NewsMark and Lard ArticlesNews

Friday, April 24 1998

Manchester Metro News

DJ Mark is brought to book

Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe:
He's now writing a novel.

POP startdom has eluded Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe so far in spite of his admirable attempts with The Shire Horses.

However the former Manchester University student may soon be making his mark in another field as I'm told he's well on his way to completing his first novel.

Appropriately, it's the story of a bloke who forms a rock band in the 80's and publishers Hodder say they are well pleased with the sample chapters they've received so far.

Hodder spokeswoman Camilla Sweeney explains. "It's really semi-autobiographical based around the music business. We're very excited about it."

Book lovers will have to wait until October however to discover whether Mark is really Manchester's answer to best-selling Fever Pitch writer Nick Hornby.

Not that that will prevent the publicity machine already whetting the appetites of the City's book trade and media next month with a preview bash giving a taste of seven up-and-coming authors.

The Radio 1 star of the afternoon slot isn't the only showbiz name to turn his hand at a tale. Hodder will also be bringing up Ardal O'Hanlon of Father Ted fame, for the party at swanky Air on May 13. His "darkly comic tale" Talk of the Town" is out on May 21.

Other writers joining in the Hodder roadshow are Stella Duffy an actress and stand-up comic with her thriller Singling Out The Couples, and ex-agony Uncle of Bliss magazine, whose forthcoming opus is titled My Legendary Girlfriend.


Friday, September 19 1997

Manchester Metro News

Radcliffe gets a lie-in as Zoe wins Breakfast slot

Manchester's Mark Radcliffe and his side-kick 'Lard' have been ousted from Radio One's flagship breakfast show, by TV's Zoe Ball.

BBC bosses hope Zoe, aged 26 will halt a reported slump in listening figures.

On their show yesterday morning Radcliffe, and Marc 'Lard' Riley, said switching to the 2pm slot would give them a lie-in until midday.

They joked about being "fired" and congradulated Zoe and DJ Kevin Greening, her co-host.

Radcliffe, who took over the show seven months ago, said: "I hope they have a longer lease on this flat than we have!"

Zoe and Kevin Greening are said to have been offered £150,000-a-year each.

Zoe who will continue to present BBC1's Live and Kicking on Saturday mornings, will be Radio One's first femail breakfast DJ.

Her move surprised friends. She quit Channel 4's Big Breakfast exhausted by early morning calls.

Sometime around August 'B' magazine had the following snippet in it "My First Ever Record by Radio One DJ Mark Radcliffe" - "I've got an awful feeling it was The Pushbike Song by The Mixtures. My first LP was Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality."

In August 1997 Practical Caravanning Magazine gave Mark and Lard their award for being the most listened to radio Breakfast Show in the country. Ironic when you consider that Mark and Lard often take the piss out of caravan and their owners.

Bookseller magazine toward the end of July 1997 announced that the BBC Radio Collection was going to release a compilation of the best of the Graveyard Shift which will be available in November 1997. The items have apparently been chosen by Mark Radcliffe and he will also introduce it. It will cost £5.99 on Cassette and £7.99 on CD.

This is from The Mail On Sunday's "Flower Power to Girl Power - a Celebration of Britpop" issue. It was in the article 'The Top 50 Groovers and Shakers', written by Adrian Deevoy & Paul Du Noyer which was basically 50 people who are influential in the music scene.

Innumerable bands owe their entire careers to Radcliffe's energetic and passionate championing. Radcliffe, 39, joined the BBC in 1983 having previously worked at Manchester's Piccadilly Radio as a "junior assistant dogsbody producer". Ten years later, he had made the Radio One evening slot his own, with an awe-inspiring show that featured poetry, brilliantly irrational rants and vast splurges of his beloved psychedelia. Since February, Radcliffe has bagged the prestigious Breakfast Show post. The world, quite simply, is a better place for it. Favourite Single - Hole In My Shoe by Traffic. Estimated Salary : £90 Thousand.

On 19th April the Press Association published the following about Mark's Wedding.

Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe took dutch courage before walking up the aisle with his new wife.

The publicity-shy Breakfast Show host downed three pints in his local pub before meeting his bride Bella for a hush-hush ceremony at St Mary & All Saints Church in their home village of Great Budworth, Cheshire. The DJ's best man was his radio sidekick Marc "Lard" Riley.

On Friday 11th April the following appeared on Teletext about Mark getting married.

Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe is to wed his long-term girlfriend at a private ceremony the weekend after next, followed by a fortnights honeymoon.

The shy Breakfast Show DJ had hoped to keep the marriage to Granada TV assistant Bella Sharpe "a total secret" a BBC spokeswoman said.

The Church wedding, near the couples home in a Cheshire village, had been planned for more than a year, long before Mark took over from Chris Evans on Radio 1's flagship show

When they found out that they were moving to the Breakfast Show their agent 'Shit Agent' tried to get them a slightly later slot by negotiating with Roger Bannister but failed.

Mark was originally going to take over the Drivetime slot but with Chris Evans leaving Radio 1 so suddenly Mark and Lard have been chosen as Chris Evan`s Replacements

The Telegraph had this to say about it.

[Evans'] breakfast show will be taken over by Simon Mayo until Friday when Mark Radcliffe will be named as his successor. Radcliffe is understood to have been told he can virtually name his price for taking over the slot.

[...]

Radcliffe currently presents an evening show on Radio 1 with Marc Riley. He has the same tendency towards risque humour that landed Evans in hot water. However, instead of a tendency to go on the offensive, the duo have a surreal humour which fans say puts them in a league with Morecambe and Wise.

Radcliffe also has the habit of referring to Matthew Bannister as Roger Bannister. This does not appear to have held him back.

For two years the odd couple have been presenting a show from 10pm to midnight on Radio 1 - perhaps ironically, in view of the row which made Evans leave, from Monday to Thursday only.

Radcliffe has periodically worked as a TV presenter on a music show - in his case The White Room. He is also a staunch Mancunian and will present the breakfast show from Manchester for the first time in its history.

Article typed up by Mark Whitaker

Wednesday, February 19, 1997

The Sun

A Strip Off The Old Jock

DJ Mark In His Undies

Mark Radcliffe is the perfect replacement for serial stripper Chris Evans. As my exclusive picture shows, the new Radio 1 Breakfast Show host is not shy when it comes to getting his kit off.

Mark, 38, who took over the show on Monday, stripped to his undies in his larger lout act on the northern cabaret circuit with pal Chris Sievey.

It shows he's a match for Evans, who once worked as a Tarzan-a-gram and has often stripped on TV - including his Saturday Zoo show in 1993 and on TFI Friday. This snap of tubby Mark was taken in 1991 in Blackburn, Lancs. Chris Sievey, who invented the Mrs Merton character, says: "Mark and I didn't mind stripping - despite how we looked". When I told Mark the shameful picture had found its way to my desk, he said: "Oh God. I was a lot fatter then - honest!"

Perhaps you and your partner Lard should swop names, Mark!

by Andy Coulson

Hiya Girls!
BRIEF ENCOUNTER ... Mark Strips down to his undies bearing the word Virgin in his cabaret act


On Monday 17th of February 1997 The Guardian said the following about the Breakfast Show which was starting on the day that this was published.

The Hot Tip you've almost missed! Mancunian pop-picker Radcliffe and his sidekick are at least getting paid to get up at the crack of dawn. Perhaps we shouldn't recommend Lard for breakfast - but its tastier than an overdose of ginger.

Mark Radcliffe had his own column called 'Outside Edge' in the Express on Saturdays.

They also needed a new producer as this advert from the Guardian shows

Producer, Radio 1 in the North

Entertainment Features Department

c. £30,000 One Year Contract

We are looking for an experienced producer for an exciting range of radio programmes within a bi-media department. You will be working with Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley on their afternoon show, which launches in February, and on their breakfast shows...

(continues with gubbins about Radio 1 and 2 documentaries, TV work on The Sunday Show and Rough Guide and they want three year's TV or radio experience)

Guardian Advert typed up by Simon Tyers


Main | Show Guide | Mark & Lard Story | Songbook | Shop
Early Afternoon Show | Breakfast Show
Graveyard Shift | | Hit The North
The Unofficial Mark Radcliffe & Lard Site
Copyright © 1997 - 2024 email

Hosted by IONOS