Radio 2 new weekday music quiz details and big names for Piano Room
Gary Davies is hosting BBC Radio 2’s mid-morning show ahead of Vernon Kay starting in May.
U2’s Bono and The Edge, Depeche Mode and Cat Burns will be performing for BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room at Maida Vale studios, to be broadcast during Gary’s show. He is also launching a new quiz to replace Pop Master.
For Radio 2’s Piano Room, each artist performs three tracks – a new song, one of their well-known tracks and a classic cover version from another artist – accompanied by an orchestra.
The latest performances, which have already been recorded and filmed, will be aired in March and April. They will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and hear on BBC Sounds, available for 30 days afterwards.
U2’s Bono and The Edge will air on Thursday 16 March and their classic cover is a track by ABBA, with their session accompanied by an orchestra.
Talking about their Piano Room performance, The Edge said: “We’ve been seen wandering the corridors of BBC Maida Vale on more than one occasion. The first time we performed here was a radio session recording of Sunday Bloody Sunday and a song called Surrender, back in 1983.”
Bono added: “We have played music in this room many times over the years… In fact, it was 40 years ago – almost to the day – that we first met our long-time Creative Director Willie Williams right here… in the hallowed halls of the BBC Maida Vale… You have to be at your best here.”
An hourlong special of Bono and The Edge’s Piano Room performance, including an extended interview with them, will be available on BBC Sounds later this month.
Depeche Mode’s Piano Room will be broadcast on Thursday 6 April and their classic cover is a track by Scott Walker, with their session accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Depeche Mode said: “We were honoured and privileged to be asked to perform for Radio 2’s Piano Room. It was an amazing experience to play live with a 21-piece orchestra and it will remain a vivid memory. What a fun day!”
Cat Burns’ Piano Room will air on Thursday 20 April. Her classic cover is a track by Ariana Grande, with their session accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Gary Davies says: “U2 are quite simply my favourite band ever so to interview Bono and The Edge and see their Piano Room performance was a dream come true for me.
“Follow that up with the legendary Depeche Mode, who have crafted some of the best loved songs in the world, and amazing new talent Cat Burns, and I can safely say that Radio 2’s Piano Room really has a treat in store for listeners.”
Gary is also launching Radio 2’s new weekday pop quiz – Ten to the Top, an accumulator quiz where it pays to answer the questions correctly in order.
There are 10 questions, with the first worth one point; the second, two points; the third, three etc. If a question is answered incorrectly the value of the following question goes back to one point again, then the next question is two points if answered correctly, and so on.
Contestants will have a Joker to play, and for that question they’ll get double points if it’s answered correctly. The player with the most points wins a smart speaker, and if it’s a draw there will be a tie-breaker question.
Gary begins his run on Radio 2’s mid-morning show from today, 6 March and he’ll continue hosting Sounds of the 80s on Saturday evenings.