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BBC Introducing in Oxfordshire and Berkshire is a local music show in
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
, and part of the main
BBC Introducing BBC Music Introducing is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. The backbone of that network consists of 32 BBC local radio shows on stations across England and the Channel Islands, various ...
brand. The show is broadcast between 20:00 and 22:00 on Thursday nights on
BBC Oxford The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public broadcasting, public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved in ...
and is presented by Dave Gilyeat and Alex West.


History

BBC Oxford Introducing began as an internet only radio show, available weekly on the
BBC Oxford The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public broadcasting, public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved in ...
website and presented by Tim Bearder and Dave Gilyeat. The programme then launched on BBC Radio Oxford in March 2005 as 'The Download'. It was transmitted on Friday nights for ten weeks, before moving to Saturdays. In May 2011 it moved temporarily to Sundays. With the launch of the new BBC Introducing brand in 2007 The Download was renamed BBC Oxford Introducing. In February 2009, a new tool was launched on the BBC Introducing website to allow users to upload their music directly to the presenters. In September 2009 BBC Oxford Introducing launched its own BBC podcast. From 2010 the show has curated its own stage at
Truck Festival Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. Truck Festival started in 1998, founded by the Bennett family (including the brothers Robin and Joe of the band Goldrush). The Bennett family decided that mainstr ...
. In 2023 the Oxfordshire and Berkshire shows were merged because of BBC cuts. It moved to a two-hour slot on Thursdays, with a Saturday repeat.


Format

The show plays one hour of local music every week. This includes a live session from a local act, a tip from
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
, and a recommendation from Ronan Munro, editor of music magazine '' Nightshift''. It used to feature a weekly cameo from Bill Heine. In September 2010, original co-host Tim Bearder departed the show to concentrate on his work for
BBC News Online BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...
. He later moved into politics.


Notable successes

BBC Oxford Introducing regularly gives local acts their first radio play. It showcased
Foals A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...
at an early live gig and secured a slot at
Radio 1's Big Weekend BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by BBC Radio 1. It is held once a year, in a different l ...
for
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
. This led to the band's appearance on Later... with Jools Holland. Lewis Watson received his first radio interview in February 2012. The team provided
Glastonbury festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
sets for
Glass Animals Glass Animals are a British indie rock band formed in Oxford, England in 2010. The band's line-up consists of Dave Bayley (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, songwriting), Drew MacFarlane (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Edmund Irwin-Singe ...
and A Silent Film, and
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
appearances for Mr Fogg. Little Fish were awarded a headline slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds and a
Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district in North West London, England, north of Paddington, southwest of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn, on Edgware Road. It is part of the City of Westminster and is northwest of Charing C ...
session. January 2011 saw Fixers featured on the
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
playlist. The band, whose first radio play was on the show in August 2009, were also awarded slots on the
T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
and Reading and Leeds Festivals stages.


Acts of the Year

Each year the show singles out a musician or band for the Act of the Year award. Previous recipients have included
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
(2009),
Glass Animals Glass Animals are a British indie rock band formed in Oxford, England in 2010. The band's line-up consists of Dave Bayley (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, songwriting), Drew MacFarlane (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Edmund Irwin-Singe ...
(2014), Willie J Healey (2015), Rhys Lewis (2019), S1mba (2020), and Artemas (2024).


Controversy

Presenter Tim Bearder was so taken with
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
that he played an hour of their songs on his Breakfast show. BBC bosses suspended him for two days for doing so.


Official releases

BBC Oxford Introducing has released four charity CD compilations in aid of
Children In Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
. The first, The Download Sessions, featured acoustic performances by local bands. This was followed by A Quantum of Covers, which featured local artists covering
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
songs. The programme celebrated its five-year anniversary in March 2010 with Round the Bends, a recreation of
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
's The Bends as performed by Oxfordshire artists. To mark the BBC's Beatles Day (the 50th anniversary of the release of
Love Me Do "Love Me Do" is the debut single by the English rock band the Beatles, backed by " P.S. I Love You". When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1962, it peaked at number 17. It was released in the United States i ...
) the programme released a 5-song EP called Cover Me Do.


References


External links


The official BBC Oxford Introducing website

Nightshift Music Magazine

BBC Introducing Uploader

The official BBC Introducing website

BBC Introducing on MySpace

BBC Introducing on Radio1

BBC Introducing on BBC 6 Music

List of BBC Introducing local shows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bbc Oxford Introducing Music in Oxfordshire BBC music
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
Mass media in Oxford 1970 establishments in England