BBC Radio 6 Music

Published: 22 November 2016

Almost ten years after James Brown’s death, Craig celebrates his life, legacy and music.

Behind the windows of a specially created audio advent calendar will be treats for the 6 Music listeners. It could be a long lost record, a specially commissioned remix of a classic James Brown tune, an interview with ex band members or some secret special surprises that not even Craig knows about.... he's like a kid on Xmas Eve with excitement!

In the run up to Christmas, the funky advent calendar will celebrate the late, great James Brown, one of the most influential singers of the 20th century.

Saturday 17 December, 6-9pm
Presenter: Craig Charles
Producer: Ben Appleyard for TBI Media

The First Time With Roy Wood

Matt Everitt talks to Roy Wood about the first key musical moments in his career to date, including his time as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard.

And, of course, with it being that time of year, Matt had to ask about that Christmas anthem - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - over 40 years after it went to number four in the UK Singles Chart.

Owing to his love of musical experimentation, Wood was considered one of the most progressive musicians of his time. The singer-songwriter and instrumentalist was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s, and over the course of his career his musical repertoire has encompassed many styles from psychedelic and heavy metal to old-time rock ‘n’ roll.

Christmas Day, 1-2pm
Presenter: Matt Everitt
Producer: Adam Hudson for the BBC

Philip Selway's Finest Hour

Radiohead drummer Philip Selway brings his own unique festive taste to BBC Radio 6 Music.

He'll be sharing some mince pies with his special guest, poet Lemm Sissay, plus there’ll be a seasonal contribution from that mystery musical history girl, the Beckapedia.

As one fifth of British experimental rock band, Radiohead, Selway has sold 30 million albums worldwide. After forming in 1985, the Grammy Award-winning band released their debut single in 1992, which became a worldwide hit, and have since released nine studio albums.

Christmas Day, 2-4pm
Presenter: Philip Selway
Producer: Michelle Choudhry for the BBC

Wise Women

BBC Radio 6 Music welcomes three Wise Women who will be taking to the airwaves to bear their gifts of music, insight and originality. Across Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Natasha Khan, Laura Marling and Annie Nightingale will each be presenting their very own show, featuring the music that has inspired them, and looking back across the past year and ahead to 2016. During the evening and up until 2am, each will select some of their favourite 6 Music programming from 2016.

Natasha Khan
Natasha Khan, aka three-time Mercury-nominated artist Bat For Lashes, has drawn comparisons to Kate Bush and Bjork for her unique brand of indie rock. Khan released her fourth and most recent album, The Bride, in July. A keen musical explorer, over the past 10 years she has tried out diverse alter-egos, cover versions and concept albums for size. She is also a great collaborator, working with the likes of Toy, Yeasayer, Jon Hopkins, and Beck.

Natasha says: “On a personal level I love DJ-ing for friends … but doing it on 6 Music, I can give something back to a station that has been supportive of my music and music that I love. I do like to create a little universe of my own and take people on a journey, so hopefully I’ve done that as a Wise Woman.”

Laura Marling (pictured)
The English singer songwriter joins Three Wise Women having released five studio albums spanning a 10-year career. Her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim first bought the now, 26 year-old, to the world's attention in 2007 and launched her into a career which has seen her win the Brit Award for Best Female Artist and become the only artist ever nominated for the Mercury Awards three times in a row. She has been described ’as one of the most important songwriters of her generation’ and is a firm favourite at 6 Music, having delivered a stunning performance at this year’s 6 Music Festival in Bristol.

Laura says: "It is my great pleasure to share with the BBC Radio 6 Music listeners this Christmas Day an evening’s programming of music and documentary, related, in the spirit of the season, to the many people I love."

Annie Nightingale
Best known as Britain’s first female DJ on BBC Radio 1, Annie Nightingale is now the station’s longest-serving broadcaster. Her career has been a musical journey that has involved DJing, journalism and TV presenting. Having cracked the all-male preserve of DJs at Radio 1, her career in broadcasting has seen her champion dozens of artists who went on to be world-wide successes. She has always played and enthused about underground and new music and still DJs at clubs and festivals all over the world.

Annie says: “My Wise Women show is going to be a Boxing Day party with some very special guests and my favourite music from artists such as Chrissie Hynde, London Grammar, and Missy Elliott. From the archive, what a delight, I’ve chosen fabulous Iggy Pop's party fun tunes and First Time With Josh Homme. Then a couple of jewels (I hope) – we’ve found a Round Table show from 1980 in which I appeared as a guest with Mick Jagger and I've found a special I recorded with George Harrison, aprés Beatles. To finish is a show with the Happy Mondays recorded during the height of Madchester Rave On days in 1992.”

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 6pm-2am
Wise Women is a BBC Radio 6 Music Production

Shaun Keaveny: The Life Of Brians - Boxing Day Special With Brian Cox And Brian Eno

This Boxing Day, Shaun Keaveny will co-host his BBC Radio 6 Music Breakfast show with two superlative Brian’s - Eno and Cox.

Professor Brian Cox has been a regular on Shaun Keaveny’s Breakfast Show for around eight years now, joining weekly to chat about the latest science stories, to answer listeners’ questions, or just to talk music. Once, whilst in a car and stuck in traffic, Brian even read out local traffic reports for us. He has enriched Shaun’s programme with intelligent debate, respected opinion and incredible insight. Aside from perhaps David Attenborough, he is the foremost voice of science on our television screens and his popularity is not just because of his past career as a keyboard player in ‘90s pop group D:Ream, but rather his evident passion for science and his ability to convey both the complexities and mysteries of the universe to the general public. Quite why he bothers still coming onto this show is a mystery to Shaun and all the team!

Brian Eno is a relative new friend to the programme. After his BBC Music John Peel Lecture last year, Brian and Shaun struck up a friendship that saw Brian sending emails to the show and even making them radio jingles in his home studio.

Here are two of the most intelligent and most respected minds in UK. Two men who - for the first time - BBC Radio 6 Music is bringing together. And, although Keaveny, Eno and Cox sounds like a firm of lawyers, they promise not to get bogged down in legal speak. It will be a Breakfast Show that celebrates science, discovery and inquisitive minds. There will, of course, be music chat and Shaun will even ask the boys about their favourite keyboards!

Boxing Day, 7-10am
Presenter: Shaun Keaveny
Producer Phil Smith for the BBC

Tom Ravenscroft’s Swoon Tunes

Tom indulges his penchant for tunes that make you swoon, in this Boxing Day Special.

Escape from festive over-indulgence and embrace the calming, musical rapture evoked by some of Tom’s dreamy favourites.

From mellifluous melodies of old, to newer tunes, the playlist will include the likes of Lambchop, Lower Dens, Babeheaven, Kane Strang, Silver Apples, Bruce O'Yates, and Jerkcurb (AKA the London artist and musician Jacob Read).

Let's swoon to the moon and back. Slow dancing is a must.

Boxing Day, 4-6pm
Presenter: Tom Ravenscroft
Producer: Tom Billington for the BBC

Iggy Pop - Confidential Party

Seeing as it's the night before New Year's Eve, Iggy is bringing 6 Music listeners two hours of music to make you move.

Lose the high couture and slip on something loose and lively.

Iggy's musical legacy has inspired and energised rock and roll's alternative spirit since the late 60s and his stage antics have marked him as a truly iconic frontman.

Friday 30 December, 7-9pm
Presenter: Iggy Pop
Producer: Adam Dineen for the BBC

New Year’s Eve On 6 Music

New Year’s Eve is set to go out with a bang as Craig Charles gets the party started live from 6pm-9pm with the best in funk and soul. And then from 9pm-11pm, Nemone is live with a massive, music-filled celebration, so be ready for a mix of proper old skool party bangers alongside the best Electric Ladyland tunes of the year.

From 11pm Coldcut will be live in the mix on 6 Music, seeing in 2017 with dancefloor fillers and the most cutting edge of anthems. Plus they’ll be banging out some of their own tunes, providing the perfect soundtrack for NYE house parties across the UK.

The electronic duo, aka Matt Black and Jonathan More, are credited as pioneers of pop sampling in the 80s and have remixed and created productions on tracks by the likes of James Brown, Queen Latifah, Eurythmics, INXS, Steve Reich, Blondie, The Fall and Nina Simone.

6-9pm Craig Charles
9-11pm Nemone
11pm-1am Coldcut
Producers: Ben Appleyard for TBI Media, Mark Sharman and Steve Harris for the BBC

Kate Tempest New Year New Music

Kate Tempest returns to BBC Radio 6 Music to look ahead to the coming year. She’ll be highlighting the new music that she’s keenly anticipating, as well as playing tracks from a diverse selection of artists, ranging in style from hip hop to jazz and poetry.

The Mercury-nominated rapper and lyricist has a body of work that includes an album, a book of poetry and a novel. Kate first performed when she was 16 at open mic nights at Deal Real – a small hip hop store on London’s Carnaby Street. In 2013 she won the Ted Hughes Award for innovation in poetry and has since gone on to support acts such as John Cooper Clarke, Scroobius Pip, Billy Bragg and Benjamin Zephaniah.

Kate performed at the 6 Music Festival on Tyneside in 2015 and was part of this year’s 6 Music Live.