The new sound of weekends on Greatest Hits Radio
New shows from Martin Kemp, Kate Thornton and Richard Allinson
Last updated 15th Apr 2024
You can expect even more of the good times from May 4th we bring you brand new shows from Martin Kemp, Kate Thornton and Richard Allinson.
Saturday night will see Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp taking us back to the decade he (and we!) love the best – the Eighties – with The 80s Mixtape with Martin Kemp from 7 – 10pm. Richard Allinson will be taking over on Saturday and Sunday mornings with a four-hour show from 9am – 1pm that will include the Top Ten til 10, a return for the iconic Wall of Sound, and on Sunday mornings two hours of dedications and special songs from listeners.
Weekend afternoons will be spent in the company of Kate Thornton and a brand-new show on Saturday as the former Smash Hits editor shares the stories behind the greatest One Hit Wonders and asks listeners about the nostalgic trends they remember from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Then on Sunday Kate will be counting down The UK Pop 40 – the Top 40 chart as it was on this day in history - and exactly where it should be.
Ahead of these changes, we will be saying goodbye to Mark Goodier who has been with us since our launch in 2019.
Mark Goodier said: ‘I’ve had quite the ride with Greatest Hits Radio and it’s been an honour to have been on that journey with the brilliant team here. I’d said at the start I’d only be here for a year and have stayed for five, but it’s time now for me to head off to pastures new – or should that be old!’
Check out the full schedule below, which launches 4th May on Greatest Hits Radio.
Saturdays
6 am Jenny Powell
9am Richard Allinson including the Top 10 til 10
1 pm Kate Thornton
5 pm America's Greatest Hits with Paul Gambaccini
7 pm The 80s Mixtape with Martin Kemp
10pm-1am Rhythm Of The Night with Des Paul
Sundays
6am Jenny Powell
9am Richard Allinson (Fred MacAulay in Scotland)
1pm The Album Show with Simon Mayo
4pm Kate Thornton including The UK Pop 40
7pm Boogie and Arlene
10pm Andy Crane
Read more about our legendary presenters:
Ken Bruce
Greatest Hits Radio is the home of the legend that is Ken Bruce, weekdays 10am-1pm - including PopMaster, the UK's biggest music quiz for 25 years and counting.
Find out more about Ken and PopMaster.
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo hosts Drivetime every weekday at 4pm and The Album Show on Sundays from 1pm.
Simon said of his Drivetime show: "I think the thing about Drivetime is that it is like the flip side of breakfast. You kind of know what an awful lot of people are doing, it's the end of most people's day, they're doing some final bits of work, they're shutting the laptop, they're doing a bit of food preparation, they're driving home. I think it is that sense of camaraderie, it's the end of the day, people want to be cheered up and they want to spend some time with some decent folk on the radio!"
Find out more about Simon Mayo here.
Martin Kemp
Join Martin Kemp with The Mix Tape every Friday from 7pm!
Martin has got "the perfect soundtrack to start your weekend," and his show includes: "All the biggest songs of the 70s 80s and 90s that we grew up listening to on full volume. I'll give you TV recommendations for your weekend, there's always a slow dance at the end, and I turn the decks over to you to pick your favourite songs. Plus plenty of stories from my career in music, film and TV. We always have a good laugh and the music is absolutely popping."
Jackie Brambles
Jackie Brambles hosts The Evening Show every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm.
Jackie promises to deliver: "Great music and great conversations! Every night we're joined by one of your favourite artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s for an in-depth chat about the highs and lows of their careers and their musical influences over the years."
Find out more about Jackie Brambles here.
Jenny Powell
Jenny plays the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio to kickstart your weekend, every Saturday and Sunday from 6am.
On Jenny's show, listeners can look forward to The Breakfast Club, which she says is: "A warm-up for the weekend, full of positive vibes and feel-good factor when you wake up on Saturdays and Sundays. I insist you have a dance with me on the Kitchen Disco, I share some fun news stories from the previous week on The Headliners and get you smiling no matter what, sharing some of my favourite tracks from the 70s, 80, and 90s."
Find out more about Jenny Powell here.
Kate Thornton
Catch Kate Thornton on Saturdays from 7pm! It's the best night of the week - so if it's a kitchen disco you're after, Kate will make it fun and have you dancing and laughing with her perfect blend of playlist and good times chat.
Kate explained what listeners can expect from her show: "It's the kind of show that lets you know it's Saturday night, no matter where you're listening in from and no matter who you're with. Three hours of songs that make a night in feel like a night out if you're with friends, or offers up the soundtrack for the perfect party for one if you're tuning in alone."
Find out more about Kate Thornton here.
Paul Gambaccini
Paul brings us his famous America's Greatest Hits programme every Saturday between 5pm-7pm, featuring two hours of the Greatest Hits that made it big in America.
Sharing some of the things he loves about his show, Paul said: "Radio is the perfect form of one-to-one communication. TV can be direct, too, but the camera operator is always in your line of vision! I enjoy sharing my favourite music, and my admittedly freakish knowledge of it, with people who care about that music. I love the opportunity for challenging talk overs, too!"
Find out more about Paul Gambaccini here.
Andy Crane
Join Andy's late-night community of music and company, Sunday-Thursday at 10pm.
Andy has three hours of the biggest songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s as well as The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon. His show is full of: "Great music and plenty of laughing."
Find out more about Andy Crane here.
Rossie
Rossie has the Greatest Hits at Breakfast - start your day with a friend and more Greatest Hits than you'll find anywhere else.
Rossie greets listeners with friendly banter and says to expect: "Loads of music as you wake up, fun features, lots of listener interaction, and a fun happy vibe."
Find out more about Rossie here.
Alex Lester
The Dark Lord keeps you company in the small hours. Join him for the Music Marathon from 1am and the Best Time Of The Day Show 4-6am weekdays.
Alex brings: "Your favourite songs. Bizarre insights and unusual thoughts," to his show and told us that he loves that during his show: "It's just the two of us. You and me. (Against the world)."
Find out more about Alex Lester here.
Richard Allinson
Richard Allinson is live on Greatest Hits Radio on Saturday afternoons from 1pm with the perfect Soundtrack of the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s and weekend anthems.
Speaking about his show, Richard said: "The idea is to recreate all those great memories I have of Saturday afternoons growing up, a bunch of us meeting up to buy clothes, records, maybe sort a date…everything happened on a Saturday and we remember the records we played at that time."
Find out more about Richard Allinson here.
Des Paul
Join Des for Rhythm Of The Night every Friday from 10pm, where he plays all the greatest soul, funk, disco and Motown hits to start your weekend.
Des explained what he loves the most about his show: "The favourite bit of presenting Rhythm of the Night is when listeners contact me to say how much they've loved hearing a particular track and then tell us all about when and where they used to hear it."
Debbie Mac
Debbie Mac joined our amazing line-up of Greatest Hits Radio presenters alongside Jenny Powell in 2021 and has been providing our listeners with Lunchtime Anthems ever since. She plays all of the greatest hits every weekday from 1pm across the UK on Greatest Hits Radio Premium.