A Rhyme for Beef
Greg James heads into the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ archives to dig out rare, prime audio using stories of the week and listener requests as his launch-pad.
Greg James, host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show and proud radio nerd, heads into the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ archives to deliver a selection of prime audio, using stories of the week and listener requests as his launch-pad.
An email takes Greg to the London markets of 1935, where he meets the porters of Billingsgate who can carry up to 150kg of fish on their heads. He finds himself embroiled in the 1925 'market song wars', sparked when the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ played a foxtrot called Eat More Fruit which extolled the virtues of a fruit-based diet. The meat sellers of Smithfield and the fish purveyors of Billingsgate were up in arms and set about composing their own songs in retaliation.
As singer, model, actor and all-round icon Grace Jones turns 75, Greg finds some extraordinary interviews in the archive. She talks about her tough upbringing, her stunts with a six-foot stick while filming A View to a Kill, and we hear her first Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ appearance on a variety show called Seaside Special. Then there's the infamous interview with Russell Harty, one of the most famous chat show moments of all time, when a sleep-deprived Grace lashed out at the host.
Greg goes in search of the elusive concept of 'the spirit of cricket'. Is it in the village of Tilford on a rainy day in 1936? Maybe it's in the unconventional diet of legendary England fast bowler Harold Larwood? Or perhaps Ainsley Harriott can help?
And as a new Mission Impossible film opens in cinemas, Greg's mission is to uncover the exploits and adventures of British secret agents. He hears from a Second World War saboteur who recalls his parachute training, and from a member of the Special Operations Executive who finds out his comrade is a double agent and has an impossible decision to make.
Producer: Tim Bano