A Rant About BBC Radio 6’s New Host (And Why It’s a Bad Move)
When a station built on alternative music hires a mainstream DJ, it’s a sign of trouble.
I feel like my Substack is a nice place for me to unearth some grievances. So, on occasion, I’ll deliver a rant. Putting negativity out into the world isn’t something I greatly appreciate, but some things just have to be said. The chances of anyone related to this subject reading it are so slim it’s not worth considering.
I listen to BBC Radio 6 a lot. I love the selection of music and many of the DJs. But one recent decision has properly pissed me off.
Lauren Laverne has hosted the breakfast show for as long as I can remember. She’s like a school teacher you like—so even if what she’s saying doesn’t fully engage you, you still enjoy listening to her. She has a great presence, and a morning show needs to be easy listening, so it made sense. I usually only catch the beginning of the show because I’m in my car listening to Chris Hawkins that starts at 5 am. He, by the way is a great host, very funny and personable with real taste and music knowlege. But now, she’s stepped down, and instead of giving this prized job to someone from Radio 6, they’ve chosen to bring in Nick Grimshaw.
Now, I have absolutely nothing against Nick Grimshaw. He’s friends with a mate of mine, so I’m sure he’s a nice bloke. But he has built his career around broad-appeal media. He presented the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, which is staunchly pop-focused—a slave to the charts and mainstream playlists. He hosts TV shows and podcasts that cater to massive audiences, and he’s clearly great at it. But I never listen to or watch anything he does because it’s just not my zone of interest.
Radio 6 Music is about the left-of-centre side of music. It’s about up-and-coming artists, old-school pioneers, and the tearaways of the music world. They promote music that isn’t hyped by the mainstream. This appointment makes no sense and is a huge slap in the face to the presenters and DJs who have spent their careers taking risks, supporting underground scenes, and genuinely living and breathing the music they play.
Nick is no doubt smart and can learn about the scenes he’s going to be talking about, but he hasn’t lived them like the other presenters. There are DJs within the station who would have jumped at this chance—people who have built their reputations championing exactly the kind of music Radio 6 represents. This decision feels like a disappointing statement from Radio 6 about the direction they want to take.
Bringing Nick on board might be a play to bring his fanbase with him. But that fanbase won’t like the music or the guests Lauren promoted, nor will they appreciate the passion that other Radio 6 DJs bring to their shows. It just feels like the wrong move.
While I’m Here…
Since I’m already on a roll, let me say this: I absolutely love The Huey Show on Saturday afternoons. Huey is brilliant. He constantly plays stuff I’ve never heard before and drops absolute classic bangers. He’s top-tier.
Craig Charles is the best midweek DJ, hands down. But sometimes, he manages to interview the most boring musicians on the planet. And I mean painfully dull. I have to tear both my ears off in sheer agony to avoid listening to them talk. He’s just so nice to these artists, and his questions are so nice and so boring. Craig’s got great patter and a brilliant sense of humour, but I think he loves musicians too much—sometimes they need to be pulled out of their shells a bit more.
The guest DJ's and shows that crop up on Radio 6 have to be the best of any radio station in the world, so I’ll keep listening because I love discovering new music. I just hope Radio 6 doesn’t go the same way as everything else I love and hold dear—straight to total shite.
Oh, and if anyone from Radio 6 does read this, having a weekly/monthly radio show is a dream job of mine, so feel free to give me a call. I’ll even do the first one for free.
On that note, all my mixes are up on my Mixcloud, and I’ll be releasing a Valentine’s one on Wednesday!
Do you feel the same, am I being a cruel weirdo for spouting my nonsense publically? Comment and let me know.
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