Mike Harding has been sacked

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Because his show isnt live - that appears to be the only reason

Guardian link

Nooooooooooo bring back Mike cos I love his show :(

bump

Nobody cares but me!!!!

I tragically listen to Mike cos its usually on the radio following Mr Mayo when I doing some work and I am too lazy to get up. I will miss him. Seems a poor reason to sack him. Have they sacked the producer etc? They must have known he wasn't live.

I care. I love Mike. I used to tape his show the way other kids were taping the top 40 :(. It has made me very cross.

I reckon it is because folk has got more popular, or rather there is a lot of folk influenced pop at the moment and many people are finding folk through that, attending folk festivals and so on so they want a more popular presenter doing the show to draw those people in and increase listener numbers. Mark Radcliffe will probably do that. The show won't be the same though and I expect it to include a lot more Mumford and Sons type stuff and other popular artists like Kate Rusby (nothing against her, she is lovely just that she is a well known name and an entry route to folk for a lot of people) and a lot less really traditional music or really innovative stuff.

If anyone dares mess with Bob Harris I swear I will spill blood.

Someone else cares yay!

Mark Radcliffe isn't a folk fan is he? Or knowledgable?

Its nice that folk is more widely heard on the radio nowadays but that is absolutely no substitute for a specialist show!
Listen to the band (can't get much more specialist) for example - it bet that is prerecorded.
Sunday love songs - ditto
Friday night art show - recent episode seemed per recorded.

Bring back Mike.........

I also love Johnny Walker on a Sunday late afternoon. He's recorded.

I think the nail has been hit on head - they want funky folk presenters.

exactly, it just won't be the same experience with Mark Radcliffe.

why does it matter that it is pre recorded? Not like there is going to be sudden breaking news in the folk world in the time between recording and airing. I hate to break it to the BBC but most of their most popular TV shows are pre recorded.

Ooh don't know Indrith, someone might break a guitar string. Earth shattering news and I couldn't wait a week to hear that news.

The one thing I love about Mike is his history, he will talk about a gig 20 yes ago and about lyrics that relate to something way back.

Wasn't it Radcliffe that used to do the Mark and Lard show

Mark and Lard was a show I hated so much I used to 'fly' to the radio to switch it off the minute it came on - vile and not funny (or folk)

Is Mark Radcliffe going to be doing a folk show?
I know he is into his weird folk stuff but not the historical stuff like Mike Harding. Shame.

Yep, the Mark got Stuart Maconie. Now they did make good radio though Stuart Maconie is the better out of the pair of them. Got great knowledge and stories to tell.

Radcliffe is 54 - not exactly hip cool and youthful

I'm liking the BBC less and less :(

Dh suggested maybe they are streamlining to cut costs, keeping presenters that are on staff so to speak and getting rid of those that are freelance types. Not that I know if that is true of Mike Harding.

Radcliffe is a folk fan.
He covers the Cambridge folk festival.

This means that I can start listening to R2 in the evenings again.

I adore Radcliffe. I saw him at Clitheroe Grand last year - really good show.

I used to love Andy Kershaws world music show too (before he got intontrouble in his personal life)
He was ditched too - despite his unparalleled (afaik) knowledge of world music.

BBC also ditched the world music show from world service :(

Even if listeners would like to have Radcliffe present a show -that doesn't excuse the BBC bosses phoning Harding up and sacking him without warning in a two minute conversation, having not spoken to him for 15 years (since he was given the show)

That's disgusting! If you ask me, it is ageism having somebody younger already lined up for his job. Although Mike Harding has been around for years, he's not exactly a pewter tankard & Aran sweater merchant who believes folk is just about 40 verse ballads fgs!

"Dh suggested maybe they are streamlining to cut costs, keeping presenters that are on staff so to speak and getting rid of those that are freelance types. Not that I know if that is true of Mike Harding. "

IIRC it would make more sense to have freelancers as the BBC wouldn't have to pay all their taxes etc - all the extra costs that come with having someone on payroll. Freelancers are cheaper.

I'm not saing Radcliffe isn't a folk fan. I am saying it will be a very different show.

Plus of course as Thread says Harding has been ditched very bluntly for no reason.

Can you imagine that happening in any other line of work? "oh no sorry, I decided when I woke up this morning that I want Bob to be the line Manager instead so don't come back next week."

Apologies to Radcliffe as it seems he is "steeped in folk" but he is not Mr Harding whom I love!

telegraph link
this link also says he wrote music for danger mouse and count duckula (the theme tune?)

He's amazing, he's fantastic, wherever there is folk music he is there! (or was until BBC cruelly sacked him?

dueling it depends on how much you pay the freelancers. FIL is a contractor at the moment and the pay is way more than it would be if he were on staff. Ditto contracters dh works with, they are the ones they get rid of when cost cutting because they are so expensive. Course it may be different in the entertainment world.

I'm going to miss Mike though.

And... being fair to the BBC adn BBC radio - there's a history of changing presenters, moving the schedule around and so on. They do it all the time. Remember Dave Lee Travis and his outburst?

It is a real shame

That's a real shame. I started listening to Mike's show about a year ago when I drive home - I now really look forward to it! I like teh sound of his voice and he seems to really like what he is doing. Mark Radcliffe does not appeal to me nearlly as much.

Mike Harding's been sacked? But who's going to play his music? Pah.