Roger Hill is a British radio presenter, producer and art director, from

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

England. He is best known for presenting the UK's longest-running alternative music programme called 'The Popular Music Show' on

BBC Radio Merseyside BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC's local radio station serving Merseyside, North and West Cheshire and West Lancashire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds, from studios on Hanover Street in Liverpool. According to RAJAR, t ...

Life

Hill was raised in

, England. He studied at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, receiving a degree in English and Drama. Hill went on to become a teacher in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, England. After he left the city, he was unemployed and put on one of the first job creation schemes, after moving in with his brother in

Newcastle Upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, and found work in a theatre company in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Career

In the 1970s and 1980s, he helped local teenagers to act, write and direct as a director at

’s

Everyman Youth Theatre The Everyman and Playhouse Youth Theatre is a Liverpool-based stage and drama company for young people in Merseyside. Located at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, the Youth Theatre is open to teenagers and provides weekly sessions in a wide variety o ...

. In the 1990s, he performed on stage as his alter ego Mandy Romero. Hill has presented 'The Popular Music Show' (or 'PMS') since 1982 when he joined

. It was previously called 'Pure Musical Sensations' and 'Rockaround'. It was first presented by Phil Ross. The programme was previously rock-oriented, with various musical genres added in later years. Roger was asked to take over the show after Ross left to work in London. Hill also presents 'PMS' on the digital radio station Melodic Distraction. In 2015, Hill was featured in a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

programme 'Man with the

Mohican The Mohicans ( or ) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, whose indigenous territory was ...

', highlighting the impact Hill had on generations of city performers. In 2022, Hill celebrated 40 years as the presenter and producer of 'The Popular Music Show' on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, with a special edition of the programme. Hill helped set up the Citadel Arts Centre in St Helens, in which he contributed to Arts Council policy on community theatre. Hill was previously a lecturer at the Liverpool Institute of Performance Arts. Alongside broadcasting, Hill has worked in educational research, theatre, drama and Performance Art duties at the Bluecoat Art Centre.

References

English television personalities English radio presenters English radio DJs Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-radio-bio-stub