Christmas 2022 on Absolute Radio
All you need to know about our Christmas and New Year specials
Last updated 12th Dec 2022
Welcome to Christmas 2022 on Absolute Radio. Once again, the team has been working away in recent weeks and months to create some very special programmes that we’re sure you’ll enjoy over the festive period with some mulled wine and a mince pie.
As well as highlighting the top-notch yuletide content we have planned for Christmas, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank YOU, our beloved Absolute Radio listeners, for tuning in over the past year. We truly wouldn’t be here without you.
We wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
We also know that Christmas is not always a great time for everyone, so remember that if you’re struggling there are places to get help right here.
Christmas Through The Decades:
CHRISTMAS DAY 1PM - 4PM
Dan Noble takes you on a Christmas journey through the best music of the last 60 years including some Christmas crackers from Slade, Wizzard, Shakin’ Stevens, Chris Rea and loads more. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your turkey and trimmings.
Andy Bush's Christmas Indie Disco:
CHRISTMAS DAY – 4PM - 6PM
Andy Bush brings out his wheels of steel for a special Christmas Day show playing the biggest songs from the Indie Disco’s of your youth. Whether you’re washing up or getting the party started, you’ll get the biggest songs from the likes of Pulp, Oasis, Chemical Brothers, Sleeper and Blondie.
The Isle of Wight Festival Re-loaded:
CHRISTMAS DAY 6PM - 10PM
Sarah Champion and Ben Burrell wind the clock back to the summer for four hours of amazing live music from the Isle of Wight Festival 2022. You’ll hear live performances from Kasabian, Muse, Madness, Blossoms, the Fratellis and loads more.
My Absolute 80s:
CHRISTMAS DAY 10PM - 1AM
Kim Wilde, Howard Jones and Garry Christian join Chris Martin to pick their favourite 80s classics and tell their stories about their lives and careers. You’ll hear who inspired them and what were the moments which defined music for them.
Rock N Roll Football with Dan Noble:
BOXING DAY 2PM - 5PM
Halleluyah – it’s a Christmas Miracle. The Premier League is back for the busiest day of the footballing year and Dan Noble will have the perfect soundtrack and all of the goals as they go in.
George Ezra, Live in Finsbury Park:
BOXING DAY 7PM - 8PM
Every night this week, Absolute Radio will be re-visiting some of the summer’s biggest gigs and it kicks off in London’s Finsbury Park as George Ezra plays a massive sold-out show. Expect to hear Shotgun, Paradise, Budapest and all his biggest sing-along hits.
Rock N' Roll ReWritten with Sophie K:
BOXING DAY 8PM - 9PM
From Hound Dog to Whole Lotta Love, Sophie K highlights some of the staples of rock music that are indebted to black musicians who original versions have often gone overlooked and unappreciated. She’ll tell the stories behind the songs and what happened to the originals.
Charlie Watts: The Man Who Made the Stones Roll:
BOXING DAY 9PM - 10PM
2022 was the 60th anniversary of the Rolling Stones first gig and in this special documentary, Claire Sturgess narrates a tribute to the unassuming & humble genius behind the drums, Charlie Watts. A human metronome, he remains inimitable. If the Stones were the best rock n roll band in the world, then surely the jazz-inspired man with the sticks who never played a solo, was rock n roll's greatest drummer.
Stereophonics, Live at Kendal Calling:
27TH DECEMBER 7PM - 8PM
Absolute Radio winds the clock to the Stereophonics headline set from Kendal Calling Festival. You’ll hear Dakota, Local Boy in the Photograph, A Thousand Trees, Handbags and Gladrags and loads more of the band’s greatest hits.
A Rush of Blood to the Head at 20 with Ross Buchanan:
27TH DECEMBER 8PM - 9PM
The first track from Coldplay's a Rush Of Blood To The Head was recorded just two days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and it became a seminal album of the decade. Ross Buchanan plays the biggest hits and chats to Ash, Coldplay's roadies and long term friends of the band as he tells the brilliant story behind the album; from headlining Glastonbury for the first time to making a slasher movie starring Dave Grohl, you’ll hear a different take on this classic album.
The Magic of McCartney:
27TH DECEMBER 9PM - 10PM
Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote their hits when they bunked off school, before voice memos and tape recorders. Their rule was that if neither of them could remember a tune the next day, they scrapped it. In this special documentary, Anna Geary heads to the houses where these songs were created and chats with Paul’s friends and family about how it all began for Liverpool’s most famous musician.
Liam Gallagher, Live at Alexandra Head:
28TH DECEMBER 7PM - 8PM
Back in September, Liam Gallagher played at Alexandra Head in Cardiff and we’ll put you in the front row for extended highlights. From Champagne Supernova and Wonderwall to Wall of Glass and C’mon you know – it’s an hour of Liam’s swagger and some of the biggest Indie Anthems from the past 3 decades.
Kate Bush: The Strangest Thing:
28TH DECEMBER 8PM - 10PM
Stranger Things brought Kate Bush’s genius to a whole new generation of fans in 2022, as Running up that hill topped the charts, 37 years after it was first released. In this special programme, Absolute Radio charts the life and career of this enigma who was propelled back into the spotlight this year.
The Absolute Radio Sessions:
29TH DECEMBER 7PM - 8PM
In 2022, Absolute Radio revisits a year of live music. From Inhaler to Razorlight, Kooks, Wombats and some classic tracks from Suede, we’ll bring you inside our One Golden Square studios for an hour of live music and conversation.
That’s Entertainment: 50 Years of the Jam with Phil Daniels:
29TH DECEMBER 8PM - 9PM
Join Quadrophenia legend Phil Daniels for an in depth look back on the career of Mod Revival icons The Jam. From the band’s humble beginnings in 1972 to their controversial split, you’ll hear the story of how The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan was responsible for The Jam being spotted and signed in 1976. Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton, Rick Buckler and singer songwriter, Billy Bragg all talk about why this band is so important to the British music scene.
Halleluyah: The story of Happy Mondays with Andy Bush:
29TH DECEMBER 9PM - 10PM
Happy Mondays have some of the best stories in music. The drink, the drugs and the chaos are all recounted as Andy Bush charts the rise, fall and rise of the band who formed in Manchester in 1980 and who bridged rock and the emerging rave scene. Shaun Ryder, Rowetta and Bez all tell their version of the story.
New Year’s Eve on Absolute Radio:
31ST DECEMBER FROM 5PM
Whether you’re going out or staying in, Absolute Radio has New Year’s Eve sorted. Andy Bush kicks off the party with his Indie Disco and the biggest 90s anthems before head back to the 80s with Leona Graham and all of the biggest 80s floorfillers. Then from 10pm, we’re ad-break and DJ free as we put on the Absolute Radio mixtape to see in 2023.
The Absolute Classic Rock Party on New Year’s Day:
1ST JANUARY 7PM - 10PM
If you want to keep the party going then Sophie K is on-hand with the biggest Rock N Roll anthems of all-time. From Foo Fighters to Guns N' Roses, AC/DC to Aerosmith, it’s the loudest show on the radio.
The Skin Show:
1ST JANUARY 10PM - MIDNIGHT
Skin is back with the best of season 4 of her critically acclaimed Absolute Radio show. Featuring new bands and classic tracks, she’ll be telling stories from her life and explaining the songs that she loves.