Mark and Lard
Encyclopedia
Mark and Lard, the stage name of Mark Radcliffe
(Mark) and Marc Riley
(Lard), are former BBC Radio 1
disc jockey
s. Mark and Lard joined Radio 1 in October 1993 and left in March 2004. The pair moved to Radio 1 from BBC Radio 5
's evening Hit the North programme, where Radcliffe was presenter and Riley climbed from researcher to producer.
Mark & Lard began their Radio 1 career presenting the late-night "graveyard shift" (10pm to midnight) in October 1993, taking over from Nicky Campbell
who had previously occupied the slot. They then moved to the coveted Breakfast Show in February 1997, replacing Chris Evans. The pair moved to an early afternoon slot after eight months, where they remained until 2004. During this time they broadcast out of BBC Radio Manchester
studios, unlike the majority of the station's London-based content.
Phone-in spoof quizzes were made popular on the show, such as "It's a Sausage Roll", "Circle of Chance" and "Fish or Fowl". Other items on the show included "Downcount", "Lard's Classic Cuts" and "Beat the Clock". The pair also used catchphrases such as "Biggedy Biggedy Bong", "Stop.... carry on!", "Buy Jovi", "Cabbage Garden" and "Wickedy Wickedy Warp". 'Fat Harry White' (Radcliffe with a vocoder
) was also a regular on the show, a thinly disguised parody of soul singer Barry White
, this character was so successful he was given his own CD in 1998, entitled 'Mmmmm Baby' (which was also his catchphrase) - it peaked at number 83 in the UK charts.
band "The Shirehorses
", who released two CD albums:
and Riley moving to BBC 6 Music
. Their last show was broadcast on 26 March 2004 and featured a guest appearance by Travis, messages of commiseration from Neil Hannon, Radiohead, Blur (Damon Albarn composed a special song but "broke down in tears" before finishing it) and Kelly Jones of The Stereophonics, whom they'd frequently insulted during the show's run. They also received a bouquet of flowers from Paul McCartney. At the end of their last show, Riley sat in the silent studio sighing. Radcliffe convinces him to buck up and come to the pub to buy him a drink. But they had time for a swift half a catchphrase: "Stop!" Then the door closed and the show was over. It was followed by a silence of some twenty seconds causing the station to switch to the emergency tape, this was believed to be a final opportunity to make a nuisance of themselves, but in fact this was due to the show overrunning and studio staff in London not being in place when the show finally finished.
They subsequently worked together on the Mark & Lard's Football Nightmares DVD. They had previously presented Match of the Nineties, which showed highlights of English football seasons from 1989 to 1999, during the summer of 1999.
Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
(Mark) and Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
(Lard), are former BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s. Mark and Lard joined Radio 1 in October 1993 and left in March 2004. The pair moved to Radio 1 from BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
's evening Hit the North programme, where Radcliffe was presenter and Riley climbed from researcher to producer.
Mark & Lard began their Radio 1 career presenting the late-night "graveyard shift" (10pm to midnight) in October 1993, taking over from Nicky Campbell
Nicky Campbell
Nicholas Andrew Argyll "Nicky" Campbell is a Scottish radio and television presenter and journalist. He is known for his time presenting on programmes such as the consumer affairs programme Watchdog...
who had previously occupied the slot. They then moved to the coveted Breakfast Show in February 1997, replacing Chris Evans. The pair moved to an early afternoon slot after eight months, where they remained until 2004. During this time they broadcast out of BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth...
studios, unlike the majority of the station's London-based content.
Phone-in spoof quizzes were made popular on the show, such as "It's a Sausage Roll", "Circle of Chance" and "Fish or Fowl". Other items on the show included "Downcount", "Lard's Classic Cuts" and "Beat the Clock". The pair also used catchphrases such as "Biggedy Biggedy Bong", "Stop.... carry on!", "Buy Jovi", "Cabbage Garden" and "Wickedy Wickedy Warp". 'Fat Harry White' (Radcliffe with a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
) was also a regular on the show, a thinly disguised parody of soul singer Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, this character was so successful he was given his own CD in 1998, entitled 'Mmmmm Baby' (which was also his catchphrase) - it peaked at number 83 in the UK charts.
Shirehorses
Mark and Lard are also the creators of the spoof rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band "The Shirehorses
Shirehorses
The Shirehorses are a spoof band comprising two BBC Radio DJs from Manchester, Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley, known collectively as Mark and Lard....
", who released two CD albums:
- The worst album...in the world...ever...EVER!The worst album...in the world...ever...EVER!The worst...album in the world...ever...EVER! is the first album from The Shirehorses, a spoof English band. The title is a dig at the long running series of compilation albums popular in the UK....
- Our Kid, Eh?Our Kid EhOur Kid Eh is the second album from the spoof band The Shirehorses,comprising two BBC Radio 1 DJs, Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley .This album's title is a play on the name of Radiohead's album, Kid A and it reached #20 on the UK Albums Chart.- Track listing :#"If You Tolerate This Piss" - Manic...
The title is a combination of the contemporary RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
album Kid AKid AKid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000 by the Parlophone label. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the United Kingdom. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A...
, and the northern phrase 'our Kid'.
Leaving Radio 1
In February 2004 the pair announced their resignation from Radio 1, with Radcliffe moving to BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
and Riley moving to BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
. Their last show was broadcast on 26 March 2004 and featured a guest appearance by Travis, messages of commiseration from Neil Hannon, Radiohead, Blur (Damon Albarn composed a special song but "broke down in tears" before finishing it) and Kelly Jones of The Stereophonics, whom they'd frequently insulted during the show's run. They also received a bouquet of flowers from Paul McCartney. At the end of their last show, Riley sat in the silent studio sighing. Radcliffe convinces him to buck up and come to the pub to buy him a drink. But they had time for a swift half a catchphrase: "Stop!" Then the door closed and the show was over. It was followed by a silence of some twenty seconds causing the station to switch to the emergency tape, this was believed to be a final opportunity to make a nuisance of themselves, but in fact this was due to the show overrunning and studio staff in London not being in place when the show finally finished.
They subsequently worked together on the Mark & Lard's Football Nightmares DVD. They had previously presented Match of the Nineties, which showed highlights of English football seasons from 1989 to 1999, during the summer of 1999.