FEATURE:
The Music Sounds Better with You
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 1’s Clara Amfo/PHOTO CREDIT: David Titlow/The Observer
The Comfort and Brilliance of the Amazing Women in Radio
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I am going to miss…
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4’s Lauren Laverne/PHOTO CREDIT: Sophia Spring
a few names out that I will be kicking myself about later! There have been features written about radio and how it has been a blessing during the pandemic. This article from last April highlights how broadcasters such as Jane Garvey, Jo Whiley and Rylan have felt a closer bond and intimacy with listeners in an extraordinary time. Even now, as we have got ‘used’ to the pandemic, radio is still such a lifeline and source of comfort. I have written about it myself. One cannot underestimate and understate how pivotal and needed radio has been. From people like me who have been able to commute and be mobile, to those who are at home and have not had much social contact, the vitality and familial bosom of radio has given us so much strength. I am not writing this feature in regards gender equality in radio. That is a subject that I keep coming back to and will do in months to come. I guess it is in a way, only in the sense that the women I have listened to on radio have given me a degree of hope, pleasure, companionship and inspiration that their male peers have not. I listen to BBC Radio 6 Music and have a love of the male broadcasters like Chris Hawkins and Craig Charles. My favourite, Shaun Keaveny (who sadly left the station this year and was not treated too well by them), is an exception.
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 1’s Sian Eleri
On BBC Radio 2, I listen to Ken Bruce and never miss Pop Master! I am not sure what it is, but I feel the sheer quality produced by female broadcasters has been exemplary! As I say, there are broadcasters who I do not mean to exclude. I am going to name-check those who I listen to on a fairly regular basis. It has been a very touch lockdown and pandemic for everyone. I was amazed at the dedication and passion all broadcasters put in and continue to do so. To travel in and make radio at such a strange and stressful time is something that must have been very hard to do. Even now, as we are teetering towards another lockdown and harsh winter, they will be there and providing their listeners with amazing company and familiarity. I want to mention some of the inspiratioinal women that I have been listening to. On BBC Radio 1, the awesome Arielle Free’s Early Breakfast is a breath of fresh air and someone whose passion, dedication and energy is something I admire greatly! She also presents Radio 1 Anthems - and she is someone who is among our finest broadcasters. Sian Eleri is another BBC Radio 1 broadcaster who, like Free, has a big future. After the legendary Annie Mac left the station this year, here was a huge voice and influencer whose absence will be felt for a long time to come. She was a big source of inspiration and warmth. Maybe those are the wrong words. Her sheer drive, dedication and knowledge, combined with a voice that lifted you and kept you safe, made her such a loved broadcaster. Like one of our friends or family members, let’s hope she broadcasts again in the future!
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 1’s Victoria Jane
Sian Eleri presents Radio 1’s Chilliest Show, and she treats us to the Power Down Playlist. I really love her work and the sheer range of quality music I have discovered through her. A superb young broadcaster, I have spent more time with BBC Radio 1 because of her. Also on the station is the phenomenal Clara Amfo. Having taken over for Annie Mac presenting Radio 1’s Hottest Records of the Week and the excellent Future Sounds, I have so much love for what she does. A stellar and incredible broadcaster and music lover, again, who is sensational and has helped so many people during a tough time. I also love BBC Radio 1/11Xtra’s Tiffany Calver and her Rap Show. Charlie Hedges’ Dance Anthems is a must-listen. She is an amazing broadcaster and one of my absolute favourites. Radio 1’s Future Soul with Victoria Jane is a fountain and font of amazing music and the best new sounds. Bringing amazing R&B from around the world, I really love her show. I did not listened to BBC Radio 1 before the pandemic started. Because of the tension and uncertainty that has been around, I have tuned in more. As I say, there are male broadcasters that I love – though it has been the amazing women of the station that have stuck in my mind and keep me tuning in. Alice Levine left BBC Radio 1 last year, though she was a huge source of joy and support. She is a host, podcaster, filmmaker, and all-around amazing talent. I hope that she is on radio more (she was on BBC Radio 5 Live with Scott Mills yesterday, and I feel she will have another show very soon). I really like everything Levine has put her name to. She is a simply wonderful broadcaster!
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 2’s Vanessa Feltz
Before getting to ‘non-BBC stations’, I want to go to BBC Radio 2. Again, like BBC Radio 1, perhaps a station that I did not hear as much as I should have pre-pandemic. On the station is the exceptional and iconic Zoe Ball. Her breakfast show is amazing. She is a joy and sunshine to wake up to. I know some grumbled when she took over from Chris Evans when he left the station. She has shown that nobody should have doubted her incredible talent and suitability. One of our national radio treasures, the same can also be said of the fantastic Vanessa Feltz. Her early-morning show is one I tune into. I have loved Feltz’s work for many a year. She is such a huge presence and hugely influential broadcaster. One of the greatest broadcasters on any station, many times I have tuned into her show and felt something akin to a warm huge and reassuring word. An amazing human! A shout-out to Ana Matronic and her sublime Dance Devotion show. Such exceptional music and incredible broadcasting, she is beyond amazing! Someone who I cannot and will not avoid! Also on a Saturday is the fantastic Claudia Winkleman. I love her show and the sheer infectiousness she brings to the airwaves! Again, I saw some people complain when she was appointed to her Saturday slot relatively recently. She is an incredible broadcaster and someone who has such an admiring following. The Strictly Come Dancing co-host is a broadcaster who has been essential to me during the pandemic. I can also say the same about the indefatigable and truly peerless Liza Tarbuck. Let’s hope that she never leaves radio! One of this nation’s absolute best, she brings something unique and utterly irresistible to BBC Radio 2. I also want to shout-out Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her Kitchen Disco series. An amazing musician and broadcaster. I hope that she has more time and shows on the station as the years go by!
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews
I am going to get to BBC Radio 6 Music in a second. There are a few more amazing women on BBC Radio 2 that I cannot be without. Sara Cox’s weekday show is brilliant (the wonderful Anita Rani has been sitting in recently and done a wonderful job). Cox’s Half Wower is a solid selection of golden tunes that has helped me and so many other listeners feel restored and boosted! Long may her service on the station continue. Same goes for Jo Whiley’s show and her Shiny Happy Playlist. I am a big fan of Jo Whiley. Her experience and amazing music selections are another reason why I have been so lifted and soothed by radio. She is another titan who we (I hope) will hear for many more years. Another legend – who also broadcasts on BBC Radio 6 Music - is Cerys Matthews. Her BBC Radio 2 Blues Show is one that I love to listen to. Not only is Matthews a broadcaster who makes you feel enlightened and loved; her Blues exploration and expertise is something that has opened my eyes to so many artists and songs I was not aware of. Before moving onto BBC Radio 6 Music, a couple of broadcasters who have presented on BBC Radio 2 are Cat Deeley and Angela Scanlon. Deeley sat in for Rylan earlier in the year - and I do hope that she gets more time on the station. She is such an enthusiastic broadcaster and someone who I am compelled to listen to. Her bubbliness, warmth, incredible music guidance, friendliness and awesomeness is something we should bottle up! Scanlon has presented on BBC Radio 2. I do hope that she comes back and is allowed more airtime. She is a wonderful broadcaster who brings something very special to the air.
IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova
Apart from curated mixes and the Artist in Residence series, there are some amazing women on BBC Radio 6 Music. My Saturdays have been made so much better by the fabulous Jamz Supernova. Kicking off the weekend in style, there are few broadcasters as good as her (she also presents on BBC Radio 1Xtra). Not to exclude the men, but it is amazing women like Jamz Supernova (and non-binary broadcasters) who have been a source of amazing strength and love during the pandemic. I also really love what The Blessed Madonna is putting out. Anne Frankenstein presents on Jazz FM, though it is her presenting on BBC Radio 6 Music that I have been listening to recently. She is an outstanding broadcaster - and, again, let’s hope that the station provides her with a bigger platform. Frankenstein has directed me to so much great music across multiple genres. I am a huge fan of her broadcasting and will follow her wherever she goes (radio-wise) in the future. Nemone and Gemma Cairney have been sitting in for Lauren Laverne. Laverne is, perhaps, my favourite woman in radio. It is hard to describe what she brings to BBC Radio 6 Music and radio in general (in addition to Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4). She has so many sides, facets and talents, she is a radio queen who I feel will rise the legendary and iconic ranks of the very best – I am thinking of broadcasters like Annie Nightingale. Laverne is someone I listen to weekday breakfasts (I tune into her and Zoe Ball’s show, as they are both so incredible!). Even though she is in her early-forties, Laverne has accomplished so much and we will hear her for decades more! Especially during the pandemic, her voice and guidance has reached and helped so many people. Mary Anne Hobbs follows Lauren Laverne. Another staggering broadcaster who is one of the very best around, Hobbs’ music discoveries, expert broadcasting and soothing voice are a few reasons (among many) why she is so loved. I love and respect the work of all the female broadcasters of BBC Radio 6 Music but, with limited time, I cannot listen to them all. Nemone’s Journeys in Sound is a enlightening, relaxing and a must-hear. She also occasionally steps into the breakfast show when Lauren Laverne is away. I love Nemone’s style and what she brings to the airwaves. The amazing women of BBC Radio 6 Music are a big reason why I listen to the station (although, again, the fact Shaun Keaveny is not at the station still bothers me!).
IN THIS PHOTO: Soho Radio and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Georgie Rogers/PHOTO CREDIT: Georgie Rogers
Just before wrapping up, there are a few more women in broadcasting I wanted to mention. Georgie Rogers presents the music news occasionally on BBC Radio 6 Music. I feel she should get her own show on the station. Her shows on Soho Radio mark her as an incredible talent. Such an engaging and phenomenal broadcaster, I love every minute she is on the radio. One of the best voices on any radio station is from Sarah Champion on Absolute Radio. It is hard to put into words the affect her voice has. Her love of music and excellent shows on Absolute is another reason why I have tuned into a certain radio station. Champion is a stellar broadcaster and someone that has become a regular fixture in my life. Danielle Perry on Absolute is another amazing broadcaster whose Sunday Night Music Club is the perfect wind-down at the weekend. One of the very few women on Radio X, again, I listen to that station exclusively for the amazing Elspeth Pierce. She is someone I have been listening to for a while. I can imagine her being offered her own show on a BBC station very soon. She is someone who is a real gift to radio. In an unenviable timeslot on the station, her shows deserve a wider audience. Dotty’s The Dotty Show on Apple Music 1 has been a real find! She is a wonderful broadcaster whose goal on her show is to bring Black music culture from around the world to life. I will end it there. This is a selection of the amazing female broadcasters who have not only been such a valuable guidance and comfort during the pandemic. They have also touched and fortified so many others. I will do other features later about gender inequality in radio. The imbalance has improved the past couple of years. That said, there is still male dominance. The women above are reason why there needs to be better equality and respect. Spend some time with these amazing broadcasters! They are a big reason why radio, during an incredible tough time, has been so important…
IN THIS PHOTO: Apple Music 1’s Dotty/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
TO so many people.