“Kershaw welcome” Says Radio 3 Boss

Radio 3 boss hints at DJ’s return

The troubled DJ Andy Kershaw’s two-year stint in the wilderness may be about to end after his former boss at the BBC gave a clear signal that he wants him back. In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Roger Wright, controller of Radio 3, who resuscitated Kershaw’s career in 2001, said he would welcome his old friend back on air. “I’m still in touch with Andy and the door is not closed… he’s ready. I’m in contact with him.”

Source: The Independent – Radio 3 boss hints at DJ’s return

With thanks to Rob at the Peel Newsgroup for this.

See also…
The land of the Three: Inside Roger Wright’s radio culture club
A bullet through the heart of Radio 3

Is Mark Damazer In Control?

Is the bbc running scared?

Humphrys’ final question was, “How do you see yourself now?” To which I answered: “The old Andy is back. I’m ready to rock and roll.”

As we left the studio, Humphrys slapped me across the shoulder and said: “I think you got the tone of that absolutely right.” The producer, Karen Gregor, was gushing that I’d been “absolutely brilliant” and that it was “the best On The Ropes we have ever recorded.”

I later learned that the programme was cleared by BBC lawyers that same Thursday for broadcast the following Tuesday. It was then trailed so heavily over the weekend that I found it embarrassing to listen to Radio 4.

• Kershaw: How the BBC left me on the ropes The Independent, yesterday.

Does Mark Damazer, the controller of Radio 4 and BBC7, come from the school of reactionary management or are his thoughts that of only protecting a family from further media glare? Does he see it, perhaps, as an easy way of making a name for himself along the lines of the, ‘Good managers must make controversial decisions’, philosophy? Whose interests does Damazer represent?

How’s that for a loaded question?

I’m not going to voice my opinion at great length on this, not today. But without doubt, the manner in which the BBC handle these type of incidents, is often seen as clumsy at best and has much wider and more serious implications than that of a single interview. Such decisions can only exacerbate the current atmosphere of intense sensitivity felt inside the BBC, and thus provide easy ammunition for critics outside it. In short, this is not a competent way in which to manage the country’s leading radio station.

Is Mark Damazer in control?

• Kershaw: How the BBC left me on the ropes

• Radio 4 Blog: ‘On The Ropes’

Mark Damazer is no stranger to unpopular decisions,
• New controller announces UK Theme on Radio 4 to be scraped.

Photo credit: Vic Bates

Radio 4 pulls Andy Kershaw interview

On and Off!

The BBC has made an eleventh hour decision not to broadcast an interview with Andy Kershaw today.

A BBC statement said: “The aim of the programme was to explore the events leading to Kershaw’s breakdown and his subsequent efforts to recover, whilst providing the other parties involved with an appropriate degree of privacy.

“This, however, did not prove possible.”

“The programme was recorded and edited very close to the day of broadcast, hence the lateness of the decision to cancel.”

The statement said that Kershaw’s “behaviour throughout the interview was in no way an issue and had nothing to do with the decision to pull the programme”.

The Radio 4 Blog:
You can comment directly on this decision to Mark Damazer, Controller of Radio 4, at the BBC’s website.

BBC News:
Interview with DJ Kershaw pulled

The Guardian:
Radio 4 pulls Andy Kershaw interview

The Times:
Andy Kershaw: ‘I’ve never laid a finger on anyone’

IOM Today:
Andy Kershaw radio show dropped by BBC Radio 4

Google News Results:
Interview with DJ Kershaw pulled

Also worth reading is this article by David Mitchell regarding the inner politics of the BBC.

Is Radio 4 too posh? Mark Damazer serves up his recipe for change.

Involved in this production? Work in programme resources?

How Peel and Kershaw First Met

Andy Kershaw & John Peel

Just happened upon this charming piece from 1995 over at the Independent: John Peel and Andy Kershaw : How We Met. Here’s the opening paragraph by Emma Cook.

John Peel, 55, was born in Heswell, near Liverpool. After finishing his military service in 1962, he began his career as a disc jockey in America. In 1967 he returned to Britain and joined Radio 1, where he has worked ever since. He lives in Suffolk with his wife Sheila and their four children. Andy Kershaw, 35, was born in Rochdale. After studying politics at Leeds University, he became a presenter for BBC2′s Old Grey Whistle Test in 1984. A year later he joined Radio 1, on which he still hosts a weekly show. He lives in north London with his girlfriend Juliette.

→ Read the complete article here.

→ I have also added it to John Peel links scrapbook where you can find numerous links to interviews and various newspaper articles relating to John that I’ve collected over a number of years.

Andy Kershaw on BBC Radio 4

Andy Kershaw talks about rebuilding his life and career.

Here’s an early notication that’s sure to be of interest to a great many that frequent this site.

On the Ropes
09:00-09:30 (repeated at 21:30-22:00)
Tuesday 28th April 2009
BBC Radio 4

John Humphrys talks to successful people who have weathered storms in their careers.

Andy Kershaw talks about rebuilding his life and career after losing his BBC radio show and spending time in prison for breaking a restraining order.

Andy has enjoyed a highly successful broadcasting career, winning a brace of Sony Radio awards and receiving critical acclaim for his reports from Rwanda, Angola, Haiti and Iraq. However, his outspoken opinions led to him being dropped by Radio One; he openly attacked Bob Geldof over his stance on Africa and in 2007 his personal life began to suffer.

He was arrested trying to break into the home of his former girlfriend and was found guilty of drink driving. A restraining order was placed on Andy, and his Radio 3 show was taken off air. In 2008 he breached this restraining order in an attempt to see his two children and ended up in jail. He is attempting to rebuild his life and career.

source: BBC Radio 4

// audio links to follow

Pledge Your Support for Andy Kershaw

Following today’s news I just wanted to say that I hope Andy bounces back and doesn’t allow anyone to use this against him in the petty way that some people seem to enjoy.

I personally want to hear Andy Kershaw back on BBC Radio 3 doing what he does best.

Please add your comments of support to let the boy Kershaw know that we miss him and want him back.

And if the Beeb gets sniffy about bringing him back then it’s petition and campaign time (based on the assumption he does wish to return to Radio 3 as was of course.)

Leave your words of support for Andy below. Word on the Internet gets around you know. Here’s hoping it reaches you Andy :)

Andy Kershaw: Champion of ‘World Music’

| BBC News
| Guardian
| Andy Kershaw’s BBC Site
| Andy Kershaw’s tribute to John Peel (mp3) (115mins/59MB)
- Credit to Steve at Bowblog, and thanks to The Peel Tapes
now I go rest me poor little eyes

— post update: 2009/04/28 ——————————————————————————
Thank you to Marseille for this…

It’s still possible to hear a selection of Andy’s programmes over at the BBC Radio 3 website.

Here’s one I converted to mp3 today for your iPodding pleasure.

On-Location Audio Features: Andy Kershaw in Marseille.

Always a fan of the cultural mix to be found in port towns, Andy went to the biggest port in Europe – Marseille, allegedly the most racially harmonious of all of France’s cities, and home to musicians from around the globe. From medieval Occitan polyphony and reggae, to Maghreb rap and a piano-playing godfather of Algerian Rai, taking in Pacific Creole and Congolese rumba à la sauce provencale, Andy uncovers a powerful sense of a personal and musical identity which is unique to Marseille.

Part 1 (Listen via RealAudio stream)
Part 1 (Download converted MP3)
Part 2 (Listen via RealAudio stream)
Part 2 (Download converted MP3)

source:
Andy Kershaw in Marseille
Kershaw Radio 3 Programme Archive

Ivor Cutler Radio & TV Tribute Dates & Times

I don’t think John would mind at all that we are giving over such space to Ivor at the moment. A quintessential Peel artist if there ever was one.

BBC Radio 3
Andy Kershaw
Sunday 12th March 2006
22:15-00:00
“In tribute to the late Ivor Cutler, Andy repeats a classic session from February 1979, together with tracks from Ali Farka Toure, who also died this week.”

BBC Four Television
Ivor Cutler: Looking for Truth With a Pin
Friday 24th March 2006
21:00 – 22:00
“A celebration of the man Billy Connolly described as “the best kept secret in Britain”, despite five decades of work in radio, television, records and books.

Cutler is probably best known for his starring role in the Beatles’ film, Magical Mystery Tour. But behind the name is the story of a man with 20 sessions for John Peel at Radio One to his name, signings to all major record labels, and who once had his own portrait in the National Portrait Gallery under Great British Poets.”

With thanks to yahoo group: ivor-list for bringing these dates to my attention.

“We wanted to make a series about British eccentrics but ended up making one programme about Ivor Cutler.” Read about the making of this documentary here.

More Ivor Cutler Downloads

Some more nice Ivor Cutler archive material…

Performing Shop Lifters on The Old Grey Whistle Test here:
Ivor Video

John Peel session from 1969
…Including peel’s introduction plus a very old radio 4 profile. Both from milk no cookies, here:
Ivor Audio

Additional as of 08:53 08 March 2006:
Andy Kershaw’s programme on BBC Radio 3 this Sunday features Ivor’s 1979 Peel session. “On my show this Sunday I am going to play a John Peel session that he did in February 1979 that I can still remember hearing when it was broadcast for the first time.” From: yahoo group: ivor-list <– Recommended!

Poptones:
…have the track How Are You? Shut up! as an mp3 to download.

Benbecula Records of Scotland have an excellently detailed biography.