Show Profiles – The Hedley Show

The Hedley Show is a weekly early evening entertainment show, hosted by a presenter referred to only as Hedley and live every Monday from 5 til 7PM.

Featuring a broad selection of music including pop and indie as well as occasional ‘cheesy’ music, the show’s core features are its random brand of humour and a focus on listener interaction.

Most popular with the student age demographic of Newcastle and Gateshead, The Hedley Show is also notable for its frequent lack of format and the improvised nature of much of each broadcast.

The music on each show dates from the 1980s until the present day, and comes from across Europe, with Hedley frequently combining well-known tracks with pop artists from regions including Scandinavia and the Baltic nations.

Local bands and unsigned acts from further afield also feature, typically in the final 30 minutes of each show, while genres including commercial dance, rock, punk and R&B are also part of the varied make-up of the show’s playlists.

Cheesy music is prominent on The Hedley Show, with especially cheesy tracks declared a “bangin’ choon”, one of a number of catchphrases used by presenter Hedley on the programme.

Interaction with the show is promoted via the show’s social networking presences on Facebook and Twitter, with listener requests and participation in regular on-air features aiming to make each listener feel to be a part of the broadcast.

Additionally, listeners are encouraged to submit audio clips during the week, including audio requests and other random soundbites, which are then used during the live show. Such clips are sent to contact@thehedleyshow.com.

The Hedley Show is, ultimately, a comedic two-hour broadcast that aims to entertain listeners and offer an alternative to the less edgy shows on the dial, each Monday from 5 til 7PM.

Show History
Before returning to the schedule in April of 2012, The Hedley Show was part of NE1fm’s launch schedule, running originally from June 2007 until the Summer of the following year.

During its original run memorable on-air moments included a ‘discussion’ with the automated message from NE1fm’s news service and a challenge from a caller to hum the theme to Bob The Builder, which was duly accepted.

The show was also one of the first radio shows to focus on involvement via social networks such as Myspace, while it was billed as having “more cheddar than a cheese sandwich”.

Following the end of its initial run on NE1fm, The Hedley Show continued online in various formats, and Hedley also contributed segments to other shows, both here and elsewhere.

The show has gained exposure in a number of countries during its existence, including Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and Norway, resulting in an international listenership.