Get to know Matt Williams from the Simon Mayo Drivetime Show
He presents the Sport! ⚽
Simon Mayo is the host of the Drivetime show on Greatest Hits Radio, and he's joined by his team of Matt Williams, Nigel Barden and Producer Suzi! Catch the team every weekday from 4-7pm, and listen to Matt's updates with the latest sports news.
We already know that Matt is a HUGE Liverpool FC fan, but let's get to know him a little better!
Who is Matt Williams?
Matt Williams is a sports presenter and reporter.
Where is he from?
Matt was born in Southport in Lancashire. He grew up in Formby, near Liverpool, and attended the University of Bradford to study French and Spanish.
When is Matt Williams on Greatest Hits Radio?
You can catch Matt on Simon Mayo's Drivetime Show, every weekday from 4pm.
We asked Matt some questions so you can get to know him better…
What was the first gig he went to?
Matt told us: "Transvision Vamp. They played 'Baby I Don't Care' three times - including twice in the encore!"
What album could Matt play on repeat and not get bored?
According to Matt it's AC/DC - 'Back in Black'.
What is Matt Williams' perfect song for driving to?
He revealed: "As long as I'm on my own in the car, I will sing to ANYTHING. The last time I was driving I had Shania Twain's 'Man I Feel Like a Woman' on and was yelling it out."
There’s no judgement here Matt!
What does Matt Williams do on the Drivetime show?
Matt presents the sport on Greatest Hits Radio and explained what we can expect from his time on the show: "To begin with, you can expect a man in his pants, stamping round his loft trying to get the WiFi to work so he can broadcast. You can also expect sport bulletins in which Liverpool and Tottenham are shamelessly given the benefit of the doubt despite having their season from hell."
What is his favourite sporting anthem?
When asked this, Matt replied: "When a World Cup comes round, I've always got ‘World in Motion’ by New Order on repeat. Also Beastie Boys and ‘Sabotage’ for some reason always gets me in the mood. And, obviously, 'When you walk, through a storm...'" We'd love to see Matt attempting John Barnes' rap in 'World in Motion'.
When did Matt start out in radio?
Like Nigel Barden, Matt started his radio career in 1991. He presented a number of radio shows before joining Greatest Hits Radio in 2021.
We asked Matt if he remembered the moment he realised he wanted a career in sports broadcasting and he told us: "I'd always loved radio and, in common with just about everyone else in the eighties, listened to Radio 1 from dawn til dusk when I was at school. I picked the university to go to because they had a student radio station.
"Sport didn't come into the mix until much later - football didn't have the same profile it has now. I remember being the odd one out because I was wanting to get the scores off Ceefax (P 302 obvs) and I got my dream job at Newsbeat because I was the only one who knew where Juventus play their home matches."
Would he rather see his favourite team in a final OR watch his favourite band at Wembley?
He responded: "I've seen Liverpool play at Wembley several times in the last few years and they've lost every time. But the last time I was there was to watch AC/DC on the Rock or Bust tour and they were SUPERB so I'll have that again please."
Where is Matt Williams now?
You can find Matt Williams on Greatest Hits Radio from Monday to Thursday, presenting the sport on Simon Mayo's Drivetime show and getting involved in fun features like Confessions and Drivetime Dramas.
How to listen to Simon Mayo's Drivetime show:
You can listen to Matt on the Simon Mayo Drivetime show on Greatest Hits Radio!
WATCH: Get to know more about Simon Mayo
How can I listen to Greatest Hits Radio?
You can listen to Greatest Hits Radio on your good old traditional radio - we're on FM and DAB in lots of places. You can also download the free Rayo app for iPhone or Android, listen on our website or ask your Smart Speaker to “play Greatest Hits Radio”. Find out more about how to listen to Greatest Hits Radio.
Take a look at the rest of the Greatest Hits Radio presenting line-up:
As well as tuning into Drivetime, you can find amazing shows throughout the week here on Greatest Hits Radio!
Ken Bruce
Greatest Hits Radio is the home of the legend that is Ken Bruce, weekdays 10am-1pm - including PopMaster, the UK's biggest music quiz for 25 years and counting.
Find out more about Ken and PopMaster.
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo hosts Drivetime every weekday at 4pm and The Album Show on Sundays from 1pm.
Simon said of his Drivetime show: "I think the thing about Drivetime is that it is like the flip side of breakfast. You kind of know what an awful lot of people are doing, it's the end of most people's day, they're doing some final bits of work, they're shutting the laptop, they're doing a bit of food preparation, they're driving home. I think it is that sense of camaraderie, it's the end of the day, people want to be cheered up and they want to spend some time with some decent folk on the radio!"
Find out more about Simon Mayo here.
Paul Gambaccini
Paul brings us his famous America's Greatest Hits programme every Saturday between 5pm-7pm, featuring two hours of the Greatest Hits that made it big in America.
Sharing some of the things he loves about his show, Paul said: "Radio is the perfect form of one-to-one communication. TV can be direct, too, but the camera operator is always in your line of vision! I enjoy sharing my favourite music, and my admittedly freakish knowledge of it, with people who care about that music. I love the opportunity for challenging talk overs, too!"
Find out more about Paul Gambaccini here.
Alex Lester
The Dark Lord keeps you company in the small hours. Join him for the Music Marathon from 1am and the Best Time Of The Day Show 4-6am weekdays.
Alex brings: "Your favourite songs. Bizarre insights and unusual thoughts," to his show and told us that he loves that during his show: "It's just the two of us. You and me. (Against the world)."
Find out more about Alex Lester here.
Jenny Powell
Jenny plays the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s on Greatest Hits Radio to kickstart your weekend, every Saturday and Sunday from 6am.
On Jenny's show, listeners can look forward to The Breakfast Club, which she says is: "A warm-up for the weekend, full of positive vibes and feel-good factor when you wake up on Saturdays and Sundays. I insist you have a dance with me on the Kitchen Disco, I share some fun news stories from the previous week on The Headliners and get you smiling no matter what, sharing some of my favourite tracks from the 70s, 80, and 90s."
Find out more about Jenny Powell here.
Andy Crane
Join Andy's late-night community of music and company, Sunday-Thursday at 10pm.
Andy has three hours of the biggest songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s as well as The Top 10 at 10 and Midnight Music Marathon. His show is full of: "Great music and plenty of laughing."
Find out more about Andy Crane here.
Martin Kemp
Join our resident pop star Martin Kemp as he kicks off your Friday night with his Mixtape – three hours of handpicked essential weekend songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s to get you in the mood and dancing round the kitchen.
Then on Saturdays, it's side-two as he brings you nothing but the greatest decade of all time on The 80s Mixtape.
Get your teenage kicks in the company of THE 80s poster boy on Greatest Hits Radio!
Find out more about Martin Kemp here.
Jackie Brambles
Jackie Brambles hosts The Evening Show every Monday to Thursday from 7pm - 10pm.
Jackie promises to deliver: "Great music and great conversations! Every night we're joined by one of your favourite artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s for an in-depth chat about the highs and lows of their careers and their musical influences over the years."
Find out more about Jackie Brambles here.
Kate Thornton
Join Kate at the weekend.
Saturday afternoons are all about the best 70s, 80s & 90s pop soundtrack, bringing you the weekend Good Times – expect One Hit Wonders, Anthems, Nostalgia and plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in the show live.
On Sundays, it's 'The UK Pop 40' as Kate counts down the UK Top 40 as it was on this day in history – exactly where the chart should be. Get the tape recorder out the loft!
Find out more about Kate Thornton here.
Richard Allinson
Weekend Good Times never sounded so good!
He's a broadcasting legend with a voice like silk that, alongside the Biggest Songs of the 70s, 80s & 90s, make the perfect weekend soundtrack – Saturday and Sundays at 9am.
Saturdays kick off with your chance to guess the year on The Top 10 Til 10, while Sundays are reserved for an hour of your special songs and dedications.
Speaking about his show, Richard said: "The idea is to recreate all those great memories I have of weekends growing up, a bunch of us meeting up to buy clothes, records, maybe sort a date…everything happened on a weekend and we remember the records we played at that time."
Find out more about Richard Allinson here.
Des Paul
Join Des for Rhythm Of The Night every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm, where he plays all the greatest soul, funk, disco and Motown hits to start your weekend.
Des explained what he loves the most about his show: "The favourite bit of presenting Rhythm of the Night is when listeners contact me to say how much they've loved hearing a particular track and then tell us all about when and where they used to hear it."
Find out more about Des Paul here.
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