BBC Radio 6 Music

Published: 22 November 2017

Christmas 2017 on BBC Radio 6 Music...

6 Music presents Elbow with the BBC Philharmonic at Christmas

Thursday 21 December, 1-4pm

Elbow will join forces with the BBC Philharmonic to celebrate Christmas in style as they perform their greatest hits in a special programme for 6 Music.

Taking place in front on an audience at the Philharmonic studio in Salford, the performance will be hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie live on 6 Music and BBC Red Button. It will be available to watch again on Red Button from 21-26 December and also on BBC iPlayer.

Presenters: Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie
Produced by 7 Digital and BBC North

The First Time with Liam Gallagher

Christmas Eve, 1-2pm

Liam Gallagher talks to Matt Everitt about the songs and bands that have meant the most to him over the years. He discusses the Manchester music scene of the early 90s, meeting various members of The Beatles, the formative years of Oasis, and his hopes for his brand new solo album.

Matt Everitt’s new series of The First Time with… begins on 3 December with Robert Plant, and follows with Beck on 10 December and Charlotte Gainsbourg on 17 December.

Presenter: Matt Everitt
Producer: Adam Hudson for the BBC

Noel’s Noel

Christmas Day, 4-6pm

For a fourth year, Noel Gallagher joins Steve Lamacq with a sack full of records to soundtrack the BBC Radio 6 Music Drivetime Christmas Party. Plus, he’ll be talking about his year in music.

Expect leftfield sounds and forgotten gems which Noel has dusted off from his collection. Previously he has treated 6 Music to alternative 60's cuts from The Velvet Underground and The Animals, alongside crackers from The Kitkats, Gino with Johnny The Greek and Kid Koala.

Steve will also be chatting to Noel about his latest solo album, Who Built The Moon, which lands at the end of November, plus finding out how he’s feeling about his upcoming World Tour in 2018.

In the build-up to the show, Steve will dipping into the archive for some highlights from Noel’s previous festive visits. And strap in, as it wouldn't be Christmas without the annual Gallagher festive rant...

Producer: Matt Mills for the BBC

Wise Women

Wise Women

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 6pm-2am

BBC Radio 6 Music welcomes three Wise Women who will be taking to the airwaves to bear their gifts of wit, wonder and wisdom. Across Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Jodie Whittaker, Beth Ditto and Sharon Horgan will be curating 6 Music each night from 6pm to 2am, including presenting their very own show which will feature the music that has inspired them, as well as looking back across the past year and ahead to 2018. The Wise Women will also be selecting their favourite 6 Music programming from the archive, with a mixture of shows from Iggy Pop to The First Time with…, and live music to documentaries.

Jodie Whittaker - Christmas Eve

Acclaimed actor Jodie Whittaker joins 6 Music to present an evening of programming and music choices. To kick things off, she selects some extraordinary music based around the theme of travel and guides listeners through some of her favourite tracks, from Elbow, First Aid Kit and Foy Vance. Jodie has long been a listener and regular Breakfast Show guest on 6 Music with Shaun Keaveny and is a huge fan of Shaun’s show.

After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Jodie has worked continually in film, television and theatre. Her TV credits include the critically acclaimed ITV drama Broadchurch (for which she was nominated for Best Actress for the RTS Television Awards), Emmy award-winning Black Mirror, Sky 1’s The Smoke, The Accused, Tess of the D'Urbervilles and the BBC’s medical drama Trust Me. Her film credits include Venus, Attack The Block, One Day, Black Sea, Adult Life Skills, for which she was the executive producer, and most recently, Journeyman.

Jodie says: “I’m absolutely over the moon to be asked to be a part of this year’s three Wise Women. I’ve never been called a wise woman before, but I’ll take it! Maybe even print up a t-shirt! It’s been brilliant revisiting shows that I loved listening to the first time round and also getting to choose two hours worth of my favourite tracks, most of which I discovered through listening to 6 Music. So thanks for that, and hope you enjoy it.”

Beth Ditto - Christmas Day

Beth Ditto begins her curated night with an hour of specially selected music featuring Bikini Kill, Nina Hagen, Cat Power and Nina Simone.

Throughout the evening Beth shares various anecdotes with the listeners - talking about the time she met Punk Priestess Nina Hagen in Berlin when Hagen gave her a mushroom felt key chain which she still owns; and when her bandmate Nathan was asked to buy The Slits’ Ari Up a burrito in New York. Plus, Beth shares some wise words from musical legends Patti Smith and Debbie Harry.

The former Gossip frontwoman made her name as one of music's most bold and outspoken voices with the 2006 disco-punk anthem, Standing in The Way of Control, which challenged the Bush-era assault on civil rights and Gay Marriage. The American singer-songwriter has since legally married her now-wife Kristin Ogata, written an advice column and recently embarked on a solo career releasing her debut solo album, Fake Sugar.

Beth says: “On Christmas day I will be hosting my annual chosen family Christmas at my house in Portland, Oregon - it’s a big deal. I spend the day after Thanksgiving every year putting up all the lights, pretty much by myself: it looks like the Griswolds’. Its full colour, its full-on. Sometimes I have seven Christmas trees, sometimes I have one - I go all out.”

Sharon Horgan - Boxing Day

Sharon Horgan fronts an evening of music for the 6 Music listeners. The actor, writer and director from County Meath, Ireland, is best known for her comedy series’ Pulling and Catastrophe, both of which she starred in and co-wrote.

In 2008 Sharon won a British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Actress for her performance in Pulling. Sharon co-writes the multiple-award-winning Channel 4 series, Catastrophe, with Rob Delaney, which is now commissioned for its fourth series and earned both herself and Rob a BAFTA TV Award for Best Writer: Comedy, a Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and a BAFTA TV Award Nomination for Best Female Comedy Performance. Sharon is also the creator of the HBO TV show, Divorce, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, and has established Merman, an independent production company. She co-wrote and produced the new, critically acclaimed BBC Two comedy, Motherland.

Sharon says: “Last time I DJ’d was at my brother’s wedding. No one was listening. But once I forced everyone to stop having fun they all agreed my playlist was a goodie. Getting to front an evening of music for BBC 6 Music is a ridiculous honour. The only radio I listen to is 6. Morning to night. Weekends and weekdays. It inspires me, makes me laugh and takes me back to the dark little music venues I used to sneak into as a kid. I am the definition of an un-wise woman but that aside I will do my best to try and encapsulate what the station and music have meant to me over the years."

Producers: Jax Coombes, Phil Smith and Joe Haddow for the BBC

Shaun And The Three Wise Brians

Christmas Day, 7-10am

Recorded at the World Famous Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Shaun welcomes friends of the show, Brian Eno and Prof Brian Cox, and special guest Brian Blessed for a year-end review. Last year, Eno, Cox and Keaveny’s Christmas catch-up took place in a pub in Central London where they discussed everything from music to science to politics. This year they meet at The Royal Observatory, which played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation and is the location of the prime meridian, giving its name to Greenwich Mean Time. Shaun will discuss with the Brians the music choices that have inspired them during 2017, the projects they've worked on, and their own unique look back on the news stories of the past year.

Shaun Keaveny says: "The second cup of tea, can it ever be as good as the first? No. Science has proven it. BUT our now-annual Christmas meeting of minds with BRIANS Cox and Eno WILL be even better than it was last year!! GUARANTEED! For a start we’ve added a Brian, secondly we’ve changed venue from upstairs in a pub to the epicentre of astronomy and navigation, the Greenwich Observatory, and thirdly, the boys have spent yet another year cruising around the sun, collecting stories, experiences and thoughts to share with us at 6 Music. Please join us for a Christmas Celebration of Clever Craniums."

Producer: Phil Smith for the BBC

Gideon Coe: The 2017 Obit Show

Thursday 28 December, 9pm-midnight

Gideon Coe celebrates the lives of the musical figures that have passed in 2017, playing music from those artists.

From legendary luminaries such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Glen Campbell, through to leading figures from the Avant Garde - Pierre Henry via two members of Can (Holger Czukay/Jaki Liebezeit) - alongside a host of other notable names including Grant Hart, guitarist Sonny Burgess, jazz musician Phil Cohran, broadcaster Brian Matthew, Tom Petty, drummer Clyde Stubblefield, Steely Dan’s Walter Becker, and Joni Sledge of Sister Sledge.

Producer: Henry Lopez Real for the BBC

The Leisure Society

New Year’s Eve, 1-2pm

In this new series, presenter Gemma Cairney interviews cultural icons, tastemakers, artists and musicians about their pastimes, hobbies, collections and loves beyond what they are known for. In the first of the series, Gemma chats to Goldie, and after a hot yoga session in South London, he explains how yoga saved his life.

He opens up about a range of topics from the legendary Blue Note Metalheadz nights in Hoxton, to meeting his graffiti idols in New York, to his relationship with Bjork, his first forays into yoga and how he finally got over his addictions through the Hoffman Process.

Goldie is a musician, DJ, visual artist and actor. A graffiti and album cover artist before his career in music, Goldie became well known for his role in the 1990s UK rave scene, in musical styles such as jungle and breakbeat hardcore. His 1995 album, Timeless, entered the UK charts at Number 7. His acting credits include the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough and Guy Ritchie's Snatch (2000).

In the series Gemma also meets Turner Prize nominated artist Tracey Emin, lead guitarist with The Breeders, Kelley Deal, and punk pioneer and provocateur, Cosey Fanni Tutti.

Gemma says: “It’s such an insight and privilege to find out about and explore the secret passions of these fantastic artists. It’s a great opportunity to get beyond what we normally see and know about them and chat outside of a studio too!”

Producer: Jax Coombes for the BBC

The xx

New Year’s Eve, 8-10pm

To get New Year’s Eve started, in this two hour show The xx - AKA Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Simm and Jamie Smith - provide their pick of the best music of 2017, plus some of their all-time favourite records.

Formed in 2005 in Wandsworth, London, The xx are known for their ambient and minimalist sound which blends various styles including dream pop, indie electronic and electronic rock. The band have released three studio albums to date, the first of which, xx, in 2009, went to Number 3 in the UK Album Chart, and was followed by Coexist (2012) and I See You (2017) which both went to Number 1.

The xx say: “We can’t wait to take over 6 Music on New Years’ Eve! We’re going back to back playing our favourite songs. It’s going to be a lot of fun!”

Producer: Adam Hudson for the BBC

Nemone's Electric Ladyland

New Year’s Eve, 10pm-1am

With a party show and a half, in this live, music-filled New Year’s Eve celebration, Nemone counts down to midnight and takes listeners through to 1am. Expect dancefloor anthems, New Year vibes and plenty of shout outs for those partying tonight. Listeners can expect a mix of proper old skool party bangers alongside the best Electric Ladyland tunes of the year.