Actor and comedian Ben Bailey Smith joins Jazz FM

Ben Bailey Smith, who is also known as Doc Brown, is joining Jazz FM to host a five-part Saturday evening series playing records from his own collection.

The comedian, actor, rapper and vinyl collector is best known for his roles in dramas such as Star Wars: Andor, The Sixth Commandment, Doctor Who and as a panellist on Taskmaster. He also performs stand up and raps, having released collaborations with The Jazz Defenders and Romesh Ranganathan.

This appointment to Jazz FM follows Ben guest hosting a show on New Year’s Day.

Ben Bailey Smith said: “I really enjoyed putting together a playlist at the start of the year for the station and being asked to come back and do more, I feel even more excited.

“My passion for the music goes back to my dad’s old jazz records, plus my mum’s soul and reggae vinyl’s – many of which I still have today – which in turn spurred me on to collect all sorts of genres across the world of music.

“My Vinyl Hour on Jazz FM is going to be a real chance to delve into the shelves and find some real classics along with new pieces that I love. I can’t wait to share them!”

Jazz FM and Scala Radio Content Director Nick Pitts added: “Ben’s show on New Year’s Day was a standout moment for us – realising how much he was in love with our music made me want to get him back to do more.

“These slots on a Saturday and Sunday evening are a chance to the guests hosts to nerd out and play their favourite music and dig deep to even surprise themselves alongside the audience, and I have no doubt that Ben will do just that.  Standby – we’ve five weeks of amazing music coming up!”

Doc Brown’s Vinyl Hour starts on Saturday 16th March at 9pm.