Elis James and John Robins

Elis James and John Robins on Radio X
Genre Comedy, chat
Running time 180 minutes (1:00-4:00 pm Saturdays)
Country of origin UK
Language(s) English
Home station Radio X
Hosted by Elis James
John Robins
Produced by

Dave Masterman (2014-2017)

Vinay Joshi (2017- present)
Recording studio Global Radio, Leicester Square, London
Original release 16 February 2014 – present
Audio format Stereophonic sound
Website Elis James and John Robins - Radio - Radio X
Podcast The Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Podcast

The Elis James and John Robins show is a weekly radio show broadcast on British commercial radio station Radio X presented by comedians Elis James and John Robins. The show is broadcast on Saturday afternoons from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, and the highlights are released as a weekly podcast. John has described the show as "a commercial indie radio show that has got wildly out of hand".[1]

History

Elis and John have been friends since meeting on the comedy circuit in 2005 and fantasised about making a radio show together. XFM had a tradition of having weekend shows hosted by comedians and after their agent submitted a demo Elis and John were granted a weekend slot, following in the footsteps of Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, Adam and Joe, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand and Josh Widdicombe.[1] The Elis James and John Robins show debuted on the then XFM on Sunday 16 February 2014 in the 10:00am–1:00pm slot and was produced by Dave Masterman. The show moved to a Saturday 10:00am–1:00pm slot on 17 August 2014 before moving to its current slot on Saturday afternoon from 1:00pm–4:00pm on 23 April 2016[2] Following Dave Masterman's departure from Radio X in April 2017 Vinay Joshi, who had been alternating production duties with Dave, took over as lead producer.[3]

Format

The show opens with John introducing Elis with a dubious fact based on his Welsh heritage, for example:

I am John Robins, and to my left is Abergavenny's most decorated mime... Mr Elis James.[4]

John usually leads the main links during the show with Elis co-hosting.[1] The show is mainly conversational and comedic with anecdotes based around John's obsessions (Frank Zappa, the rock band Queen, farthing collecting, bushcraft, session ales, pubs, Bristol) and Elis's obsessions (the Wales football team, Swansea City, the past, Welsh Socialism, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals) forming a backbone of material. Producer Vinay and other stand-in producers are invited to join in with conversation, and popular features include 'Humblebrag Of The Week' and 'Email Of The Species'.

Current features

  • Humblebrag Of The Week - John and Elis read out brags found on social media that are disguised as moans. The feature has been adapted to Humblebrag Of The Day when the duo have stood in for Johnny Vaughan on the weekday drive time show.
  • Email Of The Species - A segment of the show where Elis and John read out and respond to listeners correspondence via the increasingly popular medium of email.
  • John's Shame Well - John reads emails from listeners confessing actions in the past that have caused anxiety and regret ever since.[5]
  • Tick Off A Taste - Elis and John taste live on air a food item that has been sent in by listeners.
  • The Light Hearted Paper Review with Elis James - Elis, backgrounded by musak, reads lighthearted local, national and international news stories from the week
  • John Googles The Traffic - A feature used during Elis and John's stand-in coverage of Johnny Vaughan's drivetime slot where John uses search engine Google to help listeners avoid traffic build ups on their commute home.
  • Made Up Games - Listeners send in details of games they have invented with family or friends and Elis and John play some of them live on air.
  • John's Gig Diaries - Excerpts from John's diary from when he first started comedy (circa 2005-2006).
  • Welsh Word of the Week - Elis picks and explains one of his favourite words from the Welsh language.

Retired features

  • Sacred Cow - A musical artist or band would be discussed for either entrance to the 'paddock of the sacred cow' and earn their right to be critically acclaimed, or be banished to the 'abbattoir' for over hyped music acts.
  • Winner Plays On - Elis and John would face 5 questions each on their chosen subject, with the winner awarded the right to play a music track of their choosing.
  • Textual Healing - Listeners would email or call in with a comedic problem for the lads to solve. Calls were taken live on air and sometimes featured comedians in disguise.[6]
  • Teenage Fanclub - A short lived feature where Elis and John invited listeners to write in about tales of teenage bands and music fandom.[7]
  • John Reads Aloud From Tony Blackburn's Autobiography - John read excerpts from Tony Blackburn's autobiography Poptastic! My Life In Radio'.[8]
  • A Robin Amongst The Pigeons - John read from his autobiography 'A Robins Amongst The Pigeons' written in the style of Tony Blackburn's 'Poptastic! My Life In Radio'.
  • Judge Robins - John assumes the character of Judge Robins and rules on a dilemma submitted by a listener, dispensing what he believes to be a suitable punishment.
  • Elis' Gig Diaries - Excerpts from Elis' diary from when he first started comedy.
  • Super Texts (and tweets) - John's naming of a segment to cover responses to tweets and texts with a jingle set to the theme tune of children's cartoon series Superted.[9]
  • Every Cloud - Tales of the small everyday things that had given listeners a reason to be cheerful (dubbed 'Silver Linings' by Elis).[10]
  • BetaBet - A replacement for long running feature 'Winner Plays On'. John and Elis compete to name as many examples of a chosen subject in alphabetical order in 30 seconds.[5]

Achievements

John's persistent support of Queen paid dividends in 2017 when their single "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted Radio X's Best Of British.[11][12] John achieved a life goal in May 2017 as Elis and himself interviewed Brian May as part of his promotion of the Queen in 3D book. The interview was broadcast during the pair's coverage of the drive time slot on 23 May 2017.[13]

Cover

Elis and John have covered the weekday drive time slot (4:00pm–7:00pm) from 2–6 January 2017, 6–17 March 2017, 10–13 April 2017 and 22 May-9 June 2017.[14]

Podcast

Since the show began, a podcast of the show has been released soon after broadcast. The podcast begins with an introduction from Elis and John and has evolved into a response to email correspondence with regular podcast listeners, styled by Elis and John as PCDs (Podcast Devotees). Podcast listeners who have listened since the start of the podcast release have been named 'Oners' and listeners who have been late adopters but have listened to the whole back catalogue have been named 'Retro-Oners'. In correspondence listeners announce themselves via their status (Oner/Retro-Oner), and indicate when they started listening to the podcast (i.e. a '34er' for someone who stated listening at Episode 34).

Following the highlights of the radio broadcast Elis and John return for a closing segment called the "Keep It Session Sessions". In this segment they take turns to play a sample of a band or artist that they recommend or may have mentioned during a show.[15]

Live shows

Following the broadcast of the A Robins Amongst The Pigeons book, live readings were played at selected venues in 2015. In late 2016 Elis and John took a version of their show on a tour of England, Scotland and Wales. Named The Elis James and John Robins Experience, the show began in October in Norwich and finished in the Kentish Town Fourm in November.[16] Listeners who have attended the live shows have been christened 'live vibe tasters'.

Awards

The show won the Chortle Radio award on 20 March 2017.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Comedian's Comedian Podcast Episode 195 - Elis James and John Robins (Live from Soho Theatre)". Podbean. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "XFM Announces New Weekend Shows". Radio X. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Dave Masterman moves from Global to Bauer". RadioToday. RadioToday. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Podcast Episode 7". Podbean. Radio X.
  5. 1 2 "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Episode 155". Podbean. Radio X. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Episode 90". Podbean. Radio x. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Episode 40". Podbean. Radio X. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Episode 23". Podbean. Radio X.
  9. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Episode 140". Podbean. Radio X. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Podcast Episode 143". Radio X. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "Radio X's Best Of British - The Countdown". Radio X. Radio X. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  12. ↑ @nomadicrevery (17 April 2017). "#BestOfBritish @RadioX" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ @nomadicrevery (23 May 2017). ".@DrBrianMay Best of luck for the..." (Tweet). Retrieved 30 May 2017 – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Podcast Page". Radio X. Radio X. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  15. ↑ "Elis James and John Robins on Radio X Episode 98". Podbean. Radio X.
  16. ↑ "elisandjohn.com". elisandjohn.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "Who won at the Chortle Awards 2017". Chortle.co.uk. Chorlte. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.