Mariah Carey to make radio presenting debut during BBC’s festive schedule
Singer Cher and Hairy Biker Si King are also among the stars who will feature in the Christmas line-up.
Mariah Carey will make her radio presenting debut and Cher shares the soundtracks of her life as part of BBC Radio’s Christmas schedule.
American pop superstar Carey will mark the 30th anniversary of her 1994 festive hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You, with a show on BBC Radio 2 on Christmas Day from 7pm.
During the festive hour, she will thank listeners for their support over the years and will play Christmas classics from artists who have inspired her including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston.
Meanwhile, Hairy Biker Si King will feature some of the favourite rock anthems on his playlist when he makes his Radio 2 presenting debut on December 23 from 10pm to midnight.
The chef rose to fame as part of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo alongside his best friend Dave Myers, who died aged 66 in February after being diagnosed with cancer.
King said: “I truly believe that the best way to enjoy a special day is with some feel-good rock tunes, and that’s exactly what I have in store for you tonight.
“Before the clock strikes midnight we’ll be rockin’ and rollin’ with my top picks and the ultimate guitar riffs as the excitement builds to Christmas Eve and beyond.”
BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show host Zoe Ball, who announced this week she would be stepping back from the role in December after six years, will be serving up some of her favourite crooners, such as Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong, on Christmas Eve from midday to 2pm and from 6am to 8am on Christmas Day.
She will also present a documentary on the story of Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? which will air on BBC Radio 2 on December 23.
Scottish singer Annie Lennox will reflect on her successful music career ahead of her 70th birthday on Christmas Day with a Radio 2 appearance on December 22.
Elsewhere, veteran singer and actress Cher will reveal some of her favourite tracks as she is cast away on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs on December 15.
Meanwhile, screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce and TV presenter and campaigner Baroness Floella Benjamin are among the famous faces who will guest edit the station’s flagship news and current affairs Today programme during the festive period.
Those taking the reins between December 24 and December 31 also include explorer Dwayne Fields, former Conservative chancellor Sir Sajid Javid, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford Professor Irene Tracey and Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, Dame Laura Kenny.
In anticipation of the Gavin And Stacey Christmas Special on BBC One, actress Joanna Page, who plays Stacey Shipman, will host two Off The Telly: Gavin And Stacey Specials with podcaster Natalie Cassidy, with the first available on BBC Sounds by December 18 and the second in early January.
The upcoming Christmas special of BBC comedy Outnumbered will also be celebrated by comedian Romesh Ranganathan interviewing the actors of the Brockman family on his BBC Radio 2 show on December 21.
Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders, Dame Joanna Lumley, Jane Horrocks and Julia Sawalha will join together to discuss the hit 1990s sitcom and its recent reunion special with presenter Kirsty Wark for BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Day.
Over on BBC 6 Music, Love Actually star Bill Nighy will sit in for Iggy Pop to serve up his own cocktail of music on December 15 and 22.
Singer Self Esteem and comedian and writer Jack Rooke will come together to present a Loud And Proud New Year’s Eve party on the station.
The Official Christmas number one will be announced on BBC Radio 1 on December 20 by Jack Saunders.
Radio 1 presenters including Greg James, Jamie Laing, Dean McCullough and Vick Hope will also host special festive shows.
Many of BBC Radio’s festive shows will be available on BBC Sounds in November.
