Coming up next... it's DICE.
After three amazing years as the voice of the channel (so on brand), I’ve decided to leave BBC Three at the end of this month.
I never really thought I’d end up working in TV, never mind on it, so this really has been an incredible experience and I’d like to thank the channel and the amazing people who work there, as well as the team who do all the technical stuff at Red Bee Media.
I’m really going to miss introducing Family Guy which I still believe is the greatest thing you can watch at 11pm every evening of your life. And to answer some FAQs…
No, I wasn’t there all the time. Most of it was pre-recorded.
Yes, I wrote my own scripts and no, you can’t get a shout out.
When I started at Three I didn’t actually own a TV and only really knew the channel for shows like Snog, Marry, Avoid? and Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents.
In my first few months I was surprised at the quality of the programmes I’d never really known them for. Seasons like It’s A Mad World and Crime & Punishment produced some of the most awakening and moving television I’d ever watched, and I think it’s a huge mistake to take the channel off air.
That said, I know the difficulties the BBC faces financially.
If any channel were to forge a new path for delivering incredible programming to young people in the UK in an increasingly mobile, on demand culture, my vote would be with this team.
I want to highlight that my decision to leave the channel isn’t due to it’s unforeseen linear lifespan. As I said, I never thought I’d work in TV. I only ever wanted to work in music.
After my show on Radio 1 ended I was offered a job at DICE as Music Editor. DICE is transforming ticketing and over the last six months I’ve become more and more involved, not just in the company, but with the whole debate that’s igniting around various parts of the music industry right now. And it’s an exciting place to be.
To explain it quickly, DICE is an app for your phone. You download it just like you’d download WhatsApp or Tinder. And it’s free. We curate a list of the best gigs and club nights in London and sell you the tickets with No Booking Fees. It seems ridiculous to me that in 2015 I can book a flight on my mobile, turn up at the gate, and scan a QR code to fly halfway round the world, but to get into a concert in Brixton I need to use a printer and carry round a scrappy piece of paper all day. WHO EVEN OWNS A PRINTER?
And that’s just the tip of a big shady, annoying iceberg. I suppose when you’re used to doing something in a certain way, you don’t realise how broken the system is until you’re given an alternative. Like, why do I have to pay to print my own ticket? Why are tickets available for 10 times the face value price seconds after a show goes on sale?
Why do companies who say they’re “fan-centric” constantly abuse the passion of fans by charging massive fees?
And let’s just take a minute to talk about institutionalised secondary ticketing. There’s a lot of noise kicking off around the Consumer Rights Bill (I wrote about it here and Stewart Lee wrote about it here). This is an issue I feel strongly about.
In my personal opinion, sites like Viagogo and StubHub are not contributing to the music industry. They do not support creativity. They take money out of the pockets of fans, playing on their desperation to see a favourite act. And we all know the pain that comes with not being able to see a band you really love.
None of that money goes back into the industry. It really doesn’t make bands feel good to know that fans they truly care about have had to stump up such huge sums to see them play.
Next week Take That will play a very special show for War Child at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Fans had to enter a text ballot to win tickets. Right now there are tickets for that show on SubHub, Viagogo, and GetMeIn going for between £90 to £300. Only StubHub have said they will donate the profits they make from selling these tickets back to War Child. And that makes them the good guys?
If you want to join the campaign to Put Fans First, you can like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
If you really want to get involved and make a difference, you can email your MP before February 24th when the amendment will be debated again in the House of Commons. This could be your last chance to help change something and it only takes 5 minutes.
Click here for information on how to email your MP.
So I’m leaving Three and going to DICE. From one amazing team to another. A big thank you to everyone at Three, especially Zai and Louise who aren’t there any more but first hired me back in 2012.
I have no idea if the channel will have me back this summer for festivals. I hope so.
I’ll miss announcing Family Guy for everyone xxx
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