Rhod Sharp: 25 years of Up All Night

As presenter of the Media Masters podcast, I have met some extraordinary journalists from print, television and radio. But one windswept day in Marblehead, Massachusetts, I met one man who every one of these people would refer to as a legend: Rhod Sharp.

Tomorrow, Rhod will celebrate 25 years at the helm of Up All Night. The show was created for the launch of BBC Radio 5 Live as the BBC’s original 24-hour news and sport network in 1994. An assistant foreign editor at the time, he recognised that a good way to fill the “graveyard” shift, initially from 2-5am, would be to engage with the BBC’s talented pool of foreign correspondents, some of whom would be in the right time zone to be “up all night”.

He proposed the show to the network’s debut Controller Jenny Abramsky, who liked the idea on the spot and suggested that, given his extensive knowledge of foreign affairs, he should present it. Twenty-five years later, the programme begins at 1am and Rhod is the only original Five Live presenter still doing the same gig.

The show was less than a year old when the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing in 1995 took Rhod to Japan. Six years later, the Up All Night production team went to Cuba for a radio first – a week of live BBC broadcasts ranging from the Buena Vista social club to the original Old Man in Ernest Hemingway’s story The Old Man and the Sea. Later that year, Rhod and his long-time assistant editor Howard Benson were on the second commercial flight to arrive in New York City after 9/11, and Rhod returned on a regular basis to hear the views of people all over the United States, especially during election season.

Our interview was just weeks before the US presidential elections, and the atmosphere was electric. Though Rhod was in the thick of it as part of the BBC’s team of correspondents, he still managed to keep on top of what was happening in Britain, even to the extent that he expressed his sadness at losing Bake Off to Channel 4.

As a fan of the show, I’ve always imagined him recording it in what I would call “proper” recording studios with the panes of glass and soundproofing on the walls, and it took me by surprise that he recorded it in a normal attic. But it didn’t matter. We chatted about the show, how it was put together, and even got into the technical specs, which more than satisfied my inner media geek! He also regaled me with tales from his career, including how he tracked down Sir Bob Geldof in LA in 1986, and the meeting that led to Queen playing Wembley for Live Aid. This enthusiasm is one of the key things that makes Up All Night such a joy to listen to.

Being one of those people who gets up at 4am, it’s a treat to just catch the tail end of the programme. Only there can you go from the Japanese prime minister talking about the money supply to a pet dog that dialled 999. And this is exactly the reason why, when so many other shows have fallen by the wayside, Up All Night is still going strong after 25 years. When you add Rhod’s easy-going charm and empathetic tone to the mix, you have a winning recipe that can’t be replicated. It’s a reflection of how great journalism is really just about people, and the stories they have to tell – and Rhod is the master.

Congratulations on 25 years at the helm, Rhod! Long may it continue.