Get to know Producer Suzi from the Simon Mayo Drivetime Show
She is on Simon Mayo's Drivetime!
Simon Mayo is the host of the Drivetime show on Greatest Hits Radio! He plays the music that defined his career every weekday from 4pm-7pm joined by his team Matt Williams, Nigel Barden and Producer Suzi!
Suzi is originally from Wales, but now lives in Bristol above a pub with her other half who is a landlord - and their son, who was born in Spring 2023! We asked Suzi some questions so you can get to know her better...
Who is Suzi from the Drivetime show?
Suzi Purdie is the producer for Simon Mayo's Drivetime show on Greatest Hits Radio and she often features on the show too!
What was the first gig she went to?
We asked Suzi, and she told us it was the Take That and Party Tour in November 1992, adding: "Maybe it’s not the gig that gives me the most street cred but as a nine-year-old I loved it and knew all the words!"
What album could Suzi play on repeat and not get bored?
Suzi revealed: "I could list 100 here but the first one that came to mind was 'Heartbreaker' by Dolly Parton. It combines my love of Dolly Parton and Disco!!!"
What is Suzi's perfect song for singing along or driving to?
Finding out what Suzi listens to when she's not in the studio, she told us: "Honestly I sing along to everything and everything all the time…but for driving you can’t beat some classic power ballads…who hasn’t belted out 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' while driving along the M4?"
What does she like most about The Simon Mayo Drivetime Show?
"Acting out the Drivetime Dramas with Simon and Matt has been a highlight so far but in general just getting to have fun and laugh as part of my job. You can’t help but feel part of the gang – whether you are in the studio or listening at home!", Suzi revealed.
What can we expect from Producer Suzi on Greatest Hits Radio?
Joking about keeping everything in order on the Drivetime show, she said: "Well I’ll be the one making sure we are running perfectly on time (hopefully) and trying to keep some sort of control (who am I kidding?!). I’ll also be cropping up on air occasionally during the Drivetime Dramas and Confessions if people send enough in!"
What is it like producing The Drivetime Show with Simon Mayo?
Suzi explained: "It is very busy and sometimes it can be stressful but it’s also a lot of fun and I get to work with some great people. I honestly think I have one of the best jobs out there."
Does Suzi really live in a pub?
"I really do!" she said, adding: "My other half is a landlord so technically I guess I’m the landlady – but I’m much happier being on the right side of the bar!"
When did Suzi realise she wanted to work in radio?
"I actually got into radio quite late and completely by accident," Suzi said as she told us the story.
Continuing she explained: "I was in my late 20’s and my first experience was a friend of mine asking me to come and read the news on his community radio show – from that moment I knew I loved it and had to find a way to make it my actual job!"
What is the best gig she's ever been to?
Suzi has been to some amazing concerts in her life but she managed to narrow it down, saying: "I’m a massive music fan and I love festivals. Dolly Parton at Glastonbury is a moment I’ll never forget, closely followed by Charles Bradley at WOMAD festival and The Cure at Glastonbury. There is something about live music outside that is so special."
Get to know Simon Mayo:
How can I listen to Simon Mayo's Drivetime Show?
You can hear Simon Mayo's Drivetime show every weekday from 4pm - 7pm on Greatest Hits Radio.
How to 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 the talented Drivetime team, we have lots of brilliant presenters on our show - find out more about them here...
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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