Episode 9

2009

Published on: 27th July, 2015

Recession, Lady Gaga, Somali pirates, Fred the Shred, Michael Jackson's death...

Tracklisting:

– Jedward on X Factor

– Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers

– Christian Bale meltdown

– Barack Obama inauguration

– Lily Allen – The Fear

– UK is in recession

– La Roux – In for the Kill

– Woolworths closes down

– Black Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow

– Somali pirates hijack US ship, Captain Phillips praised

– Kesha – Tik Tok

– Josef Fritzl sentenced

– Susan Boyle audition on Britain’s Got Talent

– Fred ‘the Shred’ Goodwin’s pension, RBS losses

– MPs expenses scandal

– Lady Gaga – Poker Face

– Gurkhas granted UK settlements, Joanna Lumley celebrates

– Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

– Manchester United win Premiership, lose Champions League final

– Thierry Henry handball against Ireland

– Jenson Button wins F1

– Roger Federer beats Andy Roddick in Wimbledon final

– England win the Ashes

– Sir Bobby Robson dies

– Kings of Leon – Use Somebody

– Swine flu outbreak

– Go Compare, Compare the Meerkat ads

– Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

– Gaza ceasefire

– Jay Z and Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind

– Pilot lands plane in Hudson River

– Red Dwarf returns

– Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift, Obama calls him a ‘jackass’

– Taylor Swift – Love Story

– Stephen Gately dies

– Jade Goody dies

– David Guetta and Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over

– Tiger Woods affair scandal

– Cheryl Cole – Fight for this Love

– Rihanna beaten by Chris Brown

– Alexandra Burke – Bad Boys

– Amanda Knox sentenced for Meredith Kercher murder

– Oasis split

– BNP’s Nick Griffin on Question Time

– Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)

– Terry Wogan’s final breakfast show

– Michael Buble – Haven’t Met You Yet

– Harry Patch dies

– Florence + the Machine – Dog Days Are Over

– UK soldiers in Afghanistan

– Avatar

– Michael Jackson dies

– Michael Jackson – This Is It

– Rage Against the X Factor

– Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name

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About the Podcast

The Sounds of the 21st Century
An audio time machine from 2001 onwards.
An unofficial continuation of BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 21st Century.

If you’ve found this podcast, then chances are, like me, you were a massive fan of BBC Radio 2’s Sounds of the 20th Century.

Created by Trevor Dann’s Company, the original series ran from 2011 and 2012. Each episode was an hour of one particular year’s biggest moments (news, TV shows, films, sports etc), alongside that year’s memorable hit songs. It was similar to the Rock and Roll Years TV shows from the ’90s, which broadcasting legend Trevor Dann was also behind.

What was particularly awesome about it, was that it didn’t feature any ‘talking heads’, analysis or hindsight. They were simply audio collages of each year, allowing you to work out what was being played, and to make connections to what happened in the following years.

With the series ending after the year 2000, I was left bereft and wanted more. As someone who is obsessed with nostalgia, charts and pop culture, and because the 2000s were my formative years, I decided to give making an unofficial continuation a go myself.

So this series is an ongoing project that will continue the original series from 2001 onwards, with attempts made to keep it in the original style as much as possible (including the theme tune, run-length etc).

Each episode aims to be a 60-minute snapshot of the world (largely from British eyes!), as it was back then. Archive news clips have been taken from various sources (such as BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4, ITV, The Guardian, CNN and other news networks). However, as I only have access to what is available online, some clips, particularly from the early years of the internet, may sound a bit tinny in quality, as they were ripped from incredibly old files (such as old .ram files – remember them?), that no longer exist since I made the first few episodes back in 2012.

NOTE: If you’ve previously downloaded the series – I have since made revisions to the episodes in 2022. Please re-download to get updated versions with improved intros and other new clips.

The series is in no way endorsed by Trevor Dann or the BBC, but was meant as a bit of fun, as a homage to the brilliant series, and to give fans something new. Trevor himself has been kind enough to acknowledge the series, as long as I call it ‘Bootleg Sounds of the 21st Century’.

In 2021, the original series returned as Sounds of the 21st Century. It was in a slightly different style, with Claudia Winkleman replacing original host Jeremy Vine.

I greatly encourage everyone to listen to the original series if you can track it down. The 2021 series can be found here.

Please do get in touch in the comments sections if you’d like to say hello or give feedback – or follow me on Twitter (@eamezey).

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Tom Eames