When 17-year-old Jo Whiley set off for somewhere called Glastonbury after a raucous sixth form party, she had no idea the festival would come to define her next four decades. In the early 80s, Jo was studying for her A-levels and had plans to train as a speech therapist. What actually happened was rather different — and much more glamorous, in a muddy sort of way.
“When I was 17 I didn’t even know broadcasting was a thing you could do,” laughs Jo. “I honestly thought I was going to be a speech therapist. The idea of me introducing The Killers on the main stage at Glastonbury would have blown my mind.”
Jo’s been married to music executive Steve Morton since 1991 and the pair share four children, India 30, Jude, 24, Cassius, 22, and Coco, 14. Somewhere along the way, she managed to fit in one of the most glittering, enviable and effortless-looking careers in showbiz.
She’s helmed shows on Radio 1 and Radio 2, presented Top Of The Pops and is such a firm part of British pop culture that her voice even featured in the film Love Actually. But hosting the TV coverage of Glastonbury is the gig that makes her heart soar.
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“I’m just really fond of it,” smiles Jo. “I’ve got so many lovely memories. I went in the sixth form. A bunch of my friends were at a party and they said, ‘We’re going to this thing, it’s in Glastonbury, it’s a festival apparently.’ And I said, ‘Oh, can I come?’ There was only one stage and we saw two bands, had a really great time, then we left because it was raining. So it was exactly the way it’s always been! Then I went with my husband when my daughter was 18 months old. I’ve spent a lot of time down there in the kids’ fields!”
Last year, she didn’t just introduce The Killers they dedicated their song Pressure Machine to her. So Jo’s kids must think she’s the coolest mum alive. “No mum is ever cool to their kids,” laughs Jo. “That’s the law.”
These days Jo attends the festival for work and stays in a nice hotel, while the rest of her family go for fun and stay in a tent. Jo wouldn’t have it any other way.
She laughs, “I come in handy occasionally if I can get them use of a toilet in a special area. Then I’m cool. But I don’t get to see them for the whole festival. They just go and do their thing and I see them when I get back home. They’ve all grown up.”
Maybe just one year she’d like to be back out in the crowd, drinking warm beer and covered in mud? “I can’t drink like I used to,” admits Jo. “I actually really love working there. I love talking to fans and being part of the whole Glastonbury team, so I’ve got no desire to go and just get drunk. I love my job!”
This year is no different and Jo is brimming with excitement about seeing Arctic Monkeys and is thrilled that her current favourite singer Raye is performing, too — someone she hopes to watch blossom into a superstar. As well as championing younger talent, Jo has interviewed all the biggest stars from Sir Paul McCartney to Beyoncé.
One iconic moment that stands out is talking with Adele in 2016, when the superstar was overwhelmed with nerves ahead of her performance. For Jo, it was an honour to be her cheerleader. “It was a really big deal for Adele playing Glastonbury,” she says. “I spoke to her just before she went on stage. She got quite overwhelmed. It’s a real privilege speaking to somebody who is in that state and I just wanted to make her feel very comfortable.
“That’s one of my favourite memories from Glastonbury. I’d played her right in the beginning and then seeing her go from being a tiny backing singer to having this amazing career felt special.” Another iconic Glastonbury moment Jo witnessed was when a then 68-year-old Dolly Parton appeared in a white rhinestone catsuit in 2014 and belted out hits including Jolene, 9 To 5 and I Will Always Love You.
Watching from behind the scenes Jo couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “It was unbelievable. Nearly everybody that was at Glastonbury was in that field to watch her performance. It was quite something to see so many people singing along to her songs,” Jo recalls.
Jo was lucky to interview Dolly immediately after her gig and was astonished by the kindness and professionalism of the superstar. “Dolly was special,” says Jo. “All she cared about was whether I got my photograph with her and whether the angle was right and we looked good. She cared so much about other people.”
Not every interview is a dream, particularly when musicians are about to face the biggest moment of their career, which will be seen by millions across the globe. “No one’s ever tricky,” says Jo diplomatically. “People are nervous. I remember interviewing Coldplay when they came off stage. We interviewed Chris and then I said at the end of it, ‘OK, let’s look at your performance,’ and he just walked out across the camera because he didn’t want to watch it back!”
Another awkward chat was with Paul Simon. “He wasn’t very well when he did his Glastonbury,” admits Jo. “It was quite painful because he was just analysing his performance. It was a difficult situation. There is a lot of pressure.”
Holding it all together on live TV is a lot of pressure, too, but Jo loves being at the centre of it all and vows to continue broadcasting from Glastonbury on behalf of the BBC for as long as possible. “I love every single second, it’s a real privilege and I’ve got the stamina. I’ll keep going for as long as they’ll have me,” she says.
Stamina is something Jo really does have in droves, having just completed the swimming leg of a triathlon, but she plays down the achievement. “It made me realise how unfit I was,” laughs Jo, who’s 57. “I thought, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ But you never regret it after. You might dread it beforehand, you might not enjoy it at the
time, but afterwards you get a certain feeling of satisfaction and that’s exactly why we do it.”
Jo’s clearly super fit but show business is famously ageist and Jo is aware that one day she may have to hand her microphone to a new, younger presenter. “I’m sure that that day will come,” says Jo. “Things have to evolve all the time.” But Jo reckons she’ll always have an audience.
“Those people who are my age still love music,” says Jo. “They still love going to gigs. There is a huge market for youth and young people but there’s also equally music for people my age and older. You’ve got Gilbert O’Sullivan and Yusuf Islam playing this year, Elton John’s headlining… There’s something for everyone.”
Alongside the continued success of Jo’s Radio 2 show, she’s also been quietly digging out a new niche for herself appearing on gardening shows. “I’m in the best place in my life at the moment,” says Jo. “I have so much freedom on my show and I’m happy doing my gardening stuff. If I can pop up on the odd gardening show, appear at Chelsea Flower Show every so often and talk about flowers with Monty Don, then I’m a really happy person. I’m just enjoying every day.”
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