With Graham Norton defecting to Virgin, Radio 2 must up its game
Changes are afoot at Radio 2 and one thing is clear – they have a battle on their hands. The news, announced today, that Graham Norton (one of the station’s most bankable names) is heading to rival station Virgin is a significant ‘gloves are off’ moment. Norton is following in the footsteps of Chris Evans who made the same defection at the end of 2018 and the BBC channel, arguably has never recovered with Zoe Ball, Evans’s successor as the Breakfast show host, seeing a significant dent in listenership figures.
So what can be done? There was a rumour circulating last week that Norton was leaving his Saturday lunchtime slot because he was upset that there were plans afoot to play more music and cut the chat, which is, of course, Norton’s raison d’etre. While this now seems unlikely – Virgin Radio is known to be very generous with its chequebook, plus there is the fact that Evans publically wooed Norton to join the station on his show earlier this year – the rumour does chime with something described by the Corporation’s pop controller, Lorna Clarke when advertising for controllers for Radio 1, Radio 2, 1Xtra, 6 Music and Asian Network, earlier this year. “As team players, they will help me shape the next era of pop from the BBC,” Clarke said in an internal memo, thus suggesting that she wanted Radio 2 to move away from its present offering, which is a combination of mainstream music, slightly more niche genres and yes, lots of chat – a balance which I believe it currently achieves very well.
Making Radio 2 more like an older version of Radio 1 is a dangerous idea because it would ignore one of its principal functions: to build a community of listeners, to make them feel as if they are part of a club where they can have dialogues about the school run or the weather or the bank holiday trip to Ikea. Think of how successful Terry Wogan, with his assorted collection of Togs (Terry’s old Geezers or Gals), was at his height. This sense of belonging cannot be summarily dismissed.
Thus, with Norton going, Radio 2 must look towards cherishing its current roster of presenters and also become a bit shark-like in reaching out beyond Broadcasting House. They must preserve Ken Bruce and Liza Tarbuck (both of whom I know, from letters to the Telegraph, are much loved) and look to moving the under-performing Zoe Ball to a different slot. As her replacement, Claudia Winkleman (an unusual mix of smarts and warmth) would be ideal though it seems unlikely she would want to take it on.
As far as replacing Norton goes, there is a lot of love for Rylan Clark-Neal who has already mastered the art of the celebrity interview. Yet, he is also a polarising figure, seen as a little bit ITV2 by some, a bit tainted by his association with reality TV. A more sensible choice would be Scott Mills who is currently on Radio 5 Live which seems less like a natural territory for him than Radio 2 would be. But if the station really wanted to go for the big guns, they should poach Frank Skinner who on Absolute has mastered the art of intelligent populism to a tee.
Amid all of this comes a less high profile but no less significant change at the station. On Sunday night, the excellent Clare Teal announced she was leaving her Swing and Big Band Show in January after 11 years. This show, packed with great big band numbers and works from the American Songbook is a balm for those of us daunted by the prospect of the working week ahead. Teal’s announcement was low-key but speaking to the Telegraph today, she revealed that the show had been axed. Its running length had already been cut in half and management were not happy with how Sunday nights were performing in general.
It’s worth noting that last night marked the end of Bill Kenwright’s Golden Years in which the impresario played tracks from the Fifties and Sixties – perfect listening for a certain Radio 2 demographic and capped by a very emotional farewell from Kenwright.
You can understand Radio 2 being anxious about numbers, but that is only part of their duty. The channel has always championed music that isn’t 100 per cent commercial and by letting go of Teal, they will have upset a lot of listeners like me who can’t find anything comparable on other stations.
At all costs, it must preserve those other DJs whose music sits slightly outside the mainstream. I am thinking of the Craig Charles House Party and Elaine Paige on Sunday which brings a sprinkle of glitter to West End Wendies everywhere. The music is vital to these shows, but so is the banter. Can you imagine a world without EP’s regular shout-outs to amateur dramatics companies up and down the land? Break a leg, Harlow Players, as you approach opening night of your expressionist musical version of Priestley’s The Good Companions.
The new(ish) head of Radio 2, Helen Thomas, is clearly making big changes. One always sees departures announced at the end of the year and new signings announced in January, but I can’t help feeling that Thomas needs to harness an ill wind, to realise that there is so much that is great about the station already and that only cosmetic tweaks are needed. Otherwise she risks alienating listeners, particularly those from older generations for whom the station is a beacon. An insider told me that one executive actually believed older listeners could just move to Radio 3, which is, of course, an entirely different proposition. I love both – but I realise there aren’t many people in the market for both Messiaen and Miles Davis.
