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Dev and Alice: interim drivetime


OohErr

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Just wondered whether anyone had any thoughts on Dev and Alice's drivetime cover. It's not bad, but there's something about it that just doesn't feel quite right. I can't quite put my finger on it - it might be that the whole thing seems very pre-planned, in a way that Greg's show never did. Could do with a bit more spontaneity imo, and maybe a couple of regular features. 

Any other thoughts?

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2 hours ago, OohErr said:

Just wondered whether anyone had any thoughts on Dev and Alice's drivetime cover. It's not bad, but there's something about it that just doesn't feel quite right. I can't quite put my finger on it - it might be that the whole thing seems very pre-planned, in a way that Greg's show never did. Could do with a bit more spontaneity imo, and maybe a couple of regular features. 

Any other thoughts?

Must be very hard for them, because they can't continue Greg's old features as it's not effectively Greg's show anymore neither is it Grimmy's yet so all they can do is a pretty standard show, ali Plumb seems to be in his normal slot though

Will be the Same for Scott on Breakfast 

Will we get the "shortest R1 breakfast show ever gags again" which happened between Moyles and Grimmy? or will it be a standard cover time where he just does his usual act using the normal jingles and stuff until the end, which means in effect it would have been Grimmy's format until the end three weeks after he's left 

I wonder if he'll have Greg in the week before as well, because I seem to remember Grimmy being on both Moyles' show before he started and on Scotts cover show a few days before 

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They've made a mistake not continuing the Ten Minute Takeover. Everyone seemed to love that and Greg himself said Nick was welcome to it, so surely Dev and Alice would have been too. I do agree they should have made some regular features to do on different days, especially as they're there for six weeks. What we have at the moment is a very generic show with no real excitement. Shame really, Dev and Alice are great presenters (especially Alice).

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I'm really pleased with how Dev and Alice sound together. They are very different in terms of personalities - Alice being the organised and prepared and Dev with his happy go lucky attitude. I also quite like the banter that they have.

Having said that, I agree with OhhErr in terms of - it's a good listen, but something's not quite right. I think it's the fact that Greg used to have so many different features and games and we just got used to them being there in the afternoon.

Dev and Alice's show is still very fresh so it's hard to tell what their take will be. When they worked solo neither of them had really memorable features. Dev was trying really hard to make a mediocre game, emphasise how mediocre it was and laugh it off - which worked nicely for a weekend breakfast show. Alice is really smart and has a good sense of humour so I think it was her comments and remarks that made her show (also not having any significant features, games or bond with listeners).

Now that they've merged their shows I'd love them to have a more patterned and specific direction for the show. For Greg it's been his features, for Matt it's his games and for Scott - his interaction with listeners and their stories (I don't think the rest of the DJs can be distinguished in that way). I really believe in them, because they're both funny and very pleasant to listen to, so I would really love them to come up with a good formula for their show. Right now, I think that's what they lack.

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On ‎8‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 2:25 PM, Aleks_ said:

(also not having any significant features, games or bond with listeners).

I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think there's something in it. The thing Alice Levine lacks as a radio presenter is a bond with the audience. I can't put my finger on why - maybe it's the regular absences, maybe it's the sarcastic and slightly cutting sense of humour. But you never quite feel like she's talking to you in the same way you do with Greg, or Scott, or Dev, or Matt, or Grimmy. Weird. But sadly I think she's brought that over to the show with Dev - it now feels a bit more insular with him than when he's by himself. I'm not sure why - I like double acts and zoo formats in general. There's just something that doesn't feel quite right with her. I miss Dev's solo shows.

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This is actually so true. I actually end up preferring Alice chatting with a fellow R1 DJ compared to a listener, whereas Dev works better with the listeners. They literally are chalk and cheese, but I like them both! 

 

I do think theres potential in the show. I like the bit at the start of the show where they have a chat about things that have happened on the day (even though Greg already did this). There’s just a feeling they’ve scripted the direction of their links before they go on air, which sometimes doesnt sound right when it comes to double acts, as we’re so used to that natural zoo format approach when there’s more than one on air voice. Scott and Chris can sometimes be the like that but their constant listner interaction makes it sound more subtle. But Dev and Alice still have time to find their feet and these 6 weeks are the perfect opportunity for them to improve!

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I think Alice is just quite restrained when she's on radio. We know a lot about Greg, Scott, Chris so we treat them like friends. I don't mean deeply personal stuff, but with Alice I don't think I could even tell what her favourite music is. Tuning in to Greg or Scott is like catching up with an old friend. As weird as it sounds - we don't know them, but at the same time, we kind of do. 

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What I liked about Dev is that he always pretended that his show was an absolute shambles, and shared it like a secret with the listeners, and that's what gave it the charm his weekend breakfast show always had. You felt part of a little gang, but that doesn't really work with Alice as well. 

I think it's a case of them finding a different presenting style together, which is going to take a while because they've almost been 'forced' together for this show....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I have been using this time to try and find a new Drive show to listen to discovering the new station Hits Radio with my first Radio obsession Wes (I can hear the Who's already) :D I've not heard much of them at all including the weekend show. What I have heard is vaguely funny. I used to listen to Dev all the time as I felt the same as a previous comment he worked well with callers and had a bond with listeners. Alice on the other hand never really been a fan other than the shows with Phil Taggart. She has made me laugh when appearing on Greg's show but on the whole she has always felt heavily scripted. Might try and hear a bit more going forward but there is definitely better shows on when they are on. 

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I haven't really made an effort to listen to Dev and Alice honestly. I still don't really know how I feel about the whole 'Dev and Alice' thing, it just doesn't seem to me like a natural pairing to me. I may need more time. Alice Levine though is major talent.

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