34 Treats To Look Forward To On BBC Radio This Christmas

The Fast Show are back, Iggy Pop, Cliff, Panto, The Clash, David Attenborough and the Robin, and of course Once in Royal David City. Still some life in the wireless this Christmas.

34. Radcliffe and Maconie are LIVE from Manchester City Centre

Stuart and Mark are doing what they've dubbed a "One Date Festive Roadshow" for BBC6Music live from Manchester City Centre on Friday December 20th. No idea if Noddy will be popping in but he usually does for these sort of things so this is a very tinselly photo from Christmas past. Confirmed guests however include the v.wonderful trio of Bernard Sumner, Maxine Peake and Simon Armitage.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lpbvs

BBC 6 Music, Friday December 20th, 1-4pm.

33. Polly Harvey Edits The Today Programme

The longstanding tradition of the Today programme using guest editors for its post Xmas - pre New Year progs continues with this year; Sir Tim Berners Lee, former Director General of MI5 (on Boxing Day); Eliza Manningham Buller, Michael Palin, Antony Jenkins, Group Chief Executive of Barclays and a certain Polly Harvey.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m80qp

BBC Radio 4, The Today Programme, Friday December 27th, 6-9am.

32. Katie Puckrik's guide to Yacht Rock

This really is a real genre. Mid 70s to 80s soft rock basically. The Doobie Bros (above) being archetypal proponents.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m6xnw

BBC Radio 2, Katie Puckrik: Yacht Rock, 10-12pm, Fri Dec 27th.

31. Clive James Start the Week Special

Andrew Marr is back. Looking at the long career of genius author, broadcaster and all round great bloke Clive James.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m6xnw

BBC Radio 4, Start The Week, Mon Dec 23rd, 9-9.45am

30. Johnny Vegas Reworks The Tales of Beatrix Potter

Johnny Vegas's company Woolyback Productions have remade Peter Rabbit and 4 other tales in what Radio Times' radio reviewer Jane Anderson says, and she usually knows, is "poignant, extremely funny and so faithful to the original tales that even die hard Beatrix Potter fans will be swept away".

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m40zq

BBC Radio 4, The Tales of Beatrix Potter, 15 minute Drama, Starts Monday December 23rd, 10.45am & 7.45am

29. Annie Nightingale playing records on Radio 2

Radio 1's longest serving DJ and all round legend Annie Nightingale is back with a new show for the station over the road. Radio 2.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m7yvv

BBC Radio 2, Annie Nightingale: Whatever Next ? , New Years Day, 8pm-10pm

28. Barenboim conducts Strauss live from Vienna

Starts bright and early at 10.15am on New Years Day but I can heartily recommend even if you are a Radio 3 refusenik. Blue Danube waltz at the end will set you up for 2014.

via iPlayer Radiohttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m05hb

BBC Radio 3, New Year's Day Concert from Vienna, New Years Day, 10.15-1pm

27. Michael Sheen plays a lot of New Romantic singles

Sheen is a right old synthpop fan it appears. Radio 2 has given him 2 hours to play Visage, Soft Cell, Spandau, Japan, Blancmange and Ultravox. Fair enough.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m7m4l

BBC Radio 2, Michael Sheen's Eighties, Saturday Dec 28th, 8-10pm

26. Brian Eno brings along a bunch of a capella records to play on Jarvis Cockers 6music xmas show

Sunday Service welcomes the return of Brian Eno who will be bringing more from his

collection of a capella records. Traditional Bulgarian songs could be on offer.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mhy6y

BBC6music, Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service, Sunday Dec 23rd, 4-6pm.

25. The Goons "International Christmas Pudding" from 1955

"This is the BBC Home Service. Will anybody start the bidding? " is the opening line of this episode first broadcast in November 1955. Its rather good.

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fyvxb

BBC Radio 4 Extra, The Goon Show; International Christmas Pudding, Sat Dec 14th, 2pm

24. The Shipping Forecast on Christmas Day Morning

Just under 10 minutes of perfect radio at any time but when up early on Christmas Day morning, with the dark skies outside and the thought of the communal sedentary day to come then a poignant poetic reminder of rain, seas and Dogger, Forties and German Bight. Just after 5am. Grind some coffee beans. Sit down. Listen alone.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m393d

BBC Radio 4, The Shipping Forecast, Christmas Day, 5.20am.

23. Barbara Windsor presents the History of Panto

Do love Babs.. This show features The Krankies, Su Pollard,, Anita Harris, Gyles Brandreth and Stanley Baxter. What more do you need to know ?

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m7h0w

BBC Radio 2, Oh Yes It Is - Barbara Windsor on Panto, Christmas Day 10-12pm

22. Celebrating The Love of Singing in Harmony via Abba, St Paul’s Cathedral Choir, Queen, mash-ups being created with UK school children and the Fleet Foxes

Pete Paphides @petepaphides

This radio prog – part docu, part sound collage – about harmony (by @LauraParfitt5, aired on xmas day) is beautiful: http://t.co/6KG20vK7fG

12:01 PM - 13 Dec 2013

Pete Paphides

@petepaphides

This radio prog – part docu, part sound collage – about harmony (by @LauraParfitt5, aired on xmas day) is beautiful: http://t.co/6KG20vK7fG

/ Via

An hour long look at the the different types of harmony singing throughout the world – on various times on The World Service from Xmas Day onwards.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01n2r7z

BBC World Service, In Perfect Harmony, Christmas Day, 22.06 GMT

21. Clive Anderson reviews the best records of the year on 6 Music

A Radio 4 special on 6music. Steve Lamacq is joined by Miranda Sawyer (who's a 6music and R4 regular I guess), Steve Punt and Clive Anderson (who definitely aren't) to review the year's best tracks. (Mine was this by Courtney Barnett)

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lp6cc

BBC 6music, Steve Lamacq/Radio 4 Roundtable Special, Thu Dec 19th, 6pm-7pm

20. Radio 4's History of Christmas Carols

Already underway Jeremy Summerly in 10 episodes looks at the history of caroling since 1312. "A tradition that has always had one foot in the pub, and another in the choir stalls."

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lsdh1

BBC Radio 4, A Cause for Caroling, Omnibus Part 2, Friday Dec 20th 9pm.

19. Christmas Freak Zone with Stuart Maconie

Stuart Maconie @StuartMaconie

Putting together the Xmas Freak Zone. 8 Bit Casio versions of Deck The Halls, Vince Guaraldi, Sufjan Stevens nuts Xmas Unicorn...

01:06 PM - 15 Dec 2013

Stuart Maconie

@StuartMaconie

Putting together the Xmas Freak Zone. 8 Bit Casio versions of Deck The Halls, Vince Guaraldi, Sufjan Stevens nuts Xmas Unicorn...

/ Via

Stuart Maconie @StuartMaconie

..plus some of best Freaky albums of 2013. Eric Copland, Julia Holter, Colin Stetson...

01:09 PM - 15 Dec 2013

Stuart Maconie

@StuartMaconie

..plus some of best Freaky albums of 2013. Eric Copland, Julia Holter, Colin Stetson...

/ Via

My favourite Christmas Album. Expect to hear several times on 6music in next few weeks.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mhygg

BBC 6music, Freak Zone Christmas Special, Sun Dec 22nd, 8pm-10pm

18. French and Saunders and Victoria Wood.

I like to see this pair as Radio 2's equivalent of Radcliffe and Maconie. Back for another christmas stint since first making their debut in 2010, they've plumped for Victoria Wood as their guest for this Xmas Eve show. Even better. They return for another programme on Boxing Day.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xg9sg

BBC Radio 2, French and Saunders, Christmas Eve, 12pm-2pm.

17. The Christmas Number 1 with Scott Mills and Jameela Jamil

As things stand its almost certainly going to be Skyscraper by new X Factor winner; Sam Bailey (above).

But the by now traditional online No.1 campaigns for The Specials (Free Nelson Mandela) and AC/DC (Highway to Hell) might disrupt matters. Unveiled as part of the Top 40 countdown at about 6.50ish, I first listened to the pre-xmas chart rundown in, gulp, 1974.

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lscjy

BBC Radio 1, The Official Chart Show, Sunday Dec 22nd, 4-7pm

16. A Year In Tweets with Scott Mills

Scott Mills @scott_mills

This is my fave. The Smith family watching Miley at the VMAs

04:48 AM - 26 Aug 2013

Scott Mills

@scott_mills

This is my fave. The Smith family watching Miley at the VMAs

/ Via

Scott Mills and Chris Stark look back at 2013 using Twitter including "Twitter spats" and the "most followed". The picture above incidentally is Scott's most retweeted and favourited tweet of 2013 from the 26th August.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lsgr5

BBC Radio 1, Radio 1 Stories: A Year In Tweets, Monday Dec 23rd, 9-10pm

15. Cliff Richard has his own show on Radio 2

Cliff is Christmas. "The show will be a wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve " he said in the blurb.

He is correct.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m79dt

BBC Radio 2, Christmas with Cliff, Christmas Eve, 8-10pm

14. The Clash have their own show on BBC 6 Music

Their first ever radio show. You can see a hint of what it might be like by looking at Mick Jones Spotify list from earlier this year.

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mjl04

BBC 6Music, This is Radio Clash, Boxing Day, 1-3pm.

13. Rarely Heard Beatles Archive

Ken Bruce hosts 2 hours of rarely heard interviews and Light Entertainment progs, those Christmas Fan Club flexis and tracks from their many live BBC sessions from 1962/63/64.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m75x3

BBC Radio 2, The Beatles - Alone at the BBC, Monday Dec 23rd, 12-2pm.

12. Arsenal v Chelsea LIVE

First play third in the traditional pre-Xmas Prem League match. Live on 5 Live.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m3jg9

BBC Radio 5 Live, Arsenal v Chelsea, Mon Dec 23rd, 7-10pm

11. Ant and Dec do Desert Island Discs...together

The first duo to be castaways since Fluck and Law (creators of Spitting Image) in 1987. Morecambe and Wise did it together in 1966.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mckqs

BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs, Sunday December 29th, 11.15am.

10. Listening to Test Match Special on Christmas Day

The Melbourne Boxing Day Test is an Australian tradition of course. There's always something reassuring hearing about 40 degree weather, Boycott & Vaughan & Blowers through the night . But this year, oh dear. Oh dear.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mjlrh

BBC Radio 5 Live Extra, The Ashes, Christmas Day, 10pm-12pm.

9. David Attenborough and the Robin

Radio 4's terrific daily 2minute birdsong series inevitably reaches on Christmas Day; The Robin. For that week only its presented by David Attenborough. Be up for 5.58am.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03k6slx

BBC Radio 4, Tweet of the Day: The Robin, Christmas Day, 5.58am

8. Iggy Pop has his own radio show

Iggy speaks about his programme, on 6music on Christmas Day " I've had to dig back to things that I haven't heard in a long, long time, but that still carry memories of joy and compulsion...I was a little worried that the listening might feel ragged for the kind of people who can't embrace Duane Eddy and, say, the Last Poets in the same hour with Doc Watson. Well, that's too damn bad..

I've listened to all this music for the shows and it all flows for me. I hope to reach out and touch you."

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mjhk0

BBC 6music, The Iggy Pop Radio Show, Christmas Day, 1pm-3pm

7. Alan Bennett's Wind in the Willows

Mole, Ratty, Toad and Badger on Christmas Day afternoon dramatised and narrated by Alan Bennett from 1991.

Bennett appears as Mole.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fyl8x

BBC Radio 4 Extra, The Wind in the Willows, Christmas Day, 2pm

6. Mark Kermode's Top Ten Films of the Year

The final Kermode/Mayo of the year will reveal Mark's Top 10. In August incidentally he revealed his 5 worst films of the year so far and also his best. . At that half way point Good Vibrations was his #1.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m4462

BBC Radio 5 Live, Kermode and Mayo's Film Review; Best of 2013, Friday December 27th 2013

5. A History of Christmas 1951-2000

Jeremy Vine presents a 2 hour Christmas spin-off of 2011/12's terrific Radio 2 1951-2000 history of the UK via archive and music.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m75xc

BBC Radio 2, Sounds of the 20th Century Christmas, Mon Dec 23rd, 8-10pm

4. The Year in Radio

This was my favourite Christmas show of 2012 and its back for 2013 this time with the excellent duo of Geoff Lloyd and Jane Garvey. A review of the years radio on the radio. Also on hand are the rather good Gillian Reynolds and David Hepworth.

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m4237

BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio Review of the Year 2013, Boxing Day, 10-12pm.

3. Slade and Wizzard and Christmas 1973

Mark Radcliffe, Slade, Wizzard, The Sweet, Alvin Stardust, Mike Batt and Tony Blackburn reminisce about 1973. Perfect.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m79dw

BBC Radio 2, Once Upon A Time in the West Midlands, Tuesday Dec 24th, 10pm-11pm

2. The Fast Show - reunited

The Reunion is one of the best programmes on radio superbly hosted by Sue MacGregor. 20 years on it reunites the cast of The Fast Show. Brilliant.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m7slh

BBC Radio 4, The Reunion: The Fast Show, Christmas Day 10pm.

1. Once in Royal David City live from Cambridge

This had to be #1 really. Carols from Kings College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve. One of the oldest traditions in radio. One of the finest moments of any radio year. Happy Christmas.

via iPlayer Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03m79cv and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lzp97

BBC Radio 4, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve, 3pm.
BBC Radio 3, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Christmas Day, 2pm