25-552: Gary Davies (born 13 December 1957) is a British broadcaster . From 1982 to 1993 he was a BBC Radio 1 disc jockey and a regular presenter of Top of the Pops . As of 2024 Gary Davies can be heard on BBC Radio 2 presenting Saturday night show Sounds of the 80s, as well as regularly standing in for other presenters including Zoe Ball , Vernon Kay , Sara Cox , OJ Borg , Dermot O'Leary , Rylan Clark , Trevor Nelson , Scott Mills and DJ Spoony . After working in marketing for
50-499: A Sunday late night slot. The 'Lots of Love' feature moved to this show, with dedications being read out over the music to Dances with Wolves . During this period, he could also be heard deputising for weekday presenters who were taking their holidays, usually Steve Wright or Nicky Campbell . On 11 November 1993 Davies was dismissed. His last record was Layla by Derek and the Dominoes — which had also been his first record on
75-507: A decade. Another example would be American stand-up comedian Joe Rogan , who is a commentator and post-fight interviewer in UFC . The term is commonly used in many countries including Canada, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Barbados, Sri Lanka , India, Spain, Denmark, Greece, Australia, Egypt, Andorra, Malta, San Marino, Japan and South Korea. In the US , such a person is typically called
100-589: A franchise agreement. On 25 March 2014, the stations began a transition period to the Heart branding. The Real Radio branding was phased out on Sunday 20 April 2014 - for the time being, all stations are referred to on air as The Heart of (TSA) . The full launch of the new Heart stations took place at 6 am on Tuesday 6 May 2014. All local programming is retained with networked output on all stations carried from Global's Leicester Square studios in London, replacing
125-411: A host, such as in the terminology talk show host , or an MC ( Master of ceremonies ). In the context of TV news programs, they are known as anchors . Real Radio Real Radio was a network of five regional radio stations broadcasting to North East England, North West England, Scotland, Wales and Yorkshire. Each station broadcasts a mix of local and networked programming. On Tuesday 6 May 2014,
150-556: A mail order company, working for a Rawtenstall company which manufactured candlewick bathroom and bedroom soft furnishings and managing a Manchester disco, in the late 70s Davies was a DJ in Placemate 7 Manchester. He regularly hosted artists in Placemate 4 music rooms and began his broadcasting career at Manchester's Piccadilly Radio in 1979 before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1982 to present a Saturday late night show, making his debut on 4 December 1982 (as did Janice Long ). Within weeks he
175-496: A programme about their field of expertise (for instance, David Attenborough ). Some are celebrities who have made their name in one area, then leverage their fame to get involved in other areas. Examples of this latter group include British comedian Michael Palin who now presents programmes about travel (such as Around the World in 80 Days ), and American actor Alan Alda , who presented Scientific American Frontiers for over
200-559: A re-organisation of the Radio 2 DJ roster, following changes to the station's evening line-up, Davies took over from Sara Cox as the new host of Radio 2's Sounds of the 80s . He also provides holiday cover for fellow Radio 2 presenters including Zoe Ball , Sara Cox , OJ Borg , Dermot O'Leary , Vernon Kay , and Rylan Clark . On 24 February 2023, it was announced that Davies would be the temporary presenter of BBC Radio 2's mid-morning show from 6 March, following Ken Bruce 's departure from
225-505: A second licence. In June 2001, Scot FM was acquired from the Wireless Group for £25.5 million. Scot FM would become Real Radio's second station at 8 am on Tuesday 8 January 2002. A bid to expand the service to Aberdeenshire in 2006 proved unsuccessful, losing out to Original 106 . Real Yorkshire , the third station, launched on 25 March 2002 and broadcast to South & West Yorkshire. In 2008, John Myers convinced
250-566: A well-known hit for listeners to identify. On Sunday 6 September 1987 he presented the Sunday afternoon stereo countdown of the Top 40 from 5 pm to 7 pm, filling in for Bruno Brookes . Davies was promoted with the catchphrase "Young, Free and Single" and a jingle "Wooh! Gary Davies". Davies' own show rarely changed until it was rebranded in 1991 as Let's Do Lunch , with new features, including 'Spin & Win' (a variation on 'Willy on
275-601: Is a person who introduces or hosts television programs , often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people who garnered fame in other fields to take on this role, but some people have made their name solely within the field of presenting—such as children's television series or infomercials —to become television personalities. Often, presenters may double for being famed in other fields, such as an actor , model , comedian , musician , doctor , etc. Others may be subject-matter experts, such as scientists or politicians, serving as presenters for
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#1732771733253300-591: The GMG board to invest £1 million in documentaries, a first for modern-day UK commercial radio which would lead to several industry awards. Myers left GMG shortly afterwards. Real North East and Real North West were introduced from the Century Network on 30 March 2009. Both stations were founded by GMG Radio chief executive John Myers, who acquired the two from GCap Media in October 2006. The Discover
325-467: The GMG radio stations would continue to operate separately until a regulatory review into the sale took place. Secretary of State Maria Miller announced in October 2012 that the sale would not be investigated on the grounds of plurality. The Competition Commission was due to publish its final report on 27 March 2013, but delays over the decision left the former GMG stations in a hold separate situation. A holding company called Real and Smooth Limited
350-465: The Plonker', with a cryptic clue replacing the frenetic piano work) and the 'Classic Track' featuring a piece of classical music. Previous feature The Sloppy Bit (a dedication followed by love song) was unchanged but renamed 'Lots of Love'. He also introduced 'The Non Stop Half Hour' from after the 2.30 pm news until 3 pm, which was half an hour of non-stop music. With updated technology,
375-711: The Real You strapline was introduced to all stations. In July 2008, networked programming was introduced across all stations during evening and overnight timeslots, and in November 2012 this was increased to daytime timeslots. Most networked programming was broadcast from studios in Salford Quays . Notable presenters included Chris Tarrant and Ryan Seacrest who fronted a bespoke version of his syndicated US entertainment show On Air with Ryan Seacrest . The most recognised strapline Real good, feel good radio ,
400-563: The Sunday late night show from 10 pm to 2 am. This gave him the chance to revive his Sunday night format. In 1997, Davies moved to an earlier slot on Sundays from 6-10pm, before moving on to present the weekday late night slot in January 1999, where he remained until December 2000. Davies was heard on the Real Radio and the Century Network , presenting a CD chart show every Sunday originally from 1 to 4 pm but from 2006
425-506: The chart rundown was moved forward to Sundays from 4 October 1987. Instead, Davies did countdowns of the US chart and the UK album chart – although the US chart he featured was not the official Billboard one, but an airplay-only chart compiled by Radio and Records magazine. In 1992, Davies moved from the lunchtime show to the weekend breakfast, keeping a selection of the features. He also started
450-421: The show went out from 4 pm to 7 pm. However, this finished in mid-2008. Currently he owns a publishing company called Good Groove, where he also manages new artists. Good Groove's first publishing hit was "Black Coffee" by All Saints and Davies later went on to sign singer Corinne Bailey Rae . On 20 March 2017, during Sara Cox 's Sounds of the 80s 24-hour Danceathon for Red Nose Day 2017 , Davies
475-527: The station 11 years earlier. Davies was the last Radio 1 DJ to host Top of the Pops before the show's "year zero" revamp in October 1991. In January 1994, Davies moved to Virgin Radio , presenting their Sunday morning Classic Tracks slot from 10 am to 2 pm. The show later went out from 9 am to 1 pm and he remained there until early 1995. After a brief sabbatical, Davies then rejoined Virgin Radio in December 1995, taking over
500-469: The station until the new permanent presenter Vernon Kay took over in May. On 17 February 2024, Davies became the temporary host of BBC Radio 2 show Pick of the Pops following the death of Steve Wright. Davies hosted the programme until 29 June, with Mark Goodier taking over on 6 July. Television presenter A television presenter (or television host , some become a " television personality ")
525-620: The stations were merged with the Heart network . Sir Robert Phillis , the former GMG chief executive, enlisted John Myers to establish GMG Radio . Myers became the company's managing director in 1999, and won GMG its first licence in South Wales in April 2000. Real Radio (Wales) launched on Tuesday 3 October 2000. Initially serving south and west Wales, the station expanded to north and mid Wales in January 2011, over two years after winning
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#1732771733253550-635: Was formed. On 21 May 2013, the Competition Commission ruled Global would have to sell radio stations in seven areas of the UK - including all areas served by a Real Radio station. A subsequent appeal by Global was rejected at a tribunal. On 6 February 2014, Global Radio announced it would be rebranding all Real Radio stations as Heart and be selling Real Radio Yorkshire and the Northern licence of Real Radio Wales to Communicorp . Heart's network programming and brand name will be used under
575-412: Was interviewed by Simon Mayo on Simon Mayo Drivetime . and later on 9 June 2017, Davies stood in for Sara Cox to present a special 2¾ hour edition of Sounds of the 80s on BBC Radio 2 . This was his first time back on BBC Radio after 23 years away. In October 2017, January & October 2018, and October/November 2020, Davies sat in for Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show . On 18 May 2018, as part of
600-784: Was introduced in March 2012. In August 2012, the two former Century Network stations, in the North East and the North West, were gaining just half the listeners they once had. Both saw a decline in Listening Share In TSA ;% when comparing Q2 period in 2011 and 2012, from 6.30% to 4.8%, and 3.9% to 3.0% respectively. Figures for Scotland also lowered whilst Wales and Yorkshire steadied. On 25 June 2012, Global Radio (the owner of stations such as Capital and Heart ) announced it had bought GMG Radio , however
625-483: Was on the roster to present Top of the Pops on BBC television alongside his Radio 1 colleagues. In 1984, Davies took over the lunchtime show. He called it The Bit in the Middle which consisted of features, such as 'The Day-To-Day Challenge', in which the same person would go on air each weekday to answer quiz questions and try to upgrade their prize, and 'Willy on the Plonker', which involved crazed piano -playing of
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