The Christian O'Connell Show

History

Team

Christian O'Connell

Jack Post

Patrina Jones (Pats)

Regular segments

• At Work Timewaster: Based on a news story or event from that morning's show or the previous day's show, two topics are selected and puns are encouraged fusing the two together. O'Connell and Post put forward their suggestions before O'Connell reads out submissions sent in by listeners, which Post jokingly rates on a Gold, Silver, Bronze scale
• Late to the Party: Christian reads emails on past topics from listeners who might not have been able to chip in on something when the show was live.
• Misheard Lyrics: A listener of the show has an excel document on his computer with over 300 song lyrics that he has different interpretations of. Christian shares them on the show 5 at a time, on Mondays, and then reads out listener contributions. Each is rated for whether they agree, don't agree, or if the Mondegreen is an 'Instant Hall of Famer'
• Songs That Sum Up Your Weekend: On Mondays, the team shares the songs that sum up their weekend, along with why that song is appropriate.
• Three Topic Tuesday: Listeners are invited to phone in and share an anecdote relating to one of three topics suggested by O'Connell. Originally it launched as Five Topic Tuesday, but has been pared back for better focus.
• Are You Smarter Than Google...: On Wednesdays, the team proposes questions about things they don't know about and request listeners to call in and answer the question according to what they know
• Mount Rushmore: On Thursdays, the team starts building what they would put on a new Mount Rushmore, and invite listeners. Topics have included what breads would you nominate for Mount Rushmore, or what takeaway foods.
• Snack Genius: Each Friday, O'Connell will take a suggestion from listeners of a perfect snack hybrid. Rules: no more than 30 second prep time, unless microwave is involved to melt something, preferably cheese, in which case, then no more than 1 minute.
• Isolated Vocal : Christian will play an isolated vocal from one of his favourite songs. The music is stripped back from the original recording and only the vocal is heard. He then plays the original song in full.

  Competitions

Sing It For Melbourne

Christian O'Connell's Gran Final

One Last Dream

Christian's $50,000 Pay Your Bills

Christian's $10K Power Tower

Who's Calling Christian

Former Team Members

Richie Firth

Glenn Moore

Margaret 'Maggie' Doyle

Andrew Bailey

Faye Carruthers

Emma Jones

Jenny Barsby

Matt Dyson

Past segments

• Richie Firth: Did He Really Say That?!: A listener referred to as The Samnster puts together a top 10 list of odd and ludicrous things Firth has said on the show over the week, which O'Connell counts down on a Friday. The Sammster has now released a top 100 of Firth's sayings from the breakfast show, prior to the show ending.
• Jack Post: Did He Really Say That?: A listener called The Sammster in the U.K. provides a Top 10 list of the strange things co-host Jack Post has said during the week, which Christian counts down on Fridays. This is fairly identical to the version that was done in the UK with co-host Richie Firth. Sammster retired from providing this list to the show.
• Radio Times TV Schedule bingo game: Richie hosts a game around the Radio Times TV listings from years gone by, but from the same date as the current week. Richie reads the day of the week, time and synopsi of the show for the team to guess.
• Celebrity Interviews: Various famous celebrities have called the show over the years. When celebrities are unavailable, interviews are occasionally conducted with impressionist Alex Lowe.
• The Vegas Hour: Between 6am and 7am, topics are discussed that will not be talked about after 7am. These are often odd or risque subjects.
• The Mug Emails: Listeners email the show with amusing anecdotes relating to the subjects being discussed by the presenters. O'Connell then reads out a selection of these emails on air throughout the show. If both O'Connell and Firth deem an anecdote to be funny enough, the sender will receive a 'Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show Mug' as a prize.
• Hitler's Toilet: A daily feature on the show at 6.50am in which Firth reads out a comical, offbeat or vulgar news story, usually from a tabloid newspaper, which is then scrutinised by the presenters. The feature began when Firth once read out a news story about Adolf Hitler's toilet being sold at auction. This then led to a regular segment containing stories that would be considered as newsworthy as Hitler's toilet being sold at auction. Stories often feature obscure 'Top Tens', tales of animals mating or previously unheard of research from 'respected' universities. The feature formerly had a heavy bias towards stories about oversized rodents, escaped big cats and Kim Jong-Un. This segment now features on the Absolute Radio Hometime Show.
• Buzz List: Things the presenters are interested in at the moment, such as a book, app, TV show or life hack. Each member of the show gives their buzz list, followed by the listeners.
• Brian's Fantasy Guest: Brian Murphy cut together an interview with a celebrity from their 'canon of work'. This feature was often sabotaged by O'Connell.
• The Early Morning Game: A game is devised around a listeners job with a theme tune composed by Richie such as Kit Bingo, or a game devised around guessing which fish a fishmonger has slapped his colleague around the face with by the sound of the smack.
• Would you rather...: Two hypothetical statements are given and the team must pick one, such as would you rather be stuck in a lift with a clown or a badger.
• Doc Hollywood: The title of a movie is made up and O'Connell has to come up with the plot and actors.
• Phone Buckaroo: Listeners guess how long O'Connell can keep telephone psychics and sex lines talking about inane and irrelevant subjects.
• Kettle Classics
• The People Carrier of Doom
• First Friday
• The Diamante Lounge: A members club for listeners that has discounts such as 5% off at Ormskirk Arials. Membership is limited to three new members a day. Entrance to the Diamante Lounge is across a drawbridge and through a beaded curtain.
• Snack Genius: Three recipes a week are sent in for Firth to taste and declare them to be either 'snack genius' or 'snack hell'; a casting vote may be given by Christian if necessary. The recipes often contain odd combinations of food which go together surprisingly well.
• The 40 List: O'Connell attempts to tick off items on a list he wrote at the age of 13 of things he wished to accomplish before turning 40. The list includes thirteen items, such as date Kelly Le Brock, kick in Darth Vader, have an amazing splurge gun party like Bugsy Malone, and do what Ferris Bueller did when he skived off.
• Guess what's in the box: Firth walked 5 minutes from the studio to buy an item that he has placed in a box- only Firth knows what it is. Listeners call in every Friday and ask a "yes or no" question before guessing what they think is in the box. With each wrong answer the "prize pot" goes up by 99p. Each week Firth shakes the box, controversially he changed the box on 30 March 2015 to exclude the "extraneous rattle". After two months of incorrect guesses, the feature was abandoned by O'Connell. Firth revealed on the show in January 2018 that the item in the box was a bag of iced gems.
• Bus Stop: Firth would go to various bus stops around the studio and ask members of the public, unaware they were being recorded; "what you doing?" and "where you going?".
• Show in numbers: At the end of every show Firth would summarise each show in numbers.
• Reasons to be cheerful: The members of the team offer up their reasons to be cheerful and then open it up to the listeners.
• Starting Eleven: Every Monday the team picked a football starting eleven, normally in the 4-4-2 formation, of a new subject. For example; sweets, quiz show hosts, guitarists.
• Midweek Scores: On a Wednesday each presenter gives an assessment of their week with a score as if it was halftime during a football match, giving a reason for the score. Listeners then send in their own responses.
• Name game, "as in...": Listeners are invited to call in if they have a name that if they say it people always say the same thing back to them, for example "Hello my name is Chris Martin" and the response would be "as in Coldplay?". A caller will come on the line and say their full name and then Firth and O'Connell will buzz in and guess what people normally say to them when they say their name.
• Dear Aliens: An item is discussed each week with the decided best thing in that category being the thing offered up to Aliens. Categories included: dips, TV shows, takeaways, chocolate bars.
• Win or Lose your Weekend : On Monday mornings, the team goes over the little wins they had over the weekend, and then listeners are invited to share their wins/losses.
• Put It In A Decade, Baby: Jack Post lists either movies, songs, books, birthdates or events and the caller has to put them into the correct decade. They have to score 4 out of 5 correctly to win, though O'Connell often gives the contestant the prize regardless.
• Facebook Marketplace Price Is Right: Christian finds tat that people are selling on Facebook Marketplace and has Jack and Pats guess the asking price on each item, similar to the gameplay in Price Is Right.
• Fine Pay Friday: Listeners are invited to phone in and share their fine with O'Connell and he will pay it off.
• All Request Friday: Each Friday, O'Connell will play song requests from listeners throughout the show.
• Beat the Boss: An employee and their boss are invited to answer random trivia questions. The one with the most correct answers wins: if the employee wins, they get the rest of the day off immediately; the boss gets 20 seconds of free air time to promote their business should they win.
• Dave's Amazing Historical Facts: On Wednesdays, a listener named Dave calls in and shares the history of various things
• Make us say WOW: Listeners are invited to call in on Wednesdays with a story that will make all 3 presenters say WOW.
• Midweek Mixed Tape: Listeners are invited to phone in and help O'Connell build the most epic playlist ever.
• The Footie Report: Shane Crawford comes in once a week to discuss the weekend matches and state of the game.
• OTT Radio: Christian and the team would discuss topics requested by the listeners.
• The Missing Link: Once a month on Fridays, the music team picks 6 songs with a connection, and the listeners and presenters have to guess what the link is.
• Two Thumbs Up Friday: The team gives their weekly recommendations of what they're into.
• Anonymous Confessions: On Fridays, Christian reads texts from listeners about things they're confessing to. The team also prints out confessions that Christian reads. Once they're all read, Jack will shred them.
• Knock Off Friday: Listeners are invited to phone in and share what they're starting their weekend, and what they're going to do. Christian, Pats, and Jack also share what they're doing too.

  Awards

Sony Radio Academy

Other Awards

• 2011 The Arqiva/Triple A Media Commercial Radio National Breakfast Show of the Year
• 2013 Commercial Radio Roll of Honour Award 2013 Celebrating 40 years of commercial radio. Award for one of the industry’s most significant talents
• 2014 Youngest Ever DJ Inducted into the UK Radio Academy Hall of Fame
• 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards National Presenter of The Year
• 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Winner - Best UK National Breakfast show of The Year
• 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Winner - Best Feature Award the 40 List
• 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Special Achievement Award
• 2015 Red Bull Soapbox Challenge World Champions
• 2016 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Winner - Best UK National Breakfast Show
• 2017 ARIAS Gold Winner - Best Music Presenter
• 2017 ARIAS Gold Winner - Best Branded Content or Partnership