Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM

Alexander Armstrong will take over as host of Classic FM's flagship daytime show, from 9am to noon on weekdays.

Xander has had regular weekend shows for several years now, adding one hundred thousand to his listener numbers in the last year alone. Tune in to hear him on digital, online, or on a smart speaker, from 9am on Monday 1st June.

Children's Hour

Children's Hour was a radio sketch show first broadcast in 2008, and presented by Armstrong and Miller's alter egos Craig Children and Martin Bain-Jones,

Now Children's Hour is being repeated on Radio 4 Extra, starting on Wednesday 3rd January at 11.30pm. Although described as a "show for young people", Children's Hour is very much..not that! Extremely funny though, and very highly recommended.

Weak At The Top

Weak At The Top is a radio sitcom, originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005-6. Aggressive marketing director John Weak, played by Alexander Armstrong, has no morals and little brain. He is the Marketing Director of Smokehouse PLC, a global corporation which turns "food you wouldn't give to your dog" into snacks and other packaged and processed items. Smokehouse's actual products are irrelevant to John Weak, whose objects in life are to have the best car, bed the hottest women, and be top dog.

Series 2 of Weak At The Top is being repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra,  starting on Sunday 12th November at 11.30pm. One to catch up on, if you haven't heard it before.

Classic FM's Ultimate Chart

This year the radio station Classic FM is 25 years old. As part of their celebrations, they have published their Ultimate Chart of the 300 best-selling classical albums since 1992.

A Year Of Songs, Alexander Armstrong's debut solo album, reached number 57 in the chart. This is particularly impressive given that it was only released in 2015, and was up against albums released many years if not decades ago. Congratulations, Xander!

The Full Works

Alexander Armstrong regularly presents shows on Classic FM at the weekend. In week beginning 11th September, he will additionally be at the helm of three shows in The Full Works strand, nightly at 8pm.

• On Monday 11th September the theme is Autumn in the Air, with composers including Vaughan Williams,  Elgar and Holst. 
• Tuesday the 12th has the theme of Alexander's A-Listers, and features Richard Strauss,  Beethoven, and Mozart.
• And finally Wednesday 13th's show, themed around Durham, is centred on Jon Lord's epic Durham Concerto Also included is contemporary choral composer Will Todd.

Classic FM is on digital, on 100-102FM, or you can listen online.

Weak At The Top

John Weak is an aggressive marketing director with no morals and little brain. Lewd, alcoholic and chauvinistic, while charming the ladies he reveals a completely lackadaisical attitude toward his work.

Originally broadcast in 2005, the radio sitcom version of  Guy Browning's books starred Alexander Armstrong as John Weak, along with Geoffrey Whitehead, Clare Perkins, and Ron Cook. 

The shows are being repeated on Radio 4 Extra, starting on Wednesday 17th May at 11.30pm.

Armstrong & Miller With Great Pleasure at Christmas

Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller are reunited to present With Great Pleasure at Christmas, at 10pm on Radio 4 on Christmas Day (repeated on Boxing Day at 4pm).

Expect laughter and maybe the odd tear as they present readings from their favourite works of fiction and poetry, many with a Christmas feel, and a song or two (including, I'm reliably informed, The Hatmakers' Song). They're assisted by one of their favourite female collaborators, Sarah Alexander.

Armstrong & Miller to reunite for one night only

Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller haven't worked together for several years, but they're back together for one night only to present With Great Pleasure At Christmas, to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Day.

They'll talk about the books, poems, and much more that have inspired them. The show is being recorded in front of a live audience in central London on the evening of Monday 21st November. Apply here for tickets!

A Midsomerly Murders Night’s Dream is out on Friday

The first part of A Midsomerly Murders Night's Dream, Classic FM's main event for this year's Make Some Noise Day, will be released on Friday 4th October.

Make Some Noise is the charity of Global, the parent company of Classic FM. It supports small projects working with disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Events go on all year round, but this year's main Make Some Noise Day is October 4th: Classic FM's chief contribution is a murder mystery radio play involving all their presenters.

A Midsomerly Murd’rous, the only village in the county of Midsomerly never to have been scandalised by murder, is abuzz with the big event being organised by Phil Hall (played by Alexander Armstrong) for the former Lord Theo Rhys (played by Alan Titchmarsh) for his marriage to his love Polly (played by Charlotte Green).

The story unfolds surrounding the suspicious death of Punk, the pantomime horse. Several people are in the frame including Mr Trunchbull, the estate agent (played by Bill Turnbull), Eggerton, the new lord of the Manor (Aled Jones) even Cotswold Manchebo, or the cheese shop owner (played by Alex James).

Detective Inspector Baxter Carter (John Suchet) and his sidekick Sergeant Brock Fugue (Nicholas Owen) traipse this formerly sleepy village from house to house in their quest to discover the truth, with the help of the new coroner….

A Midsomerly Murders Night's Dream will be issued in two instalments.  You can register to be alerted when it is released. Instalments cost £5 each for Make Some Noise.

A Midsomerly Murders Night’s Dream

Make Some Noise is the charity of Global, which is the parent company of Classic FM. It works to help small projects supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

It raises money all year long, but its big fundraising day this year is on 4th October. All Global's radio stations will be putting on special events: Classic FM's is 'a hilarious murder-mystery radio play' called A Midsomerly Murders Night’s Dream.

The plot:

A Midsomerly Murd’rous, the only village in the county of Midsomerly never to have been scandalised by murder, is abuzz with the big event being organised by Phil Hall (played by Alexander Armstrong) for the former Lord Theo Rhys (played by Alan Titchmarsh) for his marriage to his love Polly (played by Charlotte Green).

The story unfolds surrounding the suspicious death of Punk, the pantomime horse. Several people are in the frame including Mr Trunchbull, the estate agent (played by Bill Turnbull), Eggerton, the new lord of the Manor (Aled Jones) even Cotswold Manchebo, or the cheese shop owner (played by Alex James).

Detective Inspector Baxter Carter (John Suchet) and his sidekick Sergeant Brock Fugue (Nicholas Owen) traipse this formerly sleepy village from house to house in their quest to discover the truth, with the help of the new coroner….

 A Midsomer's Murders Night's Dream will be issued in two instalments in the first week of October.  You can register to be alerted when it is released. Instalments cost £5 each for Make Some Noise.

Alexander Armstrong delivers listener boost to Classic FM

The latest listener numbers for Classic FM show impressive increases in listener numbers across the station's schedule, and particularly from the weekend 'star' presenters.

Xander's weekend lunchtime shows are a big hit, with 576,000 people listening to his Saturday show, up 43,000 since last year. His shows are always entertaining, and full of beautiful music (as is the rest of the schedule, of course). Why not make it 576,001?

New show times on Classic FM from 9th April

Xander has new show times on Classic FM from next Saturday, 9th April. He'll be on from 1-3pm, on both Saturday and Sunday.

Which means an hour less per week of his velvety voice. NOBODY CONSULTED ME ABOUT THIS CHANGE?!

New show times on Classic FM

Xander's show times on Classic FM are changing! He has this weekend off due to Easter and the Classic FM Hall of Fame, but from 9th April he'll be broadcasting for 2 hours from 1pm every Saturday and Sunday.

One hour less per week of Xander's silky tones. BOO.