Jo Whiley life and biography

Jo Whiley, born Johanne Whiley is an English radio disc jockey on BBC Radio 1, and a television presenter. She is married to Steve Morton and has 3 children.

Whiley was born to an electrician father and a postmistress mother. She attended Campion School near Northampton and then studied applied languages at Brighton Polytechnic – "because it was the only course I could get on to anywhere. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do".

Early career
In her final year and still unsure of what she wanted to do, a conversation with a lecturer lead to a job with BBC Radio Sussex on a show called Turn It Up. It allowed anyone to get on the radio, and also required Whiley to attend gigs and interview the musicians.

After a year she left for City University, London for a one year course on radio journalism. After writing many letters, she got a job as a researcher on WPFM, a BBC Radio 4 youth culture and music show. When the presenters Terry Christian and Gary Crowley left, she took over, gaining her first presenting role. She then moved into television, firstly at British Satellite Broadcasting where she produced and presented the indie show, and then at Channel 4 where she worked as a researcher on The Word, with her friend Zoe Ball.

Whiley moving on to BBC Radio 1 from September 1993 until February 1997 (the heydays of Britpop - Blur and Oasis), she hosted a weekday evening show called The Evening Session with Steve Lamacq from 7 until 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday. The show was oriented towards less-mainstream, non-dance music. Lamacq still has an evening show each Monday on Radio 1, with a similar content, and has a weekday afternoon show on 6 Music, a digital radio channel. In addition to The Evening Session, in Late 1995 she presented her own show on Saturday afternoon from 2.30-5pm.

The Jo Whiley Show
From February 1997, she had a weekday show from 12 to 2 p.m., named The Jo Whiley Show and later The Lunchtime Social. This included elements of the evening show, such as tour dates and occasional live 'sessions' at Maida Vale while working within the restrictions of Radio 1's daytime schedule.

When Simon Mayo left Radio 1 for Radio Five Live in February 2001, Whiley's show was moved two hours earlier to the time it is today (from 10 a.m. to 12.45 p.m.).

The show includes an 'entertainment news' section, now at noon, which is currently read by Natalie Jamieson. News updates also appear at 10.30 and 11.30. Newsbeat's lunchtime programme follows the end of the show at 12.45.

Television career
Whiley presents televised coverage of major music festivals, such as the Glastonbury Festival. She also narrated the BBC Three series, Little Angels. In October 2007 she became a judge on the T4 show MobileAct Unsigned which searches for a band trying to get a record deal. Her fellow Judges are Simon Gavin from A+M records, Alex James from Blur and then 4 guest Judges: Lily Allen, Calvin Harris, Mutya Buena and Just Jack.

Personal
Whiley married Virgin Records executive Steve Morton in July 1991 in Northampton. The couple live in North London, and have three children India (born May 1992), Jude (born February 1999) and Cassius (born May 2001). Morton calls Whiley Mr Magoo because she blunders through life.

Whiley is a celebrity ambassador to Mencap, a UK charity that works to support people with learning difficulties. She is the front and host of the Little Noise Sessions concerts, in aid of the Mencap charity.

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