The story of Stereo Underground: one of local radio’s biggest successes of the past decade

And today (Jan 31) marks the end of one Stereo Underground era – and the start of another exciting one. For this evening it goes out on BBC Radio Solent for the final time. Changes to the Beeb’s local radio schedules mean it will no longer appear there – but it is moving to Mixcloud, meaning anyone anywhere can still listen to it weekly, when they want to.

Stereo Underground is all about indie classics, alternative anthems and music from the ‘fringey edges’. The show has a weekly featured artist, a pub quiz that started in lockdown, when the show took on a whole new following, and listeners’ gig stories that, if they’re good enough, earn the sender a prized Stereo Underground beer mat.

To mark this tumultuous day for Stereo Underground, I asked its much-loved host, Richard Latto, to tell all about his background in radio (and TV), how the show started, how it took on a life of its own – and what the future holds.

So, if I might slightly misquote the show’s famous opening... readers should now: extend both their arms, sideways, and horizontal to the ground, this gives you a good indication of the correct direction your aerial should be facing. So what’s your first question? THIS ONE!

Richard, a bit about you and your radio career - who have you worked for, doing what, and what about the other work you do, with TV documentaries and archives?

I grew up in the south west in Plymouth, which is where I started working in radio. It was an exciting time because everywhere you went there were people listening to their local radio stations and they really were a rich part of the local landscape. There was a station called Plymouth Sound with a listening reach of over 65% of the population in the city, which even had a jingle that proudly exclaimed “you could hear it coming out of windows as you walk down the street” and it was completely right.

At BBC Radio Devon I ended up presenting every slot, from overnights to breakfast and everything in between. I worked there with a lovely guy called Keith Fordyce, who used to present Ready Steady Go (the forerunner to Top Of The Pops and on ITV) many years before. He taught me so much about music and was a gentleman broadcaster. I also did the breakfast show at BBC Radio Jersey for a bit and freelanced at various places, before eventually coming to BBC Radio Solent in 2006.

Stereo Underground started in 2014 and it’s a cliché to say “I’ve been bowled over by its success” but it has been a whirlwind.

I’ve also been lucky to work on a lot of documentaries on my passions of music and comedy for network radio. I’ve celebrated the lives and careers of Benny Hill, Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock and even reunited Sid James’ children with the final interview ever recorded with their father.

Last year we even managed to fill a whole cinema to celebrate the genius of David Renwick’s superb sitcom One Foot In The Grave, which was filmed locally, and then again to celebrate local author Ray Allen's marvellous creation with an evening of Some Mothers' Do 'Ave 'Em.

A few years ago I collaborated with my colleague Alex Dyke on a fascinating documentary about a missing old edition of Roundtable when George Harrison met Michael Jackson to discuss music. We managed to not only find a complete recording and restore it for broadcast, but also spoke to many of the actual people responsible for such a big meeting of two musical giants.

Outside of my work at the BBC in Southampton I’m involved in the restoration and celebration of a lot of classic television shows, including The Young Ones, Worzel Gummidge, Blackadder and The Clangers. Paul Jackson, who is one of the big comedy TV producers of all time, was very kind about my producing and it’s tremendous fun and great to be able to work with some real heroes I’ve always admired.

Where did Stereo Underground come from? Was it your idea and how did you decide on the type of show it would be?

My boss at the time said she wanted something to keep the sports audiences listening for longer, as with many football commentaries a large number of people would tune in and then tune out of the radio station. Stereo Underground was the suggestion of my wife Sabina, who is far better than me at coming up with names and ideas. So on the understanding that she owns the format, the boss went for it and here I am ten years later, still playing two hours of indie and alternative, but it’s the listener interactions at the heart of it that really make it special.

Did you have any idea it would last and take off so well? Obviously it was just Radio Solent to start with, but when did it get taken on by other stations and start going on BBC Sounds and now of course it's moving to MixCloud?

I had no idea it would become the juggernaut it is today. It did start off on Radio Solent and then gradually other stations did come to the SU party. After the legendary DJ Dave Cash sadly passed away very suddenly I was asked to fill his big shoes across the south-east of England, as well as the south and then even the Channel Islands came on board.

I remember shortly after Dave had died someone rang me up and shouted down the phone “I hate your show, I hate your music and I hate you… bring back Dave Cash.” I very delicately told the listener that Dave had passed-away, but they just huffed and slammed the phone down. Fortunately that was the only negative feedback I’ve ever had on the show!

Since the changes to BBC Local Radio I've been delighted to expand independently to MixCloud, where we have lots of exciting plans including exclusive events.

Is it right that for a long time it has been the most downloaded local radio show on BBC Sounds?

Yes whenever I looked there were an incredible number of listeners online and it just keeps growing. The response I’ve had from listeners who seek out the show online has been a real boost to the interaction, and it’s often the people who take the time to craft an email during the week while listening online that come up with the best stories. The reaction since we've moved to MixCloud and expanded has been incredible.

It seemed to take on a new life and level during the lockdowns when it went to four hours and you started the quiz. Was that a surprise? We all still remember the Hallowe'en edition that was rudely interrupted by Boris Johnson addressing the nation about lockdowns...

I’d completely forgotten about that edition! But I do remember it now you’ve mentioned it. Of all the editions for the PM to appear on, it probably wasn’t ideal for him to appear alongside the traditional Specials and Damned tracks on the Hallowe’en show.

Yes it did go to four hours during the pandemic. It’s always a privilege to broadcast during those moments when you know people really appreciate you being there. I’ve done about seven or eight Christmas Day shifts over the years, and the relationship with the audience then is incredibly special, much like late at night.

I once did a live overnight show at BBC Radio Devon that had all the phone-lines ringing at 3am in the morning on Christmas Day with lots of people who were grateful for the companionship, but also the whole team at the local power station who wanted to take part in the quiz. You never know who is listening and it’s incredibly special.

What are your favourite gig /stories that you've had from SU listeners?

Sometimes when daydreaming I will remember a gig story from a long time ago on the show and it’ll still make me laugh out loud. The Scottish crowd-surfer in a kilt was a favourite, like a true Scotsman he didn’t have anything on under his attire and shocked quite a few of the other festival-goers. Recently we had a lady whose friend mistook Ian Brown for Liam Gallagher and told him off for signing “love Ian” and not “love Liam” for her. The teeth-itching feeling of awkwardness is delicious to read in a story like that.

Favourite artist interview you've done for SU?

The odd thing is, I’d have to say John Lydon. Even though this was fairly recent, he struck me as being perhaps one of the most genuine people I’ve ever interviewed, on this show or any other over 23 years of broadcasting. He isn’t a fake and I didn’t sense any of what he say or did was an act. Other highlights include Noel Gallagher, Mickey Bradley from The Undertones and Ian Broudie from The Lightning Seeds – who told me his proudest moment on TV was pushing the button to make the National Lottery machine start whizzing and that really impressed his mother. Shirley Manson also made me melt when she called me “darling”, but that’s for reasons I can’t go into here!

How are you feeling about the move from the BBC to MixCloud?

I’m pleased the show can continue on MixCloud and it'll also be available on a variety of community stations across the country and abroad. The main thing is that everyone can listen on MixCloud any time, no matter where you are in the world. Just follow the Stereo Underground channel on MixCloud and you’ll be alerted when every new episode drops each Wednesday at midday, plus if you'd like to subscribe for just a fiver a month )or more if you wish!) you'll get bonus specials and lots more.