Simon Mayo

Simon Mayo (born 21st September 1958) is one of the most recognised and respected voices of radio in the UK, currently presenting a daily afternoon programme on BBC Radio Five Live.

Waking the nation

His confident, mildly cynical style of articulate music presentation quickly earned him many admirers and within two years of joining the station he had become the host of the station's flagship breakfast show.

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Mayo spent five years waking up the nation and the programme remains arguably the most consistent breakfast programme which Radio 1 has ever had. Throughout his tenure, Mayo was joined by news anchor Rod McKenzie and went through a series of sidekick weather girls, including Carol Dooley, Sybil Ruscoe, Jakki Brambles and Dianne Oxberry. The show's producer was Ric Blaxill, though most mornings he would often pretend to be a celebrity acting as a 'guest producer'. often without attempting even slightly to impersonate the celebrity in question.

Related Topics:
Rod McKenzie - Carol Dooley - Sybil Ruscoe - Jakki Brambles - Dianne Oxberry - Ric Blaxill

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The programme became known for various successful features, including a throwback to Mayo's student days in the daily almanac On This Day In History, famously soundtracked by a looped version of George Michael's I Want Your Sex; and the long-running cryptic game The Identik-Hit Quiz, where Mayo and his cohorts would 'act' a short scene which cyptically led listeners to the title of a hit song.

Related Topics:
Almanac - On This Day In History - George Michael - I Want Your Sex - The Identik-Hit Quiz

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He also patented his hugely successful Confessions feature where members of the public sought absolution for their "sins" (most of which were frivolous or humorous) and it became a moderate television success in later years. Mayo had already presented the dilemma show Scruples for BBC television, and had joined his Radio 1 colleagues on the host roster for Top Of The Pops.

Related Topics:
Confessions - Sin - Scruples - Radio 1 - Top Of The Pops

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Thanks to endless plays from Mayo, several unlikely hit singles reached the UK charts, including Kinky Boots by Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman; Donald Where's Yer Troosers by Andy Stewart; and Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, sung and written by Eric Idle. For helping Monty Python have a hit with the latter (13 years after it first appeared on the soundtrack to The Life Of Brian), Idle presented Mayo with a model bare foot, in the style of the animated version which used to end the opening titles to the TV show.

Related Topics:
Kinky Boots - Patrick Macnee - Honor Blackman - Donald Where's Yer Troosers - Andy Stewart - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life - Eric Idle - Monty Python - The Life Of Brian

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When Mayo's wife Hilary, a producer whom he met at BBC Radio Nottingham, gave birth to their son Ben in 1990, Mayo took an extended period of paternity leave, becoming one of the first high-profile males to do so as the trend for fathers to spend more time at home with newborn children gathered pace. The couple have subsequently had two more children.

Related Topics:
1990 - Paternity leave

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