Bright and breezy: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen presents The Sunday Spa. Photograph: Gillian Shaw/Rex Features
If you're an Archers Omnibus and Desert Island Discs kind of person, this may have passed you by, but Sunday morning radio has changed. In recent weeks, several high-profile new signings have started shows in this traditionally indulgent, relaxed, brunch-tinged slot.
Yesterday, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen launched The Sunday Spa on Classic FM (9-11am), featuring, as he put it, "the Sunday morningiest pieces of music". His links were just what you'd expect: straight out of the fop's thesaurus, with the light classics variously described as "sumptuously serene"; "delicious"; "slinky" (twice); "lovely" (that was Mozart); "celestial and voluptuous", and "bliss". Rachmaninov was dubbed "Mr Rachmaninov" in a move horribly reminiscent of Jamie Oliver naming vegetables ("I'm going to give Mr Courgette a right old bishbashbosh"), and Debussy was nicknamed "Captain Piano".
It was all vilely superficial ("thank you SO much", LLB said to his audience twice, not exactly dripping with sincerity), and despite references to Sunday morning capers ("if you've just lugged the Sunday papers back from the shop") it felt notably devoid of any connection to the outside world. I'm guessing, though this is an outrageous slur on Captain Popinjay's commitment to quality weekend broadcasting, that it's pre-recorded. Possibly the whole series already. In one go.
By contrast, The A-Z of Classic FM Music, presented by Alex James, which also started yesterday (11-1), is cracking radio, full of life and wit and attitude. It is though, I should warn you before you get hooked, on for 200 hours over the next two years.
Over on Radio 2, Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch (11-1) has replaced Parky; JK & Joel are on weekend mornings on Virgin Radio (10-1); and Gabby Logan presides over Sunday mornings on Five Live (10-12). I like Logan on radio, and am warming to the show, but still miss Julian Worricker terribly.
So, who do you tune into on Sunday mornings? Have you tried any of the new shows? If you're sticking with Radio 4, what do you think now about Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs? I've warmed to her greatly since during that jaw-dropping encounter with Karren Brady, and am very pleased that Young has ditched the convoluted if-the-waves-were-washing-over-the-island introduction to the question about which one track would you keep. I now listen to Broadcasting House, dip into Five Live, and then return to Radio 4 for Desert Island Discs. It suits my Sunday mornings rather more than Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen saying things like: "I have lost all contact with my grumpy muscles after that."
