Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2's breakfast show presenter, revealed live on air yesterday he was leaving the station after thirteen years including eight years on the breakfast show, to head up Virgin's breakfast show in the new year.
Having been thinking about the move for a year, the decision has been made and now leaves the BBC Radio 2 controller with decisions to make about who to replace him. The BBC themselves have already written an article outlining some of the runners and riders but here are my thoughts on what they should do, plus whether this change should spark a wider reshuffle on the airwaves.
I'd like to point out, before I start, that people get passionate about their radio DJs, and one listeners John Peel is another's John Barrowman, and I'm well aware that, although I've listened to BBC Radio 2 since I was a child, at 32 I'm not exactly in their ideal demographic, but here I go anyway! Let me know your thoughts and comments about the station below - do you agree or disagree?
The Breakfast Show
I'm going to nail my colours to the mast and say that I felt that Chris Evans was a worthy successor to Terry Wogan. A different style of presenter, yes. More energetic, sometimes brash? Definitely. But he added a certain spark to the show and pulled in the numbers. That said, however, he's certainly gone off the boil in the last twelve months which might have been a symptom of his decision or his reason to make it. His 'Children in Need' love-in shows, where listeners bid obscene (though worthy) amounts of money for charity were off-putting to the listeners who could only dream of such amounts.
He often spoilt movies and TV shows when he talked about them on air, Abi Morgan's 'River' and recent musical flick 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again' two examples that come to mind; his speech has been indulgent; he talks too much over records; and goes on about his private life far too much. DJ's should have a personality but I think he's pushed it a little too much into being a little too self-centred. In fact, his departure announcement was an example of this itself, going head-first into self-indulgence.
Recently I've been surprised by how little he follows music, admitting on air to not knowing artists like 'Rae Morris' or the 'Mystery Jets'. Neither, granted, are the biggest names in the world of music but neither are they so obscure that you've never heard of them. I've seen the former live but don't own any of the music by the latter yet I know their name. In mind if you're paid what he's paid to present you'd want to live and breathe music but maybe I'm old fashioned!
If the rumours are true that he's getting £2 million for his new show on Virgin they are, in my opinion, taking a big gamble. At the moment that station gets 400,000 listeners, compared to 15 million from BBC Radio 2. There might be some defectors to the station but I think the brand loyalty of the station is much stronger than the loyalty to the presenter. It'll be interesting to see how the RAJAR figures come out and if Evans is not doing the move for the money, as he's gone on record as saying, then perhaps it is the challenge of building the audience?
As for the future of the breakfast show I think there's only one choice in my opinion and that's Sara Cox. She will help improve the radio's demographics, reducing the practically all-male line-up of the main five shows, and has plenty of breakfast radio experience plus, from her time deputising on the show in Evans' absence has proven to be a calmer yet still as enjoyable presenter. And having a Northern voice won't do the station any harm either.
The Mid-Morning Show
If there's one part of the BBC Radio 2 schedule that I hope they don't touch it's this show, headed up by Ken Bruce. Though at 67 he's certainly no spring chicken and will, I'm sure, want to retire sooner than later, he is the best presenter the station has through the day: calm, collected, witty and with an unflappable style. And, as he name never appears in the rankings of the most paid DJs unlike Chris Evans, Jeremy Vine and Steve Wright, and his show gets listening figures not hugely different to the breakfast show, (Only around 600,000 fewer) he's probably the biggest bargain the station has.
Please, whatever happens to the schedule, don't get rid of Ken!
Though, I think when the time comes, they couldn't go wrong with Trevor Nelson or Fern Cotton stepping into his shoes, having previously deputised for him.
The Phone-In Show
Currently headed up by Jeremy Vine, this is another presenter who I think will find himself leaving in a reshuffle. I considered, when Chris Evans was heading up 'Top Gear' something would have to give and he'd have to choose between his breakfast show or the magazine programme as international shoots and early-morning rises don't make for good bed-fellows. Eventually, the failure of the 'Top Gear' re-boot made that decision, but I think Vine will soon face a similar predicament now that he's in-charge of the former Wright Stuff show on channel 5. Though an article made the observation that Vanessa Feltz does two shows a day and manages these are both BBC Radio shows, and I'm not sure the Beeb will be as considerate with Vine who now broadcasts an earlier show for a rival, and even though the end section is pre-recorded I wouldn't be best pleased if I was the producers of his radio show if the talent was turning up just in time for the broadcast without the pre-show planning and topic discussion that goes on ahead of the red light switching on having the input of the presenter. And I'm not sure the licence payers would be that keen either.
I foresee Jeremy Vine going full time with his Channel 5 show and either Vanessa Feltz, Paddy O'Connell or Amol Rajan jumping into the hot seat.
Steve Wright in the Afternoon
Surprisingly, to me, Steve Wright is a bit of a crowd splitter, if the internet is to be believed, which isn't always an accurate reflection of reality. To me, he's close-behind Ken Bruce as the best presenter on the station: I like his slickness, the confidence of his interviews and delivery and the music choices, plus friday's 'Serious Jockin'' is a delight. I can see how his bombastic over-powering style could be seen as grating but I like his style, though at 64 he too will be eyeing retirement in the not so distant future. I'm not quite sure who'd replace him as there's not really a presenter in his style - Craig Charles, a recent stand-in, is confident, competent and cool, but not as energetic - but please leave your suggestions in the comments!
Drivetime
Anyone who peruses the BBC Radio 2 social media channels can't fail to have noticed the listener uproar that came with the changes to the show earlier the year, teaming Simon Mayo up with Jo Whiley as a double-header. People hate change, and this change was particularly hated and, although I wasn't foaming at the mouth like many of those raving online, I shared their frustrations that a show that was working well was ripped apart and replaced by a show that just lacks the spark that it did.
Having said that, now the show has bedded in, it's slicker than it was in that first week, but there's still the air of Mayo and Whiley being a married couple on the edge of a divorce but staying together for the kids. It's very hard to put two presenters together who've not necessarily worked together in the past and expect chemistry, and I don't think much will change. If truth is known, I think the issue is that the show is doing something different to what drivetime should be. Jo Whiley is very much a champion of new music and does it wheel, and I think it's this music policy that is damaging the show: there feels to be too much focus on new songs or more subdued numbers when you really want something more energetic and fun for the drive-time. I listened again to the show driving home and enjoyed it more, and the two presenters seemed much more comfortable together, but it still feels a bit too much like a verbal tennis match with each taking in turns like they're reading a script to ensure balanced coverage, and the music is still lacking something. I used to really enjoy the drive show and now it just lacks a spark.
If there's a big re-shuffle with Chris Evans' departure I'd suggest a reverse ferret and return to the old format. But this is unlikely to ever happen so I'd perhaps start entirely fresh with a brand new presenting team. I have to say I really enjoyed the immediate chemistry of Angela Scanlon and OJ Borg, some early morning presenters, when they sat in, proving that sometimes a random pairing can really work. They could do much worse.
Other Bits
There are a few things I'd also suggest whilst they're doing a re-shuffle. I don't know whether I'm getting old (I am getting old-er, but that pushes me more towards their 35 and over demographic) but they've started to play more 'washing machine' music as I call it, modern songs that eschew choruses for instrumental breaks like a washing machine warming up. I like the fact that BBC Radio 2 chucks in some more modern music at times but they need to pick and choose better. And also not play any more Cher songs from Mamma-bloody-Mia.
There are other presenters who've recently appeared on the station I'd love to hear more of: Fearne Cotton; Ore Oduba; Dermot O'Leary; Gary Davies; or Tony Blackburn, with others well worth hearing too. But no more Ricky Wilson please: love him in the Kaiser Chiefs, not so much as a radio presenter, but that's clearly, like all of this, personal preference!
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