UK

Becky Want and Jo Good are broadcasting from pubs across England this week as they take the BBC local radio Late Show on the road.

They are carrying Eastenders’ Queen Victoria bust with them across the country on a tour of real Queen Vic pubs.
In partnership with BBC History, the BBC local radio presenters started in Newcastle Upon Tyne and are heading on a journey south, finishing in the Bermondsey pub said to have inspired Albert Square’s famous Queen Victoria at the heart of the TV soap.
They will take BBC History’s replica Queen Vic bust seen on the bar in Walford to real Queen Vic pubs across England, meeting the people who live, work, and socialise in them.
The all-England Late Show will broadcast from the Queen Vic pubs from 10pm to 1am, meeting local communities in each area and hearing stories about what makes each place special.
It all started last night at The Queen Victoria pub in Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne and heads to other Queen Victoria pubs in Darfield (Barnsley), Syston (Leicester), Malden (Essex), and Bermondsey (London).
Presenter Becky Want said “What an honour to be taking the precious Queen Vic bust on her first ever road trip across the country! She’s seen some sights in Walford over the last 40 years and we can’t wait to find out what stories she will witness this week from England’s real-life Queen Vic’s.”

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Bobby Friction will leave his current weekday show to front a weekend show on BBC Asian Network, and Amber Sandhu will leave the station when it moves to Birmingham.

All the remaining shows will move to the Midlands by April 28th, including Breakfast with Nikita Kanda.
The New Music Show with DJ Limelight and Kan D Man (Wednesday’s 20:00-22:00) will broadcast from Birmingham from Wednesday 9 April, with DJ Limelight continuing as host, followed by Pritt (Sunday, 19:00-21:00) and Nadia Ali (Sunday, 15:00-17:00) broadcasting from Birmingham from Sunday 13 April.
Asian Network Breakfast with Nikita Kanda will be the final show to move to the city, broadcasting live from Birmingham from Monday 28 April.
In addition to moving its remaining shows to Birmingham, Asian Network has announced a new schedule starting from Monday 7 April.
As part of the changes, Bobby Friction will leave his current weekday show to front a brand-new specialist music show every Sunday from 21:00-23:00, starting on Sunday 13 April, replacing Vallisa’s current Sunday show which will end in March.
In place of Bobby’s current show, three new weekday programmes will launch from 18:00-20:00, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, presented by Asian Network’s Vallisa, Nadia Ali and Kan D Man respectively.
Other changes taking place from Monday 7 April include The Everyday Hustle (Monday, 06:00-06:30) beginning a new rotation of presenters, to be announced soon, with Harpreet Kaur hosting her final show on Monday 31 March.
Amber Sandhu will leave Asian Network with co-host of One More Chai, Gura Randhawa, taking over Saturday afternoon’s 15:00-1800, hosting her first live show on the network. Asian Network Chill will also come to an end in March.
Ahmed Hussain, Head of Asian Network, says: “I’m really delighted to be uniting the whole of Asian Network in Birmingham and to be delivering on our promise to increase investment and support talent across the UK.
“Birmingham is such a diverse and creative city and an important location for our listeners. We are proud to be bringing more representation to The Midlands, championing British Asian music and culture and continuing to work and support local companies. Most of all I’m excited to bring the Asian Network family together!
“Finally, I’d like to say a massive thank you to Amber for the energy and fun she has brought to the airwaves over the past two years, I wish her all the best with her new ventures.”

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Former staff at Plymouth Sound are organising special reunion to celebrate 50 years since the launch of the station.
Plymouth Sound launched in May 1975 and an event will be hosted in the station’s old studios, at Earls Acre in Plymouth, Devon.
The event is on Saturday 17th May, just two days before the 50th anniversary of Plymouth Sound’s launch.
Organiser Gavin Marshall, who is a previous Presenter and Regional Director for the station told RadioToday: “It’s so incredible that we have been able to secure full access to the old studio complex for this celebration.
“It’s the only time this will be able to happen, as the building is currently being sold.
“We have lots of exciting plans to make it an amazing day, and I’d love for RadioToday to help us spread the word, so that old colleagues can join us.”
If you have worked at Plymouth Sound, and are interested in attending, you can email plymouthsound50@gmail.com for more information.

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Country music singer Darius Rucker is joining Absolute Radio Country to host his own series.
Starting Sunday 23rd February at 7pm, the former Hootie & the Blowfish singer will be presenting four two-hour shows sharing the country music tracks that mean the most to him whilst also sharing his own stories of life as a musician.
Currently in the UK writing and recording for an upcoming project, Darius is also hosting the CMA Songwriters Series at the O2 in March before a UK arena tour this October with support from Jake Owen and The Shires.
Darius said: ‘I wanted to make the most of every minute that I’m spending here in the UK so when Absolute Radio County came calling and asked me to do these new shows I couldn’t say no. Join me from 23rd February when I’ll be sharing stories and songs I love from the music genre that I love – can’t think of a better way to be spending my Sunday evenings…’
Ricky Marshall, Head of Content for Absolute Radio Country said: “We’re so happy that Darius has joined the Absolute Radio Country family for this special series of shows whilst he’s here in the UK.
“He’s a true country trailblazer and our audience have loved his music for years. To get the chance to hear the stories from his incredible career and have him handpick his favourite songs is something really special.”

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The Capital XTRA Comedy Club returns next month with Slim, Josephine Lacey, Mike Rice, Diesel and Babatunde Aléshé taking to the stage to raise money for Global’s Make Some Noise.

Taking place from 7:30pm on Thursday 6th March, at Lola’s at the Hippodrome in central London, the night will be hosted by comedian and Capital XTRA presenter Andrew Mensah, with Capital XTRA’s DJ Teeshow on the decks.
Matt Deverson, Managing Editor of Capital XTRA, said: “We are so excited to bring back the Capital XTRA Comedy Club following the success of last year’s show.
“The line-up for our next event will see another set of incredible talents bring the energy and laughs to the stage, and all for a fantastic cause.
“Capital XTRA is all about big vibes, and while we’re the home of Hip Hop & RnB, we’re continuing to make waves in the UK comedy scene – this night is not to be missed!”
Suzanne Ryder Richardson, Director of Global Goodness, Global’s Make Some Noise, added: “We’re thrilled to see the return of the Capital XTRA Comedy Club, bringing together incredible comedy talent for a night of laughter all in aid of Global’s Make Some Noise, and the funds raised will make a real difference in communities across the UK, supporting life-changing projects delivered by small, local charities. A huge thank you to everyone involved for helping us change lives through the power of comedy!”

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Communicorp UK has confirmed that XS Manchester will relaunch as Radio X 90s later this month, as first revealed RadioToday in January.

Radio X 90s will take on the 106.1 FM frequency on February 24th 2025.
The Manchester service will be owned and operated under a brand licence by Communicorp UK from Global.
XS Manchester started life as Rock Radio after GMG Radio won the licence from Ofcom and launched the service as a classic rock service in May 2008.
It later rebranded to Real XS to match Real Radio North West, based in the same building in Salford Quays. It later became XS when Real rebranded to Heart.
A format-change request by Communicorp in 2019 was refused by Ofcom to change the station into Capital XTRA, leading backlash from listeners.
Mark Lee, Communicorp UK’s Chief Executive Officer, told RadioToday: “In the year that the Oasis reunion tour takes place, it could not be a better time to launch Radio X 90s in Manchester. Playing the standout tracks of the Britpop era, Radio X 90s will let listeners relive the defining music scene of the 90s.”
Communicorp UK is already a brand licensee for Heart, Capital and Smooth, and now adds Radio X 90s to its portfolio.
Radio X 90s in Manchester will broadcast on 106.1 FM Manchester from City Tower in Manchester’s city centre, and will be based in the XYZ building in the Spinningfields district of Manchester, alongside Global.
It plays the likes of Oasis, Blur, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Manic Street Preachers, R.E.M., Pulp, Radiohead, Supergrass, Stereophonics and many, many more. It launched with 129,000 listeners in its first RAJAR survey (Q4, 2024).
Radio X 90s is already available across the UK on DAB Digital Radio and in London on London 3.

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