Elis James and John Robins

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Elis James and John Robins
Elis James and John Robbins (42218648512).jpg
James and Robins at the 2018 British Podcast Awards
Genre Comedy, chat
Running time180 minutes (Xfm and Radio X, 2014–2019)
120 minutes (BBC Radio 5 Live, 2019–2023)
60 minutes (BBC Radio 5 Live, 2024-present)
Country of origin UK
Language(s) English
Home station Xfm London (2014–2015)
Radio X (2015–2019)
BBC Radio 5 Live (2019–present)
SyndicatesPodcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and BBC Sounds
Hosted by Elis James
John Robins
Produced byDave Masterman (2014–2017, 2019–present)
Vinay Joshi (2017–2019)
Recording studio Global Radio, Leicester Square, London (2014–2019)
Broadcasting House, London (2019–present)
Maida Vale Studios, London (2021)
Other studios The Comedy Store, Soho, London (One-off, 250th episode special recorded with a live studio audience in 2018)
James and Robins's homes (temporarily during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic)
Original release16 February 2014 
present
Audio format Stereophonic sound
Website Elis James and John Robins - Radio - Radio X, Elis James and John Robins on BBC Radio 5 Live
Podcast The Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Podcast, Elis James and John Robins on BBC 5 Live podcast

The Elis James and John Robins show is a weekly radio show presented by British comedians Elis James and John Robins. Formerly broadcast on commercial radio station Radio X, the show aired on BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday afternoons until the end of 2023. The show was also released as a weekly podcast from BBC Sounds with a specially-recorded intro. From 6 February 2024, the show changed formats to two weekly podcasts, with a one-hour highlights broadcast on 5 Live on Friday afternoons - a change nicknamed "The Great Reset". [1]

Contents

Robins has described the show as "a commercial indie radio show that has got wildly out of hand". [2]

History

James and Robins have been friends since meeting on the comedy circuit in 2005 and fantasised about making a radio show together. Xfm had a tradition of having weekend shows hosted by male comedians and after their agent submitted a demo, James and Robins were granted a weekend slot, following in the footsteps of Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, Adam and Joe, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand and Josh Widdicombe. [2] The Elis James and John Robins show debuted on Xfm London on Sunday 16 February 2014 in the 10:00am–1:00pm slot and was produced by Dave Masterman. The show moved to a Saturday 10:00am–1:00pm slot on 17 August 2014 before moving to Saturday afternoons from 1:00pm–4:00pm on 23 April 2016. [3] Xfm rebranded as Radio X and began broadcasting nationwide in September 2015. Following Dave Masterman's departure from Radio X in April 2017, Vinay Joshi, who had worked on the show as an unpaid intern in 2014 before becoming a permanent producer at Radio X, and had more recently been alternating production duties with Masterman, took over as lead producer. [4]

Elis and John covered the weekday drive time slot (4:00pm–7:00pm) on 2–6 January 2017, 6–17 March 2017, 10–13 April 2017 and 22 May-9 June 2017. [5]

It was revealed on 27 March 2019 that James and Robins were leaving Radio X and the show would be ending after five years on air, stating that they had "not left under a cloud of unproduceability". [6]

On 2 April 2019, it was announced that James and Robins would begin broadcasting on BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday 31 May, reuniting with Masterman. [7] The new show aired from 1:00pm–3:00pm on Fridays, before moving to a 2:00pm–4:00pm slot, and features a number of segments carried over from the Radio X show, such as "John's Shame Well" and "Made Up Games", as well as new features, chat and anecdotes. With no music or advert breaks on Radio 5 Live, almost the entire show is released in a weekly podcast, with an additional intro recorded for it. Since February 2020, various mid-week bonus episodes have been recorded and released on the podcast feed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the two recorded a series of podcasts called "The Isolation Tapes" while unable to broadcast their regular show. [8]

In February 2024, the show changed formats again, to two weekly podcasts, with a highlights show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday afternoons.

Format

The Radio X show traditionally opened with Robins introducing James with a dubious fact based on his Welsh heritage, for example:

I am John Robins, and to my left is Abergavenny's most decorated mime, Mr Elis James. [9]

On the Radio 5 Live show, James and Robins share the opening in alternate weeks, usually performing a scripted opening taking a humorous angle on current affairs, the BBC or other 5 Live presenters. [10]

At Radio X, John would usually lead the main links during the show with Elis co-hosting. [2] The show is mainly conversational and comedic with anecdotes based around John's obsessions (Frank Zappa, the rock band Queen, farthing collecting, bushcraft, session ales, pubs, Bristol, Golf) and Elis's obsessions (the Wales football team, Swansea City, the past, Welsh Socialism, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals) forming a backbone of material. The producer regularly joins in with conversation.

Show Features

Retired features

Achievements

John's persistent support of Queen paid dividends in 2017 when their single "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted Radio X's Best Of British. [17] [18] John achieved a life goal in May 2017 as Elis and himself interviewed Brian May as part of his promotion of the Queen in 3D book. The interview was broadcast during the pair's coverage of the drive time slot on 23 May 2017. [19]

Podcast

Since the show began, a podcast of the show has been released soon after broadcast. The podcast begins with an introduction from Elis and John that has evolved into a response to email correspondence with regular podcast listeners, styled by Elis and John as PCDs (Podcast Devotees). Podcast listeners who have listened since the start of the podcast release have been named 'Oners' and listeners who have been late adopters but have listened to the whole back catalogue have been named 'Retro-Oners'. In correspondence listeners announce themselves via their status (Oner/Retro-Oner), and indicate when they started listening to the podcast (i.e. a '34er' for someone who stated listening at Episode 34).

Following the highlights of the radio broadcast Elis and John return for a closing segment called the "Keep It Session Sessions". In this segment they take turns to play a sample of a band or artist that they recommend or may have mentioned during a show. [20]

In total, there are 264 "proper" episodes of the podcast from the Radio X show, plus a number of bonus episodes from when Elis and John covered other slots in the Radio X schedule. When Elis and John started a new show on BBC Radio 5 Live in May 2019, it marked the start of a new podcast beginning at Episode 1.

How Do You Cope

In October 2019 Elis and John launched a new podcast "How Do You Cope?...with Elis and John" on 5 Live. [21] It features Elis and John talking to celebrities about mental health issues they have faced. Up to 2023, there have been four series of the show.

Live shows

Following the broadcast of the A Robins Amongst the Pigeons book, live readings were played at selected venues in 2015. In late 2016 Elis and John took a version of their show on a tour of England, Scotland and Wales. Named The Elis James and John Robins Experience, the show began in October in Norwich and finished in the Kentish Town Fourm in November. [22] Listeners who have attended the live shows have been christened 'live vibe tasters'. Upon releasing their book, The Holy Vible, the pair undertook a nationwide book tour, including an extended show at the Hammersmith Apollo featuring former producer Dave Masterman and Nish Kumar. On 28 July 2018, Elis and John broadcast the radio show live from the Kendal Calling music festival, which was put out as episode 230 of the podcast. [23] It was announced that the 250th episode of the radio show would be broadcast in front of a live audience at the Comedy Store London on 22 December 2018. [24]

On 26 April 2020, during the Coronavirus lockdown in the UK, Elis and John live-streamed An Evening With Elis and John (hosted by fellow comedian Ivo Graham), each broadcasting from their respective homes. The broadcast was a light-hearted “look back at their life, work, loves, regrets and cans”. [25] This became a regular livestream gig during the lockdowns, with several further livestreams around New Year's Eve. [26]

Awards

The show won the Chortle Radio award on 20 March 2017. [27] In 2020, the show won a Gold Award at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards in the category of 'Funniest Show'. [28]

The show's sister podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, “How Do You Cope?...with Elis and John", won the Broadcasting Press Guild award for best podcast in 2021. [29]

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References

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