BBC Radio 2 have revealed details of their special programmes which will be created to celebrate 40 years on-air. Smashie And Nicey will record a special Pick of the Pops and the network will air an edition of the Kenny Everett Radio Show from the archives. Paul Hollingdale, Ed Stewart and Michael Aspel will also make appearances.
As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, BBC Radio 2 is inviting its listeners to vote for their Ultimate Icon — an enduring personality that they believe best represents popular culture over the past four decades.
Nominations for the voting have opened and the winner will be announced on Radio 2 on Sunday 30 September 2007 during a special day of programming to mark the network's 40th birthday.
Lesley Douglas, Controller, Radio 2, says: "This special day will give listeners old and new a chance to sample some of the gems of the past 40 years. To welcome back some of the stars from the original line-up, to re-live some of the musical and comic gems is really exciting.
"And, of course, I am thrilled that Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse have agreed to bring back Smashie and Nicey for a one off Pick Of The Pops special."
[b]Programme schedule for Sunday 30 September[/b]
[b]Breakfast Special With Paul Hollingdale, 9.00-9.55am [/b]
Paul Hollingdale — the first voice heard on Radio 2 — returns to present a special edition of Breakfast Special, featuring music played on that first programme 40 years ago, and sharing memories of life in the studio.
[b]Five To Ten, 9.55-10.00am [/b]
A recording of Paul Simon performing a live version of I Am A Rock from 1965 features in this new edition of Five To Ten — a predecessor to the current Pause For Thought — presented by Colin Semper. The former BBC Head of Religious Broadcasting presented Five To Ten on Radio 2's first day.
[b]Junior Choice With Ed Stewart, 10.00-11.00am [/b]
Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart returns with a special edition of the hugely popular listener request show, Junior Choice.
[b]The Kenny Everett Radio Show, 11.00am-1.00pm[/b]
Kenny Everett, one of the iconic figures of British radio, returned to the BBC in October 1981 after a spell in commercial radio. This programme is the first show he presented on Radio 2, broadcast on 3 October 1981, and contains Everett's unique mix of madcap humour and music.
[b]Family Favourites With Michael Aspel, 1.00-2.30pm[/b]
Michael Aspel presents an edition of the weekly record request show that started life on the Light Programme in 1945 linking London with the British Forces Network in Germany.
[b]Pick Of The Pops With Smashie And Nicey, 2.30-4.30pm[/b]Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse resurrect their spoof DJs Smashie and Nicey for a one-off two-hour Pick Of The Pops special, running down the chart from the last week of September 1967.
The Top 10 features records by Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, Traffic, The Flowerpot Men, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Small Faces and The Move, climaxing in the number one record — The Last Waltz by Engelbert Humperdinck.
[b]Brian Matthew, 4.30-6.30pm[/b]
Brian Matthew presents a Birthday Special, guiding listeners through the Sixties with favourite music tracks and revealing interviews and anecdotes about the stars of the period, who were often personal friends.
As well as landmark music releases from the decade, Brian will play archive interviews with the individual Beatles, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, Pete Townshend (talking of his ambitions to one day write a rock opera), Graham Nash, Chris Curtis, Matt Monro, Colin Blunstone and Petula Clark.
The interviews were often recorded very early in the star's careers. Many of the star interviews have not been heard before in the UK.
[b]Semprini Serenade, 6.30-7.30pm[/b]
"Old Ones, New Ones, Loved Ones, Neglected Ones…" So began a programme that was part of the BBC Light Programme and later Radio 2 for more than 25 years and 700 programmes.
Pianist Alberto Semprini was born in Bath, but was of Italian extraction, and entertained a large and loyal audience with his brand of light classical music. This edition of Semprini Serenade featuring Semprini and the Serenade Orchestra, conducted by Vilem Tausky, was broadcast on 24 January 1971.
[b]Sing Something Simple, 7.30-8.00pm[/b]
Sing Something Simple — "songs simply sung for song-lovers" — was a radio institution for over 40 years, first on the Light Programme, and then on Radio 2.
It featured half an hour of easy listening arrangements of popular songs performed by the Cliff Adams Singers. The programme came to an end with the death of Cliff Adams in October 2001.
This edition featured in Radio 2's 40th birthday celebrations and was originally broadcast on 16 March 2000.
[b]Round The Horne, 8.00-8.30pm[/b]
Round The Horne is one of the classic BBC radio comedies. Radio 2 was only a few months old when it broadcast series four. This edition, Frankenstein's Monster, was first broadcast on 10 March 1968.
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