Radio 1 Anthems Scheduling

[OohErr]

Well, here goes nothing: https://www.change.org/p/bbc-radio-1-keep-greg-james-and-chris-smith-together.

I'm under no illusions that it'll achieve anything, but it'll (a) let Radio 1 know there are people who care and (b) show Chris Smith some well deserved love.

[OohErr]

Something I also picked up on - in the week after the breakfast show was announced, Greg said that the podcast would definitely be staying no matter what. But on this week's one, he alluded to it going but them doing something to continue the "spirit" of the podcast.

[Dan18F1]

I’ve also signed the petition. Hopefully it will help some more people hear about it. 

This new breakfast show isn’t looking promising now with no Chris Smith and maybe no podcast. Hopefully Greg and his team can surprise us. 

[alrite_treacle]

I get that they need to make the show appealing to a younger audience, but I've always thought that the key is get something that younger parents can enjoy so that Radio 1 is in the car in the first place, and I think Greg and Chris have always been able to get that middle portion of the venn diagram - Chris as Father Christmas is excellent with children, and they get younger callers regularly on Whats My Age Again. Thinking about it, they get younger callers than Grimmy's current breakfast show.

Moving Chris to mornings opens up a spot for another 'main' Newbeat' presenter, and would be a good time to get a new, younger, fun newsreader who can interact with the other daytime shows. Unless it's because Newbeat is being slimmed down a lot, and Chris holds too many 'roles' to be able to just go to breakfast? I don't know much about Newbeat, really.

Definitely get that petition to the That's What He Said fan account on Twitter, I bet they'll all gutted as well.

Can't imagine that the loss of the podcast as a consequence of losing Chris Smith will sit comfortably at all with Greg - it's got a loving, interactive devoted fanbase, and has been a great help with the mental health of some listeners, reading between the lines of some of the emails that Greg and Chris don't read out.

Greg in breakfast is still a great thing, but taking away Chris is pissing on the bonfire for Greg and the listeners, frankly.

[Electric Boogaloo]

On 7/8/2018 at 8:41 AM, OohErr said:

Well, here goes nothing: https://www.change.org/p/bbc-radio-1-keep-greg-james-and-chris-smith-together.

I'm under no illusions that it'll achieve anything, but it'll (a) let Radio 1 know there are people who care and (b) show Chris Smith some well deserved love.

Just signed it. Fingers crossed someone at R1 at least sees it.

[OohErr]

Well... we're about 30 hours and 12 signatures in. Think it might need a bit more aggressive marketing. If anyone fancies sharing it on socials and with friends, feel free.

I noticed Chris Smith replied to a few people who tweeted him about it. He seems like such a lovely man, genuinely the nicest. 

 

[alrite_treacle]

I listened back tot he podcast this morning and I was struck by how dignified Chris was when they announced it. Greg was obviously gutted/upset at having to announce it, and Chris spent the whole time making jokes about it and making Greg feel more comfortable at having the decision go public. I wasn't expecting a Moyles-esque rant, but he's taking it as well as the BBC could have hoped.

I do wonder if the reason that this was up in the air at the time of the announcement is that bosses think Greg might not have moved to breakfast without one of his best friends moving too (cynical thinking, though!).

Fingers crossed for an independent podcast with Chris and the team with all of the silliness then?

[Lee E]

This is a total suprise considering how often Tina is actually not there also 

I wonder if she is just staying - her and Greg may be pretty good she was good on the CM show and hasnt really been out of her shell alot since 

[OohErr]

23 hours ago, alrite_treacle said:

I listened back tot he podcast this morning and I was struck by how dignified Chris was when they announced it. Greg was obviously gutted/upset at having to announce it, and Chris spent the whole time making jokes about it and making Greg feel more comfortable at having the decision go public. I wasn't expecting a Moyles-esque rant, but he's taking it as well as the BBC could have hoped.

I do wonder if the reason that this was up in the air at the time of the announcement is that bosses think Greg might not have moved to breakfast without one of his best friends moving too (cynical thinking, though!).

Chris Smith really is a class act. Your theory could well be right actually.

No Chris on What's My Age Again AGAIN this week - Dev was supposed to be on but didn't show up so Grace did it instead - WHY NOT GET CHRIS SMITH?? I wouldn't be surprised if we've heard the last of him on Greg's show now. Hopefully I'm wrong and they'll have some kind of "on-air goodbye" next Thursday on the last drivetime show. Chris Smith has been really shoddily treated here, I have to say (not Greg's fault of course, management). Allegedly a similar thing happened to him when he was at Virgin with Christian O'Connell - he went on paternity leave and never came back because management decided the show was too blokey or something.

 

[Graeme]

He has to have a final ‘chris smith with the news and that was the news’ surely

[Chris D]

It's a real pity he's not coming along for the ride, it just wont be the same. 

I wonder if the going home song will make its final return on his last show 

[OohErr]

Currently discussing what happens to the Ten Minute Takeover, and whether it moves with Greg to breakfast, stays for Grimmy's new drivetime show or dies a quiet death.

Shame the same conversation wasn't had on-air about Chris Smith.

[Chris D]

I think it should stay with Greg, but in all likelihood I don't see it surviving at all 

[alrite_treacle]

A final radio moment with Chris Smith would be a difficult listen, I think! Definitely worth tuning in for Greg's last drive time show!

Well done on the petition and Twitter account, OohErr, it's spread about on Twitter a fair bit. Chris has actually replied to a tweet that quotes the link to it (obviously he doesn't acknowledge it though). A few suggestions on Twitter that it was his choice not to move to breakfast which is interesting. I admit, I did immediately jump to a more cynical reason given the tone of the announcement and the uncertainty of his move directly after the announcement of Greg getting the show, but I'm sure he'll just see the petition as proof of how much he brings to Greg's show and podcast! 

[OohErr]

Yeah - I've seen the "respect the decision" thing being thrown around a bit, but I highly doubt it's what either of them wanted, as all evidence suggests. Ah, people are naive.

[Lee E]

On 7/10/2018 at 6:16 PM, OohErr said:

Currently discussing what happens to the Ten Minute Takeover, and whether it moves with Greg to breakfast, stays for Grimmy's new drivetime show or dies a quiet death.

Shame the same conversation wasn't had on-air about Chris Smith.

It moved from Gregs 1-4 show to drivetime when he and Scott swapped shows 

Very much looking forward to Gregs last show, hoping it will be a montage of best bits 

Also wonder how long he will have off before he starts Breakfast 

I personally think he'll have three weeks off maybe two and a half with a few days shadow running alongside Grimmy or Scott if Grimmy is off also - remember they usually trial the show off air in real time a few times before 

I also have a theory that Grimmy will be on breakfast until the end and then have a few weeks off before starting his new show - so both new shows don't start on the same day, although when Greg and Scott were swapped it was over one weekend only Scott did his last show on the Friday and first 1-4 show on the Monday  

 

I really hope though we get Grimmy off as well so it will be like 3 weeks of Scott on breakfast and Dev on drive or Jordan or even Mistajam which also means Matt and or Mollie on Scotts show 

[LSR1]

1 minute ago, Lee E said:

when Greg and Scott were swapped it was over one weekend only Scott did his last show on the Friday and first 1-4 show on the Monday  

I remember Greg was supposed to be until the Friday though but he was ill that week, so I think it was Huw Stephens who sat in.

Whats interesting is that digiguide has updated but still says Greg is on past the 19th July. Hope this isnt true because I’m ready for this swap now! 

[Lee E]

13 minutes ago, LSR1 said:

Whats interesting is that digiguide has updated but still says Greg is on past the 19th July. Hope this isnt true because I’m ready for this swap now! 

Probably haven't finalised cover, i'd like to see a mixture of Dev and Jordan and Mistajam 

Maybe they'll be really bold and get Matt & Mollie to cover drive and 

[Graeme]

DO we not think this might be the end of Scott on breakfast??

[Dan18F1]

I think it might be Jordan on drive. Cel, I think, is covering the Greatest Hits the day before Greg’s meant to be off, and on the day that Greg is meant to start being off, Adele is doing Clara’s Show which means that Will Best is covering Adele which is what Jordan normally does so could mean that Jordan is doing Greg’s show. Alternatively, it could just mean he’s on holiday. 

[Ant L]

I'm trying to read between the lines about the Greg James and Chris Smith with the News situation.

My impression is that they won't be ON-AIR together but there's something in the pipeline for the autumn, along the lines of the podcast. Chris said "WE'LL try and come back" on this week's episode so that sounds positive.

[OohErr]

Confirmed: Grimmy's last breakfast show is Thursday 9th August. Which fits the theory that Greg will start on Monday 20th, with a one week gap in between. 

[Lee E]

21 minutes ago, OohErr said:

Confirmed: Grimmy's last breakfast show is Thursday 9th August. Which fits the theory that Greg will start on Monday 20th, with a one week gap in between. 

I wonder if we will have a week with Scott on the "shortest breakfast show ever"again because it will be even shorter than Moyles-Grimshaw transition as it will only be 4 days not the whole 5 

[Tea20]

Sadly I think that the absence of Chris Smith With The News on What's My Age Again and Shouldn't Be News is R1 slowly phasing out Chris's non-newsbeat on air appearances. Hopefully though we'll get more highlights of past shows this week which will feature Greg and Chris together.

In terms of features moving to the breakfast show: What's My Age Again is my favourite so hopefully they'll keep that; Impossible Karaoke is relatively new so might appear again; Shouldn't Be News is good but might have run it's course now. I got tired of the Ten Minute Takeover when we were "treated" to half an hour of Greatest Hits everyday since TMT basically became a 10 minute extension of that. However now that Greatest Hits is being phased out I'd quite like it to stay. There'll probably be a load of new features for breakfast too.

[Marcus17]

Greg's final week on drive this week- looks like Dev and Alice will be taking it for 3 or 4 weeks before Nick Grimshaw takes it over. Still wondering who's going to get the Ten Minute Takeover...