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Thinking about which programmes to listen to on BBC local radio stations now that you can listen to the stations on the Internet? Then perhaps this schedule could help you sort out the pick of the best programmes out there, including interesting phone-ins and some others that are not to be missed wherever you are in the United Kingdom. You never know what is on the other side!
Note: Programmes and timings may change without prior notice.
MONDAY TO FRIDAY
6.00 DANNY BAKER - BBC LONDON 94.9
Remember when he fronted Radio Five’s Morning Edition in the early 1990s, and also when he stood in for Chris Evans on Channel 4’s Big Breakfast? What about his 1993 commercials for Daz and Mars, when Spitting Image probed that there were about three of him, (as supposed to a Baker’s dozen?) Well, Baker is no stranger to getting up in the mornings, and his posse is up with him for three hours for the capital’s breakfast show. Not to be confused with Capital FM, of course. BBC London 94.9 (aka London Live, aka GLR will always be known as the very first BBC local radio station to be streamed online all those years ago).
6.00 ANNE DIAMOND – BBC RADIO OXFORD
Anne Diamond is welcomed to a newly relaunched BBC Radio Oxford. Not quite as wild as Danny Baker, but her presence will presumably bring back memories for her and also the listener of her “Good Morning Britain” days of the mid 1980s, where she shared the pink sofa with Nick Owen, now anchoring Midlands Today in Birmingham.
6.00 MORNING WEST – BBC RADIO BRISTOL
Co-presented by Nigel Dando, the brother of the late television presenter, Jill Dando, preserving her Westcountry routes and also sports presenter Geoff Twentyman. I believe that Jill would have wanted her brother’s radio show to be heard anywhere on the Internet, so here it is.
6.00 MAGGIE PHILBIN – BBC RADIO BERKSHIRE
The former Tomorrow’s World presenter’s breakfast show, along with Jim Cathcart. BBC Radio Berkshire is usually the default station for the BBC Radio Player.
7.00 MIKE PARR – BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE
Newcastle’s breakfast show, although the final hour has a very interesting phone in, where the middle-aged listeners sound off about anti social behaviour going on in Wallsend or something like that.
8.00 BERNIE KEITH – BBC RADIO NORTHAMPTON
Slightly camp but interesting presenter, who is very much a competitions presenter. Former Century 106 presenter in the East Midlands.
9.00 JOHN FLORANCE – BBC RADIO LECIESTER
From the BBC local radio station that was the very first one on the air in November 1967, “the voice of Leicester”, as I affectionately call him has his three hours of interviews and the like, and the first hour is given to phone ins, with callers sometimes from far away as Nottingham and Derby because of the station’s strong transmitter. He seems to take a lot of time off, either to record “Pause for Thought” for Sarah Kennedy’s programme on BBC Radio 2, or because he has lost his voice. Still our John soldiers on with his daily programme and delivers the goods each morning.
9.00 JUDI SPIERS – BBC RADIO DEVON
The former 1990s Pebble Mill presenter who also had a Saturday afternoon stint on BBC Radio 2 has since been hiding in local radio, just like most former national faces. Her show consists mostly of antiques phone ins and the odd celebrity guest like Sir Cliff Richard, but on the other hand, didn’t the other stations have him as a guest on their station at some point?
9.00 ROY WALLER – BBC RADIO NORFOLK
Jolly Norfolk based local radio presenter on there. Who needs Alan Partridge anyway, when you have Roy and his wife Sylvie?
9.00 DAVID WHITE – BBC RADIO CORNWALL
The first hour of his programme is guessing music from a particular year, and the person who phones in and gets it right selects another year from a different decade for the next show. Worth listening, even if it is just for the man who gives the traffic and travel news with the strong Cornish accent. He’s also on between 6.00 and 7.00 with music from a specific act.
9.00 TED ROBBINS – BBC RADIO LANCASHIRE
Ted of the Robbins comedy clan (Kate, Emma, etc) has taken over from the slot vacated by Bullseye’s Jim Bowen after he told a racist joke on the radio and quickly resigned afterwards. Ted was also the voice of the Roy Walker era Catchphrase, as well as host of the game show “Chain Letters” in 1995. Not sure if the "Happy and Daft Farm" from the Bowen era remains though.
9.00 DAVE MONK – BBC ESSEX
He has “time to talk”, mostly about consumer things and all that. Seems like a very caring gentleman. Used to have an Ian Botham-alike moustache.
9.00 ALLAN BESWICK – BBC GMR
The straight man of BBC GMR is on the air between 9.00 and 12.00 each morning. Beswick usually refers to everyone by their surnames, and has centre right views on life and things in the news, referring Peter Mandelson for example as a “tart”. He never smiles in public.
10.00 STEPHEN RHODES – BBC THREE COUNTIES RADIO
The voice over for many years on Family Fortunes “It’s Family Fortunes! And tonight’s families are…” “You’ve won a super sleuth weekend”, etc. Also stood in for Richard and Judy on “This Morning” with his wife Alison Keenan. Anyway, his consumer programme has been running for many years in the Three Counties, so if that washing machine has packed up for good, he could be the one to call. Gives Kid Jensen a run for his money.
10.00 ED DOOLAN – BBC WM
Former Brian Hayes stand in on BBC Radio 2 has his consumer programme in Birmingham (in the Mailbox, where you can actually see him broadcasting through the glass), dealing with slightly controversial issues involving the law and all that. Has a rather strange “birds cooing” jingle for no apparent reason.
10.00 RONY ROBINSON – BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD
No, not Tony but Rony. You may have heard him being associated with arts programming on BBC Radio 4, but in Sheffield, he feels more at home, with a good topic discussed and have your antiques valued here from time to time.
11.30 ROGER PHILLIPS – BBC RADIO MERSEYSIDE
BBC Radio Merseyside’s flagship “on the air” soapbox, allowing Liverpool folk to air their observations of what’s on their mind, as well as give a piece pf their mind as well.
12.00 JUSTIN LEIGH – BBC RADIO DEVON
Mr Spotlight and the odd BBC southwest voiceover man Justin with his two-hour lunchtime phone in. I must say that it is darn right entertaining while eating one’s lunch. Chris Evans moaned about doing his Virgin breakfast show and TFI Friday on the same day in the mid 1990s, yet Justin can do a radio phone-in and a regional news programme with in hours of each other! The programme’ s email address is “calljustin”, rather than “justin.leigh”, as “Leigh” would be confused with “Lee” on an email, so as not to repeat it too often on the airwaves.
12.00 LAURENCE REED – BBC RADIO CORNWALL
A rather rougher, “Beswick-alike” phone in, certainly compared to Justin over the border in Devon. Would you dare get on the wrong side of him on air? Thank goodness he spent most of summer 2004 off with his family.
12.00 MARTIN BALLARD – BBC RADIO LEICESTER
A bald headed buffoon in a radio presenter’s body. His annoying “who are you?” competition is on every day, nicked off Johnnie Walker’s BBC Radio 2 show. Still, he has a very interesting guest on his show in the final hour, and on some days, it can be a nationally well-known star.
1.00 BILL BUCKLEY – SOUTHERN COUNTIES RADIO
Meridian’s former consumer show presenter, as well as the more annoying continuity announcer for Channel Five, sorry, "five" in 1997. Especially those snippets, at the end of “Prisoner: Cell Block H”. He still did this programme while doing the television announcing, which probed when he actually went to bed, even though then it started at about 3.00 pm.
2.00 JOHN HOLMES – BBC RADIO NOTTINGHAM
When he was at BBC Radio Derby, his “Holmes’ Service” helped me to get a copy of a television programme that was recorded the previous week. He even sent me a Christmas card in 2003 – the first one that I received that year!
2.00 PAUL MACKENZIE – BBC RADIO DERBY
The Bruce Forsyth of BBC Radio Derby! He has everything including competitions and what’s on for the Derby area. He must have Scottish connections, even though he’s not Scottish himself because of his accent, but he used to play bagpipes on the radio before signing off.
2.00 TONY JAMES - BBC RADIO CUMBRIA
A good combination of music that hardly ever gets played nowadays on radio, plus a few other nostalgia moments.
3.00 VANESSA FELTZ – BBC LONDON 94.9
Trisha Goddard’s predecessor (and probably her successor if Goddard moves to five). Vanessa of course is an agony aunt, overweight forty-something. Just like the aforementioned Patrick Anthony and also Lord Archer, she had a big piece of Anglia Television’s broadcasting cake. To be fair, she’s done wonders for both radio and television, debuting in 1994 doing the networked Children in Need radio coverage throughout the radio stations. Only now of course, would we have found out if every station was actually served…
4.00 BILL HEINE – BBC RADIO OXFORD
Bill’s American accent is very distinguished when he presents his three-hour phone in, moved from its more favourable slot of midday for the October 2004 relaunch, to a rather strange but unique timeslot of 4.00 pm, where most local radio stations have their drive time programme there, which makes one wonder if Oxfordshire is missing out of a proper drive time show since the changes took place?
7.00 DUNCAN WARREN – BBC SOUTH WEST
Nice and peaceful programme being transmitted simultaneously between Cornwall, Devon, Jersey and Guernsey. The odd competition is arranged as well.
10.00 KEITH SKUES – BBC EASTERN COUNTIES
Veteran of the 1960s pirate radio boom and very early Radio 1, transmitted throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. A gentle way of going to bed peacefully.
SATURDAY
6.00 SALLY JAMES – BBC WM
Just like Chris Tarrant, Sally has risen from the ranks of presenting Tiswas and then gradually being promoted to a breakfast radio host. However, unlike Tarrant, Sally James had both stayed in the West Midlands and on Saturday mornings as well.
9.00 TONY GILLHAM – BBC RADIO CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Tony presents his goldmine with hits from the 1950s to the 1980s.
9.30 BILLY BUTLER – BBC RADIO MERSEYSIDE
Former BBC Radio 2 “Night Ride” presenter, back in his native Merseyside.
12.00 TONY BLACKBURN – BBC LONDON 94.9
The first voice on BBC Radio 1, and legendry “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!” winner makes room in his busy diary for his weekly programme.
2.30 IAN BRASS – BBC RADIO DEVON
While Medium Wave has football coverage, (and one assumes that you don’t listen to football on the radio), here is something that is just music and competitions instead. One of the few stations that will actually have anything on as most of them throughout the country will have football and will probably be blanked out due to rights broadcasting it online.
6.00 PATRICK ANTHONY – BBC EASTERN COUNTIES
The former “Ready, Steady Cook” chef and Anglia Television announcer stays in the Eastern Counties for his weekly radio show.
6.00 GEOFF BARKER’S ROCK AND ROLL PARTY – BBC SOUTH WEST
Geoff Barker, with more the less the same style, presentation, jingles and music (1950s and 1960s rock and roll tracks) as he did when he was on Medium Wave commercial radio.
6.00 ADRIAN ALLEN’S BIG NIGHT IN – BBC NORTH EAST
The North East’s best in great music.
9.00 TOMMY BOYD – BBC SOUTHERN COUNTIES RADIO
Probably Boyd’s first BBC job. If you’re too young to remember him presenting Magpie, then surely you can remember him presenting “The Wide Awake Club” on TV-am, as well as being one of the founder presenters of the then titled Talk Radio UK. Television series “The Bill” ironically typecast him as a radio presenter called Steve Mason in a 1999 episode, where he supposedly caught a criminal confessing to a murder “live” on a radio station phone in. One of the lesser spotted acting roles that Boyd has done. Let’s hope that nothing like that happens on this programme, eh?
9.00 RICHARD SPENDLOVE – BBC EASTERN COUNTIES
Nottingham born comedy scriptwriter on sitcoms like “Oh, Doctor Beeching!”, which ironically starred another Nottingham born star – Su Pollard. Anyway, we say “hello, good evening and welcome to…” Richard as he broadcasts during the “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning” slot on BBC local radio in the Eastern Counties.
SUNDAY
9.00 JOHN’S JOURNEY BACK IN TIME – BBC ESSEX
Long before the BBC decided to stream local radio online, I did listen to John’s Journeys from a different year using Real Player from the BBC Essex website, where he had some nostalgia, which consisted of about four minutes of clips from old television programmes and even a classic commercial from years gone by; something that you couldn’t have done in the old days of BBC Radio. Now, you can listen to the whole programme in full, with the actual John’s Journey at about 10.45 am.
9.00 NICHOLAS PANDOLFI – BBC RADIO SUFFOLK
Former Grange Hill actor Nicholas swaps acting for radio presenting with this Sunday morning programme. Flippin’ Heck!
10.00 PAUL WILLS AND JANETTE EATHORNE – BBC RADIO CORNWALL
I had the pleasure of seeing Janette Eathorne performing her big talent – singing, on my birthday of all days! I was on holiday in Cornwall for the week and the Newlyn Fish Festival was taking place on the August Bank Holiday Monday, near Penzance. She was performing in front of a marquee tent in front of hundreds of people at the event and I can tell you that if any of the tunes have anything to go by, she would be almost like Cornwall’s answer to Shirley Bassey!
10.00 BILL MAYNARD – BBC RADIO LEICESTER
Bill maybe associated with Yorkshire and series like “Heartbeat” and “Selwyn Froggit”, but in reality he now lives in Leicestershire and here he is, taking a wry look back at the week that has just gone.
10.00 JENNY HANLEY – BBC RADIO BERKSHIRE
What is it with former children’s television presenters? First Maggie Philbin (who incidentally works for this station), then it’s Sally James, and now Jenny. Former Magpie presenter (as was Tommy Boyd), Jenny keeps Sunday mornings busy in Berkshire.
12.00 CHRIS ASHLEY – BBC WM
The most syndicated radio presenter around the local stations. (Only Alex Trelinski and Gordon Astley would equal this).
1.00 SOLID GOLD SUNDAY WITH PADDY MACDEE – BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE
Paddy crams in four decades of music in just one hour. At least it should relieve the boredom and depression that Sundays usually bring.
2.00 GERRY KERSEY – BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD
A good helping of Yorkshire nostalgia for a Sunday afternoon.
2.00 CHRIS BAIRD’S GREATEST HITS – BBC RADIO DERBY
Chris has hits and memories of yesteryear. Tune in and learn something about the past!
3.00 ERIC HALL – BBC ESSEX
Lots of Monster Memories from the former football Public Relations manager. If you think that Eric didn’t make that good a radio presenter, then think again! He even has the odd star guest there as well.
4.00 JOHN TALOR’S RADIO TIMES – BBC RADIO NORFOLK
No, not the television listings magazine, but John’s look back at the almost forgotten favourite tunes from the first half of the 20th century.
9.00 GOLD FOR GROWN UPS – BBC EASTERN COUNTIES
Paul Barnes mellowing down for a Sunday evening with classic jazz music, making Monday mornings seem like a long time to come.
10.00 DAVID NOVE MUSIC – BBC NORTH EAST
The best in easy listening music to round off your Sunday evening.
10.00 BILL RENNELLS – BBC SOUTH EAST
The former BBC Radio 2 radio presenter, with music and memories for Sunday evening.
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