Blur bassist Alex James and Blue Peter's Konnie Huq have signed up to present the comeback of music show The Tube.
The groundbreaking programme, which propelled hosts Paula Yates and Jools Holland to fame, is returning on the radio 19 years after it was last broadcast on Channel 4.
The Tube gave Wet Wet Wet, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Housemartins and the Fine Young Cannibals their first breaks, and featured Madonna's debut UK TV performance.
The original programme ran for five series between 1982, the year Channel 4 was launched, and 1987.
It is being resurrected on Channel 4's web-based radio service, launched in preparation for a digital licence bid to create competitors to the BBC's radio stations. |
Newcomer Emily Rose, 22, who has presented on MTV and appeared in several Hip Hop videos, will be joining Huq and James on the weekly show.
The Tube will be presented in Manchester in front of a live studio audience and will feature a mix of new and unsigned acts and established names.
The Tube was home to Eighties bands such as The Boomtown Rats, REM, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, U2 and Wham, and became famous for the flirtatious interview style of Yates, who once persuaded Sting to remove his trousers.
Blur bassist James, 37, said: "I'm very excited to be presenting the new Tube. I'm looking forward to being part of something unpredictable. The programme will be intelligent and funny, serious and irreverent. This is a completely new recipe for radio. Mix a whole bucket of music show with a tablespoon of contemporary art, a teaspoon of rocket science and a pinch of bottom. Stand well back and listen for an hour."
https://www.channel4radio.com |
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