Classic FM launches biggest radio series

Global Radio’s Classic FM is launching the biggest non-fiction radio series in its 21-year history this weekend.

Launching this Sunday 27th October at 9pm, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Classical Music will run for 150 weeks and will be presented by Catherine Bott, a professional musician and broadcaster who joins Classic FM from BBC Radio.

Classic FM says the series is one of the most ambitious programmes ever commissioned by the station. Over the course of three years, Catherine will shine the spotlight on every area of classical music, answering questions about the genre – from “what exactly is ‘classical music’?” to “how did Beethoven manage to compose music when he was deaf?”

Catherine Bott said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the lively team at Classic FM and look forward to sharing my love of great music with listeners as we go on a voyage of discovery together.”

In her first programme, she will focus on the issue of ‘period performance’, asking whether it really matters if famous classical works are performed on more modern instruments than the ones for which they were written. A variety of recordings of much-loved pieces will be featured, as Catherine demonstrates the different approaches to classical music from well-known performers.

Future editions of the hour-long programmes will include special shows dedicated to film music, contemporary works and, during the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth in 2014, the role of famous works of literature in shaping the history of classical music. Over the course of the series, listeners will be encouraged to submit their questions, with audience interaction and suggestions for topics forming a key part of the programme.

Managing Editor Sam Jackson said: “Classic FM is the home of classical music in the UK and we’ve long admired Catherine Bott’s warm, authoritative and infectiously enthusiastic approach. I’m delighted to welcome her to the Classic FM family for this ambitious, exciting and, I hope, groundbreaking series, which I’m confident our audience of 5.6 million weekly listeners will love.”