What the critics say: Chris Evans' Radio 2 breakfast show debut
Chris Evans has made his first outing as the new host of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 2's breakfast show, taking over from Sir Terry Wogan - who presented the show for a total of 27 years.
Evans set the ball rolling with two Beatles songs, All You Need Is Love and Got To Get You Into My Life. He also played out good luck message from Sir Terry himself and was joined by newsreader Moira Stewart, making her return to the ´óÏó´«Ã½.
According to , it was "a bit stiff to start" but "warmed up nicely".
"The music was carefully chosen not to frighten the oldies. Moira Stuart resisted Evans' flattery and read the news beautifully. Lynne Bowles proved herself the champ of traffic and transport reporters. Jonny Saunders, the sports reporter, let himself be picked on. (In any Evans show there has to be someone he can bully a bit.)"
The normally sedate format of the show was ripped to pieces, according to , who said Evans "burst upon the stygian gloom of a deep-frozen Monday like a grinning, shouty supernova."
"Two and a half hours passed by in a second, studded with the sort of music to make an old heart glad. He even played Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen. Wogan was great, the message went, but there's a new, 43-year-old kid in town and, to continue the Eagles line, everyone's gonna love him."
However, the , was a little disappointed that a "nervous" Evans and his team "played it very straight, some might say too straight."
"Evans, clearly determined to allay fears that he'd radically alter the show's musical content, greeted the end of the song by saying, 'See I told you there was nothing to worry about. However, one bugbear, and something he will have to sort out straight away is his tendency to talk over the end of tracks."
The bloggers have had their say too, with Evan's music choice again being applauded. said: "There really was something for everybody."
"Fats Domino with his 1956 version of Blueberry Hill. Throw in some Sinatra and Beatles and you've got the older end pretty happy... and many of the younger end, too, come to think of it. You can't really go wrong with them. And the currents were catered for as well, with Robbie, Alicia Keys, the new one from Mika... and even a rather good new song from the 'Evans favourites' box - Ocean Colour Scene."
Meanwhile, said the show was a mixed bag - "nothing earth shattering, the same mix of banter and bands".
"The question now is if the UK will take to the host of what is the biggest morning show in the country."
But what about Sir Terry's faithful listeners - Terry's Old Geezers and Gals, as they were affectionately known? Writing in (one of the "old gals" herself) praised Evans for not "trying to please the Togs". Instead, she wrote, "it was about Chris trying to please his listeners."
"Chris is a completely different person to Terry Wogan. He's upbeat. You can't compare the two. I want to listen to Terry Wogan forever, and if he hadn't left it I would have been delighted, but we're looking forward to his Sunday show. Still, we had to change, and having Chris on now is just fine. He's a lovely person; I wasn't expecting Terry."
Links in full