Brad Pitt to present UK radio show
Hollywood star Brad Pitt is to present a show on BBC Radio 2.
Pitt will narrate a documentary about British singer-songwriter Nick Drake.
He is a big fan of Drake, who died from a drugs overdose in 1974.
“I was introduced to Nick Drake’s music about five years ago, and am a huge admirer of his records,” Pitt said.
“When Radio 2 approached me to get involved in this project, I was delighted to be asked and pleased that I was able to fit it into my schedule.”
Pitt, 40, star of Ocean’s Eleven and Fight Club, recorded the script last weekend in Hollywood during a break from filming Ocean’s Twelve.
He joins the likes of Terry Wogan, Ken Bruce and Johnnie Walker on Radio 2, which has cast off its uncool image to become the nation’s most listened to station.
Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas said: “I am thrilled to welcome Brad Pitt to Radio 2 to present what promises to be a unique and unmissable profile of the life and music of Nick Drake.
“Drake is regularly cited as an influence by some of Radio 2’s core artists, including REM, Paul Weller and Badly Drawn Boy, and to have a genuine fan like Brad Pitt to present the series will make it a compelling listen.”
Drake recorded three albums for Island Records during his short career and none were a commercial success.
But his death from an overdose of anti-depressants aged 26 turned him into a cult artist.
