Arguably one of the most recognisable voices in British Broadcasting
Jo Whiley has had an exciting and varied career. Jo was born in Northampton. After studying in Brighton and dabbling on BBC Radio Sussex’s new music show, her first broadcasting job was as a presenter for WPFM, Radio 4’s youth culture and music show. She then moved over into TV, initially on satellite, then to Channel 4 as band booker for ‘The Word’, giving Britain its first television taste of bands such as Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine.
Jo joined Radio 1 in the Spring of 1993 and in September she became permanent co-presenter of The Evening Session with Steve Lamacq. Four years later she landed her own daytime show, and remained part of Radio 1’s weekday line-up until 2009, when she began a new weekend programme.
Jo has also presented coverage of the Glastonbury Festival on Radio 1, Channel 4 and BBC-TV, plus she’s hosted several music programmes for Channel 4.She currently plays a great mix new music and classic album tracks from Monday to Wednesday on Radio2, and on Thursday she presents Radio 2’s ‘In Concert’, featuring live performances and a round-up of the week’s music gigs.
Jo is a celebrity ambassador to Mencap, a UK charity that works to support people with learning difficulties. She hosts the Little Noise Sessions concerts, in aid of the Mencap charity enlisting the support of many well known international music artists. She is also a supporter of Tommy’s – The Baby Charity. Jo is also the Patron of the Cri du Chat Syndrome Support Group.