Richard John McNeill Allinson (born 12 October 1958) is an English broadcaster with Greatest Hits Radio and Scala Radio and is Creative Director of Magnum Opus Broadcasting. Between 1997 to 2014 he was a disc jockey for BBC Radio 2. Early career Allinson was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire. He attended Tudor Grange Grammar School for Boys in Solihull. He started his broadcasting with a 3-year stint at Bailrigg FM, known at that time as University Radio Bailrigg (URB), whilst studying for a BA Hons in Economics at Lancaster University. He was firstly Treasurer and then became President of URB. He rejected a career in the legal profession and, in August 1980, took up broadcasting on London's Capital Radio, presenting their Chart Show. He also presented the Early Breakfast show for some of this period. Following on from Capital's Chart Show, in 1984 he took over the late-night 10pmmidnight slot. In 1987 he took over the weekday 24:30pm slot, followed by the weekday Early Breakfast show 46:30am in 1990. In addition to this, in around 1994 he worked alongside Julia Carling on the satellite music television channel VH1, where they hosted a live show together. Radio 2 Allinson joined BBC Radio 2 in 1997, presenting the MondayThursday late night show from 10:30pm to midnight, which included a mix of music and guests. In early 1999, Allinson took over the weekday drivetime show from 5pm to 7pm whilst regular presenter Johnnie Walker was off air due to health-related issues. He presented the programme for several months, with Lynn Parsons taking over the late show; in December 1999, Allinson returned to the late night show. In addition to his late night show, in 2000, Allinson also took over a Saturday afternoon show from 3:30 to 6:30pm, where he introduced the 'Radio Wall Of Sound'. This was where listeners could ring in, listen to a selection of snippets of tunes until they liked one particularly, for it to play as quickly as they'd shouted 'play' or made some other noise dictated by the host after the caller had been probed about their life. They were rewarded with a CD album of their choice. Allinson stepped down from the late night slot in June 2004, so he could concentrate on fronting Radio 2's 'Live & Exclusive' series and 'Sold on Song' projects. With record producer Steve Levine he formed Magnum Opus Broadcasting to "create programming