Genre | Phone-in |
---|---|
Running time | 84 mins (Sat) / 64 mins (Sun) |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Language(s) | English |
Home station |
BBC Radio 5 Live previously BBC Radio 5 |
Starring | Kelly Cates, Jason Mohammad, Ian Wright, Robbie Savage |
Recording studio | Media City UK, Salford / BBC New Broadcasting House, London |
Original release | 1991 – present |
Audio format | FM, Digital radio, Digital TV and online |
Website | Official Website |
Podcast | Official Podcast |
606 (pronounced six-oh-six) is a football phone-in, broadcast on BBC Radio Five Live throughout the British football season. It covers topics relating to the current affairs of football in the United Kingdom.
The programme gets its name from the (approximate) time the show starts on a Saturday evening – six minutes past six – after the Sports Report has finished. The name may also be influenced by the phrase "six of one, half a dozen of the other" in reference to the exchange of contrasting views within the programme.
It currently airs on Saturdays and Sundays and is produced by Shooting Shark Productions Limited since 2015: it was formerly made by Campbell Davison Media from 2003, then Somethin' Else Productions from 2009. As well as listeners phoning in, a selection of texts and e-mails to the studio are read out.
The programme was inspired by long-running BBC Local radio football phone-ins such as the BBC Radio Sheffield programme "Praise or Grumble".
6-0-6's current theme tune is an arrangement of "Psycho" from Muse.
The original host was Danny Baker in the 1991–1992 season. Baker also hosted the show in the 1996–97 and 2008–09 seasons. David Mellor then presented 6-0-6 from 1992-2001 and was for a long time the regular Wednesday-evening presenter. Other previous hosts have included:
Danny Baker returned to 6-0-6 to present six Euro 2008 specials, and proved such a big hit with the listeners that he was invited back to present regularly on Tuesdays.
Under Baker in the 1990s the show favoured bizarre and obscure but hilarious topics, avoiding the matches played and headline football news. On occasions other sports would be included. It also included music in its first years. However, from Mellor onwards, the show became established as a more mainstream phone-in, mainly focusing on Premier League teams.
Between 2007 and 2009 the programme was hosted by DJ Spoony and Gabriele Marcotti. From the 2009-2010 season Alan Green presented on Saturdays, as he typically commentated on an evening match before presenting the Saturday show. Tim Lovejoy joined to present on Wednesdays while Danny Baker continued to present on Tuesdays from 10-11pm.