Radio - Light programme

Published Monday 17 March 2008 at 10:55 by Lisa Martland

It is not that often that a programme becomes a reminder of what a wonderful medium radio can be, but Hovis Has Left the Building was one such example.

I have to be truthful and admit to not having heard of the late poet and comedian Hovis Presley before now, but then, as his friends reveal in this tribute, he was always desperate to avoid the limelight.

This aspect of Presley’s character made hearing these reminiscences from the likes of Johnny Vegas, John Hegley, Badly Drawn Boy and Lucy Porter particularly poignant. It is unlikely that the Boltonian ever would have believed how admired and liked he was by his peers.

Here was a gentle, original talent who felt a great motivation to perform his work but simply could not deal with the fame that accompanied success. When a Perrier nomination was in the offing at the Edinburgh fringe, Presley disappeared off the landscape, and when he was invited to do gigs, he would nearly always offer the services of an up and coming comic he liked before his own.

It was these anecdotes and the way both host Mark Radcliffe and other contributors described the detail of Presley’s personality and appearance that brought the performer to life. An unusually sombre Vegas revealed his affection for Presley, finding some common ground with the portly wordsmith’s sadness about being every woman’s friend.

Alongside all the chat was a welcome opportunity to hear Presley’s dry wit and wordplay and old-fashioned charm in action. Sad to discover that, after his career only kicked off at 29, he should die of a heart attack just 15 years later. This was an entertaining and well-deserved tribute, even if Presley would have probably been embarrassed by all the attention.

Not so entertaining was Buy Me Up TV, a new comedy series on Radio 2 inspired by all those shopping channels on which presenters have to wax lyrical about every product as if their life depended on it. It is the kind of environment that seems made for comedy treatment but unfortunately the writers of this four-parter have a way to go before they cash in on their success.

There is certainly some potential in the idea of having a regular special guest - in week two Ruth Madoc planned a Hi-de-Hi! takeover of the station - and some of the trailers for bizarre products worked quite well. However, the strong ensemble of Justin Edwards, Colin Hoult, Katherine Jakeways, Ewen Macintosh, Alex MacQueen and Greg Proops could probably do wonders with better material.

Not a problem Paul Sexton faced when putting together a profile of The Four Seasons for the series Jerseybeat. In addition to all the hits the Seasons and Frankie Valli enjoyed over several decades, there was plenty of juicy drama behind the scenes as well. Enough material not only for four radio programmes, but also for a Tony Award-winning musical which opened in the West End this week.

The third instalment of Jerseybeat began in the late sixties when the group dabbled musically in psychedelia and then later made a critically acclaimed, socially aware album. There was disharmony in the band too, not least because of Tommy DeVito’s penchant for gambling. But the most interesting aspect of this instalment was hearing how the group and Valli began to turn their fortunes around with hits in the UK and a whole new era of success, thanks to the arrival of disco.

One noteworthy anecdote concerned the time composer Bob Gaudio, who wrote endless hits for the Seasons and Valli, worked with Frank Sinatra. Being friendly, Gaudio invited him home to chill out by the pool. To Gaudio’s surprise the singer accepted. There was just one problem, Gaudio did not have a pool. So he had one built - in a week.

Just time to mention how compelling a choice Leonard Bernstein made for Composer of the Week. Early works featured in the first programme demonstrated the composer’s versatility while Donald Macleod spoke of Bernstein’s important relationship with Aaron Copland.

DETAILS

Hovis Has Left the Building - R4, Tuesday, March 18

Buy Me Up TV - R2, Saturday, March 15

Jerseybeat - The Four Seasons Story - R2, Wednesday, March 12

Composer of the Week: Leonard Bernstein - R3, Monday, March 10