Decent Radio Shows!

[Robbo]

The Jonathan Ross Radio Show



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Can’t say I’m a big fan of the BBC. It kow-towed to the Daily Mail and its readers in the Ross – Brand controversy last year and its news coverage has issues with bias but the Jonathan Ross Show is the most entertaining chat n’ music radio show I know of. It features a lot of genuinely funny chat (nothing is scripted), different guests of varying quality and a good deal of music. In the past the show was notable for featuring music like the Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop etc. In recent years it featuring more contemporary radio friendly rubbish but better stuff is still played occasionally and there are brief live performances in the last hour of the programme. The show can be found on BBC Radio 2 @ 10 am Saturday. It can be heard on the net by clicking this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jonathan-ross/ and selecting "Listen" or the date below it (for a description of the show and track list) and then clicking "Listen Now". Note the episode available on the iPlayer changes every Saturday at around 1 PM GMT after the broadcast [via normal radio] of a new episode ends.

[John Traynor]

Will give it a listen. I'm always on the look out for something new. whats the sound quality like?

[Robbo]

The sound quality of the streaming audio on the player is pretty good IMHO although I have only listened to it through my laptop on average quality headphones.

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The Blagger's Guide to Jazz



On BBC Radio 2 they sometimes have comedic radio documentaries on different music genre's called "The Blagger's Guide to …" by a chap called David Quantick – a comedic writer and music journalist who has worked with some decent comedians like Chris Morris over the years. Currently he is doing a series on Jazz. Even for those who don't like that art form the show is informative on the history and developments. Perhaps more importantly it is genuinely funny throughout, although it helps to know a bit about contemporary music generally. Sometimes jokes with references to the music can be obscure and can come pretty fast so they can be quite easy to miss: e.g. impersonations of John Lydon are always with jungle sounds in the background which is a reference to his time on “I’m a celebrity get me out of here”. His show can be listened to on the net by clicking on the link to the programme and selecting "BBC iPlayer" (note the episode available on the iPlayer changes every Thursday around 10 PM GMT with the broadcast of a new episode). Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nsgw8

[Robbo]

It seems Jonathan Ross (AKA Wossy) will be leaving the BBC in July after his contract expires so the Saturday Morning radio show will be no more. It was probably inevitable after the phone call controversy with Russell Brand last year.

[Robbo]

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Here are links to two good comedy radio shows that can be heard on BBC Radio 2 at the moment. These shows can be listened to on the net by clicking on the link to the programme and selecting "Listen Now" to hear it on the iPlayer" (note the episode available on the iPlayer changes every Thursday each week at 10 and 10.30 PM GMT with the radio broadcast of a new episode).

"On the blog" - the adventures of uber-nurd Andrew Glasgow: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007ngx7

"The Jason Byrne Show" - a good stand-up comedian but perhaps a little "adult" at times for some: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lsvqw

[Robbo]

I have edited the above posts for the programmes that have finished as they are no longer available to hear on the iPlayer. Fear not, here are two pretty good comedy shows that can be heard currently.

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And the Winner Is... is a sort of panel show by comedian Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame – Andy in the Lou and Andy sketches! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rbpbj
 
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Check out a new series of The Blaggers' Guide by our old pal David Quantick. This time he focuses back on rock and pop music rather than Jazz: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rdwvx

The shows can be heard on the “Interweb” by clicking the link and selecting "Listen Now" to hear it on the iPlayer. The episode available on the iPlayer changes every Thursday at approximately 10 and 10.30 PM GMT with the radio broadcast of a new episode.

[The last few episodes of the Blaggers Guide will now be broadcast at 10.30 PM on a Saturday due to schedule changes. As a result the episode available on the iPlayer will probably also change every Saturday with the radio broadcast of a new episode of the show.]

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Post up if you enjoyed them!

[Robbo]

Sadly the Jonathan Ross Show which was going for around ten years ended in July after he didn't renew his contract with the BBC. This happened after the Ross-Brand/Andrew Sachs (Manuel the waiter from Fawlty Towers) controversy of 2008, which caused a massive news storm for weeks in the UK. Some may remember the radio show that caused the controversy - he was a guest on Russell Brand's own show and Brand's production company made the decision to broadcast. Extracts of the show can be easily found doing an internet search - although funny it was pretty bad as it crossed quite a few lines. Apparently Ross did apologise after it was broadcast but before the controversy in the media. I'm not sure but podcasts of the old Ross show may still be knocking around on the net.