Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is a
British broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the
BBC since the
1980s.
Radcliffe was born in
Bolton,
UK in
1958, and took an interest in music from a young age, playing the drums in a number of unsuccessful bands (including, briefly,
Skrewdriver - before their infamous incarnation as a racist band) before his transition to radio. He is, in some respects, a very traditional British DJ, with a wide knowledge of
rock and
pop, and his
Northern English style sense of humour and quick wit bear comparison to both
John Peel and
Peter Kay. He now lives in
Cheshire and is married with three daughters.
His career in radio began firstly at local UK station
Piccadilly Radio, but he came to prominence as a
DJ on
BBC Radio 5's
Hit The North programme in
1990.
Radcliffe also joined
Radio 1 in
1991, presenting a 1 hour Monday evening show called
Out on Blue Six, & then in early
1993, presented an arts programme entitled
The Guest List, which went out on Thursdays.
His most famous work is as one half of the double act known as
Mark and Lard (with
Marc The Boy Lard Riley), presenters on
BBC Radio 1.
The duo began on a late-night weekday slot in October
1993, Monday - Thursday from 10pm-Midnight. This was a relatively esoteric show for Radio 1, being based around non-playlist music and featuring live sessions, poetry readings and comedy. Following
Chris Evans' departure in early
1997 they were moved to a brief and unsuccessful stint on the breakfast show. Their style of music and broadcasting was not a success in this slot and soon they were moved to the early afternoon slot from 2-4pm. They occupied that slot for the rest of their time at the station, winning a
Sony Gold award in the process.
Radcliffe left Radio 1 in
March 2004. He moved to an evening slot on
BBC Radio 2 in June of the same year, presenting a show reminiscent of the '
graveyard shift' he had previously occupied on
Radio 1 - the show includes live music and studio guests. Riley can now be found on
BBC 6Music.
Radcliffe managed some brief success in the music business with the now defunct
Shirehorses, a parody band spawned from his Mark And Lard antics, and is currently a member of the more folk-oriented
The Family Mahone.
Although he has worked less extensively in television than in radio, Radcliffe did present a live music programme,
The White Room, for
Channel 4 in
1995, and regularly appears on the BBC's coverage of the
Glastonbury Festival and the
Cambridge Folk Festival. Along with Marc Riley, he presented a music-based quiz programme,
Pop Upstairs Downstairs, for the
BBC/
Flextech digital TV channel
UK Play between
1999 and
2000.
He is also a published author, having written the
autobiographical book 'Showbusiness: The Diary Of A Rock 'N' Roll Nobody', a witty and critically acclaimed look back at his failed attempts at gaining a career in music as well as his exploits with
The Shirehorses. In 2005 he released 'Northern Sky', a witty, charming novel about a folk club and its members in an imaginary but vividly described Northern city.
*
Biography on bbc.co.uk*
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