The week in classical: Itch; Semele; Prom 16: Hallé/Elder – review
‘Mozart didn’t have explosions’: Simon Mayo on how his book Itch became an opera
March 2023
Ken Bruce’s Radio 2 departure handled badly, says Simon Mayo
Mayo says it is surprising Bruce was allowed to carry on for so long after announcing switch to GHR
July 2022
Top BBC radio presenters’ pay could be hidden in bid to retain talent
Bosses may transfer popular podcasters to BBC’s commercial arm after loss of big names including Emily Maitlis and John Sopel
May 2022
You ask the questions
Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo: ‘I’ve never heard us described as an island of joy before!’
Radio’s odd couple take questions from actors, directors and Observer readers about optimism, the films they disagree on – and biscuits
April 2022
You ask the questions
Send us your questions for Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo
Got something to ask the film critics and broadcasters? Send it our way and we’ll put it to them
March 2022
‘We’ll be back … stay tuned’: Kermode and Mayo’s BBC Radio 5 Live film show to end after 21 years
The show will end on the BBC on 1 April – though its hosts hinted at the possibility that the cult show might have a future elsewhere
March 2021
The week in audio: Boom Radio; The Simon Mayo Drivetime Show; Penny Smith
There’s hot competition among stations moving in to capture middle-aged listeners left cold by modernisation at Radio 2
August 2020
The Q&A
Simon Mayo: ‘A BBC insider said I was too ugly for television’
The radio presenter and author on missing the Ramones, José Mourinho, and his embarrassing birthday moment with Naomi Campbell
March 2019
The week in radio and podcasts: Scala Radio; Don’t Log Off; Moving Pictures – review
If you find Classic FM too cheesy and Radio 3 too highbrow, Simon Mayo’s bright and breezy Scala Radio could be just the thing
February 2019
BBC Radio 4 sheds 750,000 listeners in year
Flagship news and current affairs station’s Rajar figures hit hard by commercial rivals
January 2019
Simon Mayo joins new classical radio station after BBC exit
Once upon a time … British pop stars top the charts as children’s authors
October 2018
The week in radio and podcasts: 1Xtra’s Rap Show; Jo Whiley and Simon Mayo; Imaginary Worlds; Podlitical
Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley to leave Radio 2 Drivetime show
September 2018
After Chris Evans ... why women are leading the race for the breakfast slot
As the longtime presenter vacates his breakfast slot, five of the six favourites to take over his popular show are women. So what has prompted this cultural shift in a schedule that has been dominated by men for years?
June 2018
Mad Blood Stirring by Simon Mayo review – 19th-century prison drama
The radio DJ’s first novel for adults is a sprawling yarn about American prisoners of war incarcerated in Dartmoor
May 2018
The week in podcasts: Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review; The Anfield Wrap; George Ezra & Friends
Of all the film, football and music podcasts, these three winners at the Listeners’ Choice award have the best audience rapport
The week in radio and podcasts: Mental Health Minute; Chris Hawkins; Jo Whiley and Simon Mayo; British podcast awards and more
Mental health awareness week brought insights, Whiley and Mayo got off to a shaky start and gongs went to the best of UK podcasters
Simon Mayo says publishing presenter salaries risks BBC's future
Radio 2 DJ concerned policy is often pushed by those who seek to dismantle the corporation
