BBC DJ duo
Mark and Lard
is the stage name of
Mark Radcliffe
(Mark) and
Marc Riley
(Lard), who presented various weekday shows on
BBC Radio 1
from 1991 to March 2004.
Career
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Radcliffe, then a Radio 1 producer, began presenting specialist shows on the network in 1991, namely
Out on Blue Six
,
The Guest List
and
Skyman
. During this time, he also hosted
Hit the North
, a weekly
BBC Radio 5
music and comedy show from Manchester with Riley as its researcher, and latterly, co-producer and presenter. Riley also presented his own series,
Cult Radio
, during the summer of 1993.
On 25 October 1993, the pair transferred to Radio 1 full-time and began presenting a late night show from 10pm-midnight on Mondays-Thursdays, replacing
Nicky Campbell
's
Into the Night
. The
Graveyard Shift
featured a mix of comedy sketches, poetry readings, live sessions and guests, including regular contributors such as
Mark Kermode
,
Mark Lamarr
,
Stuart Maconie
,
Simon Armitage
,
Ian McMillan
and
Katie Puckrik
.
They had presented the
Radio 1 Breakfast
show as stand-ins for
Chris Evans
, and after his departure from Radio 1, Mark and Lard took over the flagship show on 17 February 1997. But low ratings led to the pair being replaced; they presented their last show in that time slot on 10 October 1997. Their eight-month tenure was the shortest of any Radio 1 Breakfast Show. Mark and Lard moved to an early afternoon slot (2-4pm, later 1-3pm), where they continued until 26 March 2004.
Throughout the afternoon show's run, regular features included spoof phone-in quizzes such as
It's a Sausage Roll
,
Circle of Chance
and
Fish or Fowl
. Other items on the show included
Downcount
,
Lard's Classic Cuts
and
Beat the Clock
. The pair became well known for a stock of catchphrases such as
Biggedy Biggedy Bong
,
Stop....carry on!
,
By Jovi
,
Cabbage Garden
and
Wickedy Wickedy Warp
. One of the many characters on the show was 'Fat Harry White' (Radcliffe with a
vocoder
) ? a thinly disguised parody of soul singer
Barry White
, this character was so successful he was given his own CD in 1998, entitled
Hmmm Baby
(The Seduction Selection, which was also his catchphrase) ? it peaked at number 83 in the UK charts. During the afternoon show's run, Mark and Lard went on to win three Golds at the
Radio Academy Awards
.
Throughout their Radio 1 career, the pair produced and broadcast their shows from the
BBC North West
studios at
New Broadcasting House, Manchester
? in contrast to the network's London-based content. The studios, closed in November 2011 and later demolished, were invariably dubbed on-air and in Radio Times' schedule billings as
The Palace of Glittering Delights
.
Shirehorses
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Mark and Lard are also the creators of the spoof
rock
band "
The Shirehorses
", who released two CD albums:
Leaving Radio 1
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]
In February 2004 the pair announced they were leaving Radio 1, with Radcliffe moving to
BBC Radio 2
and Riley moving to
BBC Radio 6 Music
.
[1]
Their last show was broadcast on 26 March 2004 and featured a guest appearance by
Travis
, messages of commiseration from
Neil Hannon
,
Radiohead
,
Blur
(
Damon Albarn
composed a special song but "broke down in tears" before finishing it) and
Kelly Jones
of
The Stereophonics
, whom they'd frequently insulted during the show's run. They also received a bouquet of flowers from
Paul McCartney
. At the end of their last show, Riley sat in the silent studio sighing. Radcliffe convinces him to buck up and come to the pub to buy him a drink. But they had time for a swift half a catchphrase: "Stop!" Then the door closed and the show was over.
[2]
It was followed by a silence of some twenty seconds causing the network to switch to the emergency tape; this was believed to be a final opportunity to make a nuisance of themselves, but was a result of show overrunning and studio staff in London not being in place when the show finally ended.
[
citation needed
]
They subsequently worked together on the
Mark & Lard's Football Nightmares
DVD. They had previously presented
Match of the Nineties
, which showed highlights of English football seasons from 1989 to 1999, during the summer of 1999.
Carry On: An Evening with Mark and Lard
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On Thursday 25th January 2024,
Craig Charles
, on his BBC 6 Music radio show, announced that there would be a one off live show where Mark and Lard would reunite on 24th March 2024 at The Bowden Rooms, Altrincham with a live stream going out at the same time on YouTube.
References
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