BBC RADIO 2: LOVE SONGS WITH MICHAEL BALL
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024
“I’ve got soft features, curly hair with blonde bits and dimples. People think of me as a singer, an entertainer, someone who’s always there with a ready smile.” Michael Ball
Besides the blonde bits being gone, Michael is so much more than just a singer or an entertainer. He’s a trained actor who can hold an audience in the palm of his hand. He’s a humanitarian who always reaches out to those in need. He’s a devoted family man who will protect the privacy of his loved ones at all costs. He’s a man who loves to laugh and make others laugh, intent on making people feel better just by being around him. Yes, he’s a perfectionist who has an ego – it goes with the territory of being an actor – but he also is the first to help someone just coming up in the business, a rare quality. And finally, Michael is a man who puts together a weekly radio show in the middle of everything else he has on his plate. He loves the radio, a quality that radiates from that microphone each and every week.
“Hello, my lovelies.” After playing Lisa Stanfield’s ‘All Around The World,’ Michael muses, “I feel like I’ve been all around the world. Last week I was in Belfast. This week in Glasgow, having a fabulous time. Great to see so many of you there. Glasgow, I love you. Belfast, I love you. But enough about me. How’s your week been?
Song Track List: Take That ‘Back For Good’; Sabrina Carpenter ‘Taste’; Celine Dion ‘I’m Alive’; Gladys Knight & The Pips ‘Baby Don’t Change Your Mind’; Milli Vanilli ‘Girl I’m Gonna Miss You’; Jackie Wilson ‘Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher’; Des’ree ‘You Gotta Be’; David Gray ‘Plus & Minus’; Mary Wells ‘My Guy’; Paul Young ‘Everytime You Go Away’; Pet Shop Boys ‘Feel’; Mr. Big ‘To Be With You’; Emma Franklin ‘Take A Little Piece Of My Heart’; The Calling ‘Wherever You Will Go’; Sting ‘Fields Of Gold’; Beyoncé ‘Love On Top’; Teddy Swims ‘Bad Dreams’ Barbra Streisand ‘The Way We Were’; Vanessa Williams ‘Save The Best For Last’; Hot Chocolate ‘It Started With A Kiss’
On the Love Line, Michael speaks with Leona, who is nursing her newborn. She wanted to contact the show in order to record the birth of her baby and to be able to play it back for him on every birthday. I’m not one to criticize, but I’m not sure why Michael wanted to put this one on the air. I mean, congratulations to Leona, but … ???
Before Michael plays Gladys Knight, he reminisces, “Let’s have this one. One of my favorite memories, when we were doing Proms in the Park. Gladys Knight was the star attraction of that night. I was in the wings being a Pip. All I’d ever wanted in life was to be a Pip. Her people came up to me and went, ‘Would you please stop doing that. You’re putting Miss Knight off.’” Michael instantly deflated.
Back on the Love Line Michael speaks with Mike who is celebrating his wife’s birthday and his fifth wedding anniversary. After declaring to Brenda after he met her that he’d never marry again, he played a joke on her at the top of the Eiffel Tower one Valentine’s Day while many young people around him were proposing. He went down on one knee, then said he was just checking to see if his shoelace was tied. But what made Mike change his mind was the loss of his brother. And this time when he got down on his knee he meant it.
Again on the Love Line, Michael talks with Steve who is celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with wife Sharon. It didn’t take long for Steve to ask Sharon to come away with him for a holiday, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Love Letters. Michael has Beryl on the Love Line. She’s written a love letter to a man she’s known for over 50 years, Julian, her late husband’s cousin. His wife was Beryl’s bestie until she passed away. That was when Beryl and Julian came together, and they now have a life again. Beryl feels some guilt, but Michael tells her their former spouses would want them to be happy. He gets Julian on the phone, and Beryl reads her lovely letter about always looking for happiness and hope. It’s quite inspirational.
The Last Dance. This one’s for Chris & Stella celebrating their ruby anniversary. Michael appropriately plays ‘It Started With A Kiss.’
And that’s it for today. To be honest, this wasn’t one of Michael’s better shows. Fewer phone calls and the stories didn’t grab me, less lightheartedness and it seemed for the first time in months that Michael wasn’t ’enjoying the moment.’ His laughter seemed forced at times. Maybe he’s just exhausted from his grueling schedule. I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
But back to my opening theme, yes, Michael is many things, but what I think he enjoys most is being a ‘regular guy,’ a man who works hard, loves his family, is devoted to his friends and appreciates those who appreciate him. He watches telly, reads, adores his dogs, takes care of his garden and loves to cook. And as for that ‘ready smile,’ yes, it’s still there, always there. It’s one of the things that makes Michael Ball beloved throughout the theatrical community and with his devoted fans.
The Song of the Week is Mr. Big’s ‘To Be With You.’