The Chris Morris Music Show Explained

Show Name:The Chris Morris Music Show
Runtime:60 minutes
Start Time:21:00
End Time:22:00
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Home Station:BBC Radio 1
Presenter:Chris Morris
Num Series:1
Num Episodes:24

The Chris Morris Music Show is a radio show that was presented by satirist Chris Morris and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 between June and December 1994. The show sparked controversy on several occasions, most notably when Chris Morris falsely announced the death of politician Michael Heseltine, which resulted in a two-week suspension of the show.[1] [2]

Format

Each episode of The Chris Morris Music Show lasted approximately one hour, except for the final episode on 26 December 1994, which was two hours.

Broadcast information

The Chris Morris Music Show was normally broadcast on Wednesday evenings between 9pm and 10pm. Episodes were aired each week between 1 June 1994 and 21 December 1994, with the exception of 13 and 21 July, when the show was suspended after the Michael Heseltine controversy. For some weeks, repeats were aired rather than new shows, such as when Morris was on holiday at the beginning of September.

Premature obituaries

In the final show, broadcast on Boxing Day 1994, Chris Morris falsely announced another death, this time of television and radio personality Jimmy Savile. In response to the show, Savile sued the BBC and claimed that the false report had ruined his Christmas.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Beckett. Andy. Prank master: Chris Morris's announcement of the death of Michael Heseltine on Radio 1 was just one among many notorious japes. His satire is big with the media, but how popular is it with listeners . . London . . 09519467 . 21 August 1994.
  2. News: Jackson . Jasper . BBC's 'Queen hospitalised' gaffe: five more inaccurate death reports . . London . 17563224 . 3 June 2015 . 9 February 2020 . One of Chris Morris’s more legendary pranks – and one that got his The Chris Morris Music Show on Radio 1 suspended for two weeks by the BBC – was his prank involving reporting the death of Michael Heseltine..
  3. News: Joseph . Joe . Grave concerns . . London . . 01400460 . 4 March 1995.