Having lost two of its greats in less than a year, the UK radio industry needs to make the most of the small community of really talented presenters it still possesses, so let's be thankful the comeback to radio of one Chris Evans is continuing to move forward. Evans has signed up to present two shows over the Easter weekend on BBC Radio 2, with rumours the special programmes might be the forerunner of a regular show with the national
BBC station. The two shows will be Evans first return to BBC
Radio after he controversially quit the Radio 1 breakfast show back in 1997 after a highly public falling out with then station controller Matthew Bannister.
If
Radio2 are looking to sign up Evans to a regular show they might kick off a bidding war between themselves and the commercial radio sector. As reported last week, the commercial radio companies are hoping to launch a national show syndicated on local commercial stations owned by different groups all over the UK, and rumour has it Evans is their first choice for presenter. A key motivation for the competing commercial radio companies to work together on such a show is to take on BBC Radio 2 who, with radio heavyweights
Terry Wogan and Jonathan Ross on their books, are seen as one of the commercial radio sector's biggest rivals. The commercial players won't want to see the Beeb add Chris Evans to that list.
If a bidding war was to begin on Evans it would be somewhat ironic given that since his high profile sacking from Virgin Radio the maverick DJ has struggled to repeat past successes, with his three high profile TV production projects - 'The Terry &
Gabby Show', 'Live with...' and 'Girls & Boys', all failing to win big ratings, the former being such a disaster **Channel
4** had to reconsider their entire Saturday night strategy.