‘Excitement’ was the word on everyone’s lips at the BBC today… and for good reason. First, they were excited about the fact that the wonderful Lou Sanders was sitting in for Elis whilst he treated himself to a luxury spa break in Montenegro. Then, the excitement grew even more as John entered the studio looking more buff than ever before. And just when we thought the excitement couldn’t grow any more, Producer Dave announced he was off to relive his early 20s by going to see the Arctic Monkeys. ...
Jun 02, 2023•2 hr 6 min
It’s a good job that the microphones in Broadcasting House are on adjustable mic stands, because for today’s show self-certified posh person Sir Elis James was presenting from atop a felt-lined throne, whilst the peasants that are John and Producer Dave were forced to sit on upturned wooden buckets, never once making eye contact with his highness. And as an offering to the people, Sir James presented a venerable feast of content… the broadest content in the land! John shares a teary Turkish rest...
May 26, 2023•2 hr 16 min
What do you get if you cross an elite-level goalkeeper, a man carrying a chopping board in his rucksack and someone who just can’t wait to get ready for the weekend? That’s right, you get the Elis James and John Robins show on BBC 5 Live. And whilst Elis never did get a chance to show off his chopping skills, he did get a chance to slice through some freshly picked correspondence about what weird advice listeners have been given (which was much more interesting than the onion-based fun we had pl...
May 19, 2023•2 hr 10 min
Is there anything more scintillating than overhearing three good friends goofing around on national radio? Well according to Producer Dave there is, and it's catching the scent of a handsome man eating eggs Benedict on a quiet Friday morning. But unlike radio, you can't Shazam a fragrance, so instead Dave decided to put his Northern charm to good use and find out exactly why this man's aroma was so wonderful. It turns out the cost of smelling good is £200, so it's safe to say that Dave is sticki...
May 12, 2023•2 hr 10 min
With the coronation of King Charles III just hours away, Elis and John were giddy with excitement in a balanced and compliant way, with streets parties, Union Jack body paint and temporary Royal tattoos all extolled when discussing weekend plans. And yet even with the chaps’ eager anticipation reaching fever pitch, it’s incredible to think they were still able to compose themselves for a top tier parliamentary Made Up Game, a fascinating ‘this is your life’ chat with fellow 5 Liver Tony Livesey,...
May 05, 2023•2 hr 29 min
‘Informative… punctual… fun’. These are all words you’d associate with a consummate broadcaster. But ‘bravery’? No, that’s an adjective that’s reserved for one broadcaster and one broadcaster only. That’s right: John Robins. He doesn’t just say what he thinks people want to hear, he says what he thinks others need to hear; and nobody (especially Producer Dave) can stop him. So if you want your weekly fix of bravery, you’re in the right place. John is handed the baton of improvisation, we hear so...
Apr 28, 2023•2 hr 17 min
Elis has returned from Dave's favourite continent sunkissed and with renewed vigour. As he saw the On Air light blink red there was a determination is his voice that he was going to carry John on this show no matter how much muscle the man from Buffinghamshire has put on. Thankfully, there was no need for such strenuous exertion as John arrived in peak comedic fitness. He dug into Elis's bold breakfast choices at the hotel buffet and in a radio first listed every single mug that you can find in ...
Apr 21, 2023•2 hr 4 min
Over the past few months it’s been well documented that Elis James is the busiest man on earth, so this week he decided to take some much needed time off to top up his tan / vibe stores. But who could keep his seat warm whilst he keeps himself warm in Portugal? There was only one man for the job: everyone’s favourite Old Etonian (depending on which newspaper you read), the one and only Ivo Graham! And just like a loan player looking to make their mark in lower league football, he wasn’t content ...
Apr 14, 2023•2 hr 14 min
With a MASSIVE announcement from the Elis and John Tax Year Calendar, a HUGE Made Up Game involving a behemoth of the broadcasting world, and a GIGANTIC faux pas from Producer Dave when describing his weekend plans, you’d be forgiven for looking on in disbelief when finding out today’s show is only 90 minutes long. Alongside all this bigness, Elis arrives at the studio with a very special guest, John sulks because of certain scoring parameters, and everyone just about remains on the right side o...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 38 min
What car would Huw Edwards drive? Where is John’s favourite spot to sit on a crowded train? Does Elis know how much a second class stamp costs? Does new feature The Riff Symposium actually work? All valid questions, with some fascinating answers* that are all revealed, divulged or discussed across two hours of scintillating radio with Elis and John. And amongst the cut and thrust of top notch seat-of-your-pants broadcasting, there was a Made Up Game that delivered, an Ask John that informed, and...
Mar 31, 2023•2 hr 14 min
The floors of Broadcasting House were shaking this morning, as Beefcake Robins entered the studio fresh from achieving yet another personal best at the gym. His continued workout efforts have seen him rise to second in the table of the “5 Live Ripped Rankings”, and he’s got Rick Edwards firmly in his reach. And to show just how strong he’s become he was able to present the whole show with Elis on one shoulder and Producer Dave on another, all whilst maintaining perfect form. In a show which had ...
Mar 24, 2023•2 hr 2 min
The higher-ups at the BBC might be able to restrict Elis and John to an hour's worth of radio in order to make room for the Cheltenham Festival, but do you know what they won't ever restrict? An appetite for quality chat that is SO ravenous they're able to make a 60-minute show feel like an 85-minute show because of just how much they've jammed into it! Producer Dave puts the guys through their comedy paces with another Riff Symposium, there's a discussion about Adrian Chiles' new money-making s...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 31 min
A surprise at every turn, content on the cusp of being toooo edgy, and with some bits a little too revealing for the more conservative consumer.. Elis and John on 5 Live, or the Elis and John Tax Year Calendar (available at bbc.co.uk/elisandjohn, fyi)? BOTH! With today’s explosive offering matching the #daring and #dangerous extremes of everyone’s favourite wall-hung charity organiser. There was sink-based drama, microwave-based shenanigans, plus some other stuff that isn’t centred around the ki...
Mar 10, 2023•2 hr 12 min
In an unexpected turn of events John has become something of a 'gym head', and today in the studio he asked Elis and Dave to touch his muscles 12 times (far more than the usual three times). Thankfully the guys didn't pass out with passion: they were able to take the excitement they felt after John tensed up his biceps and translate it into top notch broadcasting. Today's show featured an on-air reunion with an old pal, a Shame Well that has already been submitted into the 'Awards' folder, every...
Mar 03, 2023•2 hr 27 min
A wise person once said "A rising tide lifts all boats". However another less well-known wise person also said "A giddy John lifts all spirits", and today saw such a proverb come to life as Robins and his good pal James excitedly crafted a radio show for the ages. Yes, Elis and John were in fine fettle today; and even managed to make Producer Dave turn completely pale whilst discussing EMF. If you're playing 'radio production bingo' you're likely to be shouting 'HOUSE' very quickly, as today's s...
Feb 24, 2023•2 hr 14 min
Today's show was BRAVO, INDIA, GOLF. No, the guys weren't celebrating the achievements of PGA tour golfer Anirban Lahiri: they announced that 'The Elis James and John Robins Tax Year Calendar' in aid of Comic Relief is finally available to purchase! Whilst the value of the pound was only marginally affected by the announcement it's safe to say that the orders came flying in, showing once again how passionate the people of the UK are about TAX. Away from all the calendar chat there was a Made Up ...
Feb 17, 2023•2 hr 18 min
If the aim of a usual Elis and John show is to deliver ‘your classic 4-4-2’ (anecdote over the top, punchline flick-on, good radio bell finish), today felt more like an adventurous 5-2-1-2 set up. A formation that could bring the whole house of cards tumbling down, but if implemented successfully, it could be beautiful. Pivotal wing backs shuttling on the overlap between classic comedy defence and more exotic consumer advice interpretation attack. New features were given a runout (Hot Gossip), o...
Feb 10, 2023•2 hr 20 min
In a return to scenes reminiscent of 2020, today's show saw Elis, John and Producer Dave broadcasting from a whole host of exotic locations; such as Cardiff, London and Cheadle Hulme. There isn't a soul on earth who knows how radio actually works, so let's just say it's thanks to the magic of "technology" that the guys were able to broadcast to you the listener. And yes, of course there was going to be the odd hiccup - but isn't that what's fun about live radio? There was an all-time great Shame...
Feb 03, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Production… It's an Audio Always thing. Bringing the hottest goss in town… It’s an Elis and John thing. Having to tame radio’s most uncontrollable duo whilst broadcasting live to the nation, meaning you have to rely on hand gestures to show your annoyance… It’s a Producer Dave thing. Yes, it’s time for your weekly care package of #content from the guys; and it’s safe to say that today’s show was one of the giddiest we’ve had for a long time. There was a MASSIVE Tax Year Calendar update, John str...
Jan 27, 2023•2 hr 18 min
The UK is going through something of a cold snap at the minute, with temperatures dropping to as low as -2 degrees Celsius. But wait: don't go filling up that hot water bottle just yet, because Elis and John are here with more than two hours of boiling hot broadcasting warm enough to heat up a leisure centre to a balmy 19 degrees (or any building of a similar size). Their Tax Year Calendar plans race ahead at a frightening pace, the guys play a Made Up Game focusing on a broadcasting titan, John...
Jan 20, 2023•2 hr 16 min
A hustling bustling show hit the airwaves today, as Elis and John not only laid the foundations for releasing their own Tax Year Calendar (April to April, 2023/2024), but they also said hello to friend of the show and all round lovely chap, George Ezra! The Bullion Boy slotted into the EJJR formation seamlessly, sharing tales of his 1200 mile hike, mucking in with Petty Parliament, and even humouring Elis and his impersonation skills as our old friend ‘Little Georgie Ezra’ made an appearance aft...
Jan 13, 2023•2 hr 14 min
New Year, new you… but same old badinage from Elis James and John Robins, radio’s most lovable lummoxes. And though we hope that you all had some peaceful time off, the festive break wasn’t a period of relaxation for the guys: Elis decided to write a critical analysis on every episode of the show from over the past year, and John came up with no less than 85 new show ideas… all of which have been added to the “ACTION THIS SECOND” folder in the Audio Always office. The guys heard about some of th...
Jan 06, 2023•2 hr 3 min
Leonard I. Sweet once proclaimed "The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create", and as BBC Radio 5 Live's premium purveyors of content Elis and John are already hard at work creating a future full of japes, jokes and jolly's, they don't have time for nostalgia; their eyes are firmly fixed on what's up next for them... and they NEVER dwell on the past. That said, here's a show purely dedicated to looking back at their best moments from 2022. There's been highs (Elis wa...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 45 min
Games. Some of us love them, some of us take them far too seriously, some of us make them up... and this very special edition of the Elis James and John Robins show celebrates those games that have been created by you, the listener: but with a festive twist. That's right, it's Elis and John's Made Up Games Christmas Special! Recorded in front of a live studio audience at the BBC Philharmonic Studios, this episode sees Elis and John compete against each other to accrue as many points as possible ...
Dec 25, 2022•1 hr 4 min
It's the last Friday before Christmas. You're counting down the minutes until you can leave work. Out of office turned on, fax machine turned off; you're ready to hit the road... and in front of you is a mammoth 195 mile journey from Gloucester to Hull. It's a scenario familiar to millions, but thankfully Elis and John are here to help those of you heading home over the festive period; and on today's show they were looking to accumulate a billion miles worth of journeys around the country. How f...
Dec 23, 2022•2 hr 5 min
Today, a new geo-triumvirate was born, as content proceeded to explode across the airwaves from central London (Elis), BBC Bristol (John) and Salford’s Media Citeh (Producer Dave). And with a smorgasbord of content covered including (but not limited to) bean shots, Clarence Seedorf, toilet seats, Chinooks, Pokemon cards, potatoes, Roy Keane, Larkin and Scottish weather, maybe long-distance ISDN-supported broadcasting is the future for our digital-terrestrial protagonists? Either way, good show....
Dec 16, 2022•2 hr 4 min
With something called the 'World Cup' still holding a monopoly over the airways Elis and John were shunted into an hour long quarter final shaped siding of a show today. But the presence of neither Croatians or Brazilians on the schedule could cramp their style. John took his seemingly talking big coat out for a spin, Elis channels Brando and fans of Wareing, Wallace, et al. will be pleased with a tasty Made Up Game.
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 7 min
The spinning mule. Fred Dibnah. The Wigan kebab. Many things have rocked Greater Manchester, but none have made quite the impact as today's broadcast from Media Citeh. A quiet gasp went around the building as the revolving doors revealed that the Big Wigs were in town for their approximately annual away day to the Salford Riviera. "Is that Britain's premier professional football fan and Amersham's 1,232nd golfer?" they whispered as John sipped his long black and Elis took off his million pound j...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 19 min
You may have heard that something called the ‘World Cup’ is currently taking place in Qatar, and due to 5 Live’s commitment to bringing coverage of EVERY game throughout the tournament there was no live Elis and John show this week. However, there’s no way we couldn’t provide you with your weekly dose of chat, so we’re happy to share some bonus #content with you. Think of it as a vibe symposium, the Yolta of ‘chat’, a meeting of minds… Essentially, it’s Elis, John and Producer Dave having a good...
Nov 25, 2022•56 min
After recovering from the career-threatening injury he sustained whilst playing dodgeball last week John was able to make it into the studio for today’s show… and when he put his cap on five minutes before the mics went live Elis and Dave just knew that it was going to be a good day. However, when the cap ended up coming off there were concerns that the radio wheels might fall off. Thankfully John didn’t lose the metaphorical dressing room, and battled through to score radio goal after radio goa...
Nov 18, 2022•2 hr 10 min
