BBC Radio 2 listeners to vote for Your Ultimate 80s Duet

08 July 2025 - Press release

 

The 1980s saw some of the world's best loved popstars unite to create some of the most magical and much-loved duets ever made.

Today (7^th July), Scott Mills on the Radio 2 Breakfast show and BBC Sounds announced voting has opened for Your Ultimate 80s Duet to discover Radio 2's listeners' favourite 80s duet as a part of a wider season of specials which celebrate the iconic decade.

Listeners to BBC Radio 2, which is the UK's most listened to single radio station with a weekly audience of 13.1 million (RAJAR Q1, 2025), have the opportunity to cast up to five votes from a list of songs from 7^th July at 8am, until the vote closes at 12 noon on Monday 21^st July.

Your Ultimate 80s Duet will be hosted by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who hosts Kitchen Disco each Friday night on Radio 2 from 9-11pm.  The two-hour countdown show will be exclusively available on BBC Sounds from 00.01 on Saturday August 1^st, and broadcast on the station on Saturday 9^th August from 1-3pm. Produced by Platform Media.

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, said: "Radio 2 loves the 80s and we know our listeners do too, so this summer we'd like to celebrate the decade by giving everyone the chance to vote for their favourite 80s duet. Having collaborated many times with many artists, our Friday night Queen of the Kitchen Disco, Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be on hosting duties, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing who will top her countdown."

Sophie said: "Next month we're celebrating the 80s, which arguably produced some of the best pop music ever.  I am a child of the 80s so there's extra special resonance for me. There are a lot of duets which came out of the 80s and I'm hosting a show - The Ultimate 80's Duet!   With over 70 tracks to choose from, you can vote up to five times. This is good because it means you can spread around your votes and when the votes are tallied, I'm going to crown the winner in a special show. It's going to be lots of fun!"

 

The songs to vote on are (in alphabetical order):

Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle – Never Knew Love Like This

Al Green & Annie Lennox – Put a Little Love In Your Heart

Aretha Franklin & Elton John – Through The Storm

Aretha Franklin & George Michael – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

Aretha Franklin & Whitney Houston – It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Ever Gonna Be

Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb – Guilty

Barbra Streisand & Don Johnson  - Till I Loved You 

Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I've Had) The Time of My Life 

Billy Preston & Syreeta Wright – With You I'm Born Again

Bronski Beat & Marc Almond – I Feel Love/Johnny Remember Me 

Bryan Adams & Tina Turner – It's Only Love

Cherrelle & Alexander O'Neal – Saturday Love

The Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don't Leave Me This Way

David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy

David Bowie & Mick Jagger – Dancing in the Streets

David Grant & Jaki Graham - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

David Grant & Jaki Graham – Mated 

Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett – Don't Look Any Further

Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers – Islands in the Stream

Dr.Robert & Kym Mazelle – Wait

Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson – I Know Him So Well

Elton John & George Michael – Wrap Her Up 

Elton John & Millie Jackson – Act of War

Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin – Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves

Freddie Mercury &  Montserrat Caballe – Barcelona 

Gary Moore & Phil Lynott – Out In The Fields 

INXS & Jimmy Barnes – Good Times *

The Jacksons & Mick Jagger – State of Shock

James Ingram & Michael McDonald – Yah Mo B There 

Jimmy Somerville & June Miles-Kingston – Comment Te Dire Adieu

Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes – Up Where We Belong 

Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton – We've Got Tonight 

Kim Wilde, Junior – Another Step (Closer to You)

Kim Wilde, Mel Smith (Mel & Kim) – Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan – Especially For You

Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram – Somewhere Out There 

Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much 

Lionel Richie & Diana Ross – Endless Love

Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne – Close My Eyes Forever

Marc Almond & Gene Pitney – Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart

Meat Loaf & Cher – Dead Ringer For Love

Mica Paris & Will Downing – Where Is The Love

Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett – I Just Can't Stop Loving You

Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney – The Girl is Mine

Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard – Suddenly

Patti Austin & James Ingram – Baby, Come To Me

Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald – On My Own

Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say

Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – Ebony and Ivory

Paula Abdul & The Wild Pair - Opposites Attract *

Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack – Tonight I Celebrate My Love

Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush – Don't Give Up

Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done To Deserve This

Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin – Separate Lives

Philip Bailey & Phil Collins – Easy Lover

The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York

Prince & Sheena Easton – Arms of Orion

Prince & Sheena Easton – U Got The Look

Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

Quincy Jones featuring Ray Charles & Chaka Khan – I'll Be Good To You *

Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Back Together Again

Roy Orbison & k.d. Lang – Crying *

Sarah Brightman & Cliff Richard – All I Ask of You

Sarah Brightman & Steve Harley – The Phantom of the Opera

Sergio Mendes feat. Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller – Never Gonna Let You Go

Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler – A Rockin' Good Way

Stevie Nicks, & Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Stop Draggin' My Heart Around

Stevie Wonder & Michael Jackson – Get It

Tears for Fears & Oleta Adams – Woman in Chains

Teddy Pendergrass & Whitney Houston – Hold Me

UB40 & Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe

UB40 & Chrissie Hynde – Breakfast In Bed

Van Morrison & Cliff Richard – Whenever God Shines His Light

 

We've drawn up the definitive list of 80s duets for listeners to vote on and we've adhered to the following guidelines:

• We are looking at two individual voices, united in song – so, for example Queen (with lead vocals from Freddie Mercury) and David Bowie make the list, but the multiple voices on Run DMC and Aerosmith don't – sorry! We're also discounting groups with two or more members on regular vocal duties, so no Beautiful South, Womack and Womack or The Proclaimers for example.
• Every track on the shortlist was originally released to the world as a single between December 1979 and December 1989 and made the UK Top 50 (although four - INXS & Jimmy Barnes, Paula Abdul & The Wild Pair, Roy Orbison & k.d. lang, and Quincy Jones feat. Ray Charles & Chaka Khan had to wait until the 90s to chart in the UK).

 

Earlier this year, BBC Radio 2 listeners crowned Space Man by Sam Ryder as their Ultimate Eurovision song, and over the New Year, Suspicious Minds was voted the nation's favourite Elvis Presley song.  In November, Radio 2 celebrated National Album Day by asking listeners to vote for their favourite Ultimate British Group, with The Beatles coming out on top.

This vote is a part of 'Radio 2 Loves the 80s' season of programming in August. 

Following last year's unforgettable night, BBC Radio 2 and the BBC Concert Orchestra return to Malta for a high-energy celebration of the greatest hits of the 80s, with 70 world-class musicians and six powerhouse vocalists, in Ultimate 80s: Live! The host of Radio 2's Sounds of the 80s show (Saturday nights, 8-10pm) Gary Davies will take 80s fans on a journey through the decade's most iconic anthems. Expect show-stopping performances of classics from Madonna, Whitney Houston, Elton John, WHAM! and more. A night of nostalgia and energy awaits. The show will be available exclusively on Sounds from 1^st August, and will be broadcast on Sunday 9^th August (8-10pm). Produced by Get On Media.

Gary Davies returns to a revolutionary era for dance music, with four NEW Dance Sounds Of The 80s programmes, exclusive to BBC Sounds. The rise of Hip Hop and Synth-Pop, the evolution of Disco, the birth of House, the gay abandon of Hi Energy, the marriage of synths and Soul...it's all here. The Threemix is back – this time, highlighting the producers and remixers who kept us on the floor whilst crossing over into the charts, taking underground sounds into the mainstream. Listeners will be reliving their nightlife adventures on Dance Hall Days.  Produced by Bengo Media.

There are also many other treats coming up on Radio 2.

The station will be broadcasting two Proms. The Traitors Prom, featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Singers, as well as special-guest vocalists and conducted by Karen Ní Bhroin, will be hosted by former Radio 2 presenter Claudia Winkleman on Sunday 17^th August (8-10pm). 

The Soul Revolution Prom, presented by weekday afternoon host Trevor Nelson, will feature the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and will be broadcast on Sunday 24^th August (8-10pm). The performance will feature inspirational tracks made famous by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin.

BBC Radio 2 is the UK's most listened to single radio station, with a weekly audience of 13.1 million (RAJAR Q1, 2025) and The Radio 2 Breakfast Show is the most listened to Breakfast show in the UK with 6.5 million listeners (RAJAR Q1, 2025). Vernon Kay is the most listened to radio show in the UK with 6.7 million listeners (RAJAR Q1, 2025).   

The network's presenters include Richie Anderson, Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Revd. Kate Bottley, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gary Davies, Paul Gambaccini, Mark Goodier, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Shaun Keaveny, Cerys Matthews, Paddy McGuinness, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O'Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoony, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Michelle Visage, Jo Whiley and Owain Wyn Evans.