Top Aussie FM radio show of the past 25 years named

The hosts of a popular Australian radio industry podcast have counted down their picks for the top 10 radio show of the past 25 years.

The hosts of a popular Australian radio industry podcast have named their pick for the top FM radio show of the past 25 years, with beloved radio duo Hamish and Andy taking out the top spot.

The comedians pipped Kyle and Jackie O to the top spot, in a top 10 countdown revealed over the past week by the Melbourne Radio Wars podcast, hosted by Craig Bruce, Irene Hulme, and Wade Kingsley.

Dubbing them “Australia’s favourite media brand,” the MRW podcast described Hamish Blake and Andy Lee as “universally loved.”

The same probably can’t quite be said of second-place getters Kyle and Jackie O who, while hugely popular, also have their fair share of critics.

Hamish (left) and Andy (right) were rated the top FM radio show of the past 25 years …

… pipping Kyle and Jackie O to the top spot.

Hamish Blake joined the hosts for the latest episode of the podcast to reflect on the success he and Lee have enjoyed since they formed more than 20 years ago.

“We’ve just found each other. We were 19 when we met,” he recalled of his comedy partner.

He said he and Lee shared a similar ethos from the beginning: Whatever they did, they wanted it to be fun.

He said it was “sheer luck, and a bit of an alchemy, when we put our two personalities together. We just felt like: I guess this is just what most friends would be like if you turned your friendship into a radio show.”

But he acknowledged that in the high-stakes world of FM radio, the pressures are very different.

Hamish and Andy, the early years.

“When you normally catch up with your friends, the stakes are pretty low. Now every time we catch up (on-air), our jobs are on the line, so we’d better have a good time. That can put a lot of pressure on you and runs the risk of becoming, of it being forced or artificial.”

Blake said he was grateful that, 20 years in, that hadn’t happened so far.

“This started out as something that was really organic … there’s a lot of love in it. And I think we’ve always, we have always had a strong policy of like, we’ve got to move before it gets stale or before we don’t enjoy it anymore.”

Melbourne Radio Wars’ Top 10 FM Radio Shows of the Last 25 Years:

10. The Cage

9. Get This

8. Hot Breakfast

7. Jonesy and Amanda

6. Kate, Tim and Marty

5. The Christian O’Connell Show

4. The Matt and Jo Show

3. Merrick & Rosso

2. Kyle and Jackie O

1. Hamish and Andy