Ezra Collective's Femi Koleoso joins BBC Radio 6 Music

14 November 2025 - Press release

 

Femi Koleoso, bandleader and drummer for the BRIT Award and Mercury Prize winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective, will join BBC Radio 6 Music as a regular presenter, hosting The People's Party on Fridays (7-9pm) from 2nd January 2026.

The show, broadcast from MediaCity UK, Salford, will see Femi bring listeners a collective moment to unwind ahead of the weekend, with joyful music to bring people together.

Femi says: "I'm a deep lover of radio, its ability to take your mood into a totally different place in a moment. Alongside that, I'm a deep lover of 6 Music. Not knowing whether it's a jazz classic coming up next, or the new rapper you didn't know you needed in your life. To have the opportunity to be a permanent part of this family means the world and I can't wait to bring joy to the airwaves, one selection at a time."

In addition to his work with Ezra Collective, who are the first ever jazz group to win the Mercury Prize in 2023 and the first jazz act to sell out Wembley Arena in 2024, Femi is also known for playing alongside Gorillaz, Jorja Smith and more. For 6 Music, he has previously deputised for Gilles Peterson (Saturdays, 3-6pm), Guy Garvey (Guy Garvey's Finest Hour, Sundays 1-4pm) and Jamz Supernova (Saturdays, 1-3pm). He also co-presented episodes of 6 Music Artist in Residence with Ezra Collective members Ife Ogunjobi, James Mollison, Joe Armon-Jones and TJ Koleoso, ahead of the group's epic performance at this year's 6 Music Festival in Greater Manchester.

The station also announces today that AFRODEUTSCHE, who currently hosts The People's Party, will host a new programme on Saturday and Sunday mornings (6-8am) from 3rd January. She'll provide two hours of restorative music, designed to ease listeners into their weekends. AFRODEUTSCHE's final edition of The People's Party will air on Friday 26th December.

AFRODEUTSCHE says: "I'm really looking forward to spending my weekend mornings with you, sharing those tracks that get you through the morning after. You know me... You can expect the unexpected..."

Amy Lamé, who presents the early weekend breakfast show (6-8am) will remain on the station, firstly presenting a new series called SUPERFANS! from Monday 19th – Thursday 22nd January (11pm-12am), which will tell the stories of artists' careers through the words of their devoted fans. Episodes will focus on Charli xcx, Depeche Mode, Prince and The Smiths. She will continue to present programmes on 6 Music and will be sitting in for Chris Hawkins (weekdays, 5-7am) in February. Amy's final weekend show will air on Sunday 28th December.

Amy says: "Every music enthusiast has a favourite band or artist, but some fans are bigger than others. As a dedicated Smiths fan, I understand the emotional journey that comes with passionate fandom. In my new series, SUPERFANS! for 6 Music, I'll explore the intensity and complexity of fan culture, featuring insights from fans of Charli xcx, Prince, Depeche Mode, and, of course, The Smiths. From tattoos to pilgrimages, bootleg vinyl to social media blowups to overnight queues...I can't wait to bring SUPERFANS! to the listeners."

Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music says: "At 6 Music, we have been supporters of Femi and his work for many years, with Gilles the first to play Ezra Collective in 2016, so I couldn't be happier that in 2026, Femi will be joining the 6 Music family as a regular presenter, connecting people through music each Friday night. I'm also very much looking forward to AFRODEUTSCHE's new show, with her personal selection of restorative tracks each Saturday and Sunday morning; and to Amy's first series in January, which will explore artists through the eyes of their Superfans!"

Also in January, the station remembers David Bowie. Programming from Monday 5th – Sunday 11th January will commemorate 10 years since his passing on 10th January 2016.

From Monday 5th – Thursday 8th January (11pm-12am), the station will broadcast extended editions of David Bowie: Changeling, hosted by Kate Moss, which was first broadcast as an 8 x 15" podcast series in September and examines how Bowie, one of music's most transformative figures, reinvented himself in the first half of the 1970s to become an era-defining rock legend. The extended editions (4 x 60") will feature unheard audio from Kate as well as a selection of Bowie's songs played in full across the hour.

When the original series was announced, Kate said: "David Bowie was a very special person. Someone who was much more than a friend - he was an enigma. So, when the chance came to dive into this extraordinary five-year chapter of Bowie's life for 6 Music and BBC Sounds, hearing from those who joined him on his creative journey and those he continues to inspire, I was excited to help share the story of such an incredible transformation. This podcast is a real celebration of my friend, a true British icon."

In addition, an hour-long special called David Bowie: Memo for Radio Show will be available on BBC Sounds in January. The programme will feature songs from Bowie's note, titled 'Memo for radio show – list of favourite records', which is now housed in the David Bowie archive at V&A East Storehouse. The list includes tracks from Little Richard, Legendary Stardust Cowboy, The Walker Brothers, Ronnie Spector and more. The songs played will be interspersed with archive audio of Bowie talking about these artists.

On Friday 9th January, it's David Bowie Forever, which sees presenters Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw Stephens (4-7pm) celebrate Bowie. Each presenter will focus on a different chapter in his musical evolution and will be joined for the final hour of their programme by a guest co-host.

On Sunday 11th January the focus turns to Berlin, where Bowie spent one of the most important periods of his life. Iggy Pop sets the scene from 4-6pm, with another chance to hear his Berlin Bound show (first broadcast in 2019), in which he takes listeners on a journey through German Lieder song, the Weimar Republic, Schlager, Krautrock, contemporary classical and the beat of Berghain. That same evening, Mary Anne Hobbs (6-8pm) celebrates Bowie's 1977 album, Low. She remembers first discovering the album in her teenage years and revisits her interview with producer Tony Visconti about making the album (first broadcast in 2022 as part of Mary Anne's Bowie at 75 show).