Big George | |
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 Big George in 2008 | |
| Born | George Webley 29 May 1957 Clapham, London, England |
| Died | 7 May 2011(2011-05-07) (aged 53) Milton Keynes, England |
| Occupations | Broadcaster, musician, composer, bandleader |
| Spouse | Sheila Webley (?–2011) (his death) |
| Children | 4 |
George Webley (29 May 1957 – 7 May 2011), better known by the stage nameBig George,[1][2] was a British musician, composer, bandleader and broadcaster who has been described as one of Britain's most successfultheme music writers.[3]
Webley was born inClapham, London.[4] His aunt Vera was the fan club secretary forFrankie Laine, who was Webley'sgodfather on 1 June 1957.[4] His first introduction to music was whenDonald Swann attended his primary school to play to all the pupils after the school's music teacher died. Webley later said "From the first moment he lifted the piano lid, I knew the direction my life was going to take."[5]
Webley left school at the age of 14 to go on the road with ashowband. He became friends with and regularly accompaniedHerbie Flowers in his late teens after writing to the bassist for advice[5] and was asession bass player until the age of 30.
Webley became amusical director forEMI at 30 and produced dozens of chart records. In 1989 he becamebandleader onJameson Tonight[4] withDerek Jameson andShane Richie. He composed or arranged thetheme music for the television programmes[1][6]Have I Got News for You,The Office,Room 101, andThe Graham Norton Show as well as play-out music forOne Foot in the Grave (for which he said he was paid more than the more famousHave I Got News for You theme).[5]
Webley composed numerous other themes for the National Theatre, Arts Theatre, ballet, and radio includingIan McMillan'sEast Coast Girls, Emma Clarke'sShare and Share Alike, andNeil Mossey'sStockport So Good They Named It Once.
Webley began presenting the Saturday late show onGLR in 1994 and continued until 1996 when he suffered a heart attack whilst on the air.[5] He successfully finished the show but was forced to take the next three years off to fully recover.
Upon his return in 1999, Webley presented theBBC Two educational seriesMusic File, which won the Prix La Basle award for educational excellence. In 2002, he won theSony Radio Academy Gold Award for Best Music Presenter[7] whilst on BBC Three Counties, where he launched "Cabbie Chat – The Rank Opinion", which ran every morning on his Milton Keynes Breakfast programme. The idea was to ask the cab drivers of Milton Keynes their opinions on the day's news. It lasted until Webley offended some of the drivers over a news item about taxi drivers.
He appeared as an expertmusicologist on various TV and radio programmes, includingThe Big Breakfast,Esther,Kilroy,5Live Breakfast withNicky Campbell,Radio 4'sToday,John Peel's Home Truths,Moral Notes, andLandmark Places withLaurie Taylor. He wrote, presented and/or produced documentaries for Radio 4, includingPlaying Second Fiddle andSense of Place.
He produced over three dozen parodies, songs and live performances for theRadio 1 Roadshow withChris Moyles, who described him in his bookThe Gospel According to Chris Moyles as a genius.[8] He was also mentioned inAngie Bowie's biographyBackstage Passes (Life on the Wildside withDavid Bowie) and inBruce Thomas: The Big Wheel.
Webley joined BBC London 94.9 in August 2006.[9] He hosted his radio show on BBC London 94.9 for four years. He first presented the 2 am until 6 am slot, Monday to Friday until 2 January 2009.[5] From 5 January 2009 until January 2010, he presented the same type of madcap/serious phone-in show at the earlier time of 10 pm until 2 am, Monday to Friday. In January 2010, he returned to overnight shows on Tuesdays to Saturdays. On his radio show, the show's topics were usually concerned with issues to do with London and the day's news stories. He was known to be witty, enthusiastic about music and to have a fantastic general knowledge.[5] Occasionally he and a listener used to have a little sing-along and have a banter. Webley was known to get a regular pop quiz from some of his callers on a wide range of issues, mainly to do with music. The show attracted a substantial number of listeners outside of the United Kingdom, mostly from Syria and Taiwan.
He was also a regular contributor on Network BBC radio programmes including those ofSimon Mayo andPaul Gambaccini, theToday programme, and5Live Breakfast withNicky Campbell.
He presented theBBC London 94.9 overnight show from August 2006, at the time of his death occupying the 2 am until 6 am slot Monday to Saturday. One of the features of the show was the 'moan in', where listeners were given the opportunity to vent their frustrations about various issues. Topics of discussion were generally those dealt with bytabloid newspapers. The format was very much akin to Americantalk radio.
His band the G Spot[5] played their first gig on 28 August 2010 forNatalie Cassidy at the National Theatre, South Bank, London. The performance was filmed for a reality show to be shown later that year onE4.
Webley was married to Sheila and had two sons (Harry and Twig), two daughters (Natalie Jayne and Clare), and three grandchildren.[4] At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with fellow broadcasterJoAnne Good.
Webley died on 7 May 2011 at the age of 53[7] after collapsing at his family home inMilton Keynes from aheart attack. An inquest at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court resulted in a verdict of death by misadventure after the coroner heard that Webley, who had a history of heart disease, had taken theClass B drugmephedrone prior to the heart attack.[10]
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