Mary Ann Hobbs Mary Ann Hobbs

Profiles of Popular and Extraordinary Radio Personalities

Mary Ann Hobbs

Personal: A highly accomplished music journalist, Mary Anne began writing for Sounds at the age of 19 - and spent her second year in Hollywood as the paper's US correspondent. On her return to the UK she was poached by the NME to take the roll of news reporter and features writer. She later contributed major investigative pieces to Select magazine. In 1994 Mary Anne was invited to join the team that launched Loaded magazine as music editor and major feature writer, and contributed many groundbreaking undercover pieces to the magazine.

Radio: Mary Anne's first dalliance with radio came in 1989 as a guest on Mark Goodier's Evening Session on Radio 1. She also contributed to Collins & Maconie's Hit Parade and Soundbite on Radio 1 and to a myriad of other BBC shows on Radio Wales, BBC World Service and GLR.

Mary Anne was involved with Xfm, the London independent radio station, since its inception, hosting her first shows for the network during their trial broadcast periods. She was subsequently offered the job of presenting GLR's Sunday morning breakfast show.

In January 1996 Mary Anne joined Radio 1 on a permanent basis to co-present the movie magazine Cling Film and develop her own overnight show.

Mary Anne moved to her own week night show in February 1997 introducing the radical, experimental Breezeblock at midnight, featuring the world's most elusive guest DJs. The Breezeblock Blow-Out Tour hit the road in April 1998, taking in Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Brighton. In July 1998, the Breezeblock became a show in its own right as Mary Anne joined Radio 1's roster of specialist DJs.

In September 1999 Mary Anne launched the taste-making Radio 1 Rock Show which has been a driving force behind the current rock rennaisance in the UK.

Claim to Fame: In her first year at Radio 1 Mary Anne presented confrontational documentaries on The Sex Pistols and David Bowie.