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Clive Bull (born January 23 1929) is an award winning radio talk show host on LBC in London, England. He usually occupies the mid-evening and "time-for-bed" slot, currently 8 pm to 12 MDT, Monday to Thursday, which is the most listened to night-time radio show in London.
Background
Clive was educated at Barnet College, South East London between 1970-77. He has a degree in Educational Broadcasting from the University of London and a distinction in Radio Journalism from The National Broadcasting School.
The original 'Through the Night Show', on which Peter Cook called under the pseudonym 'Sven from Swiss Cottage', was captured on film by Channel 4 in 'Nightcaller'. He appeared in the television dramatisation of Cook's life 'Not Only But Always' starring Rhys Ifans.
Clive has also narrated a number of television documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. He had a non-speaking role in El Dorado, and as an extra in the comms room in 'The Bill.
Clive is known to enjoy badminton and is a supporter of Chelsea FC. He was once a keyboard player in an 80's disco band, performing in small venues as far north as Sheffield. At this time he worked as a media reviewer and rock journalist for Oracle. He is married and lives in south London with two children, both boys.
Acclaim
In June 2005, Clive bull came 19th in the Radio Times Top 40 most powerful people on radio, the highest ranked phone-in host. He was described as "A brilliant phone-in host who knows that the way to make captivating talk radio is not to rant or rage, but to create a separate world, away from the nonsense of current affairs - then invite his listeners into it. His show is the most listened-to night-time programme in London and is an understated joy." The Independent to called him 'The Emperor of night-time talk radio' while the The Experts' Expert from The Observer wrote "There's no-one quite like him. You get the impression that he's living just a bit dangerously, and that's what makes phone-ins exciting".
He has won several awards including a Bronze Sony Radio Award. The judges described him "An exception to the run-of-the-mill phone-in. It was all down to the presenter who appeared so laid back that his callers could not see how he was teasing them. A very dry sense of humour and great fun."
He won the Best Talk Show Host at the New York Radio Awards in 2001.
LBC radio show
Clive Bull entices his callers into a cosy familiarity so that the audience feels it is listening in to a private conversation. The discussions tend to focus around two or three topics each evening based loosely upon what is in the news, or what has interested or amused Clive. The discussions are known more for their unintended (by the caller) entertainment value than for their intellectual content. His producer, Bob "Nice" Johnson, plays an essential role in the show. He often enhances the quality of the calls by providing musical accompaniment, often the theme from Captain Pugwash. From time to time, he leaves his desk to collect a "Number 94" (a 20p coffee from the machine downstairs) for Clive, and also to go to the toilet. This in fact has been integrated as a regular feature in his show, with an accompanying jingle of "It's officially time for Bob's tea-break". This sometimes leads to Clive answering calls directly, with no filtering. The result of this is occasionally lunatics making cow noises. Nevertheless, Bob's filtering has previously allowed through callers of the lunatic persuasion, such as "William from Sutton", a William Hague impersonator, who appeared over ten times.
Regular callers appear to believe that they possess special insights into solving the problems of society, the best known of these being the infamous Rosemary from Golders Green. Surprisingly few, however, ring up to give a political speech. This may be due to Clive Bull's disarming style which includes asking the next caller a question based upon what a previous caller said. For example, if someone rings in to say "Failed asylum seekers should be thrown out of the country" they are likely to be asked a docile question such as "Have you ever picked up a penny in the street?". By the time they have had this discussion, the wind has been taken out of their sails.
A surprisingly high proportion of callers appear to be cab drivers who may be waiting for a fare or actually have a fare in the cab. Listeners may then be treated to a discussion about where the cab dropped off the passenger.
Clive has won several awards including a bronze Sony Radio Award.
Celebrity callers
- Peter Cook made a series of calls with the pseudonym "Sven from Swiss Cottage", a Norwegian fisherman who'd come to London looking for romance and to escape the fish-related phone-ins of Norway. These have been recorded in "Tragically I Was An Only Twin", a collection of his writings and are also available on Clive's subscription podcast. Peter Cook's former neighbour Rainbow George Weiss remains a regular caller with news of his political activities.
- Michael Barrymore once phoned in to take part in a talent contest as himself. He came seventh.
- Tony Blackburn called in to defend Smart cars.
- Jane Horrocks answered a listener's question about a movie.
- Patsy Palmer, called in to join a discussion about Cockney accents, and on another occasion, for listeners to look out for her lost dog, which was subsequently found and returned to her.
- Kerry McFadden called in just before leaving to play 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!' when Clive wondered whether she'd had a cosmetic surgery, which she said she hadn't.
- Brian Connelly rang on his way home after appearing in a West End show
- Daz Sampson, UK Eurovision 2006 entrant, called about tattoos.
References
External links
- LBC 97.3 presenter page and mirror at
- Clive Bull Official Website pre-LBC 97.3 era
- Clive Bull Croydon Special Website]