Bill Rennells

Last updated

Bill Rennells
Born
William Rennells

(1931-07-25) 25 July 1931 (age 93)
Canterbury, England
OccupationRadio broadcaster
Years active1950s-present

Bill Rennells (born William Rennells, 25 July 1931) [1] is an English broadcaster and former journalist, who presented Harmony Night on BBC Radio Oxford, Kent and Berkshire until 2023. Rennells previously hosted the late-night programme Nightride on BBC Radio 2 for 14 years.

Born in Canterbury, Rennells spent 25 years working as a journalist for various newspapers throughout the south of England, these included the Kentish Gazette , Eastbourne Gazette and Oxford Mail . In 1970 he joined the newly formed BBC Radio Oxford as a news producer and then became a freelance presenter on Radio Nottingham.

In November 1978 Rennells joined the national broadcaster BBC Radio 2 as presenter of the Thursday edition of the graveyard slot, he also co-hosted the Monday night programme Music from the Movies. In 1980 he began presenting both the Sunday and Thursday graveyard programmes. In February 1984 he took over the early morning programme and occasionally deputised for Ray Moore on the early breakfast show. In November 1984 he began presenting the late-night programme Nightride, which he presented until June 1993. He left Radio 2 soon after, however he did continue to present specialist programmes for the station until 1995. [2]

Rennells became one of the founding presenters of Saga Radio in 2004, where he presented a mid-morning programme. [3] In 2011 he returned to BBC Radio Oxford, where he stayed until 2023. For 13 years he presented the Sunday late night programme Harmony Night which was also simulcast on BBC Radio Kent and BBC Radio Berkshire. [4]

Rennells presented his final Harmony Night show on New Year's Eve 2023, after the show was axed due to local radio budget cuts. Rennells later revealed his Harmony Night programme is looking for a new home to broadcast on. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Oxford</span> Radio station in Oxford

BBC Radio Oxford is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Oxfordshire.

BBC Southern Counties Radio was the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Surrey and Sussex. The station also covered a large part of north-east Hampshire. It was the first BBC local radio station to introduce an all-speech format. It broadcast from studios in Brighton and Guildford on FM and AM, and on DAB on the NOW Sussex Coast multiplex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Kent</span> Radio station in Whitstable

Heart Kent was an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Kent from studios at John Wilson Business Park in Whitstable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Harris (radio presenter)</span> British broadcaster (born 1946)

Robert Brinley Joseph Harris, popularly known as "Whispering Bob" Harris, is an English music presenter. He was a host of the BBC2 music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test from 1972 to 1979, and was a co-founder of the listings magazine Time Out, co-editing until the early part of 1969. He has presented The Country Show on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday nights since April 1999, and Sounds of the 70s on Sunday afternoons since November 2024, replacing Johnnie Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Durbridge</span> British broadcaster

Don Durbridge was a UK radio presenter who started his career on the BBC Light Programme, and subsequently worked on the British Forces Broadcasting Service, and on BBC Radio 2,. He also broadcast for many years on BBC Radio Medway, BBC Radio Kent and Invicta Sound in Kent, and latterly on PrimeTime and Saga DAB radio. On PrimeTime he introduced the late night slot, In Mellow Mood, until the station's demise in 2006. He was also the regular matchday announcer for Fulham Football Club in the mid-1970s and for Gillingham Football Club during the 1980s.

Paul Burnett is an English radio disc jockey.

<i>BBC South Today</i> British TV news programme (since 1961)

BBC South Today is the BBC's regional television news service for the south of England, covering Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex, much of Dorset and parts of Surrey and Wiltshire. The service is produced and broadcast from the BBC South's Broadcasting House on Havelock Road in Southampton with district newsrooms based in Brighton, Dorchester, Guildford, Oxford, Reading, and Swindon.

<i>Pebble Mill at One</i> British television series (1972–1996)

Pebble Mill at One was a British television magazine programme that was broadcast live on weekdays at one o'clock on BBC1, from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986, and again from 14 October 1991 to 29 March 1996. It was transmitted from the Pebble Mill studios of BBC Birmingham, and uniquely was hosted from the centre's main foyer area, rather than a conventional television studio.

William Anthony Buckley is a radio and television presenter and former actor. For three years, he was a co-presenter of BBC Television's consumer affairs programme That's Life!. His career on BBC Radio finished at BBC Radio Berkshire. He he has presented shows on BBC Radio Berkshire, BBC Radio Solent, BBC Southern Counties Radio, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Oxford, London talk radio station LBC 97.3, BBC London 94.9 and other radio stations.

BBC Radio Manchester is the BBC's local radio station serving Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Peach</span> British radio presenter and newsreader

Andrew Peach is a radio presenter and event host in the United Kingdom.

Canterbury Student Radio (CSR FM) is a membership based student and community radio station based in Canterbury, England. It is currently funded by Kent Union based at the University of Kent. When actively broadcasting, the radio station airs a mixture of live and pre-recorded programming from Studio Red based in the Student Media Centre on the main campus 24 hours a day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Torrington</span> British DJ (born 1960)

Graham Torrington is a British radio presenter and broadcaster.

This is a list of events in British radio during 1984.

Night Ride is a long-running overnight radio programme that was heard for many years on BBC Radio 2. It first went on air in 1967, and was revived as part of a schedule overhaul in January 1984 when it was heard daily from 1am to 3am. In January 1991 it was extended to start at 12.35am, and by the middle of the decade it had become a three-hour programme, beginning at 12.05am.

This is a timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 1, a British national radio station which began in September 1967.

A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 2, a British national radio station which began broadcasting in September 1967.

A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 5 Live, and its predecessor BBC Radio 5.

A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 3, a British national radio station which began broadcasting in September 1967.

Phil Kennedy is a British broadcaster. He presents the podcast Phil Kennedy - Mildly Getting Away With It. His career includes work in British radio, television and podcasting.

References

  1. ↑ Annie, Grannie. "World War II in Canterbury". Silverrobin.
  2. ↑ "Bill Rennells - BBC Genome". BBC Genome.
  3. ↑ Mahoney, Elisabeth. "Radio Review - A bit fifty-fifty". Guardian.
  4. ↑ "BBC Local Radio - Harmony Night". BBC.
  5. ↑ "BBC radio legend addresses 'cruel' axing of show". The Independent.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.