BBC Radio 2 pay homage to iconic Preston cartoonist Leo Baxendale with Rylan & Michelle Visage gifts
In honour of the Preston cartoonist Leo Baxendale, BBC Radio 2 presenters Michelle Visage and Rylan were made honorary members of the Bash Street Kids with their very own caricatures over the weekend.
Both presenters were at Radio 2 in the Park, which took place at Moor Park in Preston over the weekend (Friday, Septmber 6 -Sunday, September 8).
Preston was also the birthplace of Leo Baxendale who famously created Minnie the Minx so to celebrate his part of Preston’s artistic heritage, Michelle and Rylan were presented with portraits of themselves in the Bash Street Kids style by Minnie the Minx’s current artist Laura Howell.
After receiving his portrait Rylan said: “Aaaaah! Oh my god! Oh my god. I fancy me. Oh my god, look the skinnies, the beard! […] That is so cool. Oh my god thank you so much, thank you. Oh my god, that’s going straight up in my office. I can’t, that’s… that’s incredible! Genuinely, thank you so much!”
Michelle Visage said: “I feel like I’m actually British… this is better than an OBE… That’s amazing! Oh I am really officially British, commemorated forever. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness this is amazing, the detail is great. Is this mine? Thank you! Official, I’m official! Oh my goodness thank you so much.” When she was told the artist was a woman called Laura Howell, she said “It’s a woman, even better, it’s a woman! Oh my gosh, thank you Laura!”
-and-Michelle-Visage-(right)-with-their-Bash-Street-Kids-caricatures--Credit-BBC.jpeg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
Rylan and Michelle’s Leo Baxendale-esque portraits were not the only surprise appearances at Radio 2 in the Park on Sunday.
On the DJ Stage, Line of Duty star Vicky McClure made a surprise appearance during Paddy McGuinness’s set, and got the crowd dancing to YMCA and throwing t shirts to the crowd.
Paddy was joined on stage by Blacklace who performed their pop classics Agadoo, Superman and Do The Conga, which saw Paddy and Vicky conga around the stage in front of thousands of Radio 2 listeners who were in the DJ tent.
During Michael Ball’s Broadway Bangers set, the stage star was joined onstage by Sally Traffic Boazman and Rylan to join in with a dance routine to You Can’t Stop The Beat from Hairspray, which Michael has starred in.
After getting over that surprise, Michael then serenaded the crowd with a live version of one of his many Top Ten hits Love Changes Everything.