Kevin Greening

Infobox Person
name = Kevin Greening


image_size = 176×203
caption =
birth_name = Kevin Greening
birth_date = birth date|1962|12|30|df=y
birth_place = Kent, England [cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3115066.ece |title=Kevin Greening: Veteran disc jockey whose wit and sensitivity graced the airwaves of BBC Radio |date=2008-01-01 |publisher=The Times |accessdate=2008-01-02]
death_date = death date and age|2007|12|29|1962|12|30|df=y
death_place = Wandsworth, South London, England
death_cause =
resting_place =
resting_place_coordinates =
residence =
nationality = British
other_names =
known_for =
education = St Catharine's College, Cambridge
occupation = Radio DJ
partner = Sean Griffin
relatives =
website =

Kevin Greening (30 December 1962 – 29 December 2007cite web |first=Kevin |last=Young |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7165356.stm |title=Ex-BBC DJ Greening dies aged 44 |date=2007-12-30 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2007-12-31] ) was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.

Early career

Kevin Greening grew up in Bristol where he worked voluntarily for the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service and later studied chemical engineering at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he was station manager at Cambridge University Radio. His first job was as a construction worker on the Humber Bridge. He then trained as a studio manager and began his broadcasting career at the BBC World Service. After a brief spell as a Programme assistant at BBC Radio Solent, in 1989 Greening joined London's Local station BBC GLR as a producer, before becoming a presenter of their Breakfast show in 1991.

In April 1993, Greening joined the newly launched Virgin Radio, presenting a Friday and Saturday evening show and a Sunday morning show. After two months, he took over their weekday afternoon show, where he remained until he quit Virgin in December 1993.

Radio 1

In January 1994, Greening joined BBC Radio 1, presenting the Weekend Breakfast Show (Saturday & Sunday 7-10am). In the summer of '94, Radio 1 agreed to cover the Gay Pride event for the first time and these reports into the general days output were fronted by Greening; the success of these led to Radio 1 becoming a regular fixture at Gay Pride events. In May 1995 Greening was named in Gay Times' "Top 200 Gay Men and Lesbians" as an out gay DJ.citation|journal=Gay Times|title=Top 200 Gay Men and Lesbians|page=page 28|date=May 1995|issue=200|first=Colin|last=Richardson|year=1995|issn=0950-6101]

In November 1994, Greening took over the Weekend Lunchtime show (Saturday & Sunday 12-2pm). Again he featured many of his comedy characters (usually voiced by Andrew McGibboncite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2234311,00.html |title=Kevin Greening - Creative presenter who helped to salvage the Radio 1 breakfast show |date=2008-01-03 |publisher=Guardian |accessdate=2008-01-22] ) featured on Weekend Breakfast. October 1995 saw Greening move back to Weekend Breakfast where he would remain for another 16 months. Greening was given the Drivetime show in February 1997. Regular features on the show included the "Joke du Jour", "60 Second Cinema", and the "Evening Procession".

Early mornings seemed to play a big role during Greening's time at Radio 1, as he had presented Weekend Breakfast and had also been the main stand-in presenter for Steve Wright, Chris Evans and Mark Radcliffe on Weekday Breakfast, but October 1997 saw Greening present the Weekday breakfast show alongside Zoe Ball, where he would remain for 12 months.

Greening moved to a Sunday morning show from 6.30-10am in September 1998. At the time he was also presenting shows for BBC World Service and a TV show for digital station BBC Choice. It was during this period that Greening became the main stand-in presenter on the network, covering for many weekday presenters including Scott Mills, Simon Mayo and Mark Radcliffe. There was also a period when Greening took over the weekday lunchtime show whilst regular presenter Jo Whiley was away on maternity leave. He occasionally made light of his status as a stand-in presenter, giving an alternate email address as [e-mail] (his main address being [e-mail])

On Sunday 16 January 2000, Greening presented his final Radio 1 show. In the last half hour he played some of the sketches from his time with the station.

Radio 5 Live

Not long after he left Radio 1, in 2000 Greening moved to BBC Radio 5 Live, where he was a stand-in presenter for various daytime slots. [*Cite book |first=Janet |last=Trewin |year=2003 |publisher=Elsevier |title=Presenting on TV and Radio: An Insider's Guide |isbn=024051906X |page=116-117]

In March 2001, whilst undertaking supply work at Five Live, he began co-presenting a Saturday Morning show on GLR's replacement, BBC London Live, alongside Amanda Hussain, the show went out from 8-11am on Saturday mornings and lasted until September the same year when the show was taken over by Danny Baker.

Commercial radio

Throughout late 2001 into 2002, Jazz FM employed Greening for various stints, then in May 2002, he briefly joined London's Heart 106.2 presenting their 2-6pm Weekend afternoon show.

After a stand-in stint on the BBC 6 Music Night Train Programme and in addition to XFM, in April 2004, Greening re-joined Jazz FM where this time he presented a Sunday morning show from 10am-2pm. Not long after, he also took over from Clive Warren on the Saturday Morning show, which also went out from 10am-2pm.

On 7 June 2005, Greening took over the 10am-3pm slot on Jazz FM's replacement, 102.2 Smooth FM. From 26 March 2007, he moved to a 1pm-4pm weekday afternoon slot on the relaunched 102.2 Smooth Radio where he built up a cult following. His "game with no name" quiz show was particularly funny, where listeners had to suggest the most suitable song to play against a particular news item.

He also presented Saturday afternoons from 2-5pm on the station.

Personal life

Greening was awarded a Fellowship by the Radio Academy in 2001; he was the only non-executive ever to be so honoured in the academy's 25 yearscite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2234311,00.html |title=Kevin Greening - Creative presenter who helped to salvage the Radio 1 breakfast show |date=2008-01-03 |publisher=Guardian |accessdate=2008-01-22] .

Greening was openly gay and had a previous long-term relationship with Andy Lowe, whom he often referred to on air as his "lesbian life-partner" or "live-in chum". When their relationship came to an end in 2005, after a brief separation they continued to share their house in North London.

At the time of his death Greening had been in a relationship with Sean Griffin for some time. cite web |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=506197&in_page_id=1773 |title=Drugs, sex games and the shabby death of Radio 1 star Kevin Greening |date=2008-01-05 |publisher=Daily Mail |accessdate=2008-01-05]

Death

On 30 December 2007, it was announced by Chris North, Greening's agent, that Greening had "died peacefully in his sleep", aged 44, one day before his 45th birthday. His boyfriend, Sean Griffin, was arrested the following day in connection with his death, and for possession of a Class A drug, cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7166439.stm |title=Man arrested after Greening death |date=2008-01-01 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2008-01-01] but charges in relation to Greening's death were not pursued by police.

On 3 January 2008, it was revealed following the post-mortem that Greening died of a heart attack after taking large quantities of cocaine, ecstasy and GHB.radio DJ killed">cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/news/nme/33433 |title=Former Radio 1 DJ killed by 'sex and drugs binge' |publisher = NME |date=2007-01-03] He had spent part of the night prior to his death at the Recon event [Recon is a fetish wear on-line store http://shop.recon.com with an associated social network http://www.recon.com] held at The Arches nightclub in Southwark, London.

Greening was buried on 18 January 2008 in a woodland burial ground after a secular humanist farewell ceremony in accordance with his wishes.

At the inquest into his death, a verdict of death by misadventure was recorded as a result of a self-induced drug overdose. [ [http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91248-1317928,00.html DJ Died After Gay Bondage Session] "Sky News"]

References

External links

* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3115066.ece Obituary in "The Times", 1 January 2008]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7165390.stm BBC obituary]
* [http://www.smoothradiolondon.com/on_air/kevin_greening/ Smooth Radio tribute]
* [http://www.planetbods.org/kevingreening/ The Kevin Greening Story]
* [http://news.scotsman.com/obituaries/Kevin-Greening-.3631471.jp Obit in "The Scotsman"]
* [http://kevingreeningtribute.blogspot.com/ kevingreeningtribute.blogspot.com - clip archive]

Persondata
NAME= Greening, Kevin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Radio presenter
DATE OF BIRTH= 30 December 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH= Kent, England.
DATE OF DEATH= 29 December 2007
PLACE OF DEATH= London, England.