Richard Skinner (broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Richard Skinner is a British
radio and television broadcaster
.
He is the only presenter to have fronted the three BBC 'flagship' pop music programmes Whistle Test, Top of the Pops
and Top 40 show.
where he began his career as a newspaper journalist. He worked for a newspaper in Kent and BBC Radio Medway, before joining BBC Radio Solent
as a presenter of music programmes (including the weekly pop show Beat 'n Track) and news reader.
. He continued in this role for some years, also working as an in-vision continuity announcer for Thames Television
.
In 1980, he presented music shows for Radio 1, taking over the Monday-Thursday evening show from Mike Read
, who moved to the breakfast show.
In late 1981, Skinner moved to the Rock On show on Saturday afternoons and Roundtable on Friday evenings, where he and guests would review new releases. He continued with this until late 1985.
In addition to Roundtable, in 1983, Skinner presented the Saturday Live show from 4-6.30pm alongside Andy Batten-Foster and on 30 September 1984, 17 years to the day after Radio 1 began, he took over the Sunday afternoon Top 40 show, also broadcast on FM, on the same day that David Jensen
, who had just left Radio 1, started presenting The Network Chart Show
on commercial radio in competition.
He presented the year-end Top 40 of the year countdown on Radio 1 for both 1984 and 1985, including playing the previously banned Frankie Goes to Hollywood
track "Relax
" during the 1984 countdown.
On BBC television, he presented Top of the Pops
and Whistle Test, and also played two roles in the Band Aid
and Live Aid
phenomenon of the 1980s - Bob Geldof
announced the Band Aid project on Skinner's Radio 1 show in 1984 instead of publicising new Boomtown Rats
material as planned.
On 13 July 1985, Skinner made the opening announcement at Live Aid
("It's twelve noon in London ...") as the event got underway. He fronted the first hours of BBC TV's Bafta Award winning coverage.
. At Capital, he presented its FM Album Rock station CFM and hosted The Way It Is - Capital's equivalent of Radio 1's Newsbeat.
following the latter's early death from cancer. In 1991 Skinner also took over the helming of Scott's series Classic Albums
.
In April 1990, he left the midnight show to be replaced by Bob Harris
, but continued with the Saturday Sequence, where he remained until 1991, when Johnnie Walker
took over.
, working as joint programme director and head of music and presenting the weekday morning show from the station's launch on April 30th 1993, until autumn 1996.
as breakfast presenter alongside Carol McGiffin
, in 1997 Skinner joined London's Melody FM, which later became Magic 105.4, presenting the mid-morning show until September 2003.
. Then in early 2004 he rejoined Virgin Radio
on the London digital station Virgin Radio Classic Rock
, where he hosted the mid-morning show, which was initially recorded, but broadcast live from mid-2005. During this period, he provided holiday cover on Virgin Radio. He left when live programming on Virgin Radio Classic Rock was abandoned in December 2005.
network, in April 2006 Skinner joined BBC Radio Berkshire
to host the Saturday and Sunday mid-morning programmes. During this time he also covered for holidaying presenters. He left on 6 January 2008.
by its new owners Celador
. He briefly moved to weekend afternoons before leaving the station in December 2008.
and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Legal in the UK.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
radio and television broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
.
He is the only presenter to have fronted the three BBC 'flagship' pop music programmes Whistle Test, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
and Top 40 show.
Early career
Skinner grew up in PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
where he began his career as a newspaper journalist. He worked for a newspaper in Kent and BBC Radio Medway, before joining BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
as a presenter of music programmes (including the weekly pop show Beat 'n Track) and news reader.
Radio 1
He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1973 as one of the original presenters of NewsbeatNewsbeat
Newsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
. He continued in this role for some years, also working as an in-vision continuity announcer for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
.
In 1980, he presented music shows for Radio 1, taking over the Monday-Thursday evening show from Mike Read
Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter.-Early life:...
, who moved to the breakfast show.
In late 1981, Skinner moved to the Rock On show on Saturday afternoons and Roundtable on Friday evenings, where he and guests would review new releases. He continued with this until late 1985.
In addition to Roundtable, in 1983, Skinner presented the Saturday Live show from 4-6.30pm alongside Andy Batten-Foster and on 30 September 1984, 17 years to the day after Radio 1 began, he took over the Sunday afternoon Top 40 show, also broadcast on FM, on the same day that David Jensen
David Jensen
David "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...
, who had just left Radio 1, started presenting The Network Chart Show
The Network Chart Show
The Network Chart Show was a radio programme launched across Independent Local Radio in the UK on 30 September 1984.-Background:The main presenter was David Jensen , however Pat Sharp would often provide holiday cover in its later years: in its earlier years Timmy Mallett and Alan Freeman also...
on commercial radio in competition.
He presented the year-end Top 40 of the year countdown on Radio 1 for both 1984 and 1985, including playing the previously banned Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
track "Relax
Relax (song)
"Relax" is the debut single by British dance group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records in 1983. The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome ....
" during the 1984 countdown.
On BBC television, he presented Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
and Whistle Test, and also played two roles in the Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
and Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
phenomenon of the 1980s - Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
announced the Band Aid project on Skinner's Radio 1 show in 1984 instead of publicising new Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...
material as planned.
On 13 July 1985, Skinner made the opening announcement at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
("It's twelve noon in London ...") as the event got underway. He fronted the first hours of BBC TV's Bafta Award winning coverage.
Capital FM
In 1986, Skinner left Radio 1 to join Capital Radio, and was replaced on the chart show by Bruno BrookesBruno Brookes
Bruno Brookes is a British radio presenter who became prominent in the 1980s.-Early life and career:...
. At Capital, he presented its FM Album Rock station CFM and hosted The Way It Is - Capital's equivalent of Radio 1's Newsbeat.
Return to Radio 1
In October 1988, when Radio 1 - which had acquired its own FM transmitters - extended its hours, Skinner rejoined the station to host a midnight show to play album rock music. In late 1989, Skinner took over the Saturday afternoon Radio 1 show the 'Saturday Sequence' from Roger ScottRoger Scott
Roger Scott was a British radio disc jockey. He was best known for presenting an afternoon radio show on London's Capital Radio from 1973 until 1988....
following the latter's early death from cancer. In 1991 Skinner also took over the helming of Scott's series Classic Albums
Classic Albums
Classic Albums is a documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.-Format:...
.
In April 1990, he left the midnight show to be replaced by Bob Harris
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
, but continued with the Saturday Sequence, where he remained until 1991, when Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker (DJ)
Johnnie Walker MBE is a popular British veteran radio disc jockey and broadcaster....
took over.
GLR
From the turn of the 1990s, while he was still at Radio 1, Skinner also presented a daily show on BBC GLR, a mix of music, recorded and live, and live interviews from pop to politics. This continued until the end of December 1992.Virgin Radio
On 1st January 1993, he joined the launch team at Virgin RadioVirgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
, working as joint programme director and head of music and presenting the weekday morning show from the station's launch on April 30th 1993, until autumn 1996.
Magic
After a short spell at London's Liberty RadioLiberty Radio
Liberty Radio is a UK radio broadcaster and company based in London, England that, , broadcasts on satellite and the Internet, but not terrestrial radio or DAB. The company started as Viva 963, broadcasting on terrestrial radio, predominantly for women, and was later renamed...
as breakfast presenter alongside Carol McGiffin
Carol McGiffin
Carol Deirdre McGiffin is an English broadcaster of radio and television, best known for her regular appearances on daytime talk show Loose Women. She married Chris Evans in 1991; the couple separated in 1994 and divorced in 1998....
, in 1997 Skinner joined London's Melody FM, which later became Magic 105.4, presenting the mid-morning show until September 2003.
Virgin Radio Classic Rock
In late 2003, Skinner was freelancing at the south-coast station Wave 105Wave 105
Wave 105 is a UK regional commercial radio station broadcasting across Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of West Sussex and Wiltshire. Playing a mix of adult contemporary music, it combines presenter-led shows with local news and information, entertainment guides and competitions. The...
. Then in early 2004 he rejoined Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
on the London digital station Virgin Radio Classic Rock
Virgin Radio Classic Rock
A sister station to Absolute Radio, Absolute Classic Rock, is a radio station broadcasting to London via FM DAB, Virgin Media, Sky, Freesat channel 725 and worldwide on the internet...
, where he hosted the mid-morning show, which was initially recorded, but broadcast live from mid-2005. During this period, he provided holiday cover on Virgin Radio. He left when live programming on Virgin Radio Classic Rock was abandoned in December 2005.
Classic Gold/BBC Radio Berkshire
After freelancing on the Classic GoldClassic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
network, in April 2006 Skinner joined BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
to host the Saturday and Sunday mid-morning programmes. During this time he also covered for holidaying presenters. He left on 6 January 2008.
Original 106
In January 2008, Skinner joined Original 106 as mid-morning presenter and remained in the slot until November 2008, when the station was rebranded as The CoastThe Coast (radio station)
106 Jack FM is an adult hits format radio station broadcasting to a stretch of the English South Coast on 106 MHz & 106.6 MHz FM and on DAB Digital...
by its new owners Celador
Celador
Celador is a global light entertainment company originally formed as an independent production company in 1983. It has produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is probably best known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and co-producing the film Slumdog Millionaire which collected...
. He briefly moved to weekend afternoons before leaving the station in December 2008.
XFM
Skinner joined XFM in January 2009 to present the station's networked mid-morning show in London and Manchester - leaving at the end of August 2011.Absolute Radio 70s
It was announced in an Absolute Radio press release on October 18th, 2011 that Richard Skinner would be launching Absolute Radio 70s. Skinner will host weekday afternoons on the station.. He launched the station at 10am on November 29th.Miscellaneous
Skinner is married to Deborah ('Delightful' Deborah in the Steve Wright Posse on BBC Radio 1 in the 1980s) and has two sons - Christopher (born 1977) and Jamie (born 1996), who was previously lead vocalistLead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Legal in the UK.