In 2023, Ben’s Country Music Show celebrated its 15th anniversary—marking over 1,500 hours of radio written, recorded, and produced since its launch in 2008. Over the past decade, the show has provided a platform for country music, roots, Americana and bluegrass, allowing its host, Ben R. Atkinson, to share his passion, connect with artists, and travel extensively across the UK and the USA.
Each week, Ben’s Country Music Show showcases the latest releases from the USA and UK alongside classic hits and live sessions. The program also features news from Nashville, albums of the week, songs from the valut and the weekly UK album and radio charts.
The show originated on 103 The Eye, a community radio station serving Melton Mowbray and the Vale of Belvoir. Notably, it was the first UK station awarded a five-year broadcast license, making it the country’s longest-running community radio station. In its early years, the show was broadcast live, sometimes with guest presenters and even full bands squeezed into the studio. After relocating to Lincoln for university, Ben established a home studio, expanding the show’s reach to additional stations across the Midlands—many of which continue to air it today. In the years since, the show has gone to be syndicated not only in the UK but internationally and is now broadcast on stations around the world.
Interviews and live sessions have been a cornerstone of the program, with Ben welcoming a diverse range of artists from both sides of the Atlantic. Guests have included the late Lynn Anderson, Charlie McCoy, Gretchen Peters, Bob Cheevers, The Shires, Ward Thomas, John Montague, Gary Quinn, and Charlie Landsborough. Many of these musicians have become friends of the show, returning to co-host or perform live on multiple occasions. A selection of these interviews are available on the show’s website.
Over the years, Ben’s Country Music Show has been broadcast on a variety of stations, including a stint on the UK’s dedicated country music station, Chris Country. It is now broadcast on stations across the UK, in Ireland, Australia, and across Europe and the USA.
Reflecting on the program’s 15th anniversary in 2023, it is evident how much the UK country music scene has evolved and the popularity of the genre has exploded. When the show launched in 2008, there was no C2C Festival, no major UK country acts like The Shires or Ward Thomas, and little mainstream radio support for the genre outside of the BBC. In the years since, Ben’s Country Music Show has grown into one of the UK’s leading independent specialist music programs, with an expanding audience both nationally and internationally.