Radio Review

She was, suggested Terry Wogan, going to be "a bright interval". And Davina McCall (Radio 2), sitting in for Ken Bruce, was just that - a sunny, cheerful presence, well-suited to the mid-morning slot. She had, she explained, been given two "directives": not to shout and not to call people "mate". She managed the latter, but struggled a bit ("Yippee! Yay!") with the volume control in moments of great excitement.

There were several small technical glitches - trailers during songs; an awkward moment with linking to the travel news; talking over songs - reminding us that radio is harder than it sounds. And if McCall has one fault, it's simply too much gushing ("love it!") and good cheer ("it puts me in such a good mood!"). But she is impressive when it comes to interacting with listeners, doing so in admirably natural fashion, and she made a fine job of the tricky prospect that is a clutch of lovey-dovey dedications. McCall also quickly got the hang of the quirky Radio 2 audience. "Thanks to Floppy Chopper on the A14," she chirruped between chirpy songs.