Helen Mayhew retires from Jazz FM

Helen Mayhew has announced that she is to retire from broadcasting, with her final programmes transmitting on Jazz FM on 29th January 2026 (The British Jazz Show at 9pm) and Friday 30th January (The Latin Jazz Jam at 7pm).

Helen was one of the first voices on Jazz FM when it launched back on 4th March 1990 with her programme that ran every weekday evening between 6 and 9pm. The final 90 minutes of the show was called “Dinner Jazz” which remains today!

Jazz FM’s Content Director Nick Pitts has said “It is sad to say goodbye to Helen after an astonishing run on Jazz FM where we have all benefited from her musical wisdom as listeners, and we will miss her knowledge, skill and enthusiasm. But we send her on to her next journey in life with our best wishes and love and can’t wait to hear all about it. She will always be an important and intrinsic part of the Jazz FM Family”

Nigel Williams had a chat with Helen about her career on his Saturday Show this weekend just gone (24th January) ahead of her final shows, and you can see the transcript below

YOU WERE WITH JAZZ FM AT THE VERY START. TAKE US BACK TO THE BEGINNING:

"Oh, Nigel. It was a bit of a blur, actually. The nerves were huge, as you can imagine. Um, because I'd never done anything like that before. Really? There was a massive party going on in the production office on the first day we went on air. Um, 4th March 1990. So basically that was in the production office. So I had to build my first programme actually sitting on the stairs. So that didn't help.

Ella Fitzgerald came in and because she was doing some concerts for us at the Royal Albert Hall, I remember Chris Phillips was having to introduce her on stage, and I think he quipped that the last time he'd been on stage was at his school nativity play. So you can imagine what we were all feeling.

Anyway, Ella came in, she did a press conference as well. That was incredible just to see her and be in the same room with her. You know, it was incredible. And the party, I think, continued throughout the day. I think there was a jam session in the office later on. And I think that included people like Courtney Pine on saxophone and Jazz FM's founder, Dave Lee playing the piano. And, um, so pretty mad."

WHAT DID YOU PLAY?

"Uh, my first record on air was Professor Longhair Go to the Mardi Gras, the 1959 version of that. So I'd sort of, you know, that was one of my favourite recordings. So I thought, well, I'm going to play that. And Jez Nelson and Chris Phillips were both there at the start as well. It was quite an event. So yes, I'm not the only one who's survived all these years."

SO DINNER JAZZ WAS YOUR ORIGINAL SHOW?

"Yes it was. It was the flagship show way back in the day and it actually began from jazz FM first programme controller Ron Onions, sadly no longer with us, but he was a brilliant man and he just called me in and said, play some relaxing music for people who've had a hard day at work.

So night after night, you know, for many years it was me in the in the whole building on my own with just Ron the security guard and Dizzy the jazz FM cat. And we three were the only three in the building. And that was that. Ron would bring me a cup of tea and yeah, that was when, you know, I fell in love with those amazing ballads and those amazing musicians and playing people like John Coltrane and Dexter Gordon, Norma Winstone, Ella, you know, the music was so inspirational to me. I loved doing that show and it did. It was very popular."

SO YOU’RE FINISHING UP THIS WEEK THEN?

"That's right. Yes. I'm doing the British Jazz show at nine on Thursday night. Might be slipping in a few favourites, but it would just it would just be an ordinary show.

So basically talking about the new releases and people who've got gigs coming up. As you know, Ian Shaw has got his lovely residency at the Pizza Express and, uh, there's things going on, so I'll be I'll be just doing an ordinary show, really.

And then on Friday it'll be the Latin Jazz Jam. So we're going to go out on a party. I'll be wheeling out some favourites for that show and really looking forward to it."

CHOOSE A FAVOURITE TRACK FOR US TO PLAY:

"Uh, well, as you can imagine, for somebody who's played so much music and it's been my job to play all the best jazz that's come out both from the UK and abroad. But I think, I think I'm going to have to go for. For Kenny Wheeler. I've chosen Kenny Wheeler's “Music for Large and Small Ensembles”, which is a double CD.

It was released in 1990, so I thought it was appropriate because 1990 was the year that Jazz FM first started up. And just really, this album epitomises the joy and the friendship of the UK jazz scene. It's got a multi-generational lineup of musicians from all spheres of the music in this country. So people like Evan Parker from the free jazz scene, the great Dave Holland, who's playing bass on it, it's got a young Julian Arguelles on saxophone, and there's people like Henry Lowther, Stan Sulzmann and John Taylor. Norma Winston's on it as well, and also people like the trumpet player Derek Watkins from the studio scene. So from all walks of the jazz life here in the UK, you probably know Kenny was he was from Canada, but he spent most of his working life here in the UK and his music is just admired worldwide by musicians and fans.

So this album is a masterpiece. Big band writing and playing and this is one of my favourite songs from it. It's got a wild and beautiful melody and it's dedicated to his new granddaughter.

It's called Sophie."

Catch Helen’s final shows on Jazz FM later this week…

The British Jazz Show on Thursday 29th at 9pm

The Latin Jazz Jam on Friday 30th at 7pm