It’s the 30th anniversary of the release of The Smiths debut single Hand In Glove.

The Smiths are a band that reshaped the musical landscape as soon as that single hit record stores in 1983. And despite the band splitting a mere 4 years later in 1897, their legacy is still ever apparent today, some 30 years on.

To celebrate the anniversary, Liz looks at the impact of the Smiths’ music and its legacy with various guests. A listener picks their favourite album by the band in All Killer No Filler, and listeners are encouraged to share their memories of the band. Liz will also feature archive audio of a trip she made to the Salford Boys Club.

Presenter/ Liz Kershaw, Producer/ Adam Hudson for the BBC

Radio Times

Review by:

David Butcher

A programme to gladden the hearts of greying men in overcoats everywhere. Tim Samuels talks to other fans who, like him, have never quite got over the break-up of the Smiths in 1987. The band has been mourned, overanalysed and reassessed in the decades since, to the point where you could almost forget how meltingly great their music was.

But Samuels hasn’t forgotten: and neither have his interviewees, who include poet Simon Armitage and songwriter Noel Gallagher.

ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME

To mark the 30th anniversary of the release of the Smiths' debut single Hand in Glove, Tim Samuels sets out to discover why the Manchester band have such a special place in the hearts of a generation of Brits. He visits a variety of dedicated fans including fashion designer Wayne Hemingway, poet Simon Armitage, Labour MP Kerry McCarthy and musician Noel Gallagher to analyse the look, the lyrics, the issues and the riffs that made the Smiths one of the UK's best-loved indie bands.

CAST AND CREW

Cast

Presenter Tim Samuels

Contributor Wayne Hemingway

Contributor Simon Armitage

Contributor Kerry McCarthy

Contributor Noel Gallagher

Director Andrew Dunn

Editor Janet Lee