Good Morning Nantwich: Adventures in Breakfast Radio
What possesses a right-minded comedian to quit the day job for life as a breakfast radio DJ?
'I have always been very aware that millions of people truly appreciate the breezy banter and lively tone of the majority of breakfast broadcasting. I admit that on occasion I have been known to wake up in a good mood and feel quite chirpy. Unfortunately for me this happens one day a year at most…' – Phill Jupitus
Why exactly would a nationally successful stand up comedian, chuck in the exhilaration and freedom of life on the road for endless Coldplay singles, arguments with BBC management, incredibly expensive coffee and an alarm clock set to 4.30am, five days a week?
When the BBC decided to launch a brand new digital radio station that would play alternative music for truly passionate music fans, their first port of call was to elicit the services of Phill Jupitus. With a record collection that ran the gamut from calypso to techno, and a love of radio inspired by his childhood hero John Peel, Phill seemed the perfect choice to launch 6 Music. Phill readily accepted, determined to do something different with such an unexpected yet brilliant opportunity. Little did he know what lay ahead.
With the weighty advice of such broadcasting behemoths as Terry Wogan, Steve Wright and Tony Blackburn ringing in his ears, Jupitus tried to shake up the world of breakfast radio for the better one tune at a time.
Were the public ready for something new? But more importantly, did they even want it?
In Good Morning Nantwich, Phill Jupitus not only discovers the answer but finds out what really makes the listening nation tick first thing in the morning.
Phill Jupitus is the longest-serving member of the Never Mind the Buzzcocks team, one-time host of 6Music's breakfast show, playwrite and performer, actor (Phill made his West End debut in May 2008 in Nick Reed's Lifecoach) as well as football pundit for The Times.
Phil also regularly appears on QI (BBC2) and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (BBC Radio 4).
Phill's love of music extends well beyond his appearances in Buzzcocks and DJing. Every now and then Phill plays with The Blockheads. His last outing with Ian Dury's band was in 2007 to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary.
