Jo Whiley had the best kind of surprise on her show, when a listener called Sam got in touch to say the weathered fisherman staring out from The Cure's Standing on a Beach cover is his own great-grandfather. Jo had earlier told the story of how John Button, a retired Rye Harbour fisherman, was picked for his "craggy face" and intense stare, and had apparently promised to buy a record player just to hear the band's music. "Sam, I really, really love that you've messaged the show," said Jo, delighted to have the mystery solved live on air.
Listen: The Cure's mystery cover star
Thursday's main event was Jo's Mercury Prize theme, timed to coincide with this year's ceremony in Newcastle. Listeners flooded in with memories of past winners, from PJ Harvey's double win to Alex Turner's famous 2006 Arctic Monkeys speech, with Jo reading out dedications from Sheffield, Stockport and beyond as she built a whole hour around 35 years of Mercury history.
Jo also revisited her interview with Fontaines D.C.'s Carlos and Curly from the night before, including Curly's confession about being forced to play the lead in a school production of Joseph. "I had never been more scared to do anything," he admitted, recalling performing in front of a girls' school audience in full costume. Jo looked ahead to Monday's big Amy Winehouse tribute, Back to Black at 20, which will include a interview with Mark Ronson about producing the record.
Listen: Curly's Joseph confession
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