TV Cream

Radio 2: The Hosts

DUNN, John

Johhhhhhhn Duuuunnnnnnnn!UNSUITABLY monickered for those sung Radio 2 jingles (“Johhhhhhhn Duuuunnnnnnnn!”) Breakfast Special swivel chair-occupier in pre-Wogan Long Wave days, later hotfooted it over to drivetime duties with his daily ‘After Six’ interviews and first incarnation of the still-going Mystery Voice competition. Also, it has been noticed, spoke ‘BBC English’ like his life depended on it.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Glenn Aylett

    June 28, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    One of the more interesting jocks, he also had a very eclectic taste in music: featuring the Bonzo Dog Band and obscure blues records amid the more usual Radio 2 fare and also had some very good guests. He was one of the few Radio 2 DJs I would listen to in the Frances Line era because he was so professional.

  2. Pearlyman

    July 14, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    My mum was ‘wronged’ by John Dunn. Thought it was Al Gore, it turned out to be Peter Benchley.

  3. Gerry

    February 5, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    I listened to John’s programme all through the late 70s on VHF (FM to latter day converts!) from my bedroom in Dublin. I was hooked from the beginning by his gentle tones and clever radio technique. He was a master of the radio medium and a terrific gentleman!

  4. Applemask

    March 2, 2020 at 6:20 pm

    Retirement from Radio 2 was a big deal. His last show had a cameo from BBC Chairman Sir Christopher Pigling Bland pretending to be a Mystery Voice contestant. In fact he pretended to be the “emergency” contestant they apparently always had on standby just in case one of the other two got murdered or something – the idea being that because this was the last show, they were going with all three for the hell of it. Dunn was a smart cookie, however, and when Bland correctly identified the Voice (his own), his very first words were “Is this a wind-up?” There followed a highly BBC mutual slapping of backs.

    Dunn then proceeded to announce his last song, and then play something completely different.

  5. Glenn Aylett

    November 11, 2022 at 8:27 pm

    I sometimes hear Sara Cox in this slot and weep when I hear her banal yackety yak, dire taste in music( nineties rave music on Radio 2, for goodness sake) and irritating voice, and recall the era when John Dunn had two and a half hours of interesting guests, the Mystery Voice, a huge range of music and, of course, the Sports Desk at 6.45. Also he sounded so much better and relaxed than Ms Cox. Like Wogan, Jimmy Young and Ray Moore, Long John belonged in the era when Radio 2 was genuinely good and the presenters well loved by millions.

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