Scott Mills to replace Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2.

[red16v]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

Will give it a try; though these days I am happy to build my own playlists using Spotify/YouTube and its DeeJay-free algorithmically-delivered suggestions.

You might like to listen to KEXP - https://www.kexp.org/ - they do some good stuff - it was via them that I got to appreciate the 'ambient' music of Nils Frahm - https://youtu.be/xLNeZogTsK8

Another vote for Radio Paradise here. It's our standard evening listening over dinner.

[G0HZU_JMR]

I can remember having Radio 1 forced upon me when doing summer work in my youth in the early 1980s. It was piped around the workplace every day via large speakers. Every day on Radio 1 was like groundhog day listening to Simon Bates in the morning and then Steve Wright in the afternoon. Steve Wright's show seemed to be the same stuff every day and I think I would have preferred more music and less Steve Wright and less of his sideshow characters. A few years later I had the same experience whenever I visited the modelshop at work. The modelshop staff would listen to Simon Bates followed by Steve Wright every day and it always seemed to be the in the same format.

I'm amazed Steve Wright lasted as long as he did but presumably his format was very pleasing for many of his regular listeners. Simon Bates used to have something called 'our tune' which had a jingle/tune associated with it and this would be played at the same time every morning alongside a story read by Simon Bates. It really was like groundhog day every day and apparently this Bates + Wright format was repeated for years and years.

[Aub]

I guess the more chat and less music costs less.

Aub

[Pfraser]

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

So was Steve Wright 1980 to 1995 ISTR

I usually flip over to R2 to listen to Steve Wright so I can avoid GQT on R4 Friday afternoons on my 2 hour commute home.

Cheers

Mike T

Ha! Brilliant backhanded praise!

I never was a great fan of The Big Show, but I do appreciate the effort which was put into the production and seamless presentation.

I do not appreciate the extra and unnecessary audio processing which Mr Wright insisted on using. This introduced obvious distortion to the broadcast sound. I hope Scott Mills will be content with the R2 network processing!

[Richard_FM]

Originally Posted by G0HZU_JMR

Simon Bates used to have something called 'our tune' which had a jingle/tune associated with it and this would be played at the same time every morning alongside a story read by Simon Bates. It really was like groundhog day every day and apparently this Bates + Wright format was repeated for years and years.

It was start of the Romeo & Juliet theme from what I remember, my Mum used to listen to it when I was little so it's something I tend to respond to the first few notes.

The Our Tune stories seemed to be a bit Deja-Vu as almost everyone seemed to either spend time in prison or end up in a wheelchair, along with their tune being 10CC's I'm Not In Love quite often.

[GrimJosef]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

... You might like to listen to KEXP - https://www.kexp.org/ - they do some good stuff - it was via them that I got to appreciate the 'ambient' music of Nils Frahm - https://youtu.be/xLNeZogTsK8

Quite a lot of the debate in this thread reveals both the desire to hear only the music that we knew 'however many' years ago and also the desire to hear what's new and might entertain us. If you're in the latter camp then KEXP should be a good station to keep an eye (ear) on.

Last week I saw a film in the cinema which included a song I'd never heard before. Within an hour of getting home the internet had found it for me. It was by a relatively recent band I'd never heard of - Sylvan Esso. One of the best examples of their live work, and also an entertaining radio interview, comes from KEXP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AbaRZsPEIg.

Cheers,

GJ

[ben]

I used to enjoy Steve Wright's afternoon show decades ago, when I got in from school - mostly because R1 was one of the few FM stations we could pick up clearly, living in a bit of a valley. However, listening to extracts now and you see just how inane it all was - all daft conversations with studio acolytes and such - and how little music got played.

Chris Morris (of Jam, The Day Today, Brasseye, Black Mirror...) did a send up of it which had me in stitches!

[nickdoofah]

I loved Steve Wright up until the end of Ask Elvis some 20 odd years ago! I loved all the characters from the early 80's too! Some of the impressions notably Micheal Winner some years ago were hilarious! I lost interest in the big show long ago as it was simply no longer funny! I now enjoy the old recordings from cassette from the past years gone by!

[Junk Box Nick]

Originally Posted by ben

I used to enjoy Steve Wright's afternoon show decades ago, when I got in from school - mostly because R1 was one of the few FM stations we could pick up clearly, living in a bit of a valley. However, listening to extracts now and you see just how inane it all was - all daft conversations with studio acolytes and such - and how little music got played.

Chris Morris (of Jam, The Day Today, Brasseye, Black Mirror...) did a send up of it which had me in stitches!

Many thanks! Enjoyed that!

Makes me remember that the only feature I have enjoyed recently on the Steve Wright Show was the send up of Jeremy Vine – basically because I can’t stick him either...

(There was an excellent hour long send up of the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2 a few Christmases ago and I enjoyed every minute. Far better than the real thing! But perhaps let’s not go OT (or even OTT).)

[llama]

Steve Wrigh' in the afternoon.
Demo' O'Leary.

Can't even pronounce their own names!
Graham

[Beobloke]

Originally Posted by Pfraser

I never was a great fan of The Big Show, but I do appreciate the effort which was put into the production and seamless presentation.

I'm afraid fading out songs early and "da-da-dum"-ing over the end bars, cutting guests short because "we've got to move on" and having to cut songs short in order to make the news in time does not equal "seamless presentation" in my book!

[mark_in_manc]

Originally Posted by Junk Box Nick

Serenade Radio (Online only - old style Radio 2/Light programming and very professional. Johnny Beerling (ex-Radio One controller) presents the Big Band Show)

Thanks for that suggestion. I have just spent the weekend with my parents, who are well into their 80s and who seem to listen to R2 out of sheer inertia - playing these days the kind of material they once really objected to! They have a computer and (though neither I, nor they, can work it) a clever telly. Maybe we'll work out a way for them to listen to internet radio.

We all (even me - I liked jazz as well as rock as a youngster) used to like Benny Green on R2 on a Sunday lunchtime, talking about the origins of all the great show tunes and standards he used to play. Then there was Humphrey Lyttleton, Alan Dell...

[Junk Box Nick]

Originally Posted by mark_in_manc

We all (even me - I liked jazz as well as rock as a youngster) used to like Benny Green on R2 on a Sunday lunchtime, talking about the origins of all the great show tunes and standards he used to play. Then there was Humphrey Lyttleton, Alan Dell...

There’s a programme called Song of the Week on a Sunday which looks into the history of a particular standard each week – I have learned plenty I didn’t know from this show, a (British) Dance Band Days show, The Light Programme which, as its name suggests devotes a couple of hours to the sort of music on the 1500m Long Wave pre-pop revolution and lots more.

I’ll say this quietly so as not to offend some: there is even Sing Something Simple on a Sunday tea time using genuine Cliff Adams Singers accompanied by Jack Emblow recordings. The nice thing for me about that is you still hear the tones of the late Patrick Lunt on the introduction and end credits. Patrick did continuity announcements for Serenade up until his death last year. They’ve even spirited out some genuine Music While You Work recordings and a few other archive things from the BBC. I heard Ray Moore’s voice on there a few months ago.

John Hellings presents a jazz show. I used to listen to his show regularly on the BBC Shropshire/H & W/Stoke network. He had been on there years but the arrival of Covid 19 provided the BBC the perfect opportunity to axe it.

Though most of the presenters are professionals with decades of broadcasting experience there are a few amateurs, though hearing some you would never guess!

[Hybrid tellies]

I am a big fan of Steve Wrights and his Big show since his Radio 1 days. I like the fact he is so upbeat, positive, has interesting guests the factoids and plays some good music, even though he does talk over start, ends etc.

He has been brightening up my days for many years and I shall miss him and his team.

[Chris55000]

I have to admit Steve Wright isn't too bad and I'd much rather have him than Chris Evans, who was purile and broadcasted like an infant combined with ghastly American Commercial Radio!

However I do enjoy David Hamilton on Boom tho!

Unfortunately the very best DJs and presenters are all no longer with us – Terry Wogan, Jimmy Young, Ed Stewart,
etc., etc!

Chris Williams

[ms660]

Yeah, come back Mike Raven...

Lawrence.

[slidertogrid]

I thought Scott Mills did well when he held the fort and did popmaster when Ken was on holiday. I Used to like Steve Wright but it all got a bit tired and samey, Cant say I'm sorry to hear he is goin' (no G)

[HamishBoxer]

SW is an ignorant pig, always interjecting before a track finishes.

[stevehertz]

I think you'll find DJs have been doing that since the year dot Hamish, far from unusual. I also think it's a bit strong to refer to him as an "ignorant pig".

[Pfraser]

Originally Posted by Beobloke

I'm afraid fading out songs early and "da-da-dum"-ing over the end bars, cutting guests short because "we've got to move on" and having to cut songs short in order to make the news in time does not equal "seamless presentation" in my book!

Fair point. Keeping things 'tight' at the expense of parts of the content isn't the best option. I must admit, Wrighty's overspilling verbal output is one reason why I don't listen to The Show. The other one being the aforementioned excessive audio processing.