Comedian, actor, rapper and vinyl collector ‘Doc Brown’ – Ben Bailey Smith – is bringing his kind of music to weekends on Jazz FM.
Ben will host a 5-part Saturday evening series in which he will dust of his records and select an hour each week of his favourite songs. Known for his acting roles in dramas such as Star Wars: Andor, The Sixth Commandment, Doctor Who and as a panellist on Taskmaster, Ben also performs stand-up and raps, having released collaborations with The Jazz Defenders and Romesh Ranganathan.
But his appointment to Jazz FM follows a very successful guest host show on New Year’s Day in which he played just a tiny fraction of his collection of thousands of records, and this series will allow him to dig deep, especially in his Dusty Vinyl feature in which he’ll play a song that he really hasn’t given time to listen to since acquiring it.
On joining Jazz FM, Ben Bailey Smith:
“I really enjoyed putting together a playlist at the start of the year for the station and being asked to come back and do more, I feel even more excited. My passion for the music goes back to my Dad’s old jazz records, plus my mum’s soul and reggae vinyl’s – many of which I still have today – which in turn spurred me on to collect all sorts of genres across the world of music. My Vinyl Hour on Jazz FM is going to be a real chance to delve into the shelves and find some real classics along with new pieces that I love. I can’t wait to share them!”
His series forms part of the ongoing Saturday and Sunday 60-minute Discovery line up which has in the past featured guest presenters and curators such as Clive Myrie, Marcus Brigstocke, David ‘Kid’ Jensen, Emma Jean Thackray, Grammy winner Samara Joy and Sir Michael Parkinson, alongside documentaries and stories around The Arrangers, why we as a nation are In Love With Motown, plus the Definitive History of Jazz in Britain in ten parts and The Story of UK Soul in eight.
Doc Brown’s Vinyl Hour starts on Saturday 16th March at 9pm
Jazz FM and Scala Radio Content Director Nick Pitts:
“Ben’s show on New Year’s Day was a standout moment for us – realising how much he was in love with our music made me want to get him back to do more. These slots on a Saturday and Sunday evening are a chance to the guests hosts to nerd out and play their favourite music and dig deep to even surprise themselves alongside the audience, and I have no doubt that Ben will do just that. Standby – we’ve five weeks of amazing music coming up!”
