Gary Davies

Gary Daviesis a British broadcaster. From 1982 to 1993 he was a BBC Radio 1 disc jockey and a regular presenter of Top of the Pops.

As of September 2022 Gary Davies can be heard on BBC Radio 2 presenting Saturday night show Sounds of the 80s, as well as regularly standing in for other presenters including Zoe Ball, Ken Bruce, Sara Cox, OJ Borg, Dermot O'Leary, Rylan Clark, and Steve Wright.

BBC Radio 1

The Bit in the Middle

In 1984, Davies took over the lunchtime show. He called it The Bit in the Middle which consisted of features, such as 'The Day-To-Day Challenge', in which the same person would go on air each weekday to answer quiz questions and try to upgrade their prize, and 'Willy on the Plonker', which involved crazed piano-playing of a well-known hit for listeners to identify.

On Sunday 6 September 1987 he presented the Sunday afternoon stereo countdown of the Top 40 from 5 pm to 7 pm, filling in for Bruno Brookes.

Davies was promoted with the catchphrase "Young, Free and Single" and a jingle "Wooh! Gary Davies".

Davies' own show rarely changed until it was rebranded in 1991 as Let's Do Lunch, with new features, including 'Spin & Win' (a variation on 'Willy on the Plonker', with a cryptic clue replacing the frenetic piano work) and the 'Classic Track' featuring a piece of classical music. Previous feature The Sloppy Bit (a dedication followed by love song) was unchanged but renamed 'Lots of Love'. He also introduced 'The Non Stop Half Hour' from after the 2.30 pm news until 3 pm, which was half an hour of non-stop music.

With updated technology, the chart rundown was moved forward to Sundays from 4 October 1987. Instead, Davies did countdowns of the US chart and the UK album chart – although the US chart he featured was not the official Billboard one, but an airplay-only chart compiled by Radio and Records magazine.

Weekends

In 1992, Davies moved from the lunchtime show to the weekend breakfast, keeping a selection of the features. He also started a Sunday late night slot. The 'Lots of Love' feature moved to this show, with dedications being read out over the music to Dances with Wolves. During this period, he could also be heard deputising for weekday presenters who were taking their holidays, usually Steve Wright or Nicky Campbell.

Leaving BBC Radio 1

In 1993 Davies was dismissed. His last record was Layla by Derek and the Dominoes — which had also been his first record on the station 11 years earlier.