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He could have announced his departure last year, but alas, he would have been "One Year Out" instead. British radio institution Ken Bruce will hang up his BBC headphones at the end of March in order to replace them with some Greatest Hits Radio ones, (and those with DAB radios, with a bit of tuning if one needs to, it is usually the station after Gold UK alphabetically, and not Gold as in UK Gold either). The last link with the "old school" Radio that consisted of Wogan, Jimmy Young, David Hamilton and John Dunn - and now he was the veteran of the station. Apart from 1990-1991 where mostly female presenters such as Judith Chalmers took his place, he has had been an ever-present on weekday mornings since 1986, and had originally replaced Jimmy Young in that slot. Indeed, apart from the early 1990s Radio 2 has had just three longstanding presenters there in 50 years. Bruce, Young and Pete Murray covered mid-morning weekdays on Radio 2 for the best part of half a century.
Mid-morning weekday presenters have often had long stints on the BBC's national radio network; Simon Bates occupied Radio 1 in an identical slot from 1977 to 1993, and it was Tony Blackburn who was in the same slot before Bates that launched the famous Golden Hour. One reason for this is because national radio probably has a higher audience in the mornings than local radio, as result of people putting the kettle on, doing housework and also listening while they are doing their jobs "tea up, Gov?" - no doubt that many doctors' surgeries, Kwik-Fit garages and hairdressers also had Radio 2 in the background, and I think that Bruce was the main reason for that! Either that or Woman's Hour talking about feminist issues I assume.
Ken Bruce was born on the second day of the second month of the second year in the 1950s, and so it was apt that the number two would also play in what he was strongly associated with. He was a presenter on Radio 2 for two and a half hours each weekday morning, and even his holidays more or less coincided with school term time holidays in later years! He took over from Terry Wogan on the Breakfast Show when Wogan left to focus on his new chat show in 1985 - Brucie was a bit like Wogan with a Scottish accent! When Derek Jameson got the Breakfast Show slot after successful stand in presenting for Jimmy Young, Bruce got the 9.30 am slot Mondays to Fridays with Jimmy Young after him at 11.00 am. By Easter 1990 he went back to breakfast presenting, with the Early Show and then swapping with the late Chris Stuart with the Late Show, and then went back to mid-mornings in January 1992, where he has stayed ever since, and what with David Jacob's post-lunchtime hour ended, Bruce's show extended to 11.30 am. In May 1998, it was extended to 12.00 noon, with either Jimmy Young or Jeremy Vine revealing what they had on their programmes at around 11.30 am.
It was around the same time when ii was extended to midday that Popmaster was formed - David Hamilton had a similar quiz on his mid-afternoon show in the mid 1980s but it didn't last as long or had the cult following as Popmaster did. I certainly was first aware of Popmaster in around May of 1998 - it rn in two parts back then - the first part before 11.00 am and the second part of the quiz after it. Popmaster nicely complemented the late Ed Stewart's Accumulator Quiz which had been running for a while in the afternoons in the mid 1990s. A programme within a programme, as the UK Game Shows website has said in the past - I certainly listen when I can, and when I am "out and about" with the portable DAB radio. The enjoyment of national radio and hearing someone from Cornwall play against someone from Caithness, all to answer questions on pop music and get a t-shirt or Blue Tooth speaker. Just before Christmas I even saw board game versions of Popmaster in John Lewis. Contestants often avoided "Once at One"; "Same Title, Different Song"; "Eurovision Hits" and "Name the Year" like the plague, even though every quiz had a Name the Year question; one that I often got right if it was a 1960s, 1970s or 1980s year, unless it was a "30, 20, and 10" one.
And of course, one was twice as likely to be One Year Out than to be spot on with the Name the Year question for obvious reasons - if the correct answer was 1984 for example, and 1983 and 1985 would be "one year out". Highlights included the tie-breaks such as the April Fools Day joke which ended up in a never-ending tie break (not to be confused with Rob Brydon standing in for him in 2011); and the tie-break which had to be decided on a coin being tossed for declare the winner. Now we know that there will not be another April Fools Day edition of the programme, thanks to Bruce standing down in March. Remember that "old lady" who tried to take part called Gladys and she said that liked bungee jumping? "That's so fascinating, but I tell you what, I think that we will get a genuine contestant - all the best", Ken Bruce responded, easily seeing through that "Gladys" was not a genuine person. And Melksham's Andy "Mr Christmas" Park was even a contestant at least once; no doubt that his strength was on Christmas music.
The Three in Ten never seemed to be Elvis Presley; Sir Cliff Richard or the Beatles for obvious reasons, but at least they were never groups or singers that only had one hit wonders! The "can I say a few hellos, Ken?" which later became "you can spend the next thirty seconds giving shout-outs to anyone you know" became an audio Facebook to the contestant, and only then do they ask for a signed photograph! And then we hear an over five minute tune such as John Miles' Music or Richard Harris' Macarthur Park until we reach the pre-11.00 am travel news, unless the quiz overrun via a tie-break (I wonder how close to the 11.00 am news it did overrun?) Speaking of Sir Cliff, I really enjoyed his pre-Christmas interview with him where his Christmas song was launched - a pity that LadBaby got the Christmas spot instead like they always seem to do at the end of the year.
In the days when the Popmaster slot was Pick of the Hits, pre-1998; Bruce also had the Headline hunt; he gave a chance for listeners to fax their apologies (remember that?), and had a great double-act with travel news presenters such as Lynn Bowles. The Tracks of My Years also gave sub-Desert Island Discs interviews to celebrities and their favourite music. I just hope that whoever gets the mid-morning lot will have a lot of expectation from their predecessor - they will have a lot to live up for. And it doesn't look as if Popmaster will stay either, which is a pity. The humour of wrong buttons being pressed in the studio and things like that, for example the Popmaster button instead of the travel news button - it wasn't the end of the world but it did make great radio.
When 11th November falls on a weekday, I often observe the two minute silence via Radio 2 after listening to Ken Bruce and Popmaster - this is what I have done for many years now. Ken Bruce's show is what I call, national unity on the radio, and the fact that it is a mid-morning weekday show helps this. The fact that it is the final pre-2000 show to leave really feels that we have reached the end in many ways. Almost like the end of the reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. I would have preferred Jeremy Vine to have left Radio 2 next and so I believe that Ken Bruce's departure is the true end of Radio 2 as we know it. Regular stand-in presenters in recent years after often used and decided as replacements, and so my money would be on Gary Davies filling Bruce's shoes. Vine was a stand-in for Jimmy Young and Johnnie Walker did the same for John Dunn, and both presenters succeeded those that they were standing in for.
I don't know whether I will be as loyal to his successor as I would have been to him - the absence of Popmaster makes me feel that things won't be the same again, and nether will my weekday radio listening patterns. It is the true end of a broadcasting era.
Mid-morning weekday presenters have often had long stints on the BBC's national radio network; Simon Bates occupied Radio 1 in an identical slot from 1977 to 1993, and it was Tony Blackburn who was in the same slot before Bates that launched the famous Golden Hour. One reason for this is because national radio probably has a higher audience in the mornings than local radio, as result of people putting the kettle on, doing housework and also listening while they are doing their jobs "tea up, Gov?" - no doubt that many doctors' surgeries, Kwik-Fit garages and hairdressers also had Radio 2 in the background, and I think that Bruce was the main reason for that! Either that or Woman's Hour talking about feminist issues I assume.
Ken Bruce was born on the second day of the second month of the second year in the 1950s, and so it was apt that the number two would also play in what he was strongly associated with. He was a presenter on Radio 2 for two and a half hours each weekday morning, and even his holidays more or less coincided with school term time holidays in later years! He took over from Terry Wogan on the Breakfast Show when Wogan left to focus on his new chat show in 1985 - Brucie was a bit like Wogan with a Scottish accent! When Derek Jameson got the Breakfast Show slot after successful stand in presenting for Jimmy Young, Bruce got the 9.30 am slot Mondays to Fridays with Jimmy Young after him at 11.00 am. By Easter 1990 he went back to breakfast presenting, with the Early Show and then swapping with the late Chris Stuart with the Late Show, and then went back to mid-mornings in January 1992, where he has stayed ever since, and what with David Jacob's post-lunchtime hour ended, Bruce's show extended to 11.30 am. In May 1998, it was extended to 12.00 noon, with either Jimmy Young or Jeremy Vine revealing what they had on their programmes at around 11.30 am.
It was around the same time when ii was extended to midday that Popmaster was formed - David Hamilton had a similar quiz on his mid-afternoon show in the mid 1980s but it didn't last as long or had the cult following as Popmaster did. I certainly was first aware of Popmaster in around May of 1998 - it rn in two parts back then - the first part before 11.00 am and the second part of the quiz after it. Popmaster nicely complemented the late Ed Stewart's Accumulator Quiz which had been running for a while in the afternoons in the mid 1990s. A programme within a programme, as the UK Game Shows website has said in the past - I certainly listen when I can, and when I am "out and about" with the portable DAB radio. The enjoyment of national radio and hearing someone from Cornwall play against someone from Caithness, all to answer questions on pop music and get a t-shirt or Blue Tooth speaker. Just before Christmas I even saw board game versions of Popmaster in John Lewis. Contestants often avoided "Once at One"; "Same Title, Different Song"; "Eurovision Hits" and "Name the Year" like the plague, even though every quiz had a Name the Year question; one that I often got right if it was a 1960s, 1970s or 1980s year, unless it was a "30, 20, and 10" one.
And of course, one was twice as likely to be One Year Out than to be spot on with the Name the Year question for obvious reasons - if the correct answer was 1984 for example, and 1983 and 1985 would be "one year out". Highlights included the tie-breaks such as the April Fools Day joke which ended up in a never-ending tie break (not to be confused with Rob Brydon standing in for him in 2011); and the tie-break which had to be decided on a coin being tossed for declare the winner. Now we know that there will not be another April Fools Day edition of the programme, thanks to Bruce standing down in March. Remember that "old lady" who tried to take part called Gladys and she said that liked bungee jumping? "That's so fascinating, but I tell you what, I think that we will get a genuine contestant - all the best", Ken Bruce responded, easily seeing through that "Gladys" was not a genuine person. And Melksham's Andy "Mr Christmas" Park was even a contestant at least once; no doubt that his strength was on Christmas music.
The Three in Ten never seemed to be Elvis Presley; Sir Cliff Richard or the Beatles for obvious reasons, but at least they were never groups or singers that only had one hit wonders! The "can I say a few hellos, Ken?" which later became "you can spend the next thirty seconds giving shout-outs to anyone you know" became an audio Facebook to the contestant, and only then do they ask for a signed photograph! And then we hear an over five minute tune such as John Miles' Music or Richard Harris' Macarthur Park until we reach the pre-11.00 am travel news, unless the quiz overrun via a tie-break (I wonder how close to the 11.00 am news it did overrun?) Speaking of Sir Cliff, I really enjoyed his pre-Christmas interview with him where his Christmas song was launched - a pity that LadBaby got the Christmas spot instead like they always seem to do at the end of the year.
In the days when the Popmaster slot was Pick of the Hits, pre-1998; Bruce also had the Headline hunt; he gave a chance for listeners to fax their apologies (remember that?), and had a great double-act with travel news presenters such as Lynn Bowles. The Tracks of My Years also gave sub-Desert Island Discs interviews to celebrities and their favourite music. I just hope that whoever gets the mid-morning lot will have a lot of expectation from their predecessor - they will have a lot to live up for. And it doesn't look as if Popmaster will stay either, which is a pity. The humour of wrong buttons being pressed in the studio and things like that, for example the Popmaster button instead of the travel news button - it wasn't the end of the world but it did make great radio.
When 11th November falls on a weekday, I often observe the two minute silence via Radio 2 after listening to Ken Bruce and Popmaster - this is what I have done for many years now. Ken Bruce's show is what I call, national unity on the radio, and the fact that it is a mid-morning weekday show helps this. The fact that it is the final pre-2000 show to leave really feels that we have reached the end in many ways. Almost like the end of the reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. I would have preferred Jeremy Vine to have left Radio 2 next and so I believe that Ken Bruce's departure is the true end of Radio 2 as we know it. Regular stand-in presenters in recent years after often used and decided as replacements, and so my money would be on Gary Davies filling Bruce's shoes. Vine was a stand-in for Jimmy Young and Johnnie Walker did the same for John Dunn, and both presenters succeeded those that they were standing in for.
I don't know whether I will be as loyal to his successor as I would have been to him - the absence of Popmaster makes me feel that things won't be the same again, and nether will my weekday radio listening patterns. It is the true end of a broadcasting era.
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