A loss to the cultural landscape that should be discussed in parliament. These were just a few listener reactions when Liza Tarbuck left her Radio 2 show earlier this year. I miss the texts and emails.
For two hours every weekend, we were a proper gang.” Tarbuck hosted her Saturday evening show for 14 years, building it into the funniest show on British radio. Her riotous mix of freewheeling chat and hand-picked tunes (the music could span nine decades in the same show) drew an audience of 2 million, and received more messages from listeners – 50 per minute – than any other programme on the station. It became a cult phenomenon thanks to its running jokes, hilarious crowd-sourced stories and Tarbuck’s anarchic links to the 7pm news bulletin (“Smell that fromage!
We interrupt this fun to bring you some miserable news”). Regular listeners were dubbed “the hivemind” or “the murmuration”. The final edition aired in January but her departure wasn’t confirmed until March, when Tarbuck posted a heartfelt, hand-written farewell message on Instagram.
Together we made two hours of radio feel like a private members’ club. That’s the stuff of dreams. Thank you for letting me in, it’s been a privilege.” Many devotees were distraught.
They still take to social media each Saturday to compare it to missing a friend. Mystery swirled around her departure. Over a video call overlooking her verdant London garden (“My top tip is pots with drip trays”), Tarbuck cheerfully shrugs this off.
I realised it was time to go. The messages I received were deeply moving.” She joined a talent exodus from the station in recent years, following the likes of Ken Bruce, Zoe Ball and Simon Mayo, as well as the late Paul O’Grady, out of the Broadcasting House door. Listeners have allowed us into their home, which is a precious thing and should never be taken for granted.
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