Children’s TV legend Johnny Ball will be our 28th birthday show special guest this weekend.

Johnny was a regular on children’s TV in the 1970s, 80s and 1990s on shows such as Think of a Number and Think Again.  He is still active to this day, giving lectures and writing books, the latest of which Wonders Beyond Numbers is out now. 

Johnny will be talking about his TV shows as well as his book and he’ll be celebrity drawmaster for this weekend’s Morrisons prize draw.

The show will also include the HRB Request Dash as well as a link up with Winchester Radio which officially launches as a hospital and community radio station this Sunday afternoon.  

The Sound of Sunday went on air for the first time at 3pm on Sunday 24 March 1991, when interest rates were 14%, we were in the middle of the first Gulf War and Europe threatened to overshadow John Major’s Conservative government,   Well maybe some things never change!

The Sound of Sunday 28th Birthday, Sunday 24 March 1.30 – 5pm

We have 5 shows for you between this Sunday and the end of the year.

SUNDAY 23 DECEMBER 2018

Our last show before Christmas with our usual features plus another chance to hear panto guests Dani Harmer and Chris Pizzey along with Julie Jones from the hospital panto.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2pm

An hour of the best bits of our Christmas show with guests competitions and cracker pulls.

THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 4pm

Highlights of our summer special from Alton Lions Party in the Park last June.

SATURDAY 29 DECEMBER 11am

Another chance to hear Peter Purves, Mark Curry, Editor Ewan Vinnicombe and Producer/Director Alex Leger as we celebrate again 60 years of Blue Peter

SUNDAY 30 DECEMBER 1.30 pm

Our last show of the year including a look back at some of the events of 2018.

Radio and TV presenter Mike Read got a surprise when he appeared on The Sound of Sunday Christmas Show.  9 years after his last appearance he was promoting a Christmas charity single recorded by Basil Brush in aid of The Shooting Stars charity and to talk about being in panto in Windsor.

But at the same time, Basil presented Mike with a certificate and HRB mug after he got 100% in the Saturday Morning TV SuperQuiz, a competition held over 10 years on the show with some of the most well-known names of Saturday morning TV taking part.

Mike got 100% alongside Trev Neale of comedy duo Trev and Simon and Andi Peters, who presented Live and Kicking.  

Presenter Neil Ogden said he would like all three of them to re-appear at some stage to find the Champion of Champions but joked that as it had taken Andi 10 years to make it onto the show, it might be a while away.

Basil Brush’s version of White Christmas is available now and Mike and Basil are in panto in Windsor until 6 January.

Basil Brush and Mike Read will be among those joining us for our big Christmas show on December 16th.

They will be talking about their new Christmas charity single, as well as about appearing in panto in Windsor.

Starting at 12pm on Sunday 16 December, the show will be live for 5 hours and include special guests, competitions, requests and the Great Christmas Cracker Dash.

There will be the return for one week only of the weekend prize draw and other guests will include Richard Smith who will be talking about the 42 hour BIG Broadcast which will end the year.

HRB's full Christmas schedule will be announced on December 10th.

It's our biggest show of the year, live from 12pm on Sunday 16th December.

Blue Peter Director/Producer of nearly 40 years Alex Leger joined us on the air at the weekend to talk about the show at the end of its 60th birthday week.

Alex first appeared on The Sound of Sunday in July last year after the death of former presenter John Noakes and was at the 60th birthday show broadcast from Salford on Tuesday.

Alex worked on nearly 700 Blue Peter films including that climb up Nelson’s Column and still keeps in touch with the show today – when current presenter Radzi Chinyanganya did his parachute jump last year, he wore an orange jumpsuit thanks to the advice received from Alex about how to film it.

Alex talked about his Blue Peter memories and behind the scenes gossip about the big birthday show which featured many of those who have been Blue Peter Presenters since the show started in 1958.

Alex follows other Blue Peter guests current editor Ewan Vinnicombe and Blue Peter legend Peter Purves as well as Mark Curry and Peter Duncan who have been heard on The Sound of Sunday over the last few months. 

A compilation of all the interviews will be on HRB at Christmas.

The world's longest running children's TV show is about to celebrate its 60th birthday and the person in charge of the celebrations is the current editor Ewan Vinnicombe.

Ewan will be appearing on The Sound of Sunday in September to talk about all the celebrations that will be happening and his memories of the show as he was growing up.  

He will be joined by Blue Peter legend Peter Purves who will talk about his time on the show alongside Valerie Singleton and John Noakes.

The Sound of Sunday will also tell the story of the show throughout September in Memory Makers The Blue Peter Years.

2018 will be the first time since 2012 that 27 July has fallen on a Friday.  That was of course the date of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, part of an unforgettable summer.

It was also the date where 3 years later, The Sound of Sunday's Neil Ogden conducted the last ever media interview at an official event on the original running track. 

Nowadays, the London Stadium is part of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and two years ago The Sound of Sunday broadcast live from the park for its 1000th show.  On Sunday 29 July, there'll be another chance to hear the highlights of that show.

The message is still the same – the park is still very much open for business and open for millions of people who go and see it every year.  You can swim or cycle at the Olympic venues and see a fantastic view of London at the top of the Orbit (before sliding down the slide).

Hear the show once again on 29 July at 3pm.

This Sunday you can hear our Summer Special recorded in JUne at Alton Lions Party in the Park.

The annual event  in aid of the disabled students or Treloars College in Alton was held in the Public Gardens in the centre of Alton and included all sorts of entertainment and activities.

HRB teamed up with Wey Valley Radio to invite visitors to come and chat and find out more about both stations. 

We went around the event talking to thos who were there including Hampshire Fire Service, Alton Community Hospital and ServWessex.  The town's Mayor was also therer and we recorded live music courtesy of the band Tripowire who are regulars every year.

Hear the show on Sunday 1 July at 2pm.

Blue Peter presenter of the 1960s and 1970s Peter Purves will be a guest on the show in September.  

Peter presented the world's longest running children's TV show alongside Valerie Singleton and John Noakes, a combination widely seen as the ultimate Blue Peter lineup.

Blue Peter celebrates its 60th birthday later this year and The Sound of Sunday will be marking the occasion with several Blue Peter names from the past.  Already featured have been presenter Mark Curry and the director and producer who worked on the show for nearly 40 years Alex Leger.  Chris Booith, the VT editor who recorded Lulu the elephant has also featured.

All the Blue Peter guests can be heard in September.