Next Radio 1 boss

[Jono]

When Chris Evans was named as Sir Terry Wogan’s successor on the Radio 2 breakfast show, the news was greeted with dismay by many of the show’s most loyal listeners.

But the one-time enfant terrible of British broadcasting – who admits that arrogance was his downfall – has predicted that he will attract an even bigger audience than the eight million who tuned in to his predecessor.

Evans, who has hosted the afternoon Drivetime show since 2006, concedes he will probably lose listeners when he takes over the breakfast slot on January 11, but hopes to ‘scoop up’ more in the long run.

Some of Sir Terry’s die-hard fans – dubbed TOGs or Terry’s Old Geezers and Gals – fear Evans will be a brasher voice to wake up to than the 71-year-old Irishman. And while Evans admits his style is different from Sir Terry’s, he hopes not to scare off long-term listeners.

He said: ‘We should be back to where Terry is pretty soon, if not further. [Our audience] might go down, but it’ll go up again within a year. That’s what usually happens.

‘At Drivetime, we dipped, then came back up and had more listeners than Johnnie Walker had. Same when Jeremy Vine took over from Jimmy Young. Enormous outcry. Now Jeremy has more listeners than Jimmy had.’

Evans, 43, told the Radio Times he was ‘not at all’ nervous about taking over from Sir Terry. He said of the TOGs: ‘I met them, gave them a big hug. They said, “What are we now? How about Chris’s Young Geezers?” I said, “How about we’re listeners?” What I’m about is, “How many can we scoop up this morning please?”’

Evans was once the BBC’s golden boy, reviving the Radio 1 breakfast show, but later admitted that his behaviour became ‘outrageous’. His antics included going for an hour without playing a record, and not turning up for work after his Christmas party.

Having been sacked by the BBC, he joined Virgin Radio but was fired again. In 2005, the BBC gave him a second chance, first with a Saturday show on Radio 2, and then the weekday afternoon show, which attracts about five million listeners.

Speaking of his plans for the breakfast show, Evans said: ‘I want kids and grannies. I want to play AC/DC, Matt Monro, Barbra Streisand and Pixie Lott. I don’t want anybody to be marginalised.’

He also paid tribute to Sir Terry, saying: ‘He’s extremely articulate and confident. Fantastic voice...he makes emails sparkle. He takes some pretty average material and makes it sing. I don’t know how he does it. If it has more than three lines, I go into a cold sweat.

‘I’m good on the radio because I’ve been doing it since I was 17 and know it inside out. I can’t operate an iPod. I don’t know what MP3 means...but in the studio I’ve got 16 faders, 36 presets, a touchscreen computer, 42,000 songs, three mini-discs, two CD players, a microphone, two guests over there, texts coming in – and I can do it.’

Evans, who married his third wife Natasha Shishmanian last year, says he is a reformed character thanks to his second wife, actress Billie Piper. ‘She definitely saved me,’ he said.

Evans also criticised Jonathan Ross for encouraging Russell Brand to leave lewd messages on Andrew Sachs’s answerphone last year.

‘I think in that moment Jonathan wanted to do what Russell does, which is be a comedian. He’s sharp and witty, but he’s not a comedian. I became an idiot when I thought I was part of Oasis.’

lThe full interview is in the new Radio Times, out tomorrow

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1238614/Chris-Evans--My-audience--end-bigger-Terry-Wogans.html

[James R]

Chris Evans laid down the gauntlet to soon-to-be breakfast show rival Chris Moyles today, hinting it may be time for him to leave Radio 1.

Evans will take over the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show from Sir Terry Wogan next week, but said he wasn't worried about competing with Radio 1's early presenter for listeners.

Asked on ITV1's This Morning if Moyles, 36, should be running scared, Evans joked: "I don't think he can run scared can he? Not fast anyway, he might be jogging scared.

"No, the thing with me and Moyles is, we're on the same team. I don't think badly of the competition."

But he added: "I just want to know where he's going to go next because he's getting older and he's been there quite a few years now, and I just wonder what he's going to do next."

Moyles's most recent audience figures showed he was on 7.04 million listeners, while Wogan was heard by 7.75 million.

Some Wogan fans have been concerned that Evans, the former Don't Forget Your Toothbrush presenter who has hosted Radio 2's Drivetime slot since 2005, will be too young and outrageous in comparison.

But Evans, 43, insisted he is not worried.

He said: "Terry couldn't have been more gracious in the way he handed over to me. He invited me round for Sunday lunch after he'd finished the show with all his friends and family and he said to me 'Just be yourself'.

"And he's right, I have to be me, I can't dumb me down.

"Terry's average listener was 53 which is a lot younger than people think and my average listener is 51, which is a lot older than people think, so we just have to see how it goes."

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/chris-evans-lays-down-breakfast-show-gauntlet-to-rival-chris-moyles-1859516.html

[Chippy]

the news was greeted with dismay by many of the show’s most loyal listeners.

This is like when the actors changed in Skins, or the new doctor in Dr Who.

The one was so loved (By the target audience) that they turn against or believing nothing can match the previous. So Evens starts with a disadvantage and shall have to turn the listeners.

[Jugalug]

Oh Alan, before you say anything - shut up.

[Chippy]

What would he say? :confused:

[Jugalug]

Urgh, shut up Chris Evans, you're on boring Radio 2, that's for boring people, go away, you won't beat Moyles....

[James R]

Evans is definately goiing to get his audience up now - watch out Dom and whats with rehearsals??

The BBC today confirmed that Moira Stuart will read the news on Chris Evans's BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, as reported by MediaGuardian.co.uk.

Stuart, who was dropped by the BBC in 2007, sparking accusations of ageism, will read the news bulletins during the breakfast show, which launches on Monday.

Evans takes over from Terry Wogan, who left the show last month after 27 years in the breakfast slot. Stuart's presence is likely to ease the transition for some of the breakfast show's 7.75 million listeners - nicknamed "Togs", or "Terry's old geezers and gals" - from Wogan, 71, to 43-year-old Evans.

Evans said: "It doesn't get any better than Moira Stuart. The voice, the authority, the style, the class, plus a side of her the majority of people have never seen before.

"She's funny, she's cheeky and dare I say it – ever such a little bit naughty. Always brilliant on the telly, I predict she's going to be even better on the radio. In fact, I know she will be."

Stuart has been a familiar voice on BBC television for four decades. Her arrival will help counter accusations of ageism levelled at the corporation after Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips – 66 at the time – was axed in favour of former winner Alesha Dixon, who was then 30.

Similar complaints were made after Stuart, now 60, was dropped from Andrew Marr's Sunday morning show on BBC1 in 2007.

Stuart said: "I'm delighted to be joining the Chris Evans Breakfast Show at Radio 2. We'll certainly have some fun."

Stuart has presented every news bulletin on BBC1 apart from the 10 O'Clock News. She has recently presented a documentary about ageism for Channel 4's Dispatches programme and guest-hosted BBC1 panel game Have I Got News for You.

Wogan had a roster of three newsreaders on his show - Alan Dedicoat, John Marsh and Charles Nove, all of whom joined him for his farewell show last month.

The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, last year called on BBC management to hire more older women, including a female newsreader over 50, to counter accusations of ageism.

Evans's breakfast show, which is having its final rehearsals this week, will air 30 minutes earlier – and for 30 minutes longer – than Wogan's show, running from 7am to 9.30am.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/06/moira-stuart-chris-evans-radio-2

[Jugalug]

What do you think the rehearsals are?

[James R]

What do you think the rehearsals are?

Surely if he is that good a DJ he wouldnt need rehearsals. Although I could be wrong or missing the point totally :confused:

[Jugalug]

Right, so David Tennant doesn't need rehearsals as he's a good actor? Why does he rehearse?

[Chippy]

He needs rehearsals to get into the swing of things.

It would be bad for his first show to go... remind me where that button is again...or if he messed up the handovers for news ect.

Simple about getting polished.

[Hammer]

I wouldn't have thought it was a matter of where the buttons are - he's being doing drivetime on Radio 2 for ages now. Probably more a case of testing out features and the like. It's one thing writing ideas down on paper but you can never really tell what they would sound like on-air unless you actually do it.

[Chippy]

e's being doing drivetime on Radio 2 for ages now.

O, didn't know that.

Well just getting used to the swing then, and the new waking up times

[E*F*4L]

Oh Alan, before you say anything - shut up.

:hahaha:

Evans thinks that he will get the 25-30+ year old listeners from Moyles's show that used to tune into the R1 breakfast show when he did it & also watched TFI Friday, he is hoping that the Brit Pop generation will now tune into R2.

i don't remember saying Evans was boring :confused: i used to like him & still do (as a person) but i don't like his radio now, yes he has (i dunno) mellowed you could say, but i don't think it suits him, maybe it's because i remember him when he was good.

[duncan]

Surely if he is that good a DJ he wouldnt need rehearsals. Although I could be wrong or missing the point totally :confused:

I'm sure that Moyles took several weeks off before launching his breakfast show.

(He finished drivetime on the 5th of December 2003 and launched the show after 2 full weeks of rehearsal)

[Aled]

We did a few pilots too.

It's an important part of the process to see how everyone works together and to iron out timings, how the news, music, chat etc mixes before you launch. You don't really want to be working that out on air when everyone's listening!

[Chippy]

Is it like compulsory to do pilots before taking a new slot?

[Jono]

CHRIS Evans has laid down the gauntlet to soon-to-be breakfast show rival Chris Moyles, hinting it might be time for him to leave Radio 1.

Evans will take over the BBC Radio 2 show from Terry Wogan, 71, next week.

But he said he was not worried about competing with portly Moyles for listeners.

Asked on ITV1’s This Morning if his 35-year-old rival should be running scared, Evans joked: “I don’t think he can run scared can he?

“Not fast anyway, he might be jogging scared.

“The thing with me and Moyles is, we’re on the same team.”

But he added: “I just want to know where he’s going to go next, because he’s getting older and he’s been there quite a few years.”

Figures showed Moyles had 7.04million listeners, compared to Wogan’s 7.75m.

And former Drivetime host Evans, 43, hit back at claims that he is too young for Wogan’s role.

He said: “Terry’s average listener was 53 and my average listener is 51.”

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/115845/Evans-tells-Moyles-It-s-time-to-go-/

[James R]

We did a few pilots too.

It's an important part of the process to see how everyone works together and to iron out timings, how the news, music, chat etc mixes before you launch. You don't really want to be working that out on air when everyone's listening!

There you go then. I said I could be wrong when I said something. And I am.

[Aled]

Is it like compulsory to do pilots before taking a new slot?

It's bot compulsory as such. It depends on the show. If you're doing a new format or have a new team you need to pilot to test how it all sounds.

[John]

I honestly don't see where the ratings will go here. Its almost like a 'dream clash' having 2 of the nations best DJ's head to head in the most important time slot. It could be very very close. And exciting!

[Aled]

I can honestly say it's not about the ratings. There are many many more 35+ out there than there are 15-30 year olds so it'd be very very difficult to have more listeners than Chris Evans. The Radio 2 wil always have the advantage. So that's really not the focus for us!

[Chippy]

that's really not the focus for us!

And I'm sure neither Chris will care who has the most listeners

[Jono]

Aled is basically saying people need to reproduce faster.

[Aled]

Yes, could we have a few more under 30s please?