Bristol folk may be surprised to learn that Dr Phil Hammond has been sacked from his Saturday morning show on BBC Radio Bristol, although I suspect the vast majority of Bristolians will be asking, “Who?” Hammond has been axed for announcing that he is running for parliament at the next general election for a new political party called National Health Action (NHA) of which I know precisely nothing. The constituency he has chosen to stand in is North East Somerset whose current MP is none other than Jacob Rees-Mogg.
I am one of the small minority of listeners who have a) heard of Hammond and b) listened, albeit briefly, to one of his shows which are literally like sitting in a room with a GP who occasionally talks to people and plays the crap music for which Radio Bristol is infamous. Given that the programme revolves around health, I would suspect that, in line with local radio policy, the show is aimed at the elderly. I can honestly say that I have never knowingly met a single person who listens to it.
Given the corporation’s love of Brexit, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Hammond has been axed because it is against the law, or soon will be, to say anything bad about Rees-Mogg, never mind stand for election against him. That’s the more likely reason but I do wish there was another one: like making a Saturday morning show that’s worth listening to.
Still in the radio dark ages, Radio Bristol ignores pretty well under 60. It is pipe and slippers radio, totally non-threatening and sickly and cloying, like treacle. The daytime schedule, since Tim Pemberton took over from Jenny Lacey and almost destroyed the station, is a car crash of mediocrity from largely generic, personality free presenters. Here is a chance to make something better.
I have long argued that Bristol needs a fast-moving sports based entertainment show to build up to the enduringly brilliant Geoff Twentyman’s Saturday Sport. Three hours of listening to old people asking questions about their bad backs and hemorrhoids may be the ideal show for old people suffering from bad backs and haemorrhoids, but not for most of us. Why not, for the first time in living memory, target younger listeners, meaning everyone under 60?
How about a radio show with bits of Soccer AM, bits of Tiswas, bits of Hold Your Plums (Google it, kids) all thrown in with lots of sport-related stuff and a wider range of music than the dross heard during the day? Have a general vision of what the show will look like, choose presenters who know the area back to front, as well as many of the sports people and club officials and administrators and even local celebrities and then let it evolve. Don’t pick the usual bland presenters but instead go with a male/female team, maybe one City, the other Rovers, who have a natural chemistry, who know stuff about the local area and engage sports fans. How hard can it be?
Nothing against Hammond who will probably split the vote in North East Somerset and allow Rees-Mogg an even bigger majority but his show represented a bygone age, like just about everything at Radio Bristol. It wouldn’t brave or daring to launch a new radio model but it would be oh so nice.
