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John Peel's Home Truths.

Devlin, J. and Chignell, H., 2007. John Peel's Home Truths. The Radio Journal, 4 (1), 69-81.

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DOI: 10.1386/rajo.4.1,2,3.69_1

Abstract

Although widely regarded as the most influential British radio DJ of the last century, John Peel was also a presenter of speech radio. This article examines his career presenting two BBC Radio 4 speech programmes; ‘Offspring’ and ‘Home Truths’. Research carried out included interviews with radio producers, close listening to selected programmes presented by Peel as well as reviewing the literature on radio presentation and broadcast talk. The evidence shows that Peel's success owed a lot to his ability to create a distinct radio persona, one which inspired a unique listening community. Themes of eccentricity, English nationalism, parenting and ageing were central to ‘Home Truths’ as were nostalgic references to the past. The article begins with a consideration of some of the relevant literature on radio presentation and DJs followed by an account of Peel's early career. His experience writing for ‘Radio Times’ is described and the influence this had on his selection to present on Radio 4. There are detailed accounts of the genesis of both ‘Offspring’ and its successor, ‘Home Truths’ which explain the roles of women producers in their creation. Peel's persona is discussed with reference to concepts of broadcast talk, discursive space and co-presence.

Item Type:Article
ISSN:1476-4504
Group:Faculty of Media & Communication
ID Code:1010
Deposited By:INVALID USER
Deposited On:05 Apr 2007
Last Modified:14 Mar 2022 13:06

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