Very lazy programme though - just reading out the bare bones of Simon Garfield's "The Nation's Favourite" and getting Dann and Bannister to "re-enact" bits.

There was no questioning of the assumptions that lay behind Bannister/Dann's rule of R1 (just because Johnny Beerling was wrong, that doesn't make Bannister inevitably right).

Also interesting that they could only get Adrian Juste from the old guard - I mean hardly a household name.

Danny Baker was superb on GLR, but I didn't hear any of the R1 programmes. I thought his style might lose something when it was taken out of a "community" (whatever that might mean when you're talking about a city the size of London. But there *was* a sense of community about DB's GLR audience) and had to broadcast across the nation.

Even so, it was funny to hear Juste saying he had to "pick it up off the floor" after Baker. Mmm, right. Moderately efficient at what he did in 1978 (when he was sandwiched between DLT and Paul Gambaccinni's US Top Ten, IIRC), but not a comedy god.

I thought he was the only interesting thing about the programme, not because he was right, but because of his extraordinary pomposity and self-regard, and I'd heard everything else ad nauseam.

No mention of Morris, I notice. If they'd spent less time wanking about with (pseudo?-)super-8, they could have got the Heseltine story in.

The R1 story might make a great film though. Who'd you cast as Peelie, I wonder? Or Simon Bates?

What a disappointment this programme was. Right from the start there was an arrogant disregard for the subject matter, as if it was almost too inconsequential to bother with. There was indeed no mention of Morris or of any other R1 comedy output, or Mark Radcliffe. The programme seemed to end just as the story was taking off with a hurried, unsatisfactory explanation of What Happened Next (ironic considering the amount of time they wasted padding out their meagre research with boring indulgent "recreation" toss). It raised loads of interesting questions but spent 40 minutes diligently avoiding answering any of them.

Why? Is it because it was a BBC production and as such the subject matter was just too close to home? It was virtually a cover-up, attempting to divert the viewers' attention from the really interesting questions by showing a close-up of Bruno Brookes accompanied by the music from "Psycho". I mean, why bother making the programme in the first place?

Adrian Juste was always hopeless.

I will never forget the way that when it was announced that Morris was going to Radio 1 to do a comedy show with music, he stressed that he would be taking great care to avoid becoming "an Adrian Juste for the nineties". This comment was particularly barbed and pertinent when you consider that Juste was still actively broadcasting for Radio 1 at the time...

I hate documentary reconstructions. They ruin bloody everything.

They certainly marred the Victorian week.

Why can't we, Dragnet style, have just the facts?

On the subject of Radio 1, did anyone see Alex Lowe's one-man live show based on Simon Garfield's "The Nation's Favourite"?

Heard it was v. good, didn't see it myself.

>I hate documentary reconstructions. They ruin bloody everything.
>
>They certainly marred the Victorian week.
>
>Why can't we, Dragnet style, have just the facts?

No the reconstructions are vital. Whether it is history, documentary or investigative journalism the reconstructions add to the enjoyment. For maxixmum effect, try to make the reconstructions for as little money as possible, preferrably shown in slo mo and repeated a number of times throughout the programme. The viewers will never notice.

The old chestnut is Crimewatch. Reconstructions are vital, they say, to help jog people's memory and allow them to identify with the crime. Why didn't they do one when Jill was "crainially ventilated in a can't present Crimewatch any more sort of way"? (as Victor may have said)

>On the subject of Radio 1, did anyone see Alex Lowe's one-man live show based on Simon Garfield's "The Nation's Favourite"?
>
>Heard it was v. good, didn't see it myself.

Yes, it was superb. His Bates impression wasn't spot on, but it caught the dark and pathetic essence of the man beautifully. The Wrestling (the other half of the show, and another Lowe re-enactment of a Garfield book) was similarly delightful. I must get hold of that book as well.

Bannister killed off speech comedy at R1, which is a good enough reason to hate him.

Why does nobody ever mention that Chris Evans did a show on R1 in 1992, 'Too Much Gravy'? I remember quite liking it.

I warmed to Juste though. Mainly because I just don't understand men like Bannister and Dann - ghastly, depressing people. You wonder why they don't work in building societies and have done with it.

Mike - at last! Someone else remembers "Too Much Gravy"!

And it _was_ quite good. 'Mind The Gap' in particular I still have reasonably fond memories of...

Evans also did a Saturday Morning comedy show for kids called "TV Mayhem" in (I think) 1991, which again was quite good considering its timeslot/audience etc...

>Bannister killed off speech comedy at R1, which is a good enough reason to hate him.

Please put me right here if I'm wrong, but didn't Bannister introduce speech comedy to Radio 1 in the form of Armando Ianucci, Chris Morris, Alan Parker, Lee & Herring, John Shuttleworth etc

>Please put me right here if I'm wrong, but didn't Bannister introduce speech comedy to Radio 1 in the form of Armando Ianucci, Chris Morris, Alan Parker, Lee & Herring, John Shuttleworth etc

Yes, but he also got rid of speech-only comedy. Lee & Herring's Fist of Fun was the last such show.

Not at all - speech comedy in the form of half-hour shows had been a regular feature of Radio 1 since 1988, but Bannister decided that changes had to be made, namely dressing the comedy up to resemble 'regular' Radio 1 programmes. This was perfect for Morris in his psycho DJ persona, and worked reasonably well with Lee and Herring as manic record collectors and Armando Iannucci as a deflator of rock star pomposity, but others floundered badly, mainly because they were limited by the need for 'in character' choices of music (eg Alan Parker) or simply knew nothing about music (eg Alan Davies).

I confronted (and no, that isn't too strong a word) bannister about this when he delivered a lecture at our university in 1995. His response was that programmes like Victor Lewis-Smith and The Mary Whitehouse Experience were "like the sort of thing that you would hear on Radio 4", and that he had thought he ought to give comedians the "chance" to "prove" that they could front music-based shows. How jolly generous of him.

He said this as though it was the most natural decision in the world, and also as if I was stupid and ignorant for not having already figured out his reasoning.

I attempted to push the point, and accused him of 'cowardice' over the failure to comission any further editions of The Chris Morris Music Show past Boxing Day 1994 (this was only about two months later, at the most), before I was accused of 'wasting time' and the focus of the debate was transferred, "Question Time" style, to someone who wanted to know why Radio 1 did not have a dedicated slot devoted to Hindu religious music. Curiously, Bannister appeared to treat this as a 'proper' question, whereas mine he definitely did not.

He then took a call on his mobile, and announced with a beaming face that Bruno Brookes had just been told his services were no longer required at R1. Again, how jolly generous of him.

>Bannister killed off speech comedy at R1, which is a good enough reason to hate him.

But, as someone pointed out, he kept a lot of good comedy stuff going. Ianucchi's shows were fantastic, as were Morris's and Danny Baker's

>Why does nobody ever mention that Chris Evans did a show on R1 in 1992, 'Too Much Gravy'? I remember quite liking it.

I remember this too. It was one of the best things Evans ever did. 'Fluff on your record' anyone?

>I warmed to Juste though. Mainly because I just don't understand men like Bannister and Dann - ghastly, depressing people. You wonder why they don't work in building societies and have done with it.

Juste was a pompous arse. He made me want to climb in the telly and give him a slap. Bannister, by replacing DLT with Baker, proved he knew more about what makes good radio than Juste could ever dream of. And anyway what is Juste so bitter about? He had a good innings in a fun job. It's not like he's homeless now is it? I'll bet some shite commericial 'Gold' station is paying him an exorbitant wage for peddling his plaigaristic bollocks.

>>Why does nobody ever mention that Chris Evans did a show on R1 in 1992, 'Too Much Gravy'? I remember quite liking it.
>I remember this too. It was one of the best things Evans ever did. 'Fluff on your record' anyone?

I have some tapes of said show somewhere... I'll dig them out if anyone's interested.

I do remember listen to Evan's GLR sat/sun show at the time too. The celebs/crew who appeared on the show started taking the piss a bit because he had 'sold out' by doing a One FM show...

Please do Rob... extremely interested!

Chris Morris...Armando Ianucci...Danny Baker...Lee and Herring...Mark Radcliffes 'out on Blue six'...'Tip Top Radio'...Mary Whitehouse Experience....tsk tsk..can it really be just a few short years
ago?

>Chris Morris...Armando Ianucci...Danny Baker...Lee and Herring...Mark Radcliffes 'out on Blue six'...'Tip Top Radio'...Mary Whitehouse Experience....tsk tsk..can it really be just a few short years
ago?

Don't stop. 'The League Against Tedium'... 'Alan Parker's 29 Minutes Of Truth'... 'Loose Talk'... 'Songlines'... 'The Comedy Network'... 'Jools Holland'... Victor Lewis Smith... FM broadcasts of 'Room 101'...

'Soundbite'... 'The Guest List'... 'Cling Film'... hell, even 'MusicMusicMusic' had its moments...

>Please do Rob... extremely interested!

Knew that was stupid question ... back in a while...

A Radio 1 joke...

Q. What did Richard Skinner say when he heard that Leonardo da Vinci had built a railway?

A. 'He's a classic artist, and he's produced some great tracks...'

>>On the subject of Radio 1, did anyone see Alex Lowe's one-man live show based on Simon Garfield's "The Nation's Favourite"?
>>
>>Heard it was v. good, didn't see it myself.
>
>Yes, it was superb. His Bates impression wasn't spot on, but it caught the dark and pathetic essence of the man beautifully. The Wrestling (the other half of the show, and another Lowe re-enactment of a Garfield book) was similarly delightful. I must get hold of that book as well.

A shame Lowe ended up on the (whisper it) 11 O'Clock Show. Still, the Nation's Favourite show was good, I particularly enjoyed the bit when, as a harassed Bannister after the Evans debacle, he said, "We had a space to fill. And so - we put in - Mark and Lard", then went "ARSE! KNACKERS! BOLLOCKS! COBBLERS!" Which got a huge laugh - maybe the audience were all Edinburgh trendies, but it was gratifying as my friend Agnew was with me, and I'm always trying to explain to him that Mark and Lard are terrible. And I've always thought I'm alone in this opinion.

And I've always thought I'm alone in this opinion.
>
>
You are.

>>>On the subject of Radio 1, did anyone see Alex Lowe's one-man live show based on Simon Garfield's "The Nation's Favourite"?
>>>
>>>Heard it was v. good, didn't see it myself.
>>
>>Yes, it was superb. His Bates impression wasn't spot on, but it caught the dark and pathetic essence of the man beautifully. The Wrestling (the other half of the show, and another Lowe re-enactment of a Garfield book) was similarly delightful. I must get hold of that book as well.
>
>A shame Lowe ended up on the (whisper it) 11 O'Clock Show. Still, the Nation's Favourite show was good, I particularly enjoyed the bit when, as a harassed Bannister after the Evans debacle, he said, "We had a space to fill. And so - we put in - Mark and Lard", then went "ARSE! KNACKERS! BOLLOCKS! COBBLERS!" Which got a huge laugh - maybe the audience were all Edinburgh trendies, but it was gratifying as my friend Agnew was with me, and I'm always trying to explain to him that Mark and Lard are terrible. And I've always thought I'm alone in this opinion.
>
>

Yes. You Freak.

No, seriously, what is there to hate about Mark and Lard? I've always thought they provide a much needed dose of quality to the Radio 1 daytime schedule. There is more to them than just those two blokes shouting "ARSE! KNACKERS! BALLS! etc."

You are of course perfectly entitled to loath them as much as you like. But is there a particular reason why they offend you so much?

My brother told me that before Christmas, Mark & Lard did a spoof of Eminem's "Stan", called "Stanta", about a bloke who writes loads of increasingly hysterical letters to Santa and never gets a reply..."I've got one of your elves in the trunk of my car" was one of the more memorable lines...I would give anything to hear this, if anyone's got a copy.

I've got a horrible feeling that this was actually the work of 'the odious Chris Moyles' (c) select - but I'd be happy if this wasn't the case.

Mark and Lard? Top flight entertainment and the only thing that'll be worth listening to before darkness after February.

Radio 2 is now much the same as Radio 1 was when they started the sackings. Steve Wrong in the Afternoons, etc.

So why, in 1990, didn't they shut down Radio 2, and use the frequency for a new hot young person's youth-oriented young radio thing, called (say) Radio Zero (for zero degrees, that's COOL!)?

Then they could have left Radio 1 as it was, and "no one would have to get nailed to anything."

The whole thing was a ridiculous waste of time and a classic example of appalling management from all concerned.

>I've got a horrible feeling that this was actually the work of 'the odious Chris Moyles' (c) select - but I'd be happy if this wasn't the case.
>
>Mark and Lard? Top flight entertainment and the only thing that'll be worth listening to before darkness after February.

The one quoted was Moyles, but I believe M&L have done one too. Hopefully it'll be on the new album. I can't wait for that.

>Radio 2 is now much the same as Radio 1 was when they started the sackings. Steve Wrong in the Afternoons, etc.
>
>So why, in 1990, didn't they shut down Radio 2, and use the frequency for a new hot young person's youth-oriented young radio thing, called (say) Radio Zero (for zero degrees, that's COOL!)?

Quite simply because launching a new 'brand' (that's what it is, sadly) costs a fortune and would have lacked the audience that R1 had which enabled them to make the transition. Far better to re-position the existing stations and not add another one. Maybe they should create a proper Gold station for the people who used to listen to R2 before it was 'ruined' by nowadays music?

>>>Why does nobody ever mention that Chris Evans did a show on R1 in 1992, 'Too Much Gravy'? I remember quite liking it.

It was good, but was basically a re-hash of what he did a few hours earlier on his fantastic programme on GLR

The programme had to be recorded and then have bits edited out

>I do remember listen to Evan's GLR sat/sun show at the time too. The celebs/crew who appeared on the show started taking the piss a bit because he had 'sold out' by doing a One FM show...

They were great; GLR Girls on Top, The Kids are right, Tickle Your Trout etc etc

About 10 years ago Sunday on GLR was Baker, Evans, Morris...... imagine getting that line-up together now!!