Radio 2 in the Park 2024

[onlyME]

I remember when there was a long period Radio 1 were obsessed with celebrity recruits - Maya Jama, Kelly Osbourne, Fearne Cotton, CBBC stars, etc.

Is that over with? Jamie Lang is the only one that springs to mind, and he only makes an infrequent appearance.

[BBCAaron]

I mean before the Matt & Mollie show we had Matt &… with Example, Scarlett Moffat and Mollie King. Mollie is someone I see as a celebrity recruit as she started out in the Saturdays. it seems more of the adult contemporary stations that are going with celebrity recruits like Virgin recruiting Leigh Frances (Keith Lemon), Tom Allen, Ryan Tubridy and Ricky Wilson, Heart with Amanda Holden and Radio 2 with Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganthan and Michelle Visage. The television stars aren’t a big pull for radio 1’s youth demographic for attracting new listeners and getting the next generation of radio presenters they tried getting bit more of the YouTubers and on Christmas days over past two Christmases tiktokers not had much luck on the station.

I think in the past CBBC has worked for getting some decent good talent that would appeal to the stations audience and feels like a natural career shift with CBBC and CITV going off terrestrial television and the end of saturday morning kids television programmes and broom cupboard lose a good opportunity to give chance to next generation of television and radio presenters kids tv has been a good start for Katie Thistleton, Matt Edmondson, Holly Willoughby Ant and Dec.

 

[BBCAaron]

In short it is over. I don’t think unless they are at the very start of their career like done CBBC show or something like that the BBC doesn’t have the budget to go and spend more on celebrity presenters and think this is where Radio 2 may end up having to make difficult decisions with this year and when contracts come to being renewed I suspect those in the higher paid brackets to be asked to take a pay cut. It’s not a win win anymore and think celebrities who they once had on may find it more viable to and do podcasts.

[Jono]

What a difference six weeks make... 

[coffeeandgin]

Yep celebs seem to be back on these days.

Of course 2018 saw a few celeb hires e.g. Maya getting a slot after cover shifts that could be counted on one hand and then Mollie joining Matt after a few months of celeb guest hosts alongside him on Saturdays.

But after that it calmed down and the closest you'd get was say some celebs covering Annie Mac's show between her finishing in the slot and Clara starting (my mind instantly goes to that clip of Yungblud excitedly introducing the 'Power Down Playlist').

Whereas now they're back in fashion what with Jamie getting Drive and then Danny Beard covering the interim period between Katie on Friday & Saturday mornings and Vicky & Nat starting on it come July.

 

[ianwilk1999]

I remember hearing the Yungblud cover shows he did on evenings and he was actually very amusing. Hadn't he been doing a podcast or something else with the station at that point before he started appearing on evenings? I don't recall him doing anything else since

[BBCAaron]

19 hours ago, ianwilk1999 said:

I remember hearing the Yungblud cover shows he did on evenings and he was actually very amusing. Hadn't he been doing a podcast or something else with the station at that point before he started appearing on evenings? I don't recall him doing anything else since

I find he has a good personality for doing stuff that isn’t just music it’s his super enthusiastic ADHD energy. He seems to have an authentic natural sense of humour and empathy and interest in his fans. I think with Future Sounds interim period between Annie and Clara was good to have him and Charli XCX each do a week as I’m a fan of artists getting a short stint at playing the music they are influenced by and the music they are loving a listening to. Do think that Radio 1 should have it’s own version of the Artist In Residency that 6 Music does as after Becky Hill doing a good job on Dance Party over Christmas. Having an artist selecting songs over an hour per week for a month would make for good BBC Sounds content.