Robert Elms

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Robert Elms is a writer, broadcaster and D.J. on BBC London 94.9, broadcasting weekdays from Noon to 3pm. The show features aspects of 'hidden London' histories, as revealed in its buildings, places, and its subterranean world. The show, dating back to the 1990s (Elms survived the loss of GLR, staying out the battle to save the station and its preent reincarnation as BBC London) is popular with regular listeners, including cab drivers who regulary call in to his "Notes & Queries" section.

Born in West London to a working class family, attending Grammar School and then the LSE, he has written for The Face and the first of several books was the novel was In Search Of The Crack (1989).

[edit] Trivia

In his youth, Elms was a London clubber, fashionista, and a member of the New Romantics set. He remains a fan of Spandau Ballet and modern jazz and world music both feature on his show.

As a loyal Londoner he has expressed a dislike of the "rest of Britain" several times on air and in newspaper profiles, with one article in the Independent highlighting the negative reception his multi-ethnic family received in a small town while on holiday. He is mentioned in Piano Magic's song "I Must Leave London" as being 'selectively blind' (Disaffected 2005) for this reason. He lives with his family in Camden Town and a 1,000 year-old Moorish house in Andalusia, and speaks fluent Spanish.

Elms is also known for a dislike of the Beatles, especially John Lennon, whom he refuses to play on air. Elms regards the Beatles as talentless frauds and has broken into tounge-in-cheek diatribes on-air about "Octopus's Garden" and "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" while claiming to have never heard of the Revolver album. Elms once stated that "Any true music lover like me, anyone with a sophisticated taste in music like myself, can see straight away that the Beatles music is talentless and soulless. I could obviously never listen to such drivel".

His nephew, Ben, is a regular caller to the Clive Bull show on LBC 97.3, and tends to come up with topics for the show.