The Chris Morris Music Show

The Chris Morris Music Show is a radio show that was presented by satirist Chris Morris and broadcast on BBC Radio 1 between June and December 1994. The show sparked controversy on several occasions, most notably when Chris Morris falsely announced the death of politician Michael Heseltine, which resulted in a two-week suspension of the show.[1][2]

The Chris Morris Music Show
Running time60 minutes (9:00 pm–10:00 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home stationBBC Radio 1
Hosted byChris Morris
Original release1 June 1994 (1994-06-01) – 26 December 1994 (1994-12-26)
No. of series1
No. of episodes24

Format

Each episode of The Chris Morris Music Show lasted approximately one hour, except for the final episode on 26 December 1994, which was two hours.

Broadcast information

The Chris Morris Music Show was normally broadcast on Wednesday evenings between 9pm and 10pm. Episodes were aired each week between 1 June 1994 and 21 December 1994, with the exception of 13 and 21 July, when the show was suspended after the Michael Heseltine controversy. For some weeks, repeats were aired rather than new shows, such as when Morris was on holiday at the beginning of September.

Premature obituaries

NEWSREADER: The main stories so far: Jimmy Savile drops dead at the Stoke Mandeville Boxing Day bash—but the patients are far from mourning. CORRESPONDENT: The majority, if not all of them, are extremely relieved that he’s now dead, although I suspect that some of them will be sorry that he didn't suffer a great deal more.

— The Chris Morris Music Show, 16 December 1994[3]

In the final show, broadcast on Boxing Day 1994, Chris Morris falsely announced another death, this time of television and radio personality Jimmy Savile. In response to the show, Savile sued the BBC and claimed that the false report had ruined his Christmas.[4]

References
  1. Beckett, Andy (21 August 1994). "Prank master: Chris Morris's announcement of the death of Michael Heseltine on Radio 1 was just one among many notorious japes. His satire is big with the media, but how popular is it with listeners". The Independent. London: Independent News & Media. ISSN 0951-9467.
  2. Jackson, Jasper (3 June 2015). "BBC's 'Queen hospitalised' gaffe: five more inaccurate death reports". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved 9 February 2020. One of Chris Morris’s more legendary pranks – and one that got his The Chris Morris Music Show on Radio 1 suspended for two weeks by the BBC – was his prank involving reporting the death of Michael Heseltine.
  3. https://soundcloud.com/ultraculture/chris-morris-on-jimmy-saviles
  4. Joseph, Joe (4 March 1995). "Grave concerns". The Times. London: News International. ISSN 0140-0460.
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