Radio Recap – 29 December 2024

BBC RADIO 2: LOVE SONGS WITH MICHAEL BALL
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to look back over a highly productive and successful year for Michael. Lots of challenges for our guy, and he made everything work. The year included a solo tour (to the absolute delight of his fans), a return to LES MIS as Javert, a sequel to his original EMPIRE novel and a new CD with Alfie. And then there’s his work on BBC 2 radio. The first half of the year saw Michael bring his much adored THE MICHAEL BALL SHOW to a finale. Yes, we were sad to see it go, but Michael was asked to take over LOVE SONGS when the broadcasting world lost the iconic Steve Wright. Not an easy task, even for someone as gifted as Michael. After a few growing pains, after both trial and error, Michael found both his voice and his mission with this broadcast. In only a matter of months, Michael Ball made LOVE SONGS his own, bringing his exuberant spirit and personality to the show, turning it into “must-listen-to radio.”
“Hello, my lovelies. It’s our last LOVE SONGS of the year. And what a year it’s been. I hope you had a lovely Christmas, and here we are in those in-between days where we don’t REALLY know what day it is, and we’ve all convinced ourselves it’s still all right to keep stuffing our faces because we’ll go fitness-mad in the new year.” A big sigh from Michael. “Well, you can forget all about that now. You can stuff your face. There’s no guilt or calorie-counting here. It’s the final LOVE SONGS WITH MICHAEL BALL of 2024. Thank you so much for joining me – not just this morning – but since we started way back in June. So. This week it’s going to be a little bit different. I’m going to do a ‘Best of Love Songs 2024,’ and there have been so many highlights. We’ve laughed together. And let’s be honest – we’ve shed a few tears together. And we’ve had each other’s backs throughout the ups and downs of this year. So we’re going to revisit some of our best bits “
Michael begins by talking about the background music we hear each week on the show, and he starts by playing the opening theme of the show, the full version, which is Nancy Wilson’s ‘How Glad I Am.’ Next, Michael travels back to last August when he spoke to Debbie on the Love Line, a conversation that went viral on his Instagram. Debbie’s story is about meeting a wonderful man, Martin, on a 100K walk after her lifetime partner walked out on her and after so much in her life collapsed. And they’ve been together ever since. The day Michael spoke with her was her wedding day to Martin. Such an uplifting story.
One of the highlights is Michael playing Elvis Presley’s ‘The Wonder of You,’ which he admits is his favorite Elvis song, evident by his singing it in SO MANY of his concerts – it’s almost become a signature of his, and I love it!
Michael talks about Love Letters, his own creation and his favorite part of the show. He takes us back to his conversation with Jamie who’d lost his beloved nana, and whose father was especially grieving. Michael made a ‘call from Ball’ to Dave, Jamie’s father, and Jamie read his beautiful letter to his dad with great emotion and heart. And Dave is so emotional after hearing the letter. Michael closes this segment by playing the full ‘Love Letters’ song by Alison Moyet.
Michael next speaks about how much he loves making those surprise calls to people. The reactions of these people when they’re expecting someone else and then they get Michael Ball talking to them on the radio have been hilarious. He plays a conversation he had with Hannah about her mum Nicola, who ADORES Michael Ball. When he calls Nicola, her reaction is over the top – so funny! And this segment features Michael’s famous giggle, which is even FUNNIER! A fabulous segment which goes on and on and is one of my all-time favorites. Nicola is absolutely priceless!!
Michael plays Savage Garden’s ‘I knew I Loved You,’ which always plays in the background of the Dedications sections. I truly love that Michael’s doing this. What a great way to honor these songs that have become part of his show.
When Michael comes back for the 2nd hour, he talks about his time with LOVE SONGS. “It’s only been 7 months. We had our first show on June 1st, and I’ve loved it. I really have. I love hearing your stories, your dedications, making those ‘calls from Ball,’ all of it, and I couldn’t do any of it without you. It’s not my show. It’s our show.” He next honors his dear friend Elaine Paige, who is marking 20 years of Sundays on BBC RADIO 2. “Elaine, you have made this absolutely appointment radio. You’ve got the best laugh in show business -“ (Sorry, Michael, that honor belongs to you) – “And here’s to 20 more years of listening to you on Sunday.”
He next reminds us of Glenda’s story, who at 70 yrs of age lost her husband. Her hairdresser convinced her to get onto the internet and meet some men, all done properly. She met a wonderful man, Robin, and they eventually got married. That was 13 years ago and proves that life can begin again at any age. Glenda’s story inspired another lady, Jane, who also found love again later in life, and who later spoke with Michael about it. Her story is quite inspirational, and Michael’s show was the one who made it all happen. These stories that he highlights can make a difference in many lives, and bravo to him for bringing them to his audience.
Michael takes us back to Beryl in October. She lost her husband at the same time that his cousin lost his wife, who was Beryl’s best friend. While feeling horribly lonely, Beryl was listening to LOVE LETTERS one Sunday, and another woman’s Love Letter inspired her. She reached out to Julian, her late husband’s cousin, and they both found love again in each other. Michael calls Julian, and Beryl reads such a lovely letter to him.
Michael takes us back even further to THE MICHAEL BALL SHOW and On The Ball, focusing on longtime champ Nic Matchett. It became a Christmas tradition for Michael to tell the story of how she was proposed to. “I’m sorry,” he says, “I’ve got to play it. One of my favorite moments EVER in all my years in radio.” I could never do justice to this story by trying to describe it. You have to hear Michael & Nic for yourself. The laughter is infectious and you’ll find yourself laughing until tears stream down your face. I will say this much: Just when you think the story has come to a conclusion, Michael takes it one step further when he asks Nic “Is he there playing with you?” (Referring to Nic’s husband) – which sets them off once again. DO NOT MISS THIS. FABULOUS! “Nic, I hope you have a wonderful year. This is from me to you.” And Michael plays Paul Weller’s ‘You Do Something to Me.’ Nic, I’m so glad Michael brought this back again. You, my friend, are a one-of-a-kind and an utter delight, just like Michael.
Michael pays loving tribute to Steve Wright, who originated LOVE SONGS. In his honor, he plays Glenn Campbell’s ‘Wichita Lineman.’ What a lovely touch, Michael. Bravo.
The Last Dance this week is for “you.” Everyone who contacted the show and shared their dedications and stories. Another lovely touch, Michael.
Today was an incredible show in so many ways. It proved once again that Michael knows his audience and has such a gift for the radio. May he continue to ride the airwaves for many years to come.
And now for the year-end kudos. An enormous thank you to Ste Softley, Billy Draper and the hard-working staff who bring us LOVE SONGS every Sunday morning. I want to single out Ste Softley, who’s been with Michael for over a decade, one of the best producers out there, IMO. Here at the MBFC forum, thanks to James Gaden, who brings us On The Ball during the year and handles a million other things with ease and skill. I also want to give a nod to Chris Oakley who quietly works behind the scenes on the technical aspects of this site. A MAJOR thank you to Gill Oakley & Maureen Wilkinson-Rouse for giving us this gathering place where we can celebrate all things Michael. Running a forum isn’t easy, and they handle it with grace and expertise. I personally want to thank them for giving me a place to talk about Michael and his radio show for almost 3 years now. It is equally a joy and a challenge to try to encapsulate Michael each week, and I am a very lucky woman. Finally, thank you, Michael, for giving your fans an incredible year. You never disappoint, and I’m sure 2025 will be another glorious year for all of us. Happy New Year to you and to everyone here at the MBFC!
Song Track List: Charles & Eddie ‘Would I Lie To You?’; Nancy Wilson ‘How Glad I Am’; Gwen Stefani ‘Bouquet’; Bebe Rexha ‘Meant To Be’; Finley Quaye ‘Your Love Gets Sweeter’; Gabrielle ‘When A Woman’; Elvis Presley ‘The Wonder Of You’; Alison Moyet ‘Love Letters’; Cynthia Erivo ‘Defying Gravity’; James Blunt ‘You’re Beautiful’; Savage Garden ‘I Knew I Loved You’; Cher ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’; Mariah Carey ‘Fantasy’; Teddy Swims ‘Lose Control’; Elton John ‘Your Song’; Lauren Wood ‘Fallen’; Manran ‘Annie’; Stephanie Mills ‘Never Knew Love Like This Before’; Paul Weller ‘You Do Something To Me’; Glenn Campbell ‘Wichita Lineman’; Madonna ‘Take A Bow’; ABBA ‘Thank You For The Music’;
©DeborahFezelle2024 This material is the exclusive property of Deborah Fezelle, Michael Ball & the MBFC