New radio show for director Jonny
JONNY OWEN is to turn his hand to radio presenting when he begins a new show on Talksport. The actor, writer and film director is to make his radio presenting debut with a new show on the national sports radio station later this month.
Merthyr-born Jonny will present the Sunday morning show which will feature football and music culture on Sunday, May 24.
The Welshman, 48, who directed acclaimed football documentaries I Believe In Miracles about Nottingham Forest’s European Cup triumphs and Together Stronger, the story of Wales’ incredible summer at Euro 2016, is no stranger to the station having been a regular guest on the Talksport airwaves over the years.
Although he said it will be strange to make his radio presenting debut during lockdown, he has a studio set up at the home he shares in Nottingham with his fiancee, actress Vicky McCLure.
Jonny is also currently a director at Nottingham Forest Football Club, where he looks after the club’s media output.
“I’d been doing a few things for Talksport over the years because of the football films I’ve made and they had me on regularly reporting on Wales during the Euros,” he said. “Also being involved in football itself being on the board at Nottingham Forest, I got to know them quite well.
“I’ve also known (TV and radio presenter) Mark Webster, who works there for quite a few years as well. Mark is like me – he loves his football and music, and all kinds of popular culture.
“Mark did the Sunday morning slot and he said do you fancy presenting this with me. I did it and then funnily enough the head of Talksport and some of the senior producers emailed me and said we like you on there, we like your voice, we like what you say, would you be interested in doing something with us. I said I’d have a chat with them and they said do you fancy doing a Sunday morning slot more regularly and so this is it.”
Now Jonny is hoping his new football culture show will prove popular with the audience of Talksport – the world’s biggest sports radio station.
“There’s stuff that’s covered brilliantly by Talksport in the sense of phone-ins and the debating football stuff, but I’m interested in talking about football culture,” he said. “Everything from retro tops, Adidas trainers, talking about great games, as well, doing the whole thing. I think there’s a great culture around football that does involve film, music and fashion and all those things that come into it. So I’m hoping on a Sunday morning people will tune in to listen to me.
“Mark Webster is going to be doing the show with me. He’s a great guy and we’ve always got on really well. We got to know each other really well, bumping into each other on different shows over the years. Inevitably you gravitate towards people with similar tastes. He was a big supporter of Svengali and we just hit it off. He ended up at Talksport, asked me on and it went from there.”
Jonny Owen and Friends launches on Talksport on Sunday, May 24, from 9am-11am.