Charles Hazelwood on Desert Island Discs

[Count Boso]

Charles Hazlewood fell into disfavour on this board when he presented the proms regularly on BBC4, mainly among those who pined for Richard Baker and fretted that he didn't wear a tie.

I only watched one BBC4 Proms programme and rather liked his more laid back style of speech and dress. He let the guests do most of the talking.

He also was compared unfavourably to Stephen Johnson on Discovering Music but at least we still had Discovering Music. Be careful what you wish for !

He was apparently chosen for his 'personable' manner and much-praised communications skills, but on Discovering Music he was also a populariser and his lack of depth put him way below Johnson's level. I think that was why he didn't go down well with many Discovering Music listeners. Personally, I stopped listening to the programme when he took over. It was no great loss to me when it finally disappeared as it was lost to me years before. Just a personal viewpoint.

[Alison]

He was always just a bit too much up himself although I do take the point that we should have been more careful what we wished for.

I recall a televised Prom where he was the conductor and all seemed to be about him, parading his family etc.

[Dave2002]

We cannot all like the same things or hold the same views.

Quite. Good that we don't - that would be very boring.

No probs.

Bws, D

[Serial_Apologist]

I must listen to this. By coincidence I've just been listening to the Urban Classic concert on a tape of the broadcast on Mixing It, conducted by Charles Hazlewood, and held at the Hackney Empire in February 2006. He was possibly the first well known figure to give a different slant to Garage music from the usual one portraying it as glorifying gang warfare and calling women ho's.

[Alison]

An enjoyable listen, still rather self obsessed.

Possibly there’s an inferiority complex in there somewhere.