"If Mike was told what to play, then I think that is a disgrace!"

Here is the story I was told. After Jim Lloyd's retirement and the Ralph McTell stop-gap, BBC Radio 2 head Jim Moyer called the "great and good" of the folk world, the festival organisers, media etc, into Broadcasting House for a lunch at which the replacement for Folk On 2 would be announced. When one of the SmoothOps people said the presenter would be Mike Harding, there was general dismay. One of the festival organisers blurted out "But what the f*** does Mike Harding know about the folk scene?" as, back then, he'd pretty much vanished from it after his hit single. "It doesn't matter," replied the SmoothOps person, "we'll be telling him what to play."

Its the same people who'll be telling Mark Ratcliffe what to play, I imagine. So nothing to worry about there.