Former Radio X and Xfm duo Elis James and John Robins are joining BBC Radio 5 Live for a new Friday 1-3pm show.
The pair left Global this weekend after 5 years together on Radio X. Their new show will start on the BBC from Friday 31st May.
Elis already appears on 5 Live’s Fighting Talk and also presents the Feast of Football podcast for BBC Radio Wales.
Friday afternoon schedules on 5 Live will change to accommodate the show, which will be made by independent production company Audio Always and produced by former Radio X and Absolute producer Dave Masterman. The station’s film show with Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode will move to the later time of 3-5pm, with Drive starting at 5pm on Fridays from the end of May.
The BBC says Elis and John’s show will ‘help kick-start the weekend with a mix of comedy, fun features, guests and callers’. It will be put out as a podcast too, and the pair are also working on a separate weekly podcast which will launch later in the summer.
Elis James said: “I can’t wait to get started with John. I’ve been a 5 Live listener for 20 years and it’s thrilling to think I’ll be working in a place where water-cooler chats about Mark Hughes’ playing career at Bayern Munich are actively encouraged rather than frowned upon.”
John Robins added: “For too long the BBC has displayed anti-Queen bias. I, OFCOM and two Parliamentary Select committees feel this has gone unchecked for too long. Due to the unique way the BBC is funded, it’s only right licence fee-payers (who, let’s remember, were responsible for making Queen’s Greatest Hits the UK’s best-selling album of all time) receive a balanced approach to all matters Mercury, May, Taylor and/or Deacon. I’m delighted to be given this platform with Elis James, Friday 1-3pm, and I’m also excited about our separate podcast where we will tackle other issues and there will be slightly less Queen.”
Jonathan Wall, controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “Elis and John are one of the most talented pairings in radio and will bring a new audience for 5 Live. It’s a real coup they are joining us for their first BBC Radio show. They will bring a new sound and direction to Friday afternoons and add to an already really strong line-up that includes Adrian Chiles, Kermode and Mayo, Anna Foster and Tony Livesey. Elis and John fans will hear more of them than ever before with both a live show and two podcasts. They are a fantastic addition to the 5 Live family, and I can’t wait for them to get started.”
Fridays. 1-3pm. From May 31. Got plans? Cancel them!
Elis James and John Robins are joining 5 Live!@nomadicrevery and @elisjames will present an entertainment show (also released as a podcast). In summer, they will launch an additional podcast.
More: https://t.co/LfvHUEHt4U pic.twitter.com/QDIreHcqED
— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) April 2, 2019
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