Confessions (radio)
Encyclopedia
Confessions is a popular and occasionally controversial feature first appearing on the BBC Radio 1
weekday breakfast show in the early 1990s, devised by its host, Simon Mayo
.
Mayo, who had hosted the show since 1988, started the feature in the autumn of 1990 partly due to the rising interest in his own Christian
faith, and it caught on very quickly. Listeners would write in to "Father Mayo" and confess to their sin
s and each morning at 8.35 Mayo would broadcast one to the nation over Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni’s, Adagio for Organ and Strings in G minor
.
The "confessions" were often humorous and sometimes a little lacking in taste or scruple. At the peak of the feature, Mayo received more than one hundred confessions a week. Some were tailored as genuine confessions with no sense of light-heartedness and Mayo discounted any which admitted to crime, adultery, overt cruelty or other more serious activities.
Infamous confessions included:
After completing each confession, Mayo would ask his crew - consisting of weather and travel presenter Dianne Oxberry, newsreader Rod McKenzie and the day's "special guest producer" played by the show's own producer Ric Blaxill
- whether they would "forgive" the confessor or not. After a while, it became clear that Oxberry was less forgiving
than the others.
Some confessions prompted complaints from listeners, especially any involving living creatures, even if there wasn't a hint of cruelty in the confession.
The feature was a huge success. Word spread internationally and a story made the front page of the Wall Street Journal, with Mayo often being asked if he was trying to challenge the power and principles of various religion
s.
Confessions spawned a successful spin-off book and, later, a BBC TV series which was lukewarmly received in comparison to the radio feature.
Mayo brought back Confessions for short runs on his morning (9am-12pm) programme which ran from 1994-2001.
Since January 2010 Mayo has relaunched Confessions on his BBC Radio Two drive-time show.
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
weekday breakfast show in the early 1990s, devised by its host, Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo is an English radio presenter who has worked for BBC Radio since 1981. As of January 2010, Mayo is presenter of Simon Mayo Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 and, with Mark Kermode, presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews on BBC Radio 5 Live.In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "radio...
.
Mayo, who had hosted the show since 1988, started the feature in the autumn of 1990 partly due to the rising interest in his own Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith, and it caught on very quickly. Listeners would write in to "Father Mayo" and confess to their sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
s and each morning at 8.35 Mayo would broadcast one to the nation over Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni’s, Adagio for Organ and Strings in G minor
Adagio in G minor
The Adagio in G minor for violin, strings and organ continuo, is a neo-Baroque composition popularly attributed to the 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni, but composed by the 20th-century musicologist and Albinoni biographer Remo Giazotto and based on the disputed discovery of a...
.
The "confessions" were often humorous and sometimes a little lacking in taste or scruple. At the peak of the feature, Mayo received more than one hundred confessions a week. Some were tailored as genuine confessions with no sense of light-heartedness and Mayo discounted any which admitted to crime, adultery, overt cruelty or other more serious activities.
Infamous confessions included:
- The family who put some herbHerbExcept in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s into a Christmas puddingChristmas puddingChristmas pudding is a pudding traditionally served on Christmas Day . It has its origins in medieval England, and is sometimes known as plum pudding or plum duff, though this can also refer to other kinds of boiled pudding involving dried fruit.-Basics:Many households have their own recipe for...
which had been sent to them by relatives in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, only to discover later they were a late uncle's ashes (based on an urban myth).
- The man who, desperate to urinateUrineUrine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
on a trainTrainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
with no lavatory, decided to do so out of a window, only to inadvertently spray numerous people waiting on a platformRailway platformA railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
which suddenly appeared
- The man who, tired of his flatmate's complaining about food wastage, cooked a piePieA pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
for him before replacing the meat with raw cat food
- The woman who, annoyed with her boyfriend's lateness in coming home for his evening meal, spread chili con carneChili con carneChili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
all over his sports car
- The man who found some negativePhotographA photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s of his brother's wife in the nude and had them developed before sending them to an adult magazine's Readers' Wives section
After completing each confession, Mayo would ask his crew - consisting of weather and travel presenter Dianne Oxberry, newsreader Rod McKenzie and the day's "special guest producer" played by the show's own producer Ric Blaxill
Ric Blaxill
- Career :From 1988 to 1994, he was Producer/Senior Producer at BBC Radio 1, and 1994 to 1997, he was a Producer and Executive Producer, BBC 1's Top of the Pops, and later A&R Director for Independiente Records....
- whether they would "forgive" the confessor or not. After a while, it became clear that Oxberry was less forgiving
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
than the others.
Some confessions prompted complaints from listeners, especially any involving living creatures, even if there wasn't a hint of cruelty in the confession.
The feature was a huge success. Word spread internationally and a story made the front page of the Wall Street Journal, with Mayo often being asked if he was trying to challenge the power and principles of various religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
s.
Confessions spawned a successful spin-off book and, later, a BBC TV series which was lukewarmly received in comparison to the radio feature.
Mayo brought back Confessions for short runs on his morning (9am-12pm) programme which ran from 1994-2001.
Since January 2010 Mayo has relaunched Confessions on his BBC Radio Two drive-time show.