travels abroad now, she’s enjoying discovering unfamiliar parts of the UK. A study of her social media feed on X reveals daily repostings of beautiful paintings. She explains: “Algorithmically, I was getting war, killing, death, doom and destruction, so to influence the algorithm I went to other stuff, and that way it feeds me beautiful pictures every morning. Going to art galleries is one of the things I’ve started doing a lot more – sitting, looking and contemplating. It’s been a revelation. Although it’s quite knackering, they’ve got really good cafés – so tea and cake at the end!” More laughter. Her motto is simple: “Be glad, be grateful. One of the things the job taught me was how incredibly lucky we are.” There it is again, that word luck. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Radio 2 host Sara Cox details key differences between her radio and podcasting work
Sarah Cox spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about her podcast and radio career.
Sara Cox has been a mainstay on the audio waves for years, having hosted BBC Radio 2's drivetime show since 2019, and she's showing no signs of slowing down! Alongside her radio show, she also hosts The Teen Commandments, a podcast in which she and best friend Clare Hamilton reminisce and commiserate as they attempt to write the 'commandments' of modern teenagedom. Because after all, the best teen advice comes from those who have already been through it. While the outputs of her radio show and podcast are different, there is so much more that differs between the shows that listeners may not realise. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com at the British Podcast Awards 2025, Cox said: "The difference is that on the radio I've got everyone at the table, so I've got four year olds and teenagers and everything from sort of seven hours old to 107 listen to Radio 2, and I love that about it that you're just speaking to everybody at the table. "But I feel like with podcasting you do have that little bit more freedom to be a little bit wild. And it's exactly like how me and Clare speak to each other in real life, and to have that freedom is really refreshing and quite exciting." Hamilton and Cox launched the podcast back in February and have been having a blast ever since. "Getting to work together with your best mate is the dream," Hamilton told RadioTimes.com. "It's not like work, we forget the microphones are there and we just have a real giggle!" Cox added: "I've got loads of lovely jobs and I've been doing this for nearly 30 years now but without doubt this, creatively, and the heart of it is really the most satisfying thing I've done for a while. "It's just so different to have so much control. And podcasting is so different from radio or any kind of broadcasting that I've done before so I feel like it's really special. "You feel like your listeners are a community that comes together." Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC launches three new radio stations: "It's all about the audience"
The Radio 1 and Radio 3 spin-offs were approved while Radio 2 and 5 Sports Extra proposals were dismissed.
Twenty-three years since it last launched new national radio stations – BBC 6 Music, 1Xtra and Asian Network – the BBC has three starting on the same day. Previously available since November 2024 as live streams on BBC Sounds, Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Dance (which has been on Sounds since 2020) and Radio 3 Unwind passed full competition assessments undertaken by the industry’s regulatory body Ofcom in July of this year and will start broadcasting on DAB+ on Friday 12 September. The three stations were part of wider proposals from the BBC, which also included the launch of a Radio 2 spin-off and the extension of the broadcasting hours of 5 Sports Extra. Both the Radio 2 spin-off and the extension of 5 Sports Extra were refused by Ofcom for the negative impact it was deemed they would have on commercial competitors. Sam Jackson, the controller of Radio 3, says that while he couldn’t be certain that Unwind would get approval, “I wasn't surprised, because I think we made a very, very strong case. I was very proud of the submission that we made, I felt we did a good job of arguing why this was distinctive and why it would be welcomed.” He points out that around 8,000 different pieces of music will be played on Unwind each year, from a broad repertoire but with a focus on recordings from the past 10 years – even of Baroque or classical pieces – and a mission to introduce new contemporary works, including from performers or composers who aren’t signed to record labels. Radio 1 controller Aled Haydn Jones is similarly robust in his defence of why we need two new stations: “It’s all about the audience. Ofcom has pointed out that the BBC needs to be doing better with young audiences. Having services for young people is a public service. Radio 1 is the biggest radio station for youth audiences in the UK, so having stations with the Radio 1 brand offering more is a pretty special thing.” Both men are keen to stress the differences between what their stations are offering and what can be found on commercial radio, with Haydn Jones claiming that Radio 1 plays more tracks in a week than its nearest commercial competitor does in a year, though he understands the commercial imperative that may account for that disparity. “Commercial stations are going to pick the songs that work best for their audience and play them as frequently as they want to play them. Whereas Radio 1 are about new artists coming through; over 50 per cent of Radio 1 tracks are within the last six weeks of release and Radio 1 Dance will do the same for UK dance DJs and producers coming through.” On the back of that he expects Radio 1 Dance to play around 3,000 unique tracks a year – in previous years on BBC Sounds it has averaged around 3,200. Sam Jackson takes an additional angle in his argument as to how Radio 3 Unwind is distinct from its competitors, saying: “If you compare what we do with Classic FM Calm where, I believe, there are no presenters, we have programmes that are presented by experts in their field.” He points to mid-morning presenter Sian Williams, who as well as being a respected broadcaster also has now an NHS practice in the field of trauma mental health, working with first responders. “She brings with her this other side to what she does. She's a broadcaster, she loves classical music but she's also trained professionally in mental health and wellbeing.” Continuing in the comparison with Classic FM Calm, he’s at pains to point out he’s highlighting differences not setting out to denigrate the competition: “This isn't meant to be a slight on what they do. They do what they do, they do that very well, but they have a kind of jukebox of music that is played with no presenters. There's an audience for that, there's an audience for a version of that on Spotify as well and I think anything that introduces more people to classical music is a good thing. “But I think we have to collectively have the confidence to say there's room for everybody and then let the audience decide what they want to listen to.” Haydn Jones also points to the breadth of presenting talent on Radio 1 Dance, which includes many big cheeses from the dance music world, from veterans like Pete Tong to newer names such as Charlie Hedges and the Blessed Madonna. Defending Radio 1 Anthems, which has a stated mission of serving up nostalgia for young people with a playlist of “bangers” from the Noughties to now, against accusations that it’s just like any number of commercial “decades” stations (Absolute 90s, Heart 80s, etc etc) is a bit tougher but Haydn Jones remains staunch. “The people who are presenting it are in some of the first presenting jobs, they've had out of university. We work with the Student Radio Association, where we had a panel of students playlist our shows, but also inform the Radio 1 team about songs they grew up with or remember. “But then also we add our curation with our knowledge of young people under 24 to find out which pockets of eras or genres we could delve a bit deeper into to give them ‘new to me’ music; things that they might not have discovered as they were growing up. For us, it's about the target audience and trying to ensure that they have a service that's dedicated to them.” He also points to the fact that getting Ofcom approval is recognition from the broadcast industry that there needs to be a focus on young audiences, and that the BBC is better placed than any to serve that audience. “It may not be where the easiest money is for our commercial friends, there are going to be more affluent age demographics that can pay bills. The fact that we are able to say we want to make sure that young audiences do not move away from DAB or from broadcast media and drift to streaming, I think is an important one. "So, I think the fact that we were successful with these is great. It won't be the full answer to our problems of ensuring that young audiences get what they need from broadcast media and BBC specifically but it's a brilliant step.” Asked whether there could be any more spin-offs from their stations, Sam Jackson is cautiously optimistic, saying: “Could there be a Radio 3 jazz station, a Radio 3 live music station? I love the idea of launching some new services that introduce Radio 3 to even more people so long as we keep the main network as healthy and as strong as ever.” Everything would, of course, be subject to the same lengthy Ofcom approvals process that the new stations have already gone through and it’s this that makes Haydn Jones more reluctant to say yes to more Radio 1 stations: “No one is asking for that right now. And I'm imagining at the pace these things take, if there ever is in the future, I'll be long gone by then.” Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Jeremy Dyson shares "pure joy" of reuniting The League of Gentlemen stars for brand new project
The cast of The League of Gentlemen team up again in a new radio comedy drama written by Jeremy Dyson.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. There is a picture on the wall of Jeremy Dyson’s office, and he is gazing at it as we speak: “It’s the four of us riding the log flume at Blackpool Pleasure Beach after the end of our first big tour. We’re all screaming with joy, and it sums up the miracle of the journey – an absolute thrill-ride that we went on together.” Now, 24 years on, the quartet – Dyson and fellow The League of Gentlemen stars Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss – is reuniting for High Cockalorum, a gentle Radio 4 comedy drama penned by Dyson and inspired by his uncle’s brush with stardom. Commissioned as part of the BBC’s Contains Strong Language festival (there’s a live playout and Q&A at St George’s Hall, Bradford, on 20 September), Dyson describes the 1978-set story as “a mini road movie about an encounter between a humble lad from West Yorkshire and a Hollywood film star”. In real life, Dyson’s uncle worked for a record label, where he was occasionally called on to look after actors working on soundtrack albums – which is how he once came to spend time with James Mason, star of such films as A Star Is Born and Lolita. Dyson says: “When I told Mark this story, he joked, ‘You write it, I’ll play it.’ Eighteen months later, here we are.” As well as the charm of two very different people brought together by circumstance, High Cockalorum explores how fame can change people. It’s a subject Dyson has long had opportunity to witness first hand, as he and his League friends reached dizzying heights after winning the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1997. Unlike the other three, Dyson has opted to stay mostly behind the camera, giving him what he says is “the best of both worlds”. On the pros and cons of the instantly recognisable celebrity experienced by his colleagues, Dyson muses: “The inconveniences strike me more. You get hassled everywhere and there’s not much upside to that. I don’t feel deprived.” He continues: “I have a love-hate relationship with what Alan Bennett calls ‘the tinsel’. “There’s a lot I struggle with – the insincerity, the manipulation. A party full of famous people is not conventional. All the social cues that operate normally disappear, it’s highly status-driven and who’s where in the pecking order governs how much attention they get. You need a thick skin to navigate all that, which I don’t have. But I’m fascinated by it all, and the tinsel remains. It’s a simultaneous fascination and repulsion.” If the public side of The League of Gentlemen’s success tested Dyson, the friendships at its heart have brought him nothing but delight. “Up to when I met Mark, I had a particular set of interests that I’d had since I was seven years old, from Doctor Who to horror movies, plus TV comedy. I had friends who covered bits of that, but then a mutual friend, Gordon, met Mark, and within five minutes, he was on the phone: ‘There’s someone you have to meet…’” Through Gatiss, Dyson met Shearsmith and Pemberton – and the troupe was born. What did each of them bring? Dyson can’t pin it down, saying instead they were united in temperament and commitment. “Nobody was looking to go off to Hollywood; we just wanted to do good work. It was all pleasure. It’s strange looking back on it, but I guess it’s the story of any successful group endeavour, the gravity that pulls people together.” It’s a pull that has remained strong, most recently when an episode of Good Omens two years ago was conceived as a League reunion, and now High Cockalorum. Dyson is freshly appreciative: “It’s pure joy. In the first two minutes, we all collapse crying with laughter and it continues in that vein, in pure hysteria from start to finish. That’s what it’s like and why whenever we get the opportunity, we grab it. The older you get the more you become aware of the preciousness of it all.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Radio 1 confirms Love Island: Aftersun favourite and more fresh faces to join presenting line-up
The presenting line-up is expanding this autumn.
BBC Radio 1 has announced a dazzling new line-up of presenters joining the Friday Early Breakfast monthly rotation and the station's Life Hacks this autumn. Beth Wallace, Jack Remmington and Ash Holme have been confirmed as the next wave of presenters set to host Fridays 5am - 7am. Wallace, who has been part of the Radio 1 family since last Christmas, will kick off the rotation in September. She also presents a show on the Scottish-based local Forth 1 and was nominated for Best New Presenter at the 2025 ARIAS. "I'm absolutely buzzing to be part of the Radio 1 team for the next few weeks," said Wallace. "Radio 1 is a station I’ve always adored and it’s gonna be an absolute pleasure to kick start Fridays, get folk in the weekend mood early. Laughs, good vibes and fun times coming your way." Presenting duo Jack Remmington and Ash Holme will be taking the October slot, with both of them known for their hilarious videos on social media. Holme has built a following of over two million on social media, and was part of this year's Love Island: Aftersun panel. Remmington is known for his pop culture commentary and hosting red carpets, as well as his work on the podcast Famously... In Love. The duo said: "We're sooo excited to be back at BBC Radio 1 and this time soundtracking your Fridays through October - tune in to liven up your mornings and enjoy the energy and chaos we’re bringing your way." And while Shanequa Paris is on maternity leave, Charley Marlowe and Lina Nielsen will join Lauren Layfield to co-host Radio 1's Life Hacks, with Marlowe taking over in September and Nielsen in October. The pair will also co-host The Official Chart: First Look alongside Lauren Layfield. Nielsen said: "I’m thrilled to have this opportunity with Radio 1 and the Life Hacks team. Having been a guest on the show before the Olympics, I’ve always loved catching up with them live on air. Now, I can’t wait to join as a co-host throughout October." Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Radio 1, commented on the new presenter signing: "Supporting and developing new presenting talent is at the heart of what we do at Radio 1, and the schedule this autumn is a great example of that. "I’m excited to welcome Beth, Jack, Ash, Charley and Lina to the station and can’t wait to see the energy and creativity they bring to their shows." Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Archers star reveals how Game of Thrones role left him with “agony”
Actor Rupert Vansittart, who plays The Archers’ latest bounder, has form.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. You know summer’s really here when you’re sitting on the boundary watching a cricket match,” said Usha, solicitor and wife of Alan, the local vicar, in a recent episode of The Archers. “Freshly mown grass, the players in their cricket whites...” The recorded thwack of willow on leather conjured a timeless English idyll. Except, being The Archers, village cricket is more often the inspiration for a strong plotline. The latest involves Lawrence Harrington, chair of the rival Roserran Cricket Club, who first appeared when Lynda Snell, chair of the Ambridge Cricket Club, asked his advice after the team rose up the league. He promptly made a pass at her, undeterred by the fact she is happily married, and horrified her with snide, implicitly racist remarks about her friends the Maliks, the newly arrived Muslim family. Now the cricket season is in full swing, Lawrence is back. And if his distinctive voice is familiar, it’s because he’s played by Rupert Vansittart, regularly called on to play a not very nice toff. His notable roles include Lord Ashfordly in Heartbeat, MI5 boss Sir Alec Myerson in the final two series of Foyle’s War, and Lord Yohn Royce in Game of Thrones. “You don’t think of me if you want a drug dealer in Newcastle,” he says, entirely pragmatic. “If people want me to play a man in a tweed suit throwing a tenant out of their cottage, well, why not? It’s only acting.” And while there are pleasures to be had in TV drama – “I spent my time as Lord Ashfordly driving around gorgeous settings in Yorkshire in a Rolls-Royce” – there are downsides to TV roles, such as having to wear historic costumes. “With Game of Thrones, I tried to make the costume halfway comfortable with huge foam pads under my shoulders – the breastplate was agony.” But there are other reasons why he’s enjoying The Archers. “Radio is you and the script. It’s elegant and straightforward, and you’re not being watched,” he says. “And I knew a lot of the cast already. I’d worked with them or met them before.” The distinctive Vansittart voice you hear today is, he says, a reaction to changing times. “When I went to drama school I had a very public school accent. But it has toned down. That happened with a lot of people – like the [late] Queen. You can’t talk like that any more.” A keen radio listener since he hid his transistor under the bedclothes at boarding school, Vansittart, now 67, has long been an Archers fan – not least because, having moved with his wife to the Cotswolds and found some villagers welcoming and others decidedly frosty, he knows from his own experience that it’s true to life. But then he comes from a larger-than-life family, with links to entertainment. One grandmother was in the Ballets Russes, while other relatives worked at the BBC and as film scriptwriters. They form part of the Vansittart history, from their 12th-century origins as Dutch merchant venturers, arriving here, by way of Germany and the Baltic, in 1674. It’s a story – all in a bound volume handed down the generations – involving rogues, illegitimate children, maidservants making good and land sell-offs to George III. It would make a rollicking family saga – and who better to play a leading, roguish role than Vansittart himself? As to whether Lawrence is truly a cad, he says it’s up to the listeners to judge. “My job is to say the lines as well as I can. But if he’s adding a bit of spice, that’s great.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Archers star Lucy Speed reveals her pride in show embracing "important" new BBC initiative
"As someone who plays a farm manager, I really want our content and storylines to be as real as possible so that they honour the legacy of farming at the heart of the show."
On Thursday 7 August, BBC Farmwatch will see farmers taking over the airwaves, broadcasting for 24 hours nonstop across local radio, BBC Sounds and BBC News. As the initiative offering a comprehensive look at the daily realities of modern farming returns for a second year, with an emphasis on discussing some of the most pressing issues currently facing the industry. Stories to be featured include a 25-year-old farmer in Herefordshire who unexpectedly took over the family farm at 17 – leaving her in charge of a 200-acre site, with more than 1500 sheep and cattle; investigating the financial and emotional cost of farm fires in the East and West Midlands; meeting a fifth-generation wool farmer in County Durham; and 12 hours of outside broadcasting from a mixed farm in Somerset which makes its own gelato. There will also be a live broadcast from a combine harvester — with a so-called “Combine-Cam” — showing a field being harvested and allowing viewers to ask questions directly to farmers while they’re working. Harriet Cowan, the popular farmhand from Clarkson’s Farm, and Mike Wilkins, the fourth-generation Wiltshire farmer who starred in last year’s Great British Bake Off, will be presenting a live programme on every BBC Local Radio station across England. Yet, anything on BBC radio linked to farms and farming has to pay a visit to the nation’s most famous farmers in Ambridge, with The Archers on BBC Radio 4 featuring a special BBC Farmwatch storyline in which some of the Ambridge residents tune into their local radio station and are inspired by what they hear. Talking to Radio Times about the initiative, The Archers actor Lucy Speed said, “Farmwatch is a brilliant BBC Local Radio initiative that shines a light on the real stories behind British farming, and it’s something I’m proud to see reflected in The Archers.“ Her character, Stella Pryor, has been at the heart of a recent story that explores the conflict between environmental initiatives such as rewilding and farms’ food production capacity and profitability, with the harvest proving a pivotal plot point in the battle between the entrenched points of view of two old rivals, Justin Elliott and Brian Aldridge. So it’s unsurprising the view she takes of the importance of the public learning more about farming, “Our storylines are rooted in real agricultural life so it’s vital they are authentic. That’s why campaigns like Farmwatch are so important, not only because they celebrate the community spirit that defines rural Britain, but also reflect the everyday challenges our farmers face.” One of the Archers’ farming and countryside advisers, Fiona Mountain, adds to that, “’70 per cent of land in Britain is farmland, so farmers have a huge impact on all our lives, whether we live in the town or the countryside. Many people who listen to The Archers gain an impression of rural life and farming through the drama, which is why we do our utmost to convey farming and countryside issues authentically. Farmwatch builds on this by showcasing real life farmers who play such a crucial role in providing us with food and acting as custodians of the land.” Lucy Speed also links Farmwatch back to the rural soap and the work of Mountain and her fellow adviser Sybil Ruscoe in keeping everything in Ambridge as grounded in reality as possible, “As someone who plays a farm manager, I really want our content and storylines to be as real as possible so that they honour the legacy of farming at the heart of the show.” We’re not sure how Eddie Grundy’s madcap schemes fit into that, but if you tune into Farmwatch on 7 August and learn of a farmer building a “Ferret Wheel”, do let us know! Farmwatch will air on Thursday 7th August. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
All 4 League of Gentlemen legends reunite for all-new BBC comedy-drama
The gang is back together for a special coming to Radio 4.
The cast of cult favourite BBC comedy The League of Gentlemen are reuniting for an audio drama due to be broadcast next month, with a Bradford-based listening session and Q&A marking the launch. High Cockalorum is written by Jeremy Dyson, and features the voices of Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, all of whom previously collaborated on the darkly comic The League of Gentlemen. The audio drama takes place in West Yorkshire in 1978 and revolves around a "touching, funny and unlikely encounter between a Hollywood superstar and a humble lad from Leeds thrown together by circumstance". The synopsis reveals that the story is inspired by true events and serves as "a meditation on fame, success and what ultimately matters". It will be broadcast at 2:15pm on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 18th September 2025. The BBC shared an image of Dyson, Gatiss, Shearsmith and Pemberton back together for High Cockalorum (see below) – joined by Monica Dolan, who co-stars in the audio drama alongside Goldie Crane. Dolan previously worked with Shearsmith and Pemberton on an episode of their anthology series Inside No. 9, while she's also earned acclaim for turns in Mr Bates vs The Post Office, A Very English Scandal and The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe. Fans of the creatives behind High Cockalorum may want to consider attending the BBC's Contains Strong Language Festival – an event showcasing poetry, performance and spoken word – where the audio drama will be played. The BBC has confirmed both a public listening session and a Q&A to be included on the festival timetable, although it has not yet announced which creatives will be participating in the latter. You can find more details on the Contains Strong Language Festival on the BBC and Bradford City of Culture websites. The event will be held from 18th-21st September in the West Yorkshire city. High Cockalorum will be broadcast at 2:15pm on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 18th September 2025. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Greg James on his Radio 1 future – and meeting childhood hero Michael Palin
From shows on Radio 1 and Radio 4 via podcasts, Greg James continues to add to his CV — but who inspired all that enthusiasm and curiosity?
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Perched on a deckchair outside Sheffield City Hall, Greg James is enthusing about having just been on stage with his childhood hero and favourite son of the city, Michael Palin. “Michael massively inspired me. I must have been about eight or nine when I watched Around the World in 80 Days, and I just saw him as this wonderful travel presenter, but then I went on this voyage of discovery and realised this very funny man was also part of the greatest comedy group of all time, and a scriptwriter, an actor, a director and an author.” The pair were recording a live episode of James’s Radio 4 series, Rewinder, at the Crossed Wires podcast festival, which featured a trove of archive clips linked to the former Python’s life and career – from his first screen performance in a saucy Ken Dodd sketch to his old geography teacher reminiscing about Palin’s school days. The previous evening James hosted another show at the festival, Nobody Expects the Michael Palin Podcast, in which ostensibly he tried to persuade Palin – surely one of the few famous people not to have a podcast – that he needs one. “One thing I love about him is that he is endlessly curious – he loves meeting new people, experiencing new things and finding out about stuff, and I think finding out about podcasts is an extension of everything else that he does.” But the podcast wheeze was really a red herring: “It was an excuse to interview him about his life in Sheffield. That was the magic.” An endless curiosity is perhaps something that could also be attributed to the 39-year-old Radio 1 Breakfast presenter, Radio 4 archivist, Tailenders cricket podcast host, children’s author and, from this year, creative director of Crossed Wires. When asked where that drive comes from, he returns to the influence of Michael Palin, “He approaches everything he does with such enthusiasm and genuine passion – I try to do that as well. You need role models and I don’t think there’s a better one than him. He’s a great example of ‘nobody is just one thing’.” Yet one does wonder whether the multiple strands of James’s career are in fact a strategy for a man about to bid farewell to his 30s, whose main job for the past 18 years has been on a pop radio station famous for sidelining presenters when they don’t fit its young demographic. Is his Radio 4 work, Tailenders and the podcast festival an insurance against the time when Radio 1 bosses decide he’s outgrown his audience? “No, I don’t look at it like that. I take on too many things because I enjoy them, not because I won’t have any work. I love Radio 1 with my whole heart, it’s all I’ve listened to since I was a kid, and actually I didn’t think I’d still want to be on it, but I’m still finding new challenges with it. It’s fantastic, I still find the listeners endlessly fascinating and funny.” James says he has a good relationship with his bosses, who he checks in with every year to make sure they still want him to continue in the job and that, if in that annual review they decided it was enough, “I would have no regrets. I would go, ‘OK, I’ve got more to give but I’m cool with it.’” As he’s being given an extra 30 minutes each morning over the summer, that day isn’t quite here yet, and there are hints an early exit would not be greeted quite so coolly. “I feel incredibly lucky to still be on Radio 1, it’s a real privilege to be there so I don’t want to go too soon. It takes a long time to get to the breakfast show, so I want to make sure that when I leave, it’s the exact right time.” When that time does come, James will no doubt be emulating his hero and boarding a train for a new adventure. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Shipping Forecast announcer shares advice for Pulp's Jarvis Cocker
The singer recorded a forecast for a live show at Crossed Wires Podcast Festival in Sheffield, but it seems it wasn't perfect.
Two days before his band’s “surprise” appearance at Glastonbury, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker recorded a special version of the Shipping Forecast, to mark the 100th anniversary of the BBC Radio 4 mainstay. Cocker’s version was played out to the audience at a live show on Friday 4th July – the exact day of the 100th anniversary – at the Crossed Wires Podcast Festival in Sheffield, including two discerning pairs of ears, Shipping Forecast regular presenters Lisa Costello and Viji Alles, who weren’t slow to review Cocker’s efforts. Costello was taken with the timbre of the Pulp frontman (and erstwhile radio broadcaster on 6 Music and Radio 4’s Wireless Nights), saying: “You can just swim in that voice!” Alles however, had his reservations about Cocker’s slow and low delivery: “He needs to work on the pacing. You do need to get the whole forecast out in 11 minutes.” Cocker said that reading “The Ships” as it’s known at Radio 4 “might be one of the best moments of my life”. He admitted that, like many, he used to listen while going to sleep, citing that “the repetitive nature” and “the soothing nature of the person who reads it” helped him to drop off. Costello and Alles later read out a very localised version of the bulletin that referenced Sheffield areas and beloved institutions, including the now defunct Coles department store in which the event was held. Talking to Radio Times backstage after the event, Costello and Alles reiterated how important timing is to the one Radio 4 programme that remains a fixed point in the schedule – most famously during the Fifth 2011 Ashes Test match in which, with England on the verge of a famous victory, Test Match Special on LW was interrupted by the Shipping Forecast. Frantic cricket fans returned to the match only to hear that the final Australian wicket had fallen and England had won Down Under for the first time in a quarter of a century – a historic event that had happened while Radio 4 was bringing us the latest maritime weather updates from Fastnet and Lundy. Costello admitted to the burden that carries: “I feel that weight of responsibility. We have a little announcer’s bible for reference and about a quarter of it is devoted to the language and rhythm of the Shipping Forecast. “What’s hammered home is first check the date and time of the script you’ve picked up from the printer, because if it went out at the wrong time, you’d have to arrange a rebroadcast. That’s lived in the back of my head ever since.” Given that timing is paramount for The Ships, it feels strange that you can download the Forecasts as a podcast from BBC Sounds, but Costello explains: “It has a shelf life, because if you miss one it is still valid until the next one is issued.” And Alles picked up on what Jarvis Cocker said about how he used the Shipping Forecast to get to sleep. “People do use it as a form of entertainment, whether it’s as poetry, whether it’s to put them to sleep, or just something to bookend their day. A lot of people, the last thing they do before they go to sleep is listen to the Shipping Forecast. This is the end of another day.” Costello was aware of this, long before she started reading the forecast in 2017. “Thirty years ago my boyfriend of the time couldn’t go to sleep unless he’d listened to the Shipping Forecast.” It must be strange for him now to hear his old girlfriend’s voice just as he drops off, but reading something on the radio that is so meaningful to so many people – whether mariners, poets, insomniacs, or pop stars — means that the continuity announcers can be recognised just by their voices in the most unlikely of places. Alles recalled that it happened to him most recently at a book launch in London, “I was just a member of the audience and asked a question of the author, and somebody came up to me afterwards and said, ‘What’s your name?’, ‘Viji Alles’, and he replied, ‘I listened to you announcing from Bangalore in India.’ He’s an Indian national who studied here briefly about 30 years ago, got hooked on Radio 4 and continues to listen.” Alles never ceases to be amazed when recognised in public. “The first rule of radio is you’re talking to one person not an audience, and when you’re doing the late forecast, you’ll be the only person in that studio, you may be the only person in the whole of Broadcasting House, so when someone comes up and tells you where they listen to you from, it’s quite mind-boggling.” The Shipping Broadcast airs on BBC Radio 4 and is also available on BBC Sounds. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Radio 2 spin-off and 5 Sports Extra stations rejected as three new stations confirmed to go ahead
Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems and Radio 3 Unwind have all been approved.
Ofcom has made a ruling after the BBC proposed launching four new DAB+ radio stations last year - and there is both good news and bad news for the broadcaster. The BBC had proposed launching Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems, a Radio 2 spin-off channel, and Radio 3 Unwind, as well as expanding the broadcasting hours of Radio 5 Sports Extra. The BBC and Ofcom are required to consider the effects on competition of material changes to its TV, radio and online public services, so Ofcom carried out full Competition Assessments, examining whether the public value justified the likely impact on fair and effective competition. The regulator has now determined that the BBC can proceed with plans for the Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems and Radio 3 Unwind stations, but not its proposals for the BBC Radio 2 spin-off or the expansion of Radio 5 Sports Extra's hours. Ofcom stated that the new stations which have been approved would have "limited impact on fair and effective competition," which would be justified by the public value of the proposals. These will be covered by existing operating licence conditions. However, the Radio 2 extension, which would broadcast music and archive content from the '50s, '60s and '70s, was deemed to not have enough public value to outweigh the potential to reduce investment incentives for commercial radio operators. Read more: Disney+ confirms Miley Cyrus visual companion to her new album Something Beautiful Lewis Capaldi on course for Number 1 single after Glastonbury 2025 performance A similar judgement was made regarding the expansion of Radio 5 Sports Extra's hours, a proposal which Ofcom said would have a significant impact, particularly on the talkSPORT network. A BBC spokesperson said: "We are pleased that Ofcom has approved Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Dance and Radio 3 Unwind. The extensions with their brilliant programming have already proved popular on BBC Sounds and will now reach even more listeners on DAB+. "However, we are disappointed that in a thriving audio market, we are not able to launch the new Radio 2 extension or expand the content offer on Radio 5 Sports Extra. They would have provided audiences with a unique BBC take on the music, stories and archive performances from 1950s, 60s and 70s, and helped more listeners across the UK discover our diverse sports podcasts. "We believe our plans for Radio 2 and Radio 5 Sports Extra were distinctive and formed an important way for us to reach those audiences who currently get less from the BBC. We significantly redeveloped the proposals following an extensive consultation with the industry, so that they would complement the offer across the market for the benefit of listeners." When the proposals were first unveiled back in November 2024, a spokesman for Radio Centre, which represents commercial radio stations, said that they were an attempt "to directly imitate the recent success of commercial stations that already provide these genre stations following years of significant investment made by our sector". When it comes to the newly approved stations, BBC Radio 1 Dance have already been available on BBC Sounds since 2020, but will now be coming to DAB, while Radio 1 Anthems has been available on Sounds as a genre-based stream. Meanwhile, Radio 3 Unwind will offer ambient classical music and mood programming. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Unforgotten's Nicola Walker and Blackadder star's paranormal drama is airing again on BBC Radio 4
The audio drama comes from Doctor Who director Julian Simpson.
Unforgotten favourite Nicola Walker stars alongside Blackadder and Notting Hill actor Tim McInnerny in three-part sardonically humorous paranormal audio drama Mythos. It's written and director by Julian Simpson, whose credits include episodes of Doctor Who as well as BBC Radio 4's The Lovecraft Investigations. Mythos is described as a series that looks at British folklore through a quasi-scientific prism. It centres on a secretive government agency which investigates supernatural and otherworldly threats. Walker stars as the ghost of a nun, while McInnerny plays her boss. In the first episode, her character searches for a spell book in a remote village. Mythos also stars Wicked and Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey, as well as Van der Valk's Emma Fielding and Underworld actor Steven Mackintosh. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 back in 2017 but the 45-minute first episode, titled Mythos, will be airing again on the station tomorrow, Sunday 1st June, at 4pm. The second episode, Glamis, airs the following Sunday (8th June) at the same time and the third, Albion, is broadcast a week later at 4pm on Sunday 15th June. Mythos starts Sunday 1st June at 4pm on BBC Radio 4.
Radio Times Moment of the Year crowned at ARIAs 2025
The biggest night in radio has just wrapped up for another year, with the great and the good from the airwaves picking up awards at the 2025 ARIAs. Radio Times proudly hosted one award – Moment of the Year – and the winner was announced after 7,000 public votes. The award went to... Coldplay go Orange for Luton – BBC Three Counties Radio. Radio 1's Big Weekend was held in Luton last year, with Coldplay as the headliners, but Luton Town FC fans wondered if they would change their bestselling single Yellow as their rivals Watford FC are synonymous with the colour. A bit of tongue-in-cheek banter turned into a shock event when Coldplay announced they'd written a new song called Orange, dedicated to Luton Town. Host Justin Dealey previously explained: "It just all happened organically. Greg James was going to be introducing Coldplay on stage and got a message to Chris Martin. "I’m always banging on about how Luton gets bad press. The people of Luton deserved that moment, because they’ve been kicked for years, and here was a huge festival coming to their town off the back of the Premier League success." The full list of nominees for the category was as follows: A listener unexpectedly calls Cristo Foufas’ final show to thank him for saving his life – TALK BBC Radio 4’s Today: Mishal Husain and James Cleverly – BBC News Coldplay go Orange for Luton – BBC Three Counties Radio - WINNER Dan Noble speaks out about the far-right riots across the UK – Absolute Radio Frank off the Radio – The Frank Skinner Project, Avalon ‘I want my mum to die’ – Stuart George on BBC Radio Stoke Johnnie Walker’s final show on Sounds of the 70’s – Listen for BBC Radio 2 Marjorie Taylor Greene blames media for Trump assassination attempt – Times Radio Radio 4’s PM - Laura Trott interview – BBC Radio 4 Sunday Love Songs remembering Steve Wright – BBC Radio 2 The star-studded event took place on Wednesday 14th May at ODEON Luxe, Leicester Square. Read more Radio news and features: Radio 3's Michael Berkeley on the 30th anniversary of Private Passions – and how the format has plenty left to give Elaine Paige says advice from the late Steve Wright gave her confidence to host her own Radio 2 show Café Hope host Rachel Burden: 'Bad news drives clicks – but people still want uplifting stories too' If you're looking for something to watch, head over to our TV Guide. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Joanna Lumley, Roger Allam on Conversations from a Long Marriage, bad habits and Desert Island luxuries
Lumley and Allam are back to star in the sixth season of the radio series from Jan Etherington.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What would you say is the secret to a long marriage? Roger: "Probably a sense of humour. Laughing and giving each other room to be elsewhere and do things on your own or with other people, not having to be together all the time." Joanna: "A sense of humour helps navigate life full-stop. But complementary personalities can be a symbiotic yin and yang in a marriage." What is your best trait? Roger: "It’s a form of torture answering this! What is my best trait? Probably my self-delusion that I look like Cary Grant, but my bad eyesight means I don’t notice that I don’t." Joanna: "He’s a sensational actor, with one of the best voices you could hear and he’s heaven to work with." Roger: "Joanna has so many good traits. Perhaps her unfailing courtesy to everyone she meets – and also her interest and curiosity about the world." What is your worst trait? Roger: "I can be bad-tempered sometimes. My worst trait is getting irritable when being interviewed about things!" Joanna: "I seem to be a bit of a butterfly who flits from one thing to the next." Roger: "Joanna’s worst trait? No idea. There’s not a list. It seems to me she undervalues her great skill as an actor." How would you deal with a serious betrayal of trust? Roger: "I don’t know. It would depend. I mean, the presence of this son, it’s not something that he’s kept hidden from her – it’s a huge surprise and shock for him as well. There’s huge anxiety on both sides about destabilising what is a long and happy marriage. If it was something really treacherous, if he’d known about the son but kept it secret, then I think it would be completely justified for her to walk out. I wouldn’t like to say if Joanna is like this in real life." Joanna: "I think he’s more trustworthy than she is – she’s definitely more economical with the truth. But I don’t think either of [our characters] has ever done anything particularly bad – there’s been no infidelity, I am sure of it. She sands over her tracks, certainly." Roger: "It would depend upon the nature of the betrayal. If it was something really cruel, that’s a different matter to if it’s something that happened when we weren’t together. That’s rather different." What would be Joanna’s luxury item on Desert Island Discs? Roger: "Oooh, I really don’t know. Gosh. Maybe she’d take her cleansing routine." Joanna: "I’ve done Desert Island Discs twice so my luxuries are on the record, as it were. [They were a painting of her family and friends by the artist John Ward and the film, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday.] As I imagine I’ve got those luxuries stashed on my island already, I’d take another film – but I don’t know what." What would be Roger’s luxury item then? Joanna: "I’d like to think he’d take me, but he wouldn’t. He might want to take his dog, but he wouldn’t be allowed. So, it would be something fantastically lazy like a big, comfortable chair with a huge screen with football on it. Or some good wine." Roger: "Could I take a good cooker? A log-burning one. I do most of the cooking and I tend to listen to music when I’m doing it." What’s your studio snack of choice? Roger: "Joanna’s would be a carrot baton or a fingernail, I think." Joanna: "Having been a model in the '60s, I can go a whole day without anything except a cup of builder’s tea. I don’t like eating in the studio and I don’t like eating at work. I don’t like someone eating while they’re on the phone to me and one of the reasons I don’t love going to the cinema is the general rustling, eating and slurping that goes on. I don’t know if you’ve noticed on Gogglebox, but they always seem to have food and drink in front of them and that seems very odd to me. I’ve been on Gogglebox, but that’s not the way I live. I don’t ever yearn for snacks." Roger: "I try to avoid biscuits, but sometimes I fail, so if it was a biscuit, it would be a dark chocolate and stem ginger one." Joanna: "Roger has to eat at certain times. He has to have his coffee at a certain time. He’s very regimented in that respect." Who corpses the most? Roger: "Oh, I think we’re tied on that really. I wouldn’t say one of us corpses more than the other." Joanna: "Roger doesn’t really and I hardly ever do. We don’t have time – we do one episode in a morning and one in the afternoon so we must rattle along. Corpsing comes from the fear that you’re going to get it wrong, live, in the theatre. I like to think that we are both quite professional." What’s your favourite scene? Roger: "I can’t remember anything about the series. Joanna’s much better at this than me. You see, I can’t remember at all. It all goes out of my head. "We meet for three days and do the whole thing. And it’s gone, you know. I love doing it, I love seeing everyone and it’s the most enormous fun, but I certainly don’t know what Joanna’s favourite scene might be. I can’t put my finger on one, I’m afraid. My finger is unavailable!" The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Conversations From a Long Marriage season 6 starts at 2:15pm on Monday 19th May on BBC Radio 4. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Elaine Paige says advice from the late Steve Wright gave her confidence to host her own Radio 2 show
"Who could have imagined that I'd have had this life?"
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. When, in 2004, Elaine Paige was first offered the opportunity to host her own Radio 2 show celebrating musical theatre, she turned to her manager and asked: "Who shall I be?" The answer, of course, was herself. Up until that point, she had willingly immersed herself in any part she was playing. "I lacked self-confidence, which may sound strange for someone who'd been in the public eye for so long. But it was always as someone else. It’s via radio that I discovered who I really was. Until then, without a character, I’d always felt a bit lost." The First Lady of West End Musicals (a moniker first coined by Tim Rice) had found her true voice. Broadcaster Angela Rippon is a great friend. "She had a radio show when I started mine. I told her I wasn’t sure what I was meant to do. She told me not to worry: 'Just think of it', she said, 'as if you were sitting across the kitchen table having a chat with a friend over a cup of tea'. That's what I still try to do." There was advice, too, from Steve Wright – "God rest his soul" – who had a studio one down from where Paige broadcast. "We’d meet at the coffee machine and he’d say to me: 'We don't need to hear you at the back of the stalls, love!' That may sound harsh but he was right. What he was saying was that I could make it more conversational. In the theatre, and particularly musical theatre, everything’s larger than life – big, broad strokes. Radio, on the other hand, is a much more intimate medium." After 21 years on air, there’s no doubting her hard-won confidence and its effect on the devoted audience of her popular show. Paige’s success lies in her warmth, her anecdotes, that distinctive laugh – somewhere between a giggle and a gurgle – endearing her to her listeners. But it also has something to do with the show’s content. Why does she think musicals are enjoying such a golden hour? "Escapism. Look at the world we’re living in. I think people want to be transported into another time and place." She has been transported herself, since the show has given her the chance to interview some of her idols. "Who would have thought I’d get to meet Burt Bacharach and Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and Elton and Sting? Incredible." It was her manager who pointed out last year that the two of them had been together for 30 years and that Paige’s career had lasted twice as long. "I was 16 in September 1964 when I was cast in the chorus for the tour of the musical Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd. So, we came up with the idea of a celebration of six decades in the business that will run from September 2024 to September 2025." But it was Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, who came up with the idea of a concert at the London Palladium in Paige's honour. So it was, that on 25th April, she found herself sitting in the theatre’s royal box while a succession of West End stars sang numbers from her hit musicals. The concert, hosted by Zoe Ball, is broadcast on Radio 2 this Sunday. Among others, Samantha Barks, Clive Rowe, Charlie Stemp and Julian Ovenden sang a selection of songs from – deep breath – Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Billy, Evita, Cats, Chess, Anything Goes, Piaf, Sunset Boulevard, The King and I, Sweeney Todd and Follies. "Who could have imagined that I’d have had this life?" she says. "I still stop and pinch myself." She shakes her head in wonder. "Not bad for a suburban girl from Barnet." Not bad indeed. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Radio 2 Celebrates Elaine with a concert, Elaine Paige: 60 Years in Showbusiness, and Zoe Ball Meets Elaine Paige – both available now on BBC Sounds. Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage is on BBC Four and iPlayer on Sunday 11th May as part of a night of programmes celebrating her incredible career. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Café Hope host Rachel Burden: 'Bad news drives clicks – but people still want uplifting stories too'
The BBC Radio 4 show is a virtual coffee shop, where guests pop in for a brew and a chat to tell us what they're doing to make the world a better place.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. "April Fools' Day is cancelled this year because no made-up prank could match [what's] going on in the world right now." You probably saw the meme last month and, rather than laugh, just silently acknowledged the sad truth at the heart of it. Conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, the re-election of a man to the top job in the White House that comedian John Mulaney famously compared to a horse being allowed into a hospital, followed shortly by $1 trillion wiped off the stock market amid a seemingly random tariff war certainly make the world look like an unfunny joke. And these are just some of the events Rachel Burden could be talking about when she says, "Anyone who works in news media these days, whether that’s radio, digital or TV, is aware that there's only so much that an audience can take." In a fine case of nominative determinism, the Radio 5 Live weekday breakfast show presenter has frequently found herself breaking bad news to the nation as it has woken up over the last 14 years. She feels the despair. "People are turning off the news because it's overwhelming. They feel they’ve no agency and are curating their own universe in terms of the media they consume." For all the reasons above, that may well now include Café Hope, a Radio 4 show she has also been hosting since last year. In keeping with a slew of recent books such as Utopia for Realists and Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World – and Why Things Are Better than You Think and other initiatives like The Uplift on the CBS News app, Radio 4 "wanted to do something around finding a bit of hope and optimism in a very dark world", explains Burden. "I jumped at the chance to be involved because it’s just so different to what I do every day." Although she is careful to stress that, alongside the rolling news, her 5 Live show also tries to make “the audience smile or give them opportunities to feel hopeful”, the format for Café Hope revolves around a virtual coffee shop where guests drop by to talk about positive things they have done or are trying to achieve in their lives. "It’s such a simple concept," she explains. "It’s a space where you’re sitting down, taking time out in a little community of people who all have very different backgrounds and life experiences but are joined together by doing really lovely things for other people. "They’re not already well-known or successful, or have big established charities, they’re people who have the day-to-day pressures that everyone has but they do something extra and it is usually prompted by what we call a ‘sofa moment’ – ie the thing that took them from sitting on the sofa, frustrated with the way the world works, to getting off the sofa and doing something about it. And that’s a reason to celebrate them." But is it the job of journalists to search out good news stories? Didn’t TV anchor and newsreader Martyn Lewis run into a wall of criticism when he suggested having more positive stories in news bulletins in 1993? "That was years ago," replies Burden, a touch defensively. "Local radio, where I started in journalism, has always done this kind of thing brilliantly, so I see what we do as an extension of stuff that’s been going on for years. "I don’t think there’s a huge difference between what I do on the 5 Live breakfast show and here, other than leaving behind the cynicism you need on a news programme. You can take this show entirely at face value but that’s not to say we don’t ask questions like, ‘How do you deal with conflicts of interest?’ or whatever." Read more: Radio 3's Michael Berkeley on the 30th anniversary of Private Passions – and how the format has plenty left to give Radio 2 is a religion, says DJ Trevor Nelson Guests who have dropped in for a virtual coffee have included a woman who lost her child and set up an organisation called Emily’s Star to provide boxes of the special kit parents need when a baby is born prematurely, a group of volunteers who use drones to track lost pets, a man with Down's syndrome who runs his own business, homeless people who have become tour guides, and a woman who rescues chickens. "Yes, bad news, conflict and division drive clicks,” she says, “but there is a space and there is an appetite for stuff that people find uplifting and reassuring, and Café Hope is a place where they can come and find that." The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Café Hope continues Monday at 9:45am on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, where previous episodes are available on catch-up. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Tony Blackburn on retirement: 'I know people who stopped too early – and didn't last long'
"I was definitely more a Beatles person."
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Tony Blackburn can’t be certain what he was doing on the night of Saturday 2 February 1963, but he reckons he'd have spent it as a member of a dance band performing at the Pavilion Ballrooms in Bournemouth. Then aged 20, the now legendary DJ was a singer and a guitarist in an outfit called the Jan Ralfini Orchestra. They were the purveyors of the kind of entertainment – the quickstep and the foxtrot – that unbeknown to them was about to be swept aside by a phenomenon erupting that very evening, some 300 miles to the north. Nobody can put a precise date on the birth of Beatlemania, but a strong case can be made for this one – the opening night of the band’s first ever UK tour, as one of the acts supporting the teenage singing sensation Helen Shapiro, at the Gaumont Cinema in Bradford. Popular though Shapiro was, it was the Beatles that concertgoers went wild for, as their single Please Please Me was shooting up the UK charts. Bradford turns out to have played a surprisingly significant role in the Beatles story. As the 2025 UK City of Culture, now is the time to explore it, and in a Radio 2 documentary Tony Blackburn is doing just that. Bradford, Brass and the Beatles, which is being broadcast on 20 April as part of a Radio 2 Loves Brass season – it also touches on the Beatles’ connections with the famous Black Dyke brass band – has taken Blackburn back to those days, he tells Radio Times, not least the one time he saw the Beatles in concert, later in 1963, at the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth. "It was terrific. I’d never seen anything like it. The place was packed out, the girls went mad, it was just a great evening. Not musically, because you couldn’t really hear them. I’m not even sure they were plugged in! But what they created was very special." In those days, he explains, you were either a Beatles or a Rolling Stones person, "and I was definitely more a Beatles person. I’ve always loved melody and I just thought their songs were more melodic". Blackburn will always be known as the first voice on Radio 1 when it launched in 1967, and he remains a BBC fixture with his Radio 2 shows Sounds of the '60s (Saturday) and Golden Hour (Sunday). Across his career, he’s met all the Beatles and likes to tell the story of the time he interviewed Paul McCartney and cheekily suggested that he owed him a share of his royalties, thanks to the number of times he’d played Beatles records on the radio. "He just laughed!" The story hints at the possibility that Blackburn played all those Beatles records less from love for them than a sense of duty, and this famous champion of Motown is honest about the pop music that stands highest in his affections. “I do like the Beatles very much, but if you push me on it, I’d rather see Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye or someone like that.” Radio itself is another love that never dies. At 82, it seems remarkable that Blackburn still chooses to wake up every Saturday at 3am to travel from his Berkshire home into Broadcasting House in London, to present Sounds of the 60s live at 6am. "I was offered the chance to pre-record it, but I said no, I’d much rather come in and do it. As long as I can, I always will. With live radio, you get an immediate reaction from the listeners." With his live touring show as well as his broadcasting, Blackburn’s energy levels are prodigious. A vegetarian since the age of five, he has mostly enjoyed excellent health but last year he had a spell in hospital. That was a setback but the experience was alleviated by the opportunity it gave him for contact with his old friend Noel Edmonds – like Blackburn, a huge name across Radios 1 and 2 as well as TV thanks to his 1990s hit show Noel's House Party . "I was having injections every four hours, and because Noel lives in New Zealand it meant he and I could chat on the text when it was the middle of my night-time. For about four weeks, we just talked rubbish together. It was great. It kept me going, it really did." Edmonds, Blackburn says, "was a lovely guy – very unusual". What does he mean by that? "Well. He wears odd shoes. You and I wear the same shoes, don’t we? But Noel will wear different colours – one might be black, the other red. I once said to him, 'Noel, why do you wear odd shoes?' He just answered, 'Because I can!' Then he made up some story of how, where he lives in New Zealand, it’s compulsory to wear odd shoes. He's a one-off – great fun to be with." Long-time fans of Blackburn will be all too familiar with his own capacity for silliness – as expressed in his seemingly limitless capacity for corny puns. They’re a Blackburn trademark – stored up, he reveals to Radio Times, in a dozen or so exercise books, so old and well used that they’re now "falling to bits". The books contain thousands of jokes, but has he got a favourite? "I quite liked one the other day. 'I used to work in an ice cream bar, but I got the sack because I couldn’t do sundaes!'" Blackburn thinks that one of the reasons he's lasted so long is that he doesn't take himself too seriously. "People who take themselves too seriously, that's a bad sign. When I go on stage, my opening line is always, 'I know you're disappointed, you thought I'd be taller!'" Blackburn and his wife have a son and a daughter and two grandchildren who keep them busy, but he says he dreads the idea of retiring. "Getting up in the morning with nothing to do doesn't appeal to me. I know a lot of people have retired too early, and they haven't lasted long. You need something to keep your brain going." The puns, the 3am alarm call, the texts from Noel Edmonds, and of course his love of music – they would all appear to be just that. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Bradford, Brass and The Beatles is available now on BBC Sounds and will be broadcast as part of the Radio 2 Loves Brass concert on BBC Radio 2 this Sunday, 20 April (8-10pm). Check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Radio 2 legend and Eurovision favourite Colin Berry dies, aged 79
The newsreader and presenter began his career on 'pirate radio' back in the 1960s.
BBC Radio 2 DJ Colin Berry has died at the age of 79. The presenter’s passing was confirmed by the radio station, where he had worked since 1973 – covering for a host of faces including Sir Terry Wogan and Sir Jimmy Young. He also spent 25 years as the spokesperson for the Eurovision Song Contest – delivering the UK public's voting results between 1977 and 2002. Paying tribute to Berry, Tony Blackburn wrote on X: "I'm so sad my friend Colin Berry passed away yesterday, Phil Swern, Colin and I used to have great times in the 60's as Colin was a part of Radio Caroline and then a newsreader and DJ on the BBC. "I saw him last week and was due to see him today but sadly he passed away yesterday afternoon. He was a great friend and I send his family my love at this sad time. RIP Colin xx" Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, added: "All of us at Radio 2 were saddened to hear of the passing of Colin Berry, who was part of our on air family for many years. We send our condolences to his family and friends." Berry first started his radio career in 1965 as part of the team of Radio Caroline – one of the iconic ‘pirate radio’ stations. View oEmbed on the source website He later went on to work at Yorkshire Television on its launch, before becoming a record promoter and hosting BBC Radio Medway’s team as the Saturday afternoon presenter. Berry joined the BBC Radio 2 team as a presenter and newsreader in 1973, and appeared on some of its biggest late night shows including The Late Show, Night Ride, Band Parade and Music Through Midnight, as well as covering daytime presenters. He remained one of the station's most familiar voices until September 2012, at which point he continued to host the BBC's local radio stations. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Radio 3's Michael Berkeley on the 30th anniversary of Private Passions – and how the format has plenty left to give
'Music is not the preserve of one class of person.'
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Private Passions celebrates its 30th birthday on 15th April, and composer Michael Berkeley, who has presented every edition since 1995, believes the format has plenty left to give. “I certainly helped to form what it is, but it began because [then Radio 3 controller] Nicholas Kenyon wanted something to replace Man of Action,” he says. “I’ve always loved talk, going right back to John Freeman’s Face to Face, and music is a wonderful way of getting people to reveal things. “Indeed, when psychoanalyst and writer Adam Phillips was on the show, he said, ‘You do realise what you’re doing is a bit like what I do? Because I don’t ask people direct questions about their lives, I get them to tell me stories. And using music, you’re doing much the same.’ I rather got the impression he clammed up a bit after that!” Berkeley sees a clear distinction between Private Passions and Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. “Desert Island Discs is wonderful, but it’s a very different animal. We wouldn’t have somebody who didn’t feel passionately about classical music. The odd pop song, piece of jazz, folk music, ethnic music — all these are in the mix, but the driving force has to be a love of classical music.” The range of guests has been wide. “I love it when people play me something I’m not familiar with. I remember Germaine Greer chose Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is? It was absolutely devastating. And anthropologist Stephen Hugh-Jones brought in an instrument from the Amazon he had to warm up by rubbing its resinous part.” Berkeley admits not everything is to his taste. “To be honest, there have been pieces where I’m not as interested as I might be! But it’s the guest’s list, not mine. And some of the best programmes are when people say, 'I’m not a musician, I can’t really talk about it like this.' And then they are more insightful than any musicologist, drawing analogies with painting, or literature — even brain surgery!” What are some of his favourite memories? “Isaiah Berlin was wonderful — hearing him talk about watching the Russian Revolution from a balcony in St Petersburg was pretty amazing. More recently, Walter Murch, the sound editor on The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, talked wonderfully of how to use music in films… And we had a champion boxer, Hannah Rankin, who was also a bassoonist! Getting people you wouldn’t normally expect, sports people for example, brings in a wider audience and shows music is not the preserve of one class of person.” By his own admission, he had a privileged childhood. His father, Lennox Berkeley, was a well-known composer, and as a child Michael sang as a chorister with Benjamin Britten and met Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and William Walton. But he says he enjoys pop — going to concerts by Neil Tennant. He also enjoys the music of Pet Shop Boys — and reveals that when he was a student, he played keyboards in a band. “We were called the Seeds of Discord. We had guitarists, a drummer, a singer called Dave McTavish, and drove around in a Commer van. It was so thrilling to go to Brentford Town Hall or somewhere and turn a thousand wallflowers into a gyrating mass.” Was this his rebellion against “serious” music? “My father certainly thought so as we used to rehearse under his study! Someone would ring and say, ‘I want to book the Seeds. I want them to give me Satisfaction.’ And of course, he’d never even heard of the Stones!” Berkeley says he’ll keep on doing Private Passions while he still enjoys it: “I believe if you’re having fun making something, there’s a good chance the audience will, too.” What does he make of criticisms levelled at Radio 3 under controller Sam Jackson? “As long as the core subject matter is being serviced — and that means the Proms, adventurous series such as the 20th Century Radicals and programmes like Composer of the Week — I’m happy for people to tinker on the sides to try to open the network to a wider audience. I went to the Barbican and saw a very big house listening to Pierre Boulez for an entire day for Radio 3. I don’t think you’d ever get that on Classic FM.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC confirm Pulp will perform world exclusive concert for few lucky fans
The shows will see the group play both new and old material.
Pulp are set to perform two world exclusive live shows for BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 2 In Concert, the BBC has confirmed. Both shows will take place in May and will be recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre in London’s Broadcasting House. It comes in the wake of the Sheffield-formed band, which is fronted by Jarvis Cocker, announcing their new album More, and will see the group play some of their most loved hits, as well as new material. For the intimate session for 6 Music and BBC Sounds, the group will perform as part of a show called 6 Music Session: Pulp Live, which will be broadcast on Nick Grimshaw’s show on Thursday, 29th May, alongside an interview with the band. For the other show, titled Pulp: Radio 2 In Concert, the band will perform in front of a small audience of fans at the BBC Radio Theatre on 7th May. The performance will then be broadcast on Jo Whiley’s Radio 2 show and on BBC Sounds on Thursday, 29th May. On Friday 30th May, some exclusive tracks from the recording will be broadcast on The Scott Mills Breakfast Show at 9am. "We are really looking forward to this," said Cocker of Pulp. "From my time at 6 Music, I remember that the BBC Radio Theatre is a very intimate venue. As long as we can fit all our equipment in there it’s going to be great to play some songs for Radio 2 and 6 Music." Both performances will also be available to watch on demand. Pulp’s 6 Music performance will be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days from 29th May, while the band’s Radio 2 in Concert will be broadcast on BBC Two in June and then be available on BBC iPlayer. Nick Grimshaw said: "It was amazing to hear Pulp’s new music exclusively on Lauren’s show last week. I’m so excited to hear more from their new album as part of their 6 Music session and to speak to the band about the process of writing and recording their first album in almost 24 years." Jo Whiley said: "I have been a fan of Pulp for as long as I have been presenting on the radio, and it’s a joy to still be following their hugely successful career all these years later. I’m so looking forward to hearing all those songs that have such personal significance to me – and to our Radio 2 listeners – as they play to a small audience of lucky fans in the BBC Radio Theatre next month." Jeff Smith, Head of Music for Radio 2 and 6 Music, added: "Pulp are one of the UK’s most loved bands, with a steady stream of hits and songs that have grown in popularity and status over the years. I’m delighted that the band have agreed to give the BBC two contrasting sets, one for Radio 2 appealing to musical mainstream audiences and another for 6 Music whose listeners’ tastes lie beyond the mainstream." Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Cate Blanchett plans to give up acting: 'There are things I want to do with my life'
As she stars in her first radio drama, Cate Blanchett discusses her sense of belonging, memorable moments in the car and life's uncomfortable questions.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. “Cate Blanchett,” says Cate Blanchett after I ask her to introduce herself for the benefit of the tape. “Actress.” “You had to think about that,” says the man sitting beside her, theatre director John Tiffany. “I did, didn’t I?” Blanchett replies. “It’s because I’m giving up.” Giving up? “My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting.” There are, she says, “a lot of things I want to do with my life”. Hopefully not immediately. We are, after all, sitting in Blanchett’s dressing room at the Barbican in London where she is seven performances away from the end of an applauded run of Chekhov’s The Seagull, in which the Australian two-time Oscar winner plays the faded, jaded actress Arkadina. On the dressing room door, a piece of A4 paper bears the legend “CB” in a 50-point font while the view from the dressing window is of the Brutalist Barbican’s multi-storey car park. Glamorous it is not. But still Blanchett sits, amid the mundanity, looking lit from within. Like you hope a movie star would. She also looks a bit distracted. Absent, almost. She doesn’t love doing interviews. “No one is more boring to me than myself and I find other people much more interesting,” she says. “I find myself profoundly dull.” Later, I’ll ask her if she agrees with the author John Updike who said that “celebrity is a mask that eats into the face” and she’ll reply: “When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicised, they sound really… loud.” She wrinkles her nose. “I’m not that person.” Sponsored by Vue Save up to 30% on the latest releases at Vue in 2025 Are you a movie lover who always wants to be up to date with the latest releases? Then you're in luck, as RadioTimes.com readers can enjoy new films at Vue Cinemas for less. Customers will receive up to 30% off films with Vue Pass, as long as they have a RadioTimes.com account. It's a great time for new releases, with films such as Wicked, Nosferatu, The Brutalist and Moana 2 taking UK cinemas by storm. Head to your nearest Vue to catch these movies and more for up to 30% less if you're signed up as a RadioTimes.com member. Save up to 30% with Vue Pass So what sort of person is she? Restless, she says. “I make more sense in motion – it’s been a long time to remotely get comfortable with the idea of being photographed. I’ve always felt like I’m on the periphery of things, so I’m always surprised when I belong anywhere. I go with curiosity into whatever environment that I’m in, not expecting to be accepted or welcomed. I’ve spent a lifetime getting comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable.” Now in her 50s, how comfortable is she, sitting with herself, being present? “How long have you got?” she says, archly, before advocating cold water swimming – taken up after a recent trip to the Arctic – as a way to feel incredibly present. “The only way through is the breath,” she says. The trick is to keep breathing, then. Blanchett has previously said that having her customary cold shower in the morning is “maybe the one time of the day, apart from being on stage, where I’m truly – and this is a terrible thing to admit – truly present”. On stage, she tells me, “You have to have this sort of sonic sweep, like a submarine, in terms of the quality of your listening and your presence. Theatre lives or dies based on your connection to the audience and listening to how they’re responding and trying to bring them with you, and also your connection with the ensemble that you’re working with. That listening is so intense. I have to really focus on bringing the same quality of listening into my life.” Then, almost as an aside, Blanchett muses: “I think I’m quite pleasant in the rehearsal room. I’m much more unbearable in life.” Of her life, Blanchett says, “Like a lot of people, I like being alive. I throw myself into life, often in unwanted places. Maybe that’s why my career, if you call it a career, has been so strangely eclectic.” (Note to Ms Blanchett: you can definitely call it a career.) From ethereal Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings and leather-clad goddess Hela in Thor: Ragnarok to the tragic, enigmatic, sapphic Carol and her Oscar-winning turn in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Blanchett’s range reaches from blockbuster to arthouse. And with her towering performance in 2022’s Tár as the flawed conductor and world’s best-dressed predatory lesbian, Blanchett nailed the arthouse blockbuster. What Blanchett hadn’t done hitherto was any radio drama, despite the place and spaces that radio occupies in her life. “I’m obsessed with the psychological space that is the interior of people’s cars,” she says. “Often the most profound and intense and memorable conversations that I have with my children are in the car. There’s a psychological cone, a collective cone, when you’re all travelling together. It’s the songs you sing on the way on holiday, the stories and the jokes you tell – and the radio you listen to. That special space was where my 16-year-old encountered Desert Island Discs and now he’s completely obsessed with it, and, because the school run is quite long, it’s where I listen to long-form radio drama.” View oEmbed on the source website If she ever watched or listened to her own work – which she doesn’t – Blanchett could, this Saturday, listen to The Fever by Wallace Shawn. Directed by John Tiffany, winner of two Tonys and two Oliviers, and his frequent collaborator Steven Hoggett, The Fever is a 90-minute monologue in which an unnamed traveller (Blanchett) falls ill in a foreign country riven by civil war. Racked with fever, she comes to realise that her developed-world comfort and privilege are paid for by the suffering and oppression of those in the developing world. It is a brutal, beautiful denunciation of global capitalism in which we are all complicit. “When I first heard it, I felt ambushed by it,” she says. “Urgent and demanding, a dialogue with the self that asks some rather uncomfortable questions. It’s also incredibly intimate, which makes it perfect for radio.” Blanchett says her character “gives voice to an inner monologue that I think a lot of us are ashamed to say we have,” arguing that shame can be incredibly useful. “There are lots of things that I am ashamed to admit, even to myself, even to my inner voice, but if we act on and confront what we are ashamed about, then we can continue to grow.” She sounds hopeful. “I am hopeful,” she declares. “But when empathy is being described as a negative [as Elon Musk did last month], we are in deep trouble.” So how does she stay hopeful? “I have four children,” she says, plainly. “There’s no time for hopelessness. I’m not being Pollyanna-ish, nor am I saying I have the answers, but we have to preserve the spaces where we can find common ground and talk to one another and not submit to fear. Fevers break.” Blanchett is under no illusions about the potential impact of The Fever. As the traveller herself says, “Artists who create works of art that inspire sympathy and good values don’t change the life of the poor.” The actress herself says, “It’s a conversational opener. If one person has an epiphany? Amazing. But sometimes these things come, like it did with me, at 3am two weeks after I’d read it. I was up all night. Why am I thinking about this? Why? And I kept going back to it…” Is she ready for the “Who does Cate Blanchett think she is?” backlash that may come when sections of the media take umbrage at someone famous denouncing the system that made them famous? “When I start speaking in a defensive way like that, it’s because I’ve been affected by something and I don’t want to look at it. One expects it with a piece like this.” She shoots me a steely look. Oh, Cate Blanchett, actress (for now anyway) is ready for whatever comes. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Archers announces VE Day prequel special in tribute to Peggy Woolley
The "heartfelt" two-parter is available from next month.
A special two-part prequel to The Archers will premiere on BBC Radio 4 next month, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day – and pay tribute to one of the show's late stars. Victory at Ambridge takes place six years before the long-running radio drama began, giving us a glimpse into life in rural England during the final year of World War II, leading up to VE Day. The Archers writer Tim Stimpson has adapted the story from Catherine Miller's novel of the same name, which gives particular attention to the character of Peggy Woolley (née Archer), who was a major part of the show for seven decades. The character was portrayed by late actor June Spencer, who passed away last year aged 105, making this a celebration of her contribution as well as a commemoration of the landmark VE Day anniversary. Producer Kim Greengrass said: "Victory at Ambridge is a heartfelt tribute to resilience, community, and the triumphs and tribulations of everyday life during World War II. "This special prequel takes listeners on a thrilling, wartime adventure, and gives Archers fans a unique glimpse into the hidden history which shaped modern-day Ambridge." Victory at Ambridge will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4, with episode 1 premiering at 3pm on Sunday 4th May and episode 2 airing at the same time the following week. Alternatively, both parts will be available to stream on BBC Sounds from 4th May. The synopsis, courtesy of the BBC, reads: "At Brookfield Farm, Dan and Doris Archer (Timothy Bentinck and Felicity Finch) worry about their eldest son Jack’s pregnant wife, Peggy (Emerald O’Hanrahan), stuck in bomb-stricken London, whilst Jack is away at war. "Is inviting her to live with them in Ambridge the right thing to do? And how will a city girl like Peggy cope with life in the sticks? "The Brookfield land girl, Wanda Lafromboise (Madeleine Leslay), is embracing rural life, especially when dashing RAF officer and war hero Max Gilpin (Angus Stobie) arrives in the village. "Bob Little (Ryan Kelly), publican at The Bull, is mired in grief at the death of his son in action and offers a home to Roza (Susie Riddell), a Polish refugee. Local scoundrel Walter Gabriel (Nick Barber) makes sure that there is a thriving black market." It concludes: "And at Lower Loxley, which has been requisitioned as a care home for wounded RAF officers, Pamela Pargetter (also played by Susie Riddell) struggles to keep up with the ever-changing plans of her easily-led son, Gerald (also played by Nick Barber)." Victory at Ambridge premieres on Sunday 4th May at 3pm on BBC Radio 4, and concludes the following week. Check out more of our Audio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Vote for the Radio Times Moment of the Year at the 2025 Audio and Radio Industry Awards
The ARIAs are returning next month with the Radio Times Moment of the Year award – but who will win?
The Audio Radio Industry Awards are back for their ninth annual ceremony and will be celebrating the biggest names and rising stars in radio once more. Radio Times is pleased to partner with the Radio Academy to celebrate the biggest moment of the year - and the public has the final say on the winner! This year, the competition is fierce, with charming and funny moments that could only ever happen in the audio format, to some seriously touching topics, and a political debate in the middle of it, too. Which one gets your vote? You have until 1st May 2025 to cast your vote, and remember – don't click until you're really sure who you want to win as once you've clicked, your vote will be submitted! Interviews by Laura Rutkowski and Simon O'Hagan. View Riddle on the source website The nominees are… Sunday Love Songs remembering Steve Wright, on BBC Audio for BBC Radio 2 Just six days after Steve Wright’s death in February 2024, Liza Tarbuck presented an emotional tribute to her friend and colleague in his Sunday Love Songs slot on Radio 2. “It’s bittersweet to be nominated for this category. I wish Steve was still here,” she says. “There was an outpouring of emotion for him. When I was asked to present the show, I didn’t hesitate. Steve always put the listeners first and they needed a safe place to share their feelings. I had to do him proud because he taught me how to be a broadcaster. There is nobody in my life whose opinion I valued more. We’d often geek out, and I miss that very much.” Frank Off the Radio first, on podcast Frank Skinner has a long and illustrious history as a much-loved comic presence on TV and radio. But he confesses that finding the right opening to his podcast Frank Off the Radio causes him anxiety. In this sublime moment, he came up with a whole set of titles, much to the amused disbelief of co-presenters Emily Dean and Pierre Novellie. “I was still pining for my radio show,” Frank explains. “I felt like I’d died and was now communicating with my loved ones through a clairvoyant.” In the clip, Frank promises to do “a slicker version” for the next show, but this one is really unimprovable. Mishal Husain challenges Home Secretary James Cleverly, on BBC Radio 4 James Cleverly was Home Secretary when he went on the Today programme and was challenged by Mishal Husain about language he’d allegedly used to describe someone. Today editor Owenna Griffiths was in charge of the edition and “left speechless”. She says that “although we had planned for Mishal to ask James Cleverly about his reported use of the word s**t, including in the House of Commons, neither of us expected the conversation to turn out quite as it did. This moment cemented Mishal’s reputation as one of the finest interviewers of our time.” Coldplay go Orange for Luton, on BBC Three Counties Radio When news broke that Coldplay would be playing Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Luton, Justin Dealey asked listeners an important question: surely they can’t play Yellow, can they? Why not? Well, Luton Town FC is orange, and their rival, Watford FC, play in yellow. That began a tongue-in-cheek campaign for Coldplay to do something about it. Dealey thought they might change one of the “yellows” in the song to “orange”, but what actually happened was Coldplay’s Chris Martin wrote a new song called Orange, dedicated to Luton Town. “People turned up to Stockwood Park wearing orange with orange banners. I never in a million years thought anything was going to come from it,” says Dealey, a lifetime Luton supporter. “It just all happened organically. Greg James was going to be introducing Coldplay on stage and got a message to Chris Martin. I’m always banging on about how Luton gets bad press. The people of Luton deserved that moment, because they’ve been kicked for years, and here was a huge festival coming to their town off the back of the Premier League success.” Johnnie Walker bids farewell at the end of his final show, on BBC Radio 2 The legend of DJ Johnnie Walker goes all the way back to his days in the 1960s as a pirate radio pioneer. Walker, who died in December, presented his last ever show on Radio 2 three months earlier, his sign-off recalled by his executive producer Paul Thomas: “He was determined to make his final show one of the very best, despite the debilitating illness he faced. He poured his energy into curating the music, opening with George Harrison’s What Is Life and closing with Judy Collins’s version of Amazing Grace. He said goodbye to his legions of dedicated listeners in the most genuine, heartfelt way possible.” Marjorie Taylor Greene blames media for Trump assassination attempt, on Times Radio At the Republican National Convention in 2024, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the US Representative for Georgia, told Times Radio reporter Jo Crawford she blamed the media for division in America. She also blasted Crawford with ridiculous claims, including, “You’re the cause of President Trump almost being assassinated,” before walking off. “It’s crazy to be nominated for someone screaming at you, but I’ll take it!” Crawford says. “I was shaking afterwards. The only thing I can give Marjorie credit for is that she highlights how important it is to have good journalists who hold politicians to account.” “I want my mum to die” interview with Stuart George, on BBC Radio Stoke As part of a series on dementia, a man called Allen (not his real name) told Stuart George he was caring for his 100-year-old mother with dementia. “I want my mum to die. I do it as a sense of duty,” he said. The situation was complex, as Allen was abused by his father, and said his mother did nothing to stop it. “I felt sympathy for him,” says George. “One of the local carers’ organisations said it’s a common way to feel, but nobody ever talks about it. One of the best things about what I do is that people come on our show and regularly say, ‘I’ve never told anyone this.’ Allen’s mum has since died. We played the audio back to him and he did feel guilt about what he said, but also relief that she’d died.” Evan Davis challenges then Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott, on BBC Radio 4 Politicians who want to talk economics when they go on PM with Evan Davis need to know their stuff. The then-Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Laura Trott, clearly didn’t, unable to counter Davis’s polite assertion that she’d got her facts wrong on the national debt. It made for riveting radio. Natasha Shallice, editor of PM, describes the moment: “I was thinking, ‘This is incredible.’ Nowadays it feels like interviews are so well choreographed on the part of politicians and that everything they say is quite beige. It’s rare that you get a moment without a standard answer, and here was one where you felt there was some real jeopardy. “It was a nail-biting listen – all the more so, because Evan isn’t a ‘Gotcha!’ type of interviewer – he always remains calm. I think we’ll try to invite her back some time. You know, when enough water has passed under the bridge!” Early morning presenter Dan Noble responds to the far-right protests that broke out in the summer of 2024, on Absolute Radio British towns and cities were besmirched by right-wing demonstrations last summer, and Absolute presenter Dan Noble was having none of it. “I was driving to the studio thinking, what’s going on? I’m mixed race – my mum’s from India – and I’m not even sure if my listeners knew this. I was getting texts from friends saying, ‘Take care.’ I thought, ‘What?’ Suddenly I felt an obligation to say something. When I finished, I put the fader down and took a really big breath. My bosses Rob and Paul were incredibly supportive. I’m only 26. I’ve had some amazing opportunities, and Absolute was somewhere I’d dreamt of working. This showed why.” A listener calls Cristo Foufas’s show to thank him for saving his life, on Talk, News UK Cristo Foufas was presenting his final breakfast show with Talk when he received a call from Simon in Bristol to thank him for saving his life four years before. During Foufas’s late-night show in lockdown he’d rung in to tell him he was feeling suicidal. “I was calling myself your friend because people were lonely, and my show was a lifeline to some,” says Foufas. “I was on the phone to Simon for at least 20 minutes and that is the absolute power of late-night, off-peak speech radio. It was the finest hour for Talk, to give the space to do that, when so many shows nowadays are so overproduced. “I’d been thinking about Simon since, and wondered what had happened to him. Then out of the blue I got this call. I was so thrown by it. I told him I didn’t do anything, he did the work by calling me and getting his life back on track. It’s humbling, and incredibly kind, of him to give me some of that credit.” The 2025 ARIAS take place on Wednesday 14th May. If you're looking for something to watch, head over to our TV Guide. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Chris Stark makes emotional return to radio after testicular cancer surgery
"Although I'm effectively cured and it was caught early, my hope is any bloke reading this will perhaps think to check themselves today."
After some time away from his radio and podcast work, Chris Stark has returned to Capital Radio this morning, after revealing he was recently diagnosed and treated for testicular cancer. Stark revealed his diagnosis in a post on social media, writing: "Around a couple of months ago, after a routine trip to my local doctors, I found out I have Testicular Cancer. "I had surgery pretty quickly and have been off the radio/podcasts the last couple of weeks having chemotherapy to best prevent anything from coming back. "The reason I want to share this is that I feel like an idiot that I didn't spot this sooner. And although I'm effectively cured and it was caught early, my hope is any bloke reading this will perhaps think to check themselves today. Or go to a doctor if not sure about any possible symptoms. "Caught early, this cancer is so so treatable. It is most common in men aged 18-49. "I also think it's a tricky subject matter to talk about, but I'm willing to put my now one ball on the line here if it helps make that conversation less tricky for guys, encourages someone to check themselves and potentially saves a life. "Thank you to my incredible family, who stood by me and encouraged me to share what's happened. I also want to thank my brilliant friends and work colleagues for supporting me and my family. "And of course, a huge thank you to the incredible doctors, nurses, and hospital staff I've encountered, especially concerning cancer care. "I also want to take a moment to send my thoughts and prayers to anyone affected by cancer. Check your balls. Chris xx. PS Excited to get back (stronger) to the radio tomo." View oEmbed on the source website Stark returned to Capital Radio this morning and spoke about his diagnosis and treatment, while he also shared a group hug with co-presenters Jordan North and Sian Welby, which was posted on Capital's Instagram Stories. Read more: Blue Peter films last ever live show after 66 years - but series will continue The Apprentice's Lord Sugar confirms 3 more seasons of long-running series Stark is known for his previous radio work alongside Scott Mills on Radio 1, before leaving in 2022, at the same time as Mills. He began presenting on Capital Radio with Roman Kemp and Sian Welby on 10th October 2022, with Kemp later leaving and North joining the show. When Stark joined Capital, he said in a statement: "I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Global, working across a variety of amazing projects. I’ve known Roman a long time and often joked over a beer it’d be great to work together on something big one day – and now here we are. "I cannot wait to get started on Capital Breakfast and in my new creative executive producer role. Let’s make some moments." Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Archers icon: 'Wendy Richard and Angela Rippon thought I was the sexiest man in showbusiness'
Libby Purves celebrates Charles Collingwood's half-century not out as Ambridge's rogue with a heart, Brian Aldridge.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. The summons to Ambridge – actually a studio up a concrete tower in Birmingham – set me happily gossiping with Charles Collingwood. He's celebrating 50 years since his first broadcast as Brian Aldridge, farmer and charmer, straying husband and tolerant patriarch, on 25 March 1975. He actually goes back a year earlier: "I was a crooked decorator, Dave Escott, who had a flirtation with Peggy. Producer Tony Shryane said, 'We'll get you back!' and three weeks later my wife [Judy Bennett, who played Shula] came home and said, 'You're in!' "I was overjoyed. Got the first episode, went for lunch, ran into Jack Holloway who played Ralph Bellamy. He was in a bad mood, saying, 'I've just been written out of the bloody programme!' Then back in the studio the others said, 'Oh yes. You’ve bought his farm.' No wonder he wasn’t pleased to see my ugly face!" In 1976, Brian married Jennifer, and took on her children by two fathers (she was the serial's first scandal, a gesture to the free-love 1960s). "It was interesting, because in real life, I had proudly taken on Judy’s two little boys, Toby and Barney. Her real first husband was a Brian, and my first wife a Jennifer. How about that?" Collingwood is the jolliest company, and relishes his character's adventures, which go beyond the tweed-capped practicality of farming. After a couple of years, the new editor, William Smethurst, told him he’d decided to turn Brian into a womaniser. "I suppose because it was me, he spotted a little bit of – er – Leslie Phillips naughtiness" (cue a stagey twinkle). "He wanted a bit of daring humour. Well, it kept me in the show for 50 years." Hence Brian’s fling with posh Caroline Bone and flirtation with the flame-haired Pony Club temptress Mandy Beesborough. Another new editor, Vanessa Whitburn, told him, "Women of a certain age always ask me, 'When will Brian have an affair?'" That became his explosive love affair with Siobhan Donovan, who died young and whose son with Brian, Ruairi, was taken on, heroically, by wife Jennifer. Collingwood loved it. "The joy of continuing drama on the radio is that we play to real time: this affair lasted jolly nearly three years." Passionate scenes with Caroline Lennon had their problems: "At the peak I was just out from a hip replacement. There I was, wincing from post-op, manipulating reading glasses and a script, and there’s somebody beside me rustling the sheets. Taxing." It had its effect, though. At Wendy Richard’s 40-years-in-showbiz lunch, she told him, "Angela Rippon and I think you are the sexiest b*****d in showbusiness!" "I went home after a few glasses of wine – Judy was ironing – and proudly repeated the line. Her reply was: 'Only in showbusiness!' That’s a good marriage." Brian twinkled on, with more plotlines: criminally charged with polluting the River Am, he had to downshift from the grand farmhouse, while (with unaccountable devotion) letting his woo-woo stepdaughter Kate keep her "spiritual wellness" yurt field. His scenes with Hollie Chapman, as Brian took his alcoholic daughter Alice to rehab, were genuinely wrenching, all fatherly fear and gentle humility. "I hope so. When Brian turned into a real womaniser I said, 'Delighted! Yes, there are men like that. But please don’t make him a one-dimensional dirty old man. Make him a good father, see the charm in him. And with scenes like that, or the death of Jennifer, you’re aware that a lot of people are going through it, so it’s important to get it right." I do wonder how, after five decades, Collingwood feels about the ever-loosening sexual mores of Ambridge: from Brian’s adulteries to Ruairi’s foray into sex work. “Yes, the world changed. I remember David Blunkett in the 90s first going on about all this, and thinking, ‘Well, we’ve changed and we’re quite successful. Time the Labour Party changed and it might be successful, too.’ Then along came Tony Blair!” The Siobhan affair did create a long, intense scene – when Brian’s stepdaughter Debbie discovered his betrayal of Jennifer – that Ned Sherrin once said was “like Chekhov”. That scene was special to Collingwood because Debbie’s played by Tamsin Greig, now rarely heard in The Archers (“she’s got so famous Debbie had to move to Hungary”). “We had many scenes together. I find her a remarkable actress and human being.” Collingwood’s a veteran, worked in rep and shared a study at school with Richard Eyre. He’s especially intrigued by widower Brian’s latest conquest. “I am having a brief encounter with Miranda. Lucy Fleming who plays her is the daughter of Celia Johnson from Brief Encounter – how about that! She sounds like her, too!” He gets on fine with Brian’s rival, Justin, played by Simon Williams: "Wonderful hair. I said, ‘If I had silver hair like yours I’d be a major film star’. He said, ‘Mmm… takes more than the hair, darling!'" In his private life in Hampshire, does he mix with Brian’s real-life equivalents – harrumphers of mature years? "Hordes of them. It's very naval down there, so it helps that I’m related to Nelson’s Admiral Collingwood. One plummy chap asked if I’d come down to retire? I said, 'No, darling, I’ve been semi-retired ever since I left RADA!' I think it was the first time any man had called him darling." The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. You can listen to The Archers on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Zoe Ball's return to Radio 2 confirmed as she lands new Saturday show
The broadcaster is back on the airwaves in May.
Zoe Ball is headed back to BBC Radio 2 with a new weekly show, following her exit from the station's weekday breakfast programme last year. The broadcaster had led the show since January 2019, when she was hired as Chris Evans's replacement, and established herself as a firm favourite of listeners through a tumultuous period that included the COVID-19 pandemic. After signing off her final show just before Christmas, Ball promised that she would be "popping up here on Radio 2 for new adventures" in 2025 – and now we know exactly what she was referring to. Ball will launch a new BBC Radio 2 show in May, broadcasting between 1pm and 3pm on Saturdays, where she'll be "playing some of her favourite music and having lots of laughs reconnecting with listeners". Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, commented: "Zoe is one of the UK's most loved presenters, so I'm thrilled to announce that she has a new home on Radio 2 on Saturday lunchtimes, plus she'll be hosting various specials for us throughout the year." When her weekday breakfast departure was first announced, Ball said that she was "excited to embrace" her next chapter, including "being a mum in the mornings" and tuning into Radio 2 "on the school run". She added: "I think the world of you, listeners... with whom I've shared some of life's highs and lows; the good, the bad and the daft times." In addition to her new weekend programme, Ball is also set to host two specials for BBC Radio 2; those being Elaine Paige: 60 Years in Showbusiness and a broadcast for Bradford's Big Brass Blowout – a weekend-long music festival in the UK's 2025 City of Culture. Ball's conversation with Paige sees the legendary performer tell "exclusive stories" behind some of her most famous songs and reveal "tales from behind the red velvet curtains of London's glittering West End". The show will be recorded at the London Palladium Theatre on Friday 25th April 2025, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra as well as theatre stars Samantha Barks, Mazz Murray, Julian Ovenden, Charlie Stemp and Summer Strallen. Live tickets are available from LW Theatres. Check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
BBC Radio presenter Janice Forsyth quits, announcing Alzheimer's diagnosis
The presenter said the diagnosis came as a "huge blow".
BBC Radio Scotland presenter Janice Forsyth has stepped down from her role after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The radio presenter has worked across the likes of BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Three for over 30 years, and in her career she has presented the Culture Show on BBC Radio Scotland, which was later named the Janice Forsyth Show, and the Afternoon Show from 2013 until 2024. Announcing the news in a statement today (17th February), Forsyth said (via BBC News): "I'd hoped that I was simply worn out by my many years as a freelance broadcaster and perhaps exhausted following the loss of our dear mother, Patricia, the previous Christmas, but sadly, I now have a firm diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease. "It's been a huge blow, but I'm also feeling some relief that I finally have an explanation for lapses I'd been experiencing, and I'm managing to remain buoyant most of the time." Beyond her work on the radio, Forsyth co-founded a podcast production company and also worked as a columnist and is the chair of the Rothesay Pavilion charity. Her statement continued: "Much as I have loved seeking out and sharing the best of music/literature/theatre/cinema with you, I'm happy now to have the time and freedom to enjoy all of these simply for my own pleasure. "Call it living in the moment, and you won't be far off! I never took my role lightly and hope I always gave my best, both for your sake and that of my interviewees. "It's been a blast, and I send a high five to everyone who tuned in on Saturday mornings or on more recent weekday afternoons and heard something interesting." Read more: Sir Stephen Hough: 'Radio 3 remains an incredibly important platform for music' Roy Williams on revamping The Great Gatsby with Ncuti Gatwa: 'I didn't want to repeat the same story' Louise Thornton, head of commissioning at BBC Scotland, said: "Janice has been a hugely popular personality on our airwaves for many years. "The many production teams she has collaborated with have appreciated her outstanding skill as a presenter on radio and television. "Her warmth, relaxed interviewing style, and peerless knowledge of arts, music, and culture in Scotland and beyond have made her a firm favourite with audiences over the decades. "Everyone at BBC Scotland wishes Janice all the very best and we'll be pleased to continue to explore suitable opportunities where we can work together." Check out more of our Radio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.