Mark Radcliffe had previously broadcast a solo show on Radio 2 from June 2004 after transferring from BBC Radio 1 the previous March, whilst Maconie had also broadcast various shows for the network as well as 6 Music. The Radio 2 show was broadcast four nights a week until 8 April 2010, when the Thursday night show was given over to In Concert, a music programme featuring repeats of old live concerts. This was carried out as a response to the BBC Trust, who dictated that Radio 2 must feature more live music. Radio 2 controller Bob Shennan made the decision to cut one of Radcliffe & Maconie's shows in order to make way for the repeats featured within 'In Concert'. On 1 February 2011 it was announced that the pair were to move to BBC Radio 6 Music to present a weekday show, starting on 4 April. The final show on Radio 2 was broadcast on 23 March and featured live music from Manic Street Preachers. The BBC Radio 6 Music weekday show ran from 4 April 2011 until 21 December 2018. Radcliffe took a break from broadcasting in early October 2018 after he had announced he was receiving treatment for cancer. The final weekday show was presented by Maconie only, although Radcliffe made a short appearance announcing that he would be returning in February 2019 to re-join Maconie on the new weekend breakfast show which began on 12 January. The show plays new music by up and coming artists as well as established acts. It also features live sessions from a diverse collection of acts. Bands and artists that have featured in session in the past include; The Raveonettes, Arcade Fire, Crowded House, Sheryl Crow, Supergrass, Elbow, Seasick Steve, Siouxsie Sioux, The Flies, Vashti Bunyan, Kate Walsh, Ed Harcourt, The Earlies, Maps, Laura Veirs, Feist, Editors, Travis, Cherry Ghost, The Coral, The Thrills, Tinariwen as well as many more. Radcliffe and Maconie have also made comment on the show from time to time of their appreciation of cowbells and various kinds of cheese. Whenever Radcliffe is presenting the show, either with Maconie or by himself, it usually begins with the line "You know what you wanna do with that, right? You wanna put a bangin' donk on it." sampled from the song "Put A Donk On It" by The Blackout Crew. If Maconie is presenting solo, he usually does not include this in the show. The show typically begins with an older, classic "bangin' donk" tune, followed by a short instrumental, novelty, or television theme song, followed by a contemporary song. Following this opening set of songs is the show's 'bed' track, an instrumental mix of "Chicken Payback" by The Bees, over which the hosts begin the show. Another sample played regularly on the show is the "Roots Bloody Roots" clip. Taken from listener and contributor, Gayton Peawell from Darlington. His suggestion of "Roots Bloody Roots" by Sepultura was performed with a deepened voice. Elizabeth 'Alcopops' Alker has been the music news reporter on the show since it moved to 6 Music in 2011. Special guests often appear on Radcliffe & Maconie. Among the regular guests are Noddy Holder, Sally Lindsay, Adrian Edmondson, Miranda Sawyer and Lucy Porter.
Current features
The Chain
The Chain is an item on the show billed as a 'never-ending list of records, with every new track somehow connected to the last.' One song is played in every hour of each show that relates to the previous one, listeners are encouraged to contact the show with another song that links to this one. The connection can be anything, ranging from the very obvious to the very obscure. The item is introduced by Gordon Burns. On 4 January 2011 Burns joined the show to celebrate the 2,000th link, which was "Fame" by David Bowie. He joined the show again on 9 October 2013 for the 4,000th link which was "Dear Prudence" by the Beatles, the date coincidentally being John Lennon's birthday. A website is available for listeners to check if a chain suggestion they want to make has been on before as each song can only be used once. The website is run and maintained by regular contributor to the show Kenneth Ken Yau. The theme song for the segment is the Fleetwood Mac song it is named after, which was also the very first link.
Tea Time Theme Time
Every Sunday at about 9:35am, three records are played that all centre round a particular theme. When the show was on weekdays it would be every day at about 3:35pm. The first week's themes were chosen by the presenters themselves, after which the themes were chosen by listeners. At first the linking theme was announced before the records were played, however it soon became popular for listeners to guess what the link was so now the connecting theme isn't mentioned until all the records have been played and listeners contact the show with their guesses as to what the theme is. Although there is no prize for getting the theme correct the first person to contact the show with the correct answer has the honour of having their name mentioned as the winner. Radcliffe and Maconie used to say that the first correct answer received the "Tea Time Theme Time Crown of Joy." Although the winner didn't receive an actual crown, a picture of a paper hat representing a crown would be tweeted along with the winners name. However they no longer refer to the "Tea Time Theme Time Crown of Joy."
Every day on the Radio 2 show, Radcliffe and Maconie would take it in turns to choose a new track on the Pick 'n' Mix feature, usually by a less well known artist. At the end of the week listeners were encouraged to vote on the Radio 2 website for their favourite. The track with the most votes would then be played on every show the following week. After an impromptu moment on the show's Hadrians Wall tour, the feature was rechristened "The Miracle of Pick 'n' Mix".
The winner of the Fleetwood Mac game will typically be announced during the first hour of the show. The myriad intricate rules have not been repeated in full since its inception in September 2014. On 16 October 2014 this was won by the music news presenter, SJ, marking the first time the winner had been related to the show or 6 Music.
