Actually, I've known it for a while now, but it's worth blogging about today because Coxy has been filling in for Edith Bowman on Radio 1 this week.
In the 90s, during the "ladette phenomenon", I never rated Sara Cox (despite being a hormonal teenager and her tendency to appear semi-nude in FHM and Loaded.) She also had the misfortune to be the face of TV atrocity The Girly Show, before some unmemorable guest-presenting stints on The Big Breakfast. Still, I think everyone under-25 guest-presented The Big Breakfast at some stage back then!
Cox followed bessie mate Zoe Ball into radio, where her looks were no longer an asset, to takeover Radio 1's Breakfast Show from her drinking buddy. And, for the first year anyway, you could smell some talent in Coxy. Sadly, the nuggets of quality were drowned out by her repetitive style and annoying habit of saying "eh" every three seconds! So, after a strong start, her ratings dropped significantly and she politely "swapped shows" with Chris Moyles to front a weekday afternoon show, before being transferred elsewhere in the schedule...
But Coxy must have been to D.J school. I actually have an image of her trekking up a mountain to sit at the feet of radio legend the Hairy Cornflake... to be imparted his vast knowledge... then ignore all of it, grow up, have a baby, find a man, settle down and come back to the airwaves refreshed and invigorated. It may have happened exactly like that.
She's really, really good now. No, really. In fact, she's the best female D.J on Radio 1 -- which may be faint praise given her competition is middle-aged, name-dropping Jo Whiley and the amateur fake enthusiast Edith Bowman -- but there you are. She should replace either of those two, permanently.
Go on, give Coxy a go. She doesn't rely on the "zoo-style" of Moyles and Mills to fill dead air, or have games/gimmick as backup. She's just learned how to link to music with amusing stories and funny comments on life's foibles. The improvement is quite startling, yet her style remains familiar and inclusive.
Oh, and there's not an "eh" to be heard anywhere! Well, until Edith "eh" Bowman comes back. Maybe we can pack Bowman off to see the Hairy Cornflake?
