DJ Spoony BEM | |
|---|---|
| Born | John St John Joseph 25 June 1970 Hackney, London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | djspoony |
John St John Joseph BEM (born 25 June 1970 [1] ), also known as Johnathan Joseph and professionally as DJ Spoony, is a British DJ, radio and television presenter. He is a member of the UK garage production trio, the Dreem Teem. Spoony also presents his BBC Radio 2 show The Good Groove.
Joseph was born in Hackney, East London [2] to British West Indian parents. As Spoony, his career started on London Underground (a leading pirate radio station in the mid-nineties), forming the trio the Dreem Teem with Mikee B (of Top Buzz) and Timmi Magic. With the Dreem Teem, he joined Kiss 100 in December 1997, followed by bringing UK garage nationally to BBC Radio 1 in January 2000. They went on to win a Sony Award in their first year. [3]
He went on to host the Weekend Breakfast show on Radio 1 between October 2003 and September 2006. Listeners could join the Early Doors Club, play Judge Fudge, and become a Local Legend. Another long-running feature was Mills & Spoon (a nameplay on the Mills & Boon books), in which Scott Mills read out love stories every Sunday. On 31 July 2006, the BBC announced that Spoony was to leave Radio 1 after six years with the station to concentrate on Five Live work. His early breakfast slot was replaced by Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates. [4] He presented his final Radio 1 show on 17 September 2006.
He then commenced hosting 606 on Radio 5 Live as well as 'Spoony Meets...', a series of shows in which he interviewed various personalities from British football, including Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and David Beckham.
He joined Radio 2 with a new show in February 2019. On 25 October 2021, he stood in for Steve Wright for one day only. [5] He has also deputised for Ken Bruce and Craig Charles on the station. On 22 July 2022, Spoony joined BBC Radio 2 permanently and can be heard every Friday from 9-11pm with his show ‘The Good Groove’ [6] He now deputises for Scott Mills and Trevor Nelson on their regular shows.
DJ Spoony currently presents The Good Groove on BBC Radio 2 [7]
In 2006, he took part in the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing , partnering with Ola Jordan. They were eliminated in the third week of the competition. He has also appeared on The Weakest Link and A Question of Sport , and was a winning contestant on the celebrity version of quiz Mastermind , choosing "The Life and Times of Ray Charles" as his specialist subject. [8]
Joseph was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to charities through music during the COVID-19 pandemic. [9]
Joseph is an ambassador for the Golf Roots Foundation and also organises an annual golf tournament at Stoke Park Club, Buckinghamshire. [10] [11] He lives in Bedfordshire. [12]