Teatime is getting a reboot on BBC Radio Ulster as Vinny Hurrell and Cate Conway come together to kickstart evenings on the station.
Vinny and Cate will be inviting listeners to take some ‘me’ time at teatime and indulge in 90 minutes of fun and fabulosity. The pair will be will shaking off the day every Monday – Thursday from 6pm with a sparkling mix of top tunes, chat and entertaining interviews with a range of famous names.
Vinny says: “I can’t wait to get the programme up and running, it’s going to be brilliant craic. We’ve pretty much been given a blank canvas and we’re planning to bring plenty of colour and chaos to early evenings on BBC Radio Ulster - and Cate is the perfect partner in crime. It’ll be more a case of winding each other up than any winding down for the evening.”
Cate says: “This is going to be so much fun. Developing this programme with Vinny has been an absolute blast and I hope listeners will come and join us for some giggles and gossip. I love meeting new people and getting to know them, so there will be chat and conversation with celebrities and the like. And we have a bit of a free reign over the music, so expect some pure pop bangers to get your evenings underway.”
The new programme is part of a wider refresh of BBC Radio Ulster’s evening and weekend schedule.
Specialist music programmes remain at the heart of the evening-time schedule.
Ralph McLean will now present his popular music shows Monday to Wednesday from 8-10pm. The Late Show With Eve Blair will be extended to two hours, broadcasting from 10pm-midnight every Monday to Thursday.
The regular Irish language programme Blas will move to a new 7.30-8pm slot each Monday to Thursday. And Blas Ceoil will now have a Thursday evening slot between 8-9pm.
The Ticket, with Kathy Clugston, will have a new Friday afternoon slot between 3-4pm, helping listeners plan their weekend. It will include news and information about what’s happening in the world of arts and entertainment, reviews, previews and guest interviews.
Weekend listening on BBC Radio Ulster will get properly underway on Friday evenings with a new line-up of great music programmes and well-known presenters.
Across The Line Introducing with Gemma Bradley moves to a new early evening slot each Friday between 6pm-7pm. And there’ll be more brilliantly curated music from Stephen McCauley in a brand new three hour programme from 7-10pm that will feature new music from local and international acts and live performances. Friday nights will then reach a perfect musical conclusion with The Mickey Bradley Record Show from 10pm to midnight.
Many of the music programmes throughout the week will be produced from BBC Foyle.
Saturday With John Toal is extended by an hour, broadcasting from 11am-1pm on Saturdays. Phil Taggart’s high-energy House Party will have a new slot on Saturday evenings from 6-8pm, followed by Folk Club with Lynette Fay, 8-10pm.
Morning Service each Sunday morning will now begin at 10am and will be followed by Thought for the Week, an edited compilation of reflections from Thought for the Day, presented by Audrey Carville.
Countryside, with Nicola Weir, builds on the success of Farming Matters, revelling in all things rural and Northern Ireland’s great outdoors and moves to a new Sunday afternoon slot between 2-3pm. And it will be followed by The Culture Café from 3-4pm with Marie Louise Muir and guests.
Emma Dunseith, Head of Content Production, BBC Northern Ireland, said:
“This new programme schedule showcases the quality and diversity of what we do. It’s about us being there for listeners at different times of the day and week and reflecting what’s going on in their lives as well. There will be much to enjoy and many great programmes to look forward to. And we’re so pleased to be doing all of this with a super-talented cast of presenters.”
The new schedule will launch from Monday 24 April.
The full refreshed schedule is as follows:
Monday-Friday
6.30 – 9am
Good Morning Ulster
9-10.30am
The Nolan Show
10.30am-12noon
The Connor Phillips Show
12noon-1.30pm
Talkback
1.30-3pm
The Hugo Duncan Show
3-4pm
The Lynette Fay Show
4-6pm
Evening Extra
6-7.30pm
Vinny & Cate
7.30-8pm
Blas
8-10pm
The Ralph McLean Show (Mondays and Tuesdays)
Ralph McClean Country (Wednesdays)
8-9pm
Blas Ceoil (Thursdays only)
9.55-10pm
Wah Yan Jee Sing (Wednesdays only)
10pm-Midnight
The Late Show With Eve Blair
Friday afternoon/evening
3pm-4pm
The Ticket
4-6pm
Evening Extra
6-7pm
Across the Line Introducing
7-10pm
The Stephen McCauley Show
10pm-Midnight
The Mickey Bradley Record Show
Saturday
6.45-7am
Farmgate
7am-8am
Kerry McLean
8am-9am
Your Place And Mine
9-10am
Gardeners’ Corner
10am-11am
On Your Behalf
11am-1pm
Saturday With John Toal
1-2pm
New documentaries, drama and comedy slot
2-6pm
Sportsound
6-8pm
The House Party With Phil Taggart
8-10pm
Folk Club With Lynette Fay
10pm-Midnight
Saturday Club With John Bennett
Sunday
7-8am
Kerry McLean
8.30-10am
Sunday Sequence
10-10.45am
Morning Service 10.45-11amThought for the Week
11am-1pm
Sunday With Steven Rainey
1-2pm
Sunday With Brian D’Arcy
2-3pm
Countryside
3-4pm
The Culture Café
4-5pm
Music slot
5-6pm
Sounds Sacred
6-6.30pm
Kintra
6.30-7pm
BBC Sounds slot
7-9pm
Classical Connections With John Toal
9-10pm
Jazz Club With Walter Love
10-Midnight
Sunday Club With John Bennett