Radio Moments - Clips

A short-lived Steve England special from 1997.

Geoff Lloyd and Annabel Port left the Absolute stable in April 2017. Geoff's first show from One Golden Square, back when the station carried its former brand, was aired in 1999.

"...and then there's something very important that I want to tell you. Don't touch that dial." Thus ended Dave Berry's breakfast tenure at Capital London after five years. This was an understated, professional farewell show, as he departed for Absolute - and he even paid tribute to the 'trinity of bosses: Ashley, Stephen and Richard'.

Both BBC Radio 2 and 4 carried announcements on the morning of 5th April 2017 suggesting that Brian Matthew had died. The statement was retracted later that day.

Radio 4 despatched a speedy apology for this credit for Brut aftershave on Radio 4 on March 30th (730 am) by the brilliant Garry Richardson on the Today programme. “This was a mistake. It should not have happened. We apologise and the programme’s sports production team is being reminded of the editorial guidelines on product prominence”. Given the speed of the apology, the Guardian article covering this, and the general hullabaloo - we can rest assured it’s an uncommon occurrence.

Russell Brand announced here his return to live radio after eight years. It will be the first time since the 'Sachsgate' episode - where he and Jonathan Ross prank-called the late Andrew Sachs on Radio 2, albeit that element of the programme was recorded. Russell's new show will air on Radio X on Sunday mornings.

After 27 years of presenting Sounds of the 60s, this was Brian's farewell show. on 25th February 2017.

Eddie Mair breaks the news of the death of Steve Hewlett, Radio 4’s Media Show presenter and respected journalist. Steve had shared his thoughts about his cancer with PM listeners in the preceding weeks.

1925 saw the announcement of programming for rural workers but came to be enjoyed by listeners generally. A new morning weather forecast was introduced - and a weekly summary of farm produce prices in the home markets. The market prices for farmers were an addition to the regular Farmers' Talks. These appeared amongst the specialised talks that comprised a fair proportion of early radio broadcasts, and made no allowance for the general listener. Typical talks for farmers at the time included Ducks for Egg Production, Experiments on the Manuring of Roots in Dorset, Phosphatic Manures for Spring Use, and one on the Agricultural Holdings Act 1923. Farming programmes on radio developed over the years, including On Your Farm and Farming Today. These programmes served and reflected the agricultural community, whilst developing a following amongst politicians and general listeners, providing a glimpse of rural life for wistful urban dwellers.

Huw Kennair-Jones arrived at the Archers after recently producing Medici: Masters Of Florence, starring Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden; and New Tricks for Headstrong Pictures, where he also series produced Waterloo Road. Between 2008 and 2014, he worked for Sky Entertainment as a commissioning editor at Sky Drama, and was also executive producer on programmes including Hit And Miss, Strike Back, Mad Dogs, Thorne, Terry Pratchett's Going Postal and Moonfleet. He previously worked as a commissioning executive for Sky 1, a story producer for EastEnders, a series producer for Dream Team and a producer for Holby City. In this interview with Paddy O'Connell on Broadcasting Hosue on Radio 4, he tells of listening to The Archers on Sunday mornings as a child while his mother did the ironing - and his thoughts on ther task ahead.

What a show. With the Nation’s eyes upon him, Tony Blackburn sounded thoroughly relaxed as he made his Radio 1 debut – on the first day of the new station, as the Light Programme split into radios one and two. Mind you, this show launched quietly on a Saturday, as did the BBC’s week. Enjoy a sprinkling of those words and phrases which would not be heard on today’s radio – or anywhere. The ‘in sounds’, ’where it’s at’, ‘fabulous’ and the ‘fun thirty’. Hear his chats with fellow presenters Simon Dee (the Chris Evans of his generation) and David Ryder; and an honourable mention for Scotland. One can imagine a well-meaning BBC staffer saying ‘don’t forget Scotland, Tony’. They likely also asked him to flag up the existence of Radio 2 to the old dears a little perplexed by Tony on a frequency hitherto occupied by music to knit to. So he did. Sort of. There’s a lovely version of Let’s Go to San Francisco with an end I hadn’t heard before, and an array of new releases, replete with catalogue numbers, no doubt to help the needletime situation. It’s a delicious listen – and, as he says, the show proper didn’t debut until Monday.

Eddie Mair celebrates record audiences for the PM Programme on Radio 4 - for W4 2016, with typical style - and elegant tease. Also, some touching response to Steve Hewlett's cancer diaries - and a reminder of radio's powerful, quiet influence.

After four years, the The Mark Forrest Show, made for the BBC local radio network by Wire Free Productions, chaired by former Radio 1 controller Matthew Bannister, ended on Thursday 2nd Feb 2017. The programme’s arrival on the network’s 39 stations had been greeted by some hostility, not least from those whose local programmes had been displaced - and their friends around the network, some of whom allegedly had to be reminded about their professional responsibilities. I rate Matthew - and I rate Mark. Matthew’s company won a decent tender; and Mark’s a great presenter. The sort of remarks received by the programme were unjustified and typical examples of the excesses of social media. My view is that Mark - and Matthew’s team are doing a pretty fine job of a bad idea. I just take issue to this day with the strategy, which continues. This sort of networking seems a puzzling tactic for the network - and the cost of the overall production amazes me. If it was a really cost-efficient option, I’d maybe have a bit of professional sympathy with a difficult decision. But I’m not sure it is. Enjoy here bits of Mark’s valedictory performance, before he handed the baton to Georgey Spanswick.

On 18th January 2017, Geoff Lloyd broke the news that he, and his co-host Annabel Port, plan to leave the Absolute stable in April. Geoff's first show from One Golden Square, back when the station carried its former brand, was aired on the same day in 1999.

This programme, broadcast on 19th Nov 2016, was the last before Brian became ill. He was to return for a valedictory programme in February

Launch of Red Rose 999 in Preston, Lancashire - Part 2. From 20/01/1997 - First link post the news bulletin from Laura Penn and Carl Greenwood. Replaced Red Rose Gold.

Launch of Red Rose 999 in Preston, Lancashire - Part 1. From 20/01/1997 Replaced Red Rose Gold.

Launch of Magic 999 in Preston Lancashire, replacing Red Rose 999/Red Rose Gold from 15/02/1999

As Norway prepares (Jan 2017) to turn off its FM and be the first country to go digital in quite that way, Ford Ennals, Chief Executive Officer Digital Radio UK, spoke to John Humphrys on the Radio 4 Today Programme

Great broadcasters can speak volumes without saying a word. After a truly awful 2016 for Tony Blackburn, he returned to the BBC on 31st December 2016 in this special new year’s eve programme. One can imagine him smiling quietly in Wogan House as he returned to the BBC that evening and spun his beloved Motown. Nicely in the seat ready for the 50th anniversary celebrations for Radio 1. Welcome back, Tony, we missed you.

Radio lost some of its favourites this year. In this piece, we pay tribute to just some of them. Dave Cash - The pirates, ‘Kenny & Cash’, Capital, BBC Local Cliff Michelmore - Hamburg end of ‘Two Way Family Favourites’, later much TV Ted Gundry - BBC Cornwall Ed Stewart - The pirates, BBC Radio 2, commercial radio and TV Tony Cozier - Cricket journalist and commentator Jimmy Young - BBC Light, Radio 1 and 2 Ian Rufus - Commercial radio founder, LBC, Hallam, Viking, Mercia Keith Belcher - LBC founding programmer Joyce Frost - ‘Old Woman’ on Steve Wright show Paddy O Flaherty - BBC Radio Ulster Dave Gregory - BBC Radio 1 and commercial radio inc Metro Tony Beard - BBC Devon Alan Devereux - The Archers (Sid Perks) and accomplished VO Ali Brownlee - BBC Tees commentator Joe Fish - BBC Lancashire Steve Becker - BBC Lancashire Terry Wogan - RTE, BBC Light, Radio 1 and 2 Dave Barrett - BBC Radio Bristol, GWR, Brunel FM, GLR, talkRADIO

Simon Bates in the eighties on Radio 1- chatting casually to a 28 year old Madonna. Some pretty good insight too! Thanks to Richard White offering me the audio.

Presenters rarely gather on-air and just have fun. Christmas is a decent time to do it, not least if you're on a pirate ship facing long days and nights with your loved ones across the dark North Sea. Enjoy here a few festive moments on a 'loonabaout' with Carl Mitchell, Glen Adams and Stevie Merike on board Radio Caroline as it enjoyed its first Christmas as a lone - and thoroughly illegal -pirate. Studio quality recording too.

When the snow comes, radio comes into its own. Relish here a bit of crisis programming on Leicester Sound and Radio Trent from 1987. The two stations came together, for reasons of other presenters stuck in the drifts, and a presenter from each service chipped in. Andy Marriott and Steve Merike made for an unlikely pairing, but it’s great to hear this. Not least because of the manifold mentions of long forgotten bus companies and electricity boards.

The BBC announced on 16th Nov 2016 that its World Service would launch 11 new language services. The expansion was a result of the funding boost announced by the UK government last year. The new languages would be Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba, with the first new services expected to launch in 2017. The expansion was the largest growth spurt since the 1940s, with languages having been cut from the service in recent years. "This is a historic day for the BBC" said BBC director general Tony Hall. "The BBC World Service is a jewel in the crown - for the BBC and for Britain. "As we move towards our centenary, my vision is of a confident, outward-looking BBC which brings the best of our independent, impartial journalism and world-class entertainment to half a billion people around the world.