Simon Mayo Biography
Simon Mayo is a British author and radio presenter who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 to 2022. He has long been a presenter on three BBC radio stations.
How old is Simon Mayo? – Age
He is 64 years old as of 21 September 2022. He was born in 1958 in London, United Kingdom. His real name is Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo.
Simon Mayo Family – Education
Derek Mayo and Jill Mayo, Mayo’s parents, were both teachers. He went to St John’s Primary School in Croydon, Surrey, the Arden School in Knowle (for one term), the independent Solihull School (where his nickname was “Heinz,” after the salad cream brand, according to a newspaper profile in 2008), and Worthing High School for Boys in West Sussex, which was then a state grammar school for boys. He graduated from the University of Warwick in 1981, with a degree in History and Politics.
Simon Mayo Husband – Children
Mayo is married to Hilary Bird, who has worked on Action Line at Radio Nottingham since 1984 and for BBC Radio 2 as a producer for Canon. From 1987 to 1990, Roger Royle and later Don Maclean hosted Good Morning Sunday. On Saturday, October 11, 1986, the couple married at St Helen’s Church in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire. They have three children: two sons and a daughter. Mayo is a Tottenham Hotspur fan who lives in London.
Simon Mayo Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of $5 Million.
Simon Mayo Confessions
Mayo has also had books published. His writings include several fictional thrillers as well as the book Confessions, which is based on the Confessions segment from his radio shows. The show became famous for a number of features, including On This Day in History, which featured a looped version of George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex,” the long-running riddle game The Identik-Hit Quiz, in which Mayo and his cohosts would act out a brief scene that cryptically revealed the name of a hit song, and his Confessions segment, in which members of the public sought forgiveness for their (often silly or humorous) “sins
Mayo had already hosted the BBC television show Scruples and had joined his Radio 1 colleagues on the Top of the Pops host roster. Confessions and On This Day in History both spawned spin-off books. Confessions was released in October 2011, based on the hit feature from his BBC Radio 2 drivetime show and his former BBC Radio 1 breakfast and mid-morning shows. The book is a collection of the best confessions sent in by listeners to the show.
Simon Mayo Drivetime
Mayo Drivetime was the BBC Radio 2 version of the drivetime show from January 11, 2010 to May 4, 2018, when it was briefly revived for Mayo’s final show on December 21, and then fully on Greatest Hits Radio starting March 15, 2021. In the United Kingdom, it airs on weekdays from 16:00 to 19:00. It is hosted by Simon Mayo, a broadcaster who initially moved from his weekday afternoon show on BBC Radio 5 Live to BBC Radio 2’s drivetime when Chris Evans left to take over the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
The BBC announced on January 10, 2018, that Jo Whiley would co-host Mayo beginning on May 14 and that the drivetime show would also be extended to 8 p.m. (it would be cut back an hour to make room for Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour, which airs every Friday at 7 p.m.). The final regular show aired on Thursday, May 3, 2018, and All Request Friday the following day marked the show’s official end. Mayo announced his departure from the station on October 22 of that year after the new show was unsuccessful. On December 20, they presented their final show together. The following day, Mayo hosted alone, marking the end of his 17-year tenure at the station. He brought back the theme music and jingles that were used in this version of the show.
It was announced in February 2021 that Mayo would revive the show on Bauer-owned Greatest Hits Radio beginning on March 15, 2021. Several members of the original production team as well as Mayo’s co-presenters Matt Williams and Nigel Barden would also be returning to the show.
Simon Mayo Blockbusters
Blockbusters, a vintage game show, was revived by Mayo and aired on Challenge from 14 May until 3 August 2012.
Simon Mayo Books
Itch, Mayo’s first book, was published on March 1st, 2012. A fourteen-year-old boy who discovers a hitherto unidentified chemical element is the story’s titular protagonist. “A great and thrilling book with an easy-to-read storyline that will help kids to understand elements,” The Guardian praised it as having. His third book, Itchcraft, was published in September 2014 after the release of Itch Rocks, his second book.
Blame, his debut young adult book was released in July 2016. Mad Blood Stirring, Mayo’s debut adult book, was released in April 2018 to mixed reviews. The historical novel is set in 1815 at Dartmoor Prison. Clare Clarke, writing for The Guardian, stated: “The dialogue-heavy play, with its huge, amorphous cast and little interior characterization, its pages rich in Shakespeare’s poetry and the rousing gospel music for which Block 4 was reputedly famous, Mad Blood Stirring reads more like a first-draft screenplay than a completed novel. Mayo has used every ingredient he could find, but longer cooking time would have given it more depth and subtlety of flavor.” “Bristling with energy and written with passion, Mad Blood Stirring is a joy to read,” novelist John Boyne said.
Knife Edge, Mayo’s first thriller, was released in 2020. Its setting is based on his experiences as an undergraduate at Warwick University, and the denouement takes place in the nearby city of Coventry. The book was touted as a top 10 bestseller in the Sunday Times. The thriller Tick Tock, which centers on a mysterious global illness, was released in 2022.
Simon Mayo BBC Radio 2
Nigel Mayo hosted the BBC Radio 2 Album Chart show every week from October 2001 to April 2007. On Sundays, he also presented The Ultimate Music Year, many Sold on Song projects, the Top 100 Albums, and a holiday cover for Johnnie Walker. Mayo took over the Drivetime show from Chris Evans in January 2010, which included a number of regular daily features such as “Nigel’s Recipes”, “Confessions”, “Homework Sucks” and “The Showstopper”. He also hosted “All-Request Friday,” during which listeners could call in and have their favorite song played on the radio after a brief interview. The show ended after eight years on 4 May 2018, as Mayo was to begin hosting a revamped drivetime show with co-host Jo Whiley on 14 May 2018.
However, following a backlash against the change, the station announced that Mayo would be leaving BBC Radio 2 entirely, with Whiley returning to an evening slot. After 17 years with BBC Radio 2, Simon Mayo presented his final show on the station on December 20, 2018. He used the 2003 recording by Jools Holland and Prince Buster of the 1948 song “Enjoy Yourself” as his opening theme. “Light My Fire” by Edmundo Ros was used as background music. Mayo won a Sony Award for “Best Music Show” in May 2011 for his and his team’s work on BBC Radio 2’s drive time slot.
Mayo was one of the lead presenters at the launch of a new classical music digital radio station, Scala Radio, on March 4, 2019. For two years, he hosted a daily mid-morning show before joining Greatest Hits Radio. On 15 March 2021, he returned to his Monday to Friday drivetime radio show, resurrecting many staples from his former BBC Radio 2 show. Beginning in September 2020, he will also host his Album Show on Sunday afternoons.